English

GCSE
Section: 1 PER
RSUASIVE WRITING
Contents:
1 Introducing AFOREST

2 Alliteration and Rhetorical

3 Fact v Opinion

4 Repetition, Triplets and Statistics

5 More Skills

6- Direct Address, imperatives and

suggestions

7 Structure, paralinguistic and listing

8 Putting skills to the test

9 Revision tools

10 Practise essay and examples

2
 AFOREST
AFOREST is an acronym (a word
made from the initials of many
words) and it represents some of the
key skills used in persuasive writing
which you must learn.
AFOREST does not give you every possible skill, however
the techniques here are very important so you need to
make sure you can spot, explain and use them yourself.
This first section is about the IMPACT of AFOREST, why
we use it and what it adds to writing.
FIRST, LETS LOOK AT THE KEY TERMS
TABLE 1
Here are some examples of AFOREST in action.
-He is not just new, he is better, faster, stronger than
ever!
-I dont personally feel that accent makes much
difference on TV shows, I care more about the content.
-Amazingly only 10% of people realise that there are
more than 5 senses
-Think of poor Johnathon, left starving out in the cold
winter night, all he wants is a warm place to sleep and
someone to love him.
-Some may say we are dreamers. Some may say we
know nothing. Some may even call us fools. Some people
are just wrong.
-Drinking water contains a chloride, a chemical used to
protect us from germs.
-Dont you think that was a daft thing to do?
-Portly people prefer pre prepared produce.
A Alliteration This is where words
are used together which share the same starting sounds,
they often make good tongue twisters and draw our
attention.
F-Facts This is information which is presented
as truth and can be supported. Importantly facts can be
wrong but are meant to be believed. Facts often use
examples to prove themselves.
O-Opinion This is the opposite of fact, an
opinion is what the writer thinks or feels, you may agree
with them but you cannot prove that everyone should.
R Repetition OR
Rhetorical questions Ok, two
here. Repetition is the re-use of a word or phrase in or
over a few sentences. They dont have to be write net to
each other, but close enough to see a pattern. Rhetorical
questions are questions which need no answer and are
asked to engage the reader.
E Emotive Language This is
where language is used to make you feel something
because of empathy. A lot of charities or sad stories use it
to make you feel an emotional response.
S Statistics The use of maths in your
writing, when you see someone talk about percentages,
numbers or ratios these are statistics that are used to help
you visualise the topic.
T Power of three/Triplets
Similar to making a list, by using three adjectives or
adverbs together it can emphasise the effect you are
trying to create. This is short enough to be snappy but
detailed enough to be powerful, 3 is the magic number!
3
EXTRACT 1Dont Lose Radio
Music radio has been around for over 30 years in the UK and I personally think it is one of the best forms of
entertainment around. After all, where else do you find the latest music releases to help you stay ahead of
the trend?

Only radio is completely free, needing no licenses, only radio can heard in every country of the world and still
let you enjoy the music and only radio can introduce you to new music every day.

There has been a lot of criticism in recent years about the limited number of choices for radio. After all
Radio 1 is mostly pop and rock, but why not listen to classical? Whats wrong with changing the programme and
going with Kiss FM?

Another really important part of our radio is that it is a part of our lives. The radio changed the world, it
announced those fatal words we are at war many times,
brought us news of the Berlin Wall and its collapse and it
brings you live sport and music fresh, vibrant, exciting, all
from the seat of your car or the earphones of your phone or
mp3 player. It would be sad to lose radio, our lives would miss
something which has brought us so much joy over the years.

Bring back the beauty of radio!

It should be clear that the extract above has persuasive writing

techniques used in it like AFOREST. SO what can we say about it?
First the work is more engaging with the audience, this means the
audience is asked to think or to learn something, that is more
interesting than a simple story.
Another thing is that it draws your attention in places. Alliteration
and repetition stands out to us when we hear or read something,
that means the writer can use it to make us pay attention to his
points.

Task:
Read all tasks properly before beginning.
1 Copy the definitions into your book from the
column on the opposite page. Next to each definition
write down the matching examples from TABLE 1.
2 After the example from TABLE 1. See if you can
create your own example as well and put this
underneath, make sure you create an example for each
term.
3 Read the article above. Give a paragraph which
explains the impact of persuasive language, use the
following words in your work.

4
Alliteration +
Rhetorical Questions
Two of the most used and among the
hardest and easiest of the techniques from
AFOREST. In this section we look at the
Task:
effect and how we can use it in work.
Read all tasks
Alliteration is easy to understand, it simply involves the properly before
use of same sounds at the beginning of words to create beginning.
an unusual tone to a piece of work.

