## **Learning Outcomes**

After working through this article, you will confidently identify the purpose, audience, form, and register required by a Paper 2 Section B task (AO5/AO6). You will be able to decode task prompts to determine what you are writing, who you are writing for, which form to use, and what level of formality to maintain. These planning skills are the foundation of every successful transactional writing response and directly affect your marks for both content and organisation.

## **AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Syllabus**

For AQA GCSE English Language 8700, this article helps you:

- Communicate clearly, effectively, and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style, and register for different forms, purposes, and audiences (AO5 — 24 marks)
- Organise information and ideas using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and each text's purpose (AO5)
- Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose, and effect (AO6 — 16 marks)
- Demonstrate understanding that different writing situations require different approaches to language and structure (AO5/AO6)

## **Test Your Knowledge**

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. What four things should you identify before you begin planning a Section B response?
2. True or false: The form of your writing (article, speech, letter, essay) does not affect your mark for organisation.
3. What is register, and why does it need to stay consistent throughout your answer?
4. A task reads: "Write a speech for your school assembly arguing that homework should be abolished." Identify the purpose, audience, and form.

## **Introduction**

Paper 2 Section B is worth 40 marks — the single highest-scoring question on the entire paper. It tests your ability to write persuasively in a specific form for a named audience. Before you write a single word, you must decode the task to identify four key elements: purpose, audience, form, and register. Getting any one of these wrong will cap your marks, no matter how well you write.

Every task contains clues. The instruction verb tells you the purpose (argue, persuade, advise, explain). The named recipient or readership tells you the audience. The specified text type tells you the form. And register — the level of formality — must be inferred from the combination of audience and purpose.

> **Key Term: purpose**
> The reason you are writing: to argue, persuade, advise, inform, or explain. The purpose determines the overall approach and tone of your response.
>
> **Key Term: audience**
> The person or group you are writing for. Audience affects your vocabulary, tone, and the assumptions you can make about shared knowledge.
>
> **Key Term: form**
> The type of text you are asked to write: article, letter, speech, or essay. Each form has specific conventions that must be followed.
>
> **Key Term: register**
> The level of formality in your writing. Register ranges from informal (chatty, colloquial) to formal (Standard English, professional vocabulary) and must match the audience and purpose.

## Purpose and Audience in Paper 2 Section B (AO5)

The task prompt always specifies your purpose and audience, though sometimes they are implied rather than stated directly. Learning to spot these clues quickly saves planning time and prevents errors.

Common purposes in Section B tasks include:

- _Argue_ — present a strong case for or against a position
- _Persuade_ — convince the reader to adopt your viewpoint or take action
- _Advise_ — offer guidance with a helpful, measured tone
- _Inform or explain_ — present facts or processes clearly, though viewpoint writing usually combines this with persuasion

The audience determines how you write. A speech to fellow students allows some informality and shared references, while a letter to a local councillor requires formal language, politeness, and reasoned argument. Always ask: what does this audience already know, and what tone will they respond to?

### **Worked Example 1.1**

Two exam-style task prompts:

Task A: "Write an article for a national newspaper in which you argue that social media does more harm than good."

Task B: "Write a letter to your headteacher in which you persuade them to allow students to use mobile phones during break times."

> **Answer:**
>
> Task A: Purpose — argue; Audience — general public (newspaper readers); Form — article; Register — formal but engaging, using evidence and rhetorical techniques to convince a broad readership. Task B: Purpose — persuade; Audience — headteacher (authority figure); Form — letter; Register — formal and respectful, using reasoned argument rather than emotional appeal, since the audience has decision-making power and expects professional communication. The different audiences demand different tones: Task A can be more provocative and opinion-driven, while Task B must be polite and solution-focused.

### **Exam Warning**

> If you write in the wrong form — for example, an essay instead of a speech — you will lose marks for organisation regardless of how well you argue. Always check the task for the specified form before you begin planning.

