Looking at Non-Fiction Texts

1. First, we GAP:
GENRE: What type of text is it? (Examples: newspaper article, personal narrative, webpage
etc.)
AUDIENCE: Who is the text aimed at? (Examples: adults, children, educated etc.)

PURPOSE: Why has the text been written? (Examples: to inform, to persuade, to advise etc.)

2. Next, we SET to make sure we UNDERSTAND the text:

SUMMARISE: Can you summarise in 1-2 sentences what the text is about?

EVIDENCE: Does the text present predominantly fact or opinion?

TONE: How is the text addressing its audience? (Examples: instructive, persuasive, narrative
etc.)

3. Once we have done these things, we can FIT to look at the PRESENTATION:

FORMAT: What is the layout of the text? How are paragraphs used? Does it use any lists or
bullet points? What are the effects of using these things? What about the colours?

IMAGES: Are there any pictures or logos? Where are they in the text? Why have they been
used? What is their effect?

TITLES: Does the text use headings, sub-headings or slogans? Why? How do these affect the
presentation of the text?

4. Finally, we can look at the LANGUAGE (Remember LMNOP):

LEXIS: What words or vocabulary are used and how? Are there any specific words that seem
unusual or striking? Does the text use any colloquial language or specific vocabulary
to appeal to a certain audience?

METHOD: How does the text achieve its purpose? What literary and linguistic devices are used?
Does the text contain any similes, metaphors, alliteration or onomatopoeia? What
effect do they have? What about the use of opinion, rhetorical questions,
exaggeration, or contrast?

TO NE: How does the author express the mood of the text? What voice do they use?

ORGANISATION: What structures are used in the text? Are the sentences and paragraphs short or
long? What effect does this have?

PUNCTUATION: What punctuation does the text use and why is it effective? Is there any unusual use
of punctuation? Are there any exclamation marks that suggest surprise or
importance? What about ellipsis (…)? What does this suggest?