She said, shrugging sore

shoulders
This is obviously a bit of an extreme example,
alliteration can be used with just two words if necessary.
Lovely lettuce
Or it can be spread over a sentence (though if it is too
widely spread the effect is lost.
Soberly the sole remaining
soldier
The use of alliteration can often create a tongue twister
and in a smaller scale, we notice this as we are reading
something, the greater effort that is needed draws our
attention to the writing.
The work was going well and everyone
had been doing their job. However, hours of
horrendous hail had meant that the roof
could not be fitted and despite the hard
work the building was flooded.
This time you notice the alliteration is embedded in the
extract, it helps the weather to stand out as the most
interesting part of the story, whereas if we take the
alliteration out we can see the difference immediately.
The work was going well and everyone
had been doing their job. However the rain
meant that the roof could not be fitted and
despite the hard work the building was
flooded.
1- Select 3 letters from the alphabet (try
the first letter of your name if you are
struggling). Rewrite the extract below
to include at least 3 examples of
alliteration using those letters to start
key words. Remember, alliteration does
not need to last the entire text, just at
key moments.
Some key words you could use: Cumbersome,
lasting, stylish, extreme, elegant, bigger, best
2 Underneath your paragraph explain
what your alliteration draws the readers
attention to e.g. it helps to show how
effective the battery life now is. Does it
improve the writing?
EXTRACT 1
NEW MODEL
With a longer battery life the new model of handset can
keep you alert and up to date with your friends at any
time of the day.
Smooth and now a much better shape, the clunky old
phone of the past is gone.

It may not seem much, but coupled with other The app store is also much better, with exciting new
techniques it can be very good at engaging the entertainment for you to try with the latest games on
audiences interest in key sections of writing. Android.

5
Rhetorical Questions
Rhetorical questions are used in day to day life. Every time someone asks you a question where it is clear they do
not want you to answer, but they DO want you to think about what they have said, is a rhetorical question. A good
rhetorical question is often best used to begin or end a subject. That means it could introduce a paragraph, a section
or even and essay, and it can end these things as well. The idea of a good rhetorical question is that it makes you
think about what you are about to hear/read or what you have just read/heard.

Remember a rhetorical question is one which is not expected to be answered, though there are some which often
seem pretty obvious if you are asked.

Do you have your pen?

That is not likely to be rhetorical if you are sitting in your classroom and you should have the pen.

If that your best work?

This however is more likely to be rhetorical because although there is an expectation, the teacher probably already
knows but they want you to realise something.

Should we sit back and ignore childhood obesity?

This is clearly a rhetorical question, while the answer is probably no, we are expected to start thinking about the
subject and what we can do.

Table 1
Statement Question Is it likely to be rhetorical and why?
I am hungry. There is a shop over Are you hungry, do you want to go to No, you expect a clear answer
there. the shop?

This is all you ever do. Why do you never do something else? Yes, you expect the person to think about it and change
their habits.

You look like you are bored Hollyoaks, I

can change the channel.

Do you want to dance?

I dont appear to be happy with that

answer.

Does Romeo truly love Juliet?

Task: Read all tasks properly before

beginning.
1 Copy and complete the grid above.
Make sure the statement and the
question relate to each other.
2 Add 3 more rows and fill them in on
your table.
3 What are rhetorical questions best
suited for? Answer in full detailed

6
sentences.
Fact v
Opinion EXAMPLE FACT:
-You need a British driving licence to drive in
The two most contrasting elements of
the UK.
AFOREST but easily confused.
-The sky is blue due to the light refracting

F
acts in writing are normally used to add weight through the atmosphere.
to what has been said.

Opinions do the same thing, the key difference is EXAMPLE OPINION:

that the fact will be a true (or presented as true
for an exam) an opinion however is what you or -Mozzarella is the best cheese.
someone else thinks.
-The X Factor is a rubbish TV show filled
The biggest problem between the two features is that
they can be easily mixed up, as shown below. with talentless wannabes.

Extract 1 Nottingham, Simply the Best.

The town centre of Nottingham is a buzzing and vibrant place where all the best shops can be found. There
are over 200 stores, big and small which can be found within half a mile of the city hall.

One of the notable features of the centre is the city hall itself. A large and majestic building it is easily one
of the most popular sites and is over a hundred years old. In front of this can be found two large concrete
lions. While every city has its statues and symbols, these lions carry a tradition in Nottingham, you should
always arrange to meet by the left lion in order to have good luck and every Nottingham born person knows
about this tradition. It can get a little confusing though when you ask which one is on the left (depending on
where you are coming from).

