Writing to Analyse, Review, Comment

ReaderSubjectWriter

Content (topic) Style (degree of formality) Form (letter, speech, report) Viewpoint (perspective of writer, tone) Audience (adult, teens) Purpose (analyse, review, comment)

Analyse, review, comment Analyse to examine in detail in order to discover the meaning or essence to break something down into its components or essential features Examples Written report: examining evidence in order to clarify issues surrounding a controversial event Coursework assignment in another subject, such as History: an examination of contemporary records in order to challenge or confirm an assertion or interpretation of events.

Review to look at something again, or to re-examine to look back upon earlier events to inspect to write a critical assessment of a book, film, play, concert, television programme etc. Examples Newspaper or website: a review of a book, film, restaurant, etc; Newspaper report: an account of a football match or other sporting event Magazine article: a retrospective account of the fortunes of an individual sports person or a team during the past season.

Comment to express an opinion to explain or criticise Examples A “have your say” column in a local newspaper: readers’ opinions about proposed housing in a development on a school playing field Script for a TV show: viewers’ opinions about a topical issue

Take account of audience and purpose in your writing Present a well-structured and balance answer Communicate clearly and imaginatively Use and adapt different forms of writing for different readers and purposes Organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts Use a variety of linguistic features Use a variety of structure features Use a range of sentence structures effectively Use accurate punctuation and spelling

Audience and Purpose Sample Question: Choose a book or film which you have recently enjoyed. Write the text for a talk, to be given to your class, reviewing the book or film. Look at the two sample student answers. Which answer takes the audience and purpose into account and therefore achieves a higher grade?

Writing strong openings and ending Get the reader’s attention by making an early impact. Choose your words carefully and think whether your sentences work together. Set the right tone. Get the appropriate level of formality. Think about the audience and purpose of the writing. Introduce both sides of an issue. Often the question has two sides. Show in your opening that you are considering both sides.

Presenting a well-structured and balanced answer Note down your first thoughts on the topic, in no particular order Shape, or edit those ideas into a logical order. You could organise the ideas into groups. Or you could put numbers against them to show the order of the paragraphs Sample Question: Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of keeping pets.

Use language effectively Signpost your answer using words and phrases to show what point of view you are discussing, and how it fits into your answer overall. Vary your sentences Include tricks and techniques: Rhetorical questions ‘Inclusive’ phrases Listing points Exaggeration Contrast Varying language