Writing to Analyse/Review/Comment (English Paper 2 Section B2)

NB: It is very likely that you will be asked to write a magazine article aimed at a particular audience in this
section of the exam.

What the examiners are looking for:

· can you communicate clearly in writing?
· can you write for a particular audience?
· can you use particular forms effectively?
· can you use wide vocabulary?
· can you organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts?
· how well can you spell?
· can you punctuate accurately?
· can you use standard English when appropriate?
· can you present work neatly and clearly?
how clear and readable is your handwriting?
Techniques:
Use techniques mentioned elsewhere as appropriate (see the section on methods used in non-fiction
texts). Make sure the techniques you employ are suitable for your target audience and that you establish
an appropriate tone.
Presentation:
Do not get carried away with presentational devices. The content of your writing is more important and
you will not have time to spend on fancy lettering etc.
However, you could show that you would use some of the following (you will not need to draw pictures, for
example, but could indicate where a picture might go - imagine you are communicating ideas about layout
etc to an editor who would be responsible for putting a final copy of your writing together):
· pictures
· boxes
· bold lettering
· photographs
· colour
· columns
· different fonts
· captions
· headings
· sub-headings

Typical Question:
You will have 35 minutes to write about one to two pages in your answer booklet.
· Write an article for a teenage magazine about one of the following:
- Music
- Film
- Television
- Fashion