Nottingham as a city is one of the largest in the East Midlands and lies less than 30 miles away from Derby its
neighbour and biggest competitor.

Even though Derby and Nottingham both have

football teams, there is a classic rivalry between
Nottingham Forest and Derby (with Forest clearly
being the better team).

Nottingham is also full of great places to eat and

you could say it is the food capital of the east
midlands. It even features a Michelin star
restaurant.

When you are writing a piece of work and need to include a fact you are often allowed to invent the fact.
That means if you are writing an exam answer which asks you to write a persuasive article about
saving whales, you could make up some facts to support your answer. This is allowed because you
are showing your ability to use skills, dont try and do this in real life situations as trying to
present a lie as a fact can get you in trouble with the law (Slander and Libel are both crimes.).

7
W hen we are reading about
something in a newspaper
people will either believe it or
not. Many people think newspapers and
statistic. However I can offer an opinion
which says:

However most people dont believe

Table 1
Fact or Opinion?
adverts lie and others trust them that
completely to only give us the facts. i) Nutella contains
That is not a fact unless I can prove it and
The truth is a bit of both. Newspapers, the effect is that it makes the first fact Nuts.
magazines, adverts (or anything which is appear less truthful.
give to people to try and help make ii) Strawberry jam is
money) has to be truthful, otherwise it is The last thing is that facts can be
committing a crime. bad for you.
disproven. That means that once upon a
time people thought the world was made
However that doesn't mean a in 7 days. Then science proved it was not iii) Tall buildings are
newspaper can only use facts, they can and this means that the old FACT is now
also often offer an opinion and present it
boring.
wrong. That does not mean it was not a
as a fact. fact, only that it is not one anymore.
iv) Spiders are evil.
That means I can have an interview with Importantly, remember that facts:
Mr Smith who says: v) I am scared of
-Add weight to an argument. heights.
all politicians are nutters!
-Help convince people.
which is his opinion. However I can vi) John thinks doctors
present his opinion because it is still a -Are mean to be truthful. are paid too much.
fact that he said it, that way I am
presenting an opinion in a factual way.
vii) Doctors are paid
Similarly I can try and make a fact While opinions: over 30k.
appear more like an opinion:
-Can be presented as facts. viii) London is the 5th
90% of men over 30 are likely to
lose their hair at some point in their -May not be true. largest city in the
life, world.
-Do not need to be correct but often
So far that is a fact which is also using a people believe they are. ix) London is the best
city in the world.
x) In a recent survey
Read all tasks properly before most people said

Task: beginning.
1 Find 5 facts and 5 opinions from Extract 1. xi)
they didn't like
trains.
Nobody likes trains.
Copy them out with fact or opinion next to xii) Food could be
each. cheaper.
2 Fact or opinion, look at the statements in xiii) Food should be

Table 1 and decide whether they are fact or cheaper.

xiv) I can drive.
opinion, create your own table with these
headings and copy the statements in.
3 Write an explanation of why facts and
opinions can be used. Remember to read the
page above for ideas.
4 Imagine it is your job to persuade someone
to buy a new brand of chewing gum in 20
words or less, include a fact and an opinion.

8
 Repetition,
Triplets,
Statistics
The last three elements of AFOREST, easily
spotted, harder to reproduce.
R
epetition and Triplets (often known as power of
three,) often get mixed up. This is because you are
getting a similar effect, they say the same or a similar
thing over again to help it stand out.
Repetition is the use of THE SAME WORDS OR PHRASES used
multiple times in a sentence, paragraph or piece of text. It
does not need to be back to back and can be done as many
times as you need, the key thing is that it should be obvious to
the audience. Here is an example:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, dont deal in lies,
This is from a famous poem and you can see the words If you
can repeated every two lines. This helps give a consistent
pace and rhythm to the work as well as helping the writing
build up to a powerful climax.
Triplets work differently though, they involve using three
words or phrases which are SIMILAR and they must be back
to back.
The only advice I can give is this, fight, run, win!
This is similar because you are still repeating a meaning and
building up to cause greater effect. However it is different
because the words must be different (though still linked
together) and they only work as a set of three whereas
repetition can be as little as two and can go to any amount.
Repetition also can be spread over a larger amount of writing
while triplets are back to back.
Read all tasks properly before
Task: beginning.
1 Fill in the blanks, copy and complete
exercise 1. Remember that triplets should
share a similar meaning over the three words.
2-Read extract 1. What is being repeated. How
does this show that what Martin Luther King
talks about is important to him? Use the
following words in your explanation:
Emphasis, power, suggest, meaning, grow
Exercise 1
Tripling
Harder, Faster, _______
Swim, Run, _______
Punch, Kick, ________
Quieter,________,________
Heavy, ________, ________
Sweet, Sticky, ________
EXTRACT 1 Martin Luther Kings I
Have a dream speech 1963
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we
face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still
have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up
and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We
hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men
are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of
Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of
former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of
Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of
injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression,
will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and
justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one
day live in a nation where they will not be judged
by the color of their skin but by the content of
their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with
its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips
dripping with the words of interposition and
nullification, that one day right down in Alabama
little black boys and black girls will be able to join
hands with little white boys and white girls as
sisters and brothers.
9
 Read all tasks properly before
Table 1
Task: beginning.
1 Copy the points from Table 1, for each you
What could be the statistic?

