Writing · Both
Persuasive & Transactional Writing
Transactional tasks (letter, article, speech, review) need a clear audience and purpose. Plan your viewpoint, then use devices deliberately.
Form, audience, purpose (FAP)
• **Form** – letter, speech, article, blog, report…
• **Audience** – who reads/hears it? (affects vocabulary and tone)
• **Purpose** – argue, persuade, advise, inform, complain…
Match register: formal for officials; livelier for peers.
Persuasive toolkit
• Clear opinion in the opening
• Rhetorical questions
• Emotive language and memorable phrases
• Facts/statistics (can be plausible in exam tasks)
• Counter-argument then rebuttal
• Call to action at the end
Worked example
Opening line for a speech against school uniform?
Solution: Example: “We are told uniform creates equality – yet it erases the individuality schools claim to celebrate.” (Opinion + challenge)
Practice questions
1. What does FAP stand for?
2. Name three persuasive devices.