## Choosing and Applying the Correct Form (AO5)

Paper 2 Section B typically asks for one of four forms: article, letter, speech, or essay. Each has specific conventions that you must follow to demonstrate understanding of form. A brief summary of each:

- _Article_ — headline, engaging opening, clear paragraphs, can use subheadings
- _Letter_ — formal greeting, statement of purpose, polite closing and sign-off
- _Speech_ — direct address to the audience, rhetorical techniques, call to action
- _Essay_ — balanced or argumentative structure, formal register, no specific formatting conventions beyond clear paragraphing

Choosing the wrong form or failing to apply its conventions signals to the examiner that you have not read the task carefully. Even strong arguments will be marked down if the form is incorrect.

### **Worked Example 1.2**

The same topic — school uniform — written as two different forms:

Speech opening: "Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today to challenge something we have all accepted without question. Why do we force every student into the same outfit as if individuality were something to fear?"

Article opening: "The Great Uniform Debate: Why It Is Time to Rethink What Students Wear. Every morning, millions of students across the country pull on the same blazer, the same tie, the same regulation shoes. But does this daily ritual of conformity actually achieve anything?"

> **Answer:**
>
> The speech uses direct address ('Ladies and gentlemen'), first person ('I stand before you'), and a rhetorical question to engage the live audience immediately. The article uses a headline ('The Great Uniform Debate'), a descriptive opening that draws the reader in with a relatable image, and a question that invites reflection. Both openings address the same topic, but the form dictates the tone, structure, and relationship with the audience. The speech is personal and confrontational; the article is observational and thought-provoking.

## Maintaining Consistent Register (AO5/AO6)

Register is the level of formality in your writing. Once you have identified the appropriate register from the audience and purpose, you must maintain it consistently throughout your response. Shifting register mid-paragraph — for example, moving from formal argument to slang — confuses the reader and suggests a lack of control.

Common register mistakes include:

- Using contractions ("don't," "can't") in a formal letter to an authority figure
- Dropping into slang or colloquial language ("kids," "stuff," "loads of") in a newspaper article
- Being overly formal in a speech to peers, creating an unnatural tone

The safest approach for most Section B tasks is formal or semi-formal register: Standard English with clear, confident vocabulary, avoiding both slang and unnecessarily complex language.

### **Worked Example 1.3**

A student writes a letter to a council official: "Dear Sir, I'm writing cos loads of people round here are well annoyed about the new parking charges. It's bang out of order and you lot need to sort it out sharpish."

> **Answer:**
>
> The register is far too informal for the audience and purpose. 'Cos' is a colloquial contraction, 'loads of people' and 'well annoyed' are slang, and 'bang out of order' and 'sort it out sharpish' are casual expressions inappropriate for formal correspondence. A corrected version: "Dear Sir, I am writing to express the serious concerns of local residents regarding the recently introduced parking charges. Many feel that these changes are unjust and would welcome an urgent review of the policy." The corrected version maintains formal register throughout, uses Standard English, and presents the complaint as reasoned rather than emotional.

### **Revision Tip**

> Create a PAFR checklist. Before you write, spend two minutes identifying Purpose, Audience, Form, and Register. Write these at the top of your plan and check your answer against them every few paragraphs. This simple habit prevents the most common Section B errors.

## **Summary**

Every Paper 2 Section B response begins with four decisions: purpose, audience, form, and register. The task prompt contains clues for all four, and identifying them correctly before you plan is essential. Purpose determines your approach, audience shapes your tone and vocabulary, form dictates structural conventions, and register must remain consistent throughout. Spending two minutes on this analysis before writing is the most efficient way to secure marks across both AO5 and AO6.

## **Key Point Checklist**

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Decode task prompts to identify purpose, audience, form, and register
- Match tone and vocabulary to the specified audience
- Apply the correct form conventions for articles, letters, speeches, and essays
- Maintain consistent register throughout a transactional writing response
- Understand how PAFR decisions affect marks for both AO5 and AO6

## **Key Terms and Concepts**

- purpose
- audience
- form
- register
- transactional writing
- standard English
- formal register
- semi-formal register
- tone


Writing to present a viewpoint - Purpose, audience, form, and register