must write a sentence containing statistics Q- To convince people to buy low fat milk
which help achieve the purpose , look at the A Low fat milk is 30% cheaper and 10% bet-
example if necessary. Try to use different ter for you than full fat milk.
types of statistics.

2 Read extract 1 and then copy it into your

book adding statistics as you do so. You
should be able to include statistics in place of
the bold writing.
Show smoking is bad for you
To demonstrate the benefits of
reading

S
tatistics are similar to facts because they should both be Help sell a house
truthful. Very often a statistic is also a fact.
Convince people to save
Cadbury chocolate contains 40% milk
Persuade people to take a holi-
This could be both a fact and containing a statistic. It informs you
of something truthful and gives you a numerical figure to help day
you.
Put people off drugs
However a statistic can be an opinion.
Not to swear
Half of my friends will vote in the election
This may be an opinions without much supporting evidence, but To play more sport
they are still using a percentage or a fraction to support what
they say. This is often used when we present opinion as fact as we
normally find that the use of figures adds strength to what you
say.
Extract 1
Look at the following examples:
There is significant evidence in recent years
1 I didn't do my homework because I had too much that the population of blue whales is
to do. decreasing.

2-I didn't do my homework because I was at work for
4 hours and then I had to get a bus which was 30
minutes late
Both can be fact or opinion presented as fact (you should always
make time for homework). However the second is more powerful
because its supports itself with statistics.
Statistics must generally use a percentage (%), ratio (:) or fraction
(/) and can be written mathematically or in English, though it is
important to decide which is appropriate. A formal letter or
speech may require written English whereas a report could use
numerical figures.
Latest figures suggest there are far fewer
blue whales than at older points in time.
It is not just blue whales which suffer as
many other whale species are also being
hunted in the pacific for their use as
medicine, fat and food.
Japan is responsible for a large amount of
whale hunting and kills many each year.

When you are writing a piece of work and need to include a statistic you are often allowed to invent it.
That means if you are writing an exam answer which asks you to write a persuasive article about
saving whales, you could make up some statistics to support your answer. This is allowed because
you are showing your ability to use skills, dont try and do this in real life situations as trying to
present a lie as a fact can get you in trouble with the law (Slander and Libel are both crimes.).

10
More skills
As well as AFOREST there are a number of
The use of AFOREST combined with these skills is
writing skills which can be used to help important to help improve the quality of writing
improve persuasive and argumentative overall.

writing. This will involve a mixture of Perhaps the most important part however is to
consider target audience.
techniques and advice.
NB. Remember that although your work will always
need to be written for a teacher or examiner, they
There are a number of techniques in addition to AFOREST will give marks for how suitable it is depending on
which can be used to engage an audience, this include the use what the task asked. Therefore if it is aimed at
of direct address and imperative or suggestive language. You children and you only write for adults you could lose
can also use listing, short sentences and non paralinguistic marks.
features.
The target audience is often shown in the question,
Table 1 however if you are reading something which has been
written by another person then you may have to look
Technique Definition out for key clues.

The use of you or we to make the audience feel 1 What language is being used?
Direct address involved.
If it is very simple it may be for kids, if it is too
Words which command do, must, go, this advanced it is for educated people and adults. Many
Imperatives makes the audience feel like they have no choice newspapers make their writing somewhere in the
but to act.
middle so that most people can read it but it doesn't
sound too childish.
Opposite of imperatives, may, could, these are
Suggestions words which encourage people but do not order 2 What are they saying to you? What is the
them, less aggressive. topic?
By giving a list of ideas or reasons it helps makes An article on bullying may have meaning for
Listing your argument seem stronger, people can find less everyone (adults went to school too), whereas a piece
reasons to disagree. written about a certain TV show or hobby may only
appeal to a smaller group. You may also find that
These can be used for sudden effect Act now. can your target audience could be men or women,
Short sentences keep the audience engaged. families or single people.

