audience and purpose
4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.
Lesson Overview
Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Learning Objectives
- Explain the key ideas of audience and purpose
- Apply audience and purpose to exam-style questions
- Develop independent study skills
- Build cross-topic connections
Prerequisites
- Read the revision notes for audience and purpose first (GCSE Revise summary)
- Key vocab to pre-teach: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider
- Basic skills: reading the summary notes and answering the practice questions there
Materials & Equipment
- Exercise book, coloured pens
- Ruler
- Printed revision notes (link below)
- Internet for videos (see Resources)
Lesson 1: Introduction: audience and purpose
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Write down everything you already know about audience and purpose. Then check against the key terms: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: audience and purpose. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of English Language because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: audience and purpose. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of English Language because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look
Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: How would your writing differ if addressing a headteacher versus addressing your peers?
Plenary (5 minutes)
Check Out
Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about audience and purpose.
Lesson 2: Core Concepts: audience and purpose
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Review Previous Lesson
Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on audience and purpose. Check them against the notes below.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Golden Rule: Every piece of writing should be shaped by who will read it (audience) and what you want to achieve (purpose). These two factors determine your tone, vocabulary, structure, and style.
What age group are they? What do they already know about the topic? What is their likely attitude toward the subject? What tone will engage them? What vocabulary level is appropriate?
Top Tip: The exam usually requires a formal or semi-formal tone. However, you must still adapt your writing to the specific audience - a speech to teenagers will be different from a letter to an MP, even if both are formal.
Consider: Age appropriateness - younger audiences need simpler vocabulary Subject knowledge - experts understand technical terms Cultural awareness - references must be accessible Tone requirements - emotive words for persuasion, neutral for information
Examiner's Tip: The exam question will tell you your audience and purpose. Read them carefully! A speech "to your school assembly" needs a different tone than "to a local council meeting." Circle the audience and purpose, then plan your tone and style before writing.
Audience and Purpose Exam Strategy: Understanding audience and purpose is the foundation of every transactional writing task. Get this wrong and your entire response loses direction. Before writing (first 2 minutes): Circle the audience and purpose in the question. Ask yourself: Who is reading this? What do I want them to think, feel, or do? Your answer to these two questions determines every choice you make — tone, vocabulary, structure, and register. During planning: Write your audience and purpose at the top of your plan. Check every paragraph against them: "Does this point serve my purpose? Is this language appropriate for my audience?" Mark allocation: AO5 (24 marks) explicitly rewards register matched to audience and purpose. If your tone doesn't suit your audience, you cannot score above Level 3. What examiners look for: A response that consistently shows awareness of who it's for and what it's trying to achieve. The tone, vocabulary, and structure should all reflect the audience and purpose identified in the question.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General public | Broad, varied readership | Newspaper readers |
| Specific age group | Children, teenagers, adults, elderly | Teen magazine readers |
| Professionals | Expert knowledge, formal | Doctors, teachers, lawyers |
| Personal/known | Friends, family, colleagues | Informal letter recipient |
| Authority figures | MPs, headteachers, officials | Council, school governors |
| Persuade | Convince reader to agree or act | Rhetorical devices, arguments, call to action |
| Inform | Provide facts and information | Clear, factual, objective language |
| Entertain | Amuse and engage reader | Humour, creativity, vivid descriptions |
Practice (10 minutes)
Q: How would your writing differ if addressing a headteacher versus addressing your peers?
Answer: Headteacher: formal register, respectful tone, evidence-based arguments, no contractions. Peers: informal register, relatable tone, personal examples, contractions acceptable.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Explain Back
Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.
Lesson 3: Application: audience and purpose
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Recall the key terms: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider. Define each in one sentence.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.
Q1: How would your writing differ if addressing a headteacher versus addressing your peers?
Answer: Headteacher: formal register, respectful tone, evidence-based arguments, no contractions. Peers: informal register, relatable tone, personal examples, contractions acceptable.
Q2: Explain the difference between writing to persuade and writing to inform.
Answer: Persuade aims to convince the reader to agree or take action, using rhetorical devices and emotional appeal. Inform aims to provide facts objectively, with neutral language and clear explanations.
Q3: A speech about healthy eating - how would tone differ for primary school children versus adults?
Answer: Primary children: simple vocabulary, fun analogies, engaging tone, direct address like "your body needs..." Adults: more sophisticated vocabulary, statistics and evidence, respectful tone, addressing them as decision-makers.
Q4: Why is it important to avoid contractions in formal writing?
Answer: Contractions (can't, don't) are associated with speech and informal writing. Writing them in full (cannot, do not) creates a more formal, professional tone suitable for letters to officials, articles, and most exam tasks.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Error Review
Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.
Lesson 4: Exam Practice: audience and purpose
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Command Words
Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).
Main Content (35 minutes)
Exam-Style Question
Attempt a past-paper style question on audience and purpose from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.
Exam Tips: Circle or highlight the audience and purpose in the question | Plan your tone and style before writing | Match your vocabulary to your audience's knowledge level | Keep your purpose in mind throughout - every paragraph should serve it | Maintain consistent register - don't switch between formal and informal | Use direct address for speeches and articles to connect with audience | Check that your tone matches what the question asks for
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often ignore the specified audience and write generically. Wrong: Writing a speech for Year 7 students in the same formal, academic style you'd use for a letter to an MP. Correct: Adapt everything — a speech to Year 7s needs relatable examples, simpler vocabulary, direct address, and an engaging, enthusiastic tone. A letter to an MP needs formal register, evidence-based arguments, and respectful but firm language. Students often lose sight of purpose halfway through their response. Wrong: Starting a persuasive piece strongly but drifting into description or storytelling without returning to the argument. Correct: Check every paragraph serves your purpose. If you're writin
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
- Synoptic links: explain how audience and purpose connects to another English Language topic you have studied
- Real-world: research one real-world use or example of audience and purpose
- Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in audience and purpose?"
Plenary (5 minutes)
Assessment Criteria
- Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
- Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
- Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2
Homework & Consolidation
- Consolidation: Re-answer any Lesson 3 practice questions answered incorrectly (20 mins)
- Retrieval: Write flashcards for the key terms: Golden Rule, Top Tip, Consider (10 mins)
- Exam practice: One past-paper question on audience and purpose from the board websites (15 mins)
- Extension: Explain audience and purpose to someone else in your own words (10 mins)