These are useful to make a sentence sound more
Complex sentences reasoned by adding more detail. This is achieved
by linking two sentences with connectives.
These are only really used in speeches, however it
Paralinguistic
involves everything that is not speech, such as
Features leaving a dramatic pause or a gesture.
3 How long is the article? How is it presented?
An article with lots of pictures and few words may be
for someone younger using the internet or someone
just skimming over news. A complex article however
may be more for someone who is interested in that
subject or hobby.

Task: Read all tasks properly before beginning.

1 Copy the above definitions into your books, for each one add an example, you could use
articles on different pages to help find something suitable.

2-Think of a title of an article which could clearly be targeted to the following groups.

A Single ladies
B People who like to travel to unusual destinations
C- Young people interested in politics
D Older people new to social networks like Twitter or Facebook

3-Write the opening paragraph of these 3 articles, you must be able to read this to another
person and they in turn must be able to identify who the target audience is, you will lose
marks for missing out key persuasive language techniques and for poor grammar.

11
Childhood bullying 'damages adult life'
Bullying in childhood "throws a long shadow" into victims' adult lives, suggests research indicating long-term
negative consequences for health, job prospects and relationships.

The study tracked more than 1,400 people between the ages
of nine and 26. School bullies were also more likely to grow
up into adult criminals. The study, from Warwick University
in the UK and Duke University in the US, concludes bullying
should not be seen as "a harmless rite of passage".

The long-term impact of bullying in childhood was examined

through the experiences of three different groups - those who
had been bullied, those who had carried out the bullying and
those who had been both victims of bullying and had also
carried out bullying themselves. The research, published in
Psychological Science, suggests the most negative outcomes
were for those who had been both victims and perpetrators of
bullying, described in the study as "bully-victims".

Described as "easily provoked, low in self-esteem, poor at

understanding social cues, and unpopular with peers", these children grew into adults six times more likely to have a "serious illness, smoke regularly or develop a
psychiatric disorder". By their mid-20s, these former "bully-victims" were more likely to be obese, to have left school without qualifications, to have drifted
through jobs and less likely to have friends. Those who had been victims of bullying, without becoming bullies themselves, were more likely to have mental health
problems, more serious illnesses and had a greater likelihood of being in poverty. But compared with "bully-victims" they were more likely to have been
successful in education and making friends.

There were also distinctive patterns for those who had been bullies, but who had not been bullied themselves.
These "pure bullies" were more likely to have been sacked from jobs, to be in a violent relationship and to be involved in risky or illegal behaviour, such as getting
drunk, taking drugs, fighting, lying and having one-night stands with strangers. They were much more likely to have committed offences such as breaking into
property.

However in terms of health and wealth, bullies had more successful outcomes than either the victims of bullying or those who were both bullies and victims. Such
"pure bullies" were identified as often being strong and healthy and socially capable - with their manipulative and aggressive behaviour being seen as "deviant"
rather than reflecting that they were "emotionally troubled". The study included verbal, physical and psychological bullying and the comparisons were adjusted to
take into account social background factors, such as family hardship, family stability and dysfunction.
"We cannot continue to dismiss bullying as a harmless, almost inevitable, part of growing up. We need to change this mindset and acknowledge this as a serious
problem for both the individual and the country as a whole; the effects are long-lasting and significant," said Prof Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick.

"In the case of bully-victims, it shows how bullying can spread when left untreated. Some interventions are already available in schools but new tools are needed
to help health professionals to identify, monitor and deal with the ill-effects of bullying. The challenge we face now is committing the time and resource to these
interventions to try and put an end to bullying."

Emma-Jane Cross, founder of the anti-bullying charity BeatBullying, said: "This groundbreaking study shines a light on what has been an overlooked subject for
society and the economy. The findings demonstrate for the first time just how far-reaching and damaging the consequences of bullying can be."

19 August 2013 Last updated at 17:28 Sean Coughlan BBC NEWS

Extract 1

Task:
Read all tasks properly before beginning.
Read the article above and answer the following questions.
1 Who would you say the audience is targeted at, explain your reasoning.
2 What does the article suggest is new information about the impact of bullying?
3 While generally neutral, could you say this article has a view on bullying and how does it suggest this?
4 Is bullying a serious or minor issue? How is this evidenced from the language and sources of information?

12
EXTENSION Using the same title, write a persuasive piece aimed at younger children aged 10-13, consider the
changes of information and language you will use and how that will be presented to the audience for impact.
Form of
Address
Language varies depending on what we
want. The way we aim our language is
important to others understanding of it.

If you are speaking to an audience in order to

persuade them, it is just as important to make sure you
use the right language to address them as it is to put the
right techniques and skills into the writing itself.

Firstly you will often want to use DIRECT ADDRESS. This is

the technique of talking directly to your audience and
often using the personal or shared pronouns;

I, me, we, us
this will make people feel that you are talking directly to
them and that you see yourself as one of them. This is
important because you want to encourage people to
think as you do, this can be helped by showing you are
going through the same things and that you see yourself
as the same as them (even if you are not).
However it is also important to remember that a nice
sounding speech can be dangerous. Many people will use
lots of persuasive techniques and try and show people
they understand them, whereas actually when you look at
what they have said, it is not very good.
EXTRACT 1
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have
been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of
maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I
welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange
places with any other people or any other generation. The
energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this
endeavour will light our country and all who serve it--and the
glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can
EXAMPLE 1 do for you--ask what you can do for your country.

Direct address, is it shared, My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do
for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
personal or neither?
Finally, whether you are
I. We can do it together...
citizens of America or
II. Mind over matter... citizens of the world, ask
of us here the same high
III. Together we have what it standards of strength and
takes... sacrifice which we ask of
you. With a good
IV. Our future is in our hands...
conscience our only sure
V. Its all about me... reward, with history the
final judge of our deeds,
VI. There is a future for the rest... let us go forth to lead the
VII. Our country needs you... land we love, asking His
blessing and His help, but
VIII. Dont give in... knowing that here on
earth God's work must
IX. It brings a tear to my eye... truly be our own.
X. Did you know...
J F Kennedy

13
Inaugural speech 1961
DO Could
Example 2

Imperative or suggestion

As a word, do, is very powerful because it Much politer is to ASK or REQUEST people Imperative Request
is an order, it expects us to carry out the to do something. You give them a choice
act. When you use language to order to say no or to respond. This is much less Keep off the Please could
people about without necessarily asking aggressive and useful to persuade people, grass you keep off of
or offering, it is an imperative. especially when it is just a small request. the grass?

Imperatives can be useful because they Suggestive or requesting language is Could you keep
are blunt and direct, they hit people hard useful because it does not offend people the noise
and carry a single clear message. as easily and can be used to help them down?
empathise. Work faster
A speech which encourages people will
often build up to imperatives because So instead of
they are encouraging people to act in a
Take a break
way or do something about the issue Do your homework
which concerns them.
We have
Imperatives are also very aggressive and Can we go
bossy, and some people can feel elsewhere?
Could you do your
intimidated by them.
homework? Try tasting it
Where might you use them? first
Where might you use them?
A passionate and emotional speech Shall we carry
When you are asking for
on?
When talking to people who work something.
for you
When you are talking to important Stop there
Giving clear instructions people.

Important infromation When it is important to be polite. Would we be

able to slow
When you are giving people advice down?
and suggestions.
They can also be negative Spit it out

Do NOT go in there Should you be

These are commands you give to people. doing that?

Task: Read all tasks properly before beginning.

1 Complete example 1, copy the statements out and identify which is using the
personal pronoun, which is using the shared pronoun and which is not using either.
2-Look at Extract 1, who do we think JF Kennedy is and who is he speaking to? Is it an
effective speech? Explain your reason with reference to persuasive language
features and techniques.

3 Write a set of instructions for making a cup of tea, use imperatives.

4-Write a small piece of advice for someone who is nervous about bullying at school,
use requests and suggestive language.

14
Skills Test
This should be an opportunity to test
some of the skills of AFOREST and
These pages are full of activities for you
interlinking the skills in individual to challenge and develop your new
pieces of work. AFOREST skills, don't just look for the
blue box .

1
Persuasive writing can be found in speeches, letters and adverts in
particular because they are all trying to make people think a certain
way. Below is an example of a promotional poster which is trying to
persuade people to support green energy in the UK.
Identify what AFOREST features can be found here and copy an example of
each into your book.
Using some of the information here, write the opening paragraphs of a letter
to your local newspaper trying to send the message that greener energy is
good. Include an example of every AFOREST feature.

Example 1

15
 NEW:
Now contains...

Example 2
%
2
Persuasive writing can be short, sharp and snappy (alliteration there you clever people).
Therefore it is often used in adverts and posters because it is far more eye grabbing than a long
boring list of details.
With that in mind look at the empty poster above. You are responsible for promoting a new soft drink. It
is fruit flavoured, aimed at young people and the company wants people to know it is also one of their
five a day and low sugar. Up until now you have had to find AFOREST features to fit into your work,
now you must make sure your features are relevant to the target audience. The tone should reflect a
teenage audience and your choice of alliteration, statistics and triplet should be targeted at engaging
them.
You could copy the advert into your book. You must then present your advert to others and there should
be a vote on what features are best used by which peoples adverts and why.

3
Not every part of AFOREST is useful for every situation. Consider the 3 potential texts below and
copy the table, filling it in to show what elements you would use and why for that text. An
example has been filled in for a factual news report on an earthquake.
Situation 1. A short charity voiceover for an advert.

Situation 2. A medicine information booklet suggesting people give blood.

Situation 3. A speech to primary school children about traffic safety.

Skill Would I use it? (Yes/No/Maybe) Why/Why Not/In what Situations?

Alliteration No It might undermine a serious story

Fact Yes In order to show the news

Opinion Maybe To show the impact on victims

Repetition No The report should be brief, not repetitive

Rhetorical Question Maybe It could help engage the audience

Emotive Language Maybe It could produce sympathy for victims

Statistics Yes In order to help present facts

16
Triplets No It may make the work appear less formal
Revision
Tools Short sentences Useful for emphasising a
powerful point and delivering short sharp points.

Exercises and notes to help recap.
Alliteration, using the same sounds to begin a
Complex/Compound sentencesusing
commas and connectives to embed or connect
sentences allows them to be longer and to draw out
grater information and reasoning, often useful to build
an argument.

A
word and using these words together in
writing.
Red Rum runs rampart

Facts, these will be statements which inform

F
the reader and provides information which is
truthful.
Water is made from H20

Opinions, this will be a statement which offers

O
a judgement or someone's views, this is not
fact because people have different opinions.
Hollyoaks is the worst soap ever

Repetition, using a words or phrase over a

R
sentence, paragraph or text multiple times.
This adds emphasis to the words.
You can run, you can walk, you can do it

Rhetorical Questions, this will be a question

R Revision:
which encourages a reader to think, a direct
answer is not required.
Should we sit here and ignore poverty?
When revising AFOREST,
practise makes perfect.
Emotive Language, when a sentences, phrase

E
or paragraph are used to make people feel
an emotional response. DO
Think of the suffering of starving children
-Try and spot examples in leaflets and adverts of
TV or posters around town.
Statistics, the use of maths in your writing,

S
when you include percentages, numbers or
ratios used to help you visualise the topic.
50% of people are at risk from cancer
-Try and make a point of including these skills in
your writing
-Throw them into conversation (they are made
for this)

T
Similar to making a list, by using three
adjectives or adverbs together it can
emphasise the effect you are trying to create.
Better, faster, stronger
DONT
-Ignore them and hope to quickly revise near ex-
ams (you need to get in the habit of using them
naturally)
-Just use the same things over and over, allitera-
tion and triplets and very powerful but people
often don't use them and instead just use facts
which can be dull.

17
Global Warming
Article: A good revision tool is to find articles like this one and ex-
plore the skills used. I recommend newspapers or BBC
Bite size for help here! Try rewriting the article and im-
proving it.

There is little doubt that the planet is warming. Over the last century, the planets tempera-
ture has risen by around 1 degree fahrenheit (0.6 of a degree celsius). The warmest since the
mid 1800s was the 1990s. The hottest years recorded were 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003.

The United Nations panel on climate change projects that the global temperatures will rise 3-
10 degrees fahrenheit by the centurys end enough to have the polar caps all but melted. If
the ice caps melt, a vast majority of our countries borders will be under water. Monuments and
great buildings, as well as homes and lives will be under water, including New York City.

So now we know what some of the causes are for global warming, how can we as individuals do
our part to help save the planet?

The answer is simpler than you may think. You dont have to go miles away from home to pro-
test, or spend masses of money. If you try to follow the few simple steps that I shall now give
you, you will have started to help us all.

Firstly, plant a tree. This could be easier than it sounds. Join or help out a local wildlife group
and ask to plant a tree. Trees, when fully grown, will help keep the planet cooler. On the same
point, you could protest against the demolition of the rainforests. This is the same principle,
we need the trees to cool our planet and yet they are chopping them down to create roads or
homes.

Something Important and as simple as walking instead of taking the car will help reduce pollu-
tion. As well as stopping pollution, you are giving yourself exercise, something important for our
bodies. So the next time you get into your car, or your motorbike, think do I have to make
this journey by vehicle or can I walk? Something important to think about.

If possible use solar energy, after all it is free; all you need to buy is the equipment. You can
get much of your hot water and heating from the sun and even generate electricity.

Reduce, reuse and recycle. Only buy what you need; dont stock the cupboards with things you
may or may not use. Reuse whatever you can, like containers and paper, and recycle what you
cannot reuse. It really is as simple as that.

Finally turning off unused sources of power such as televisions and heaters will help the envi-
ronment, as well as save you money.

If everybody stuck to these rules, we would be doing a great thing by protecting the earth. So
please take into consideration what I have said, and try to do your part. After all, it will be our
next generation that will feel the effects.

18
Question and
Exemplar
Here is a example piece of
persuasive writing and a example
question to attempt.

In the AQA June 2013 Paper the question asked students to argue for or against
the following statement in the form of an article. A wrong sentence and ques-
tion, some grammar problems
Young people today waste too much time watching TV
but some direct address.
and playing computer games.
This is a sample of a D grade student work, copied word for word.

Suggestion and short sentence

for power, good use of
Is your teenage spending way too much time playing online with
exclamation, limited
friends when there is activities,. Educational activities waiting vocabulary.
outside for them? I suggest we put a stop to this!

It has been stated that 89% of students who are in year 11 (most
Statistic, bracketed aside and
important year) have been failing their course work and have
facts are used to persuade
severe withdrawn symptoms because of the amount of time they audience.
put into these very addictive games.

Do you have one of them teenagers? Well youre not alone. We

can help. This is one of those stages when your teenager wants Rhetorical question and the
use of We helps create
the latest game consol or brand new games to just fit in with the
connection to audience., good
society, their friends and this generation. use of triplet.
You should worry. A teenager that spends most of their on online
games is a disadvantage to their health. The ideal teenager should Direct address with you,
be committed to passing their GCSEs and think about their some emotive language
career which leads into succeeding. succeed. Limited
sophistication, short sentences.
Also youll gradually notice your daughter or son ageing quicker And basic grammar
because of their constant addiction and eyes glued to the screen..
Would you want this to continue? Should be put not make
another rhetorical question.
Make a stop to it.
Still limited sentence and
Angelica, 32, mother of two teenagers requested to write about vocabulary types.
how she is suffering through this terrible life stage and how it is
to live in an pressured, tense environment.

19
 This is a copy of the AQA mark scheme taken from the 2013 English Paper, we have kept in the top two
bands, what would be roughly grades A-C, see how a real emphasis is on engaging the reader, communi-
cating well and extensive vocabulary. There is also a need to plan and organise your ideas so the work

AO3, i, ii English
A04 i, ii English Language

Band 4 Communication

convincing communicates in a way which is convincing, and increasingly compelling

compelling form, content and style are consistently matched to purpose and audience, and becoming assuredly matched
engages the reader with structured and developed writing, with an increasingly wide range of integrated and
13 - 16 marks
complex details
writes in a formal way, employing a tone that is appropriately serious but also manipulative, subtle and increas-
ingly abstract
uses linguistic devices, such as the rhetorical question, hyperbole, irony and satire, in a consciously crafted way
that is increasingly sustained
shows control of extensive vocabulary, with word choices becoming increasingly ambitious
Organisation of Ideas
employs fluently linked paragraphs and seamlessly integrated discursive markers
uses a variety of structural features, for example, different paragraph lengths, indented sections, dialogue, bullet
points, in an increasingly inventive way
presents complex ideas in a coherent way

Band 3 Communication

clear communicates in a way which is clear, and increasingly successful

success clear identification with purpose and audience, with form, content and style becoming increasingly matched
engages the reader with a range of material, with writing becoming more detailed and developed
9 - 12 marks
writes in a formal way, employing a tone that is appropriately serious and clearly chosen, with increasing antici-
pation of reader response
uses linguistic devices, such as the rhetorical question, hyperbole, lists and anecdote, as appropriate, and in-
creasingly to engage and interest the reader
shows evidence of a clear selection of vocabulary for effect, with increasing sophistication in word choice and
phrasing
Organisation of Ideas
employs usually coherent paragraphs that are increasingly used to enhance meaning, for example, one sentence
paragraphs, and increasingly integrated discursive markers
uses a variety of structural features, for example, direct address to reader, indented sections, dialogue, bullet
points, increasingly effectively
presents well thought out ideas in sentences

We need better role models.

Is reality TV dumbing down the youth of today?
Plan an essay around one of the ideas above, persuading people to agree with your opinion. This should be for a
speech you will give to your year group.
Think about how you can use AFOREST to persuade your audience.
You should also think about...
-Context (what is the situation you are writing for)

-Audience (who is it you are aiming this at)

-Language (as well as AFOREST, what other outstanding language can be used to carry your message)
Remember, this would be the kind of work an examiner would mark. Some use of slang is permitted but too
much WILL hurt your mark. It is about you showing a good variety of skills being used well.

20
Notes

21
Notes

22
Notes

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