Whether you are practising for examinations or simply trying to improve your own writing, this article contains some top tips for persuasive writing. If you have questions, then CCEA GCSE Persuasive Writing FAQs is the article for you!
I have been teaching for a looooong time and have also marked CCEA GCSE English papers, so these tips come from a wealth of experience. Read on to get advice to help you make your writing feel lively, trustworthy and convincing for your reader.
If you would like to read some examples of persuasive writing, or would like to download a free printable guide, I have a few links that might help you:
Jump ahead to the question you are looking for:
- What is the difference between ‘persuasive writing’ and ‘writing for purpose and audience’?
- What topics could come up in the exam?
- What are the past paper questions for CCEA English Language Unit 1 Task 1?
- What type of writing will I be asked to do?
- Who or what is the audience for persuasive writing?
- How much time should I spend on the persuasive writing task?
- What am I being marked on in the persuasive writing task?
- Do I have to agree with what I write?
- What should I write about in persuasive writing?
- How do I get a top mark?
- Will I lose marks for spelling mistakes in persuasive writing?
- If the audience is your classmates, can you use slang?
- How long should my answer be?
- How can I refer to facts, statistics and expert opinions if I don’t know the topic in advance?
FAQS about the question
What is the difference between 'persuasive writing' and 'writing for purpose and audience'?
CCEA have called this section of the exam ‘Writing for Purpose and Audience’. So in theory, you could be asked to write for different purposes e.g. to inform, to advise, to entertain. But the purpose they give you in each exam is to persuade. So teachers generally refer to this exam as persuasive writing.
If CCEA wanted to change the purpose, I think it would be difficult without rewriting the specification and changing the style of the exam question. One of the older GCSE specifications provided students with a fact sheet but this one doesn’t, so I think we are safe to assume that the purpose will continue to be ‘writing to persuade’. E.g. if you were asked to write to inform, they would need to provide you with the information to include. Writing to advise also requires information and could end up being quite a short answer. Writing to persuade is the perfect balance of a functional skill which doesn’t require a fact sheet or a pre-prepared topic.
What topics could come up in the exam question?
The exam topic is usually something related to young people and the issues that concern or relate to them. For example, smoking, vaping, body image, part-time jobs, school uniforms, taking part in sport, healthy lifestyle, friendship, role models, peer pressure, homework, etc. These topics allow you to form an opinion and write persuasively.
What are the past paper questions for CCEA English Language Unit 1 Task 1?
- Summer 2024: Write a speech for your classmates persuading them to agree with your views on the following statement: “This is a great place to live.”
- Summer 2023: Write a speech for your classmates persuading them to agree with your views on the following statement: “Every teenager should be required to have a part-time job.”
- November 2022: Write an article for a website aimed at teenagers giving your views on this question: “For young people, does choosing to stay in mean missing out?”
- Summer 2021: Write an article for your school magazine persuading the readers to agree with your views on the following statement: “Advertising is just another source of pressure that teenagers don’t need!”
- Summer 2020: Write an article for your school magazine persuading the readers to agree with your views on the following statement: “As students we all worry too much about what other people think of us!”
- Summer 2019: Write an article for your school magazine persuading the readers to agree with your views on the following question: “Should school uniform have a place in 21st century schools?”
- January 2019: Write a speech for your classmates persuading them to agree with your views on the following question: “Are celebrities the best role models for teenagers?”
- Summer 2018: Write a speech for your classmates persuading them to agree with your views on the following issue: “Young people today are too worried about their body image.”
You can download the past paper booklets here.
What type of writing will I be asked to do?
Examiners call the type of writing the form. You might be asked to write one of the following forms:
- an article for your school magazine
- a speech for your class
- an essay
- (I think these ones are unlikely, given the questions above, but you could also be asked to write a diary entry, a letter, a blog or an internet article).
Who or what is the audience for persuasive writing?
In broad terms, the audience for a piece of writing is the person or group of people who are targeted by the writer. These are the people the writer intends to read the piece. Who does the writer have in mind as they write?
Some examples of audiences are: your classmates, your school headteacher/principal, or your year group. You might be asked to write for the school community. This could include parents, local residents, local business owners, current and past pupils, teachers, etc. You could also think in terms of age groups e.g. write a speech for a group of P7 students. Audiences can be categorised by their hobbies or interests. For example, you could be asked to write an article for a fashion magazine or a sports website. Audiences can also be categorised by their location. For example, write an article for local residents to address concerns about vandalism in Ballyburton.
Remember that this section of the exam is called ‘Writing for Purpose and Audience’. This means that the audience will be specifically stated in the question and you must address them specifically in your response.
How much time should I spend on the persuasive writing task?
The exam paper tells you to spend 55 minutes on your answer and I definitely think you should stick to this. You need all of the minutes allocated for the other questions, so don’t overrun. In 55 minutes, you should spend 3-5 minutes planning a nicely structured response and the rest of your time is for writing your response and proof reading to correct accuracy.
What am I being marked on in the persuasive writing task?
Your mark is based on two main assessments: your content and your accuracy.
Content mark: the examiner will consider how lively and engaging your response is. They want to see the development of detail and structure in your writing.
In addition, they want to see your ability to write in the form (see above) and for the audience mentioned in the question.
Also, your work is marked for flair and use of language, so build in language devices. Similes, metaphors, personification, adjectives, descriptive verbs, questions etc all add to your mark.
Lastly, consider your vocabulary choices; the more sophisticated and well chosen, the better. In all of this, you need to remember that your piece must persuade the reader to agree with you, so aim to build a rapport and a sense of trust. In other words, show the reader/listener that you are both reliable and right!
Accuracy mark: the examiner will consider how well you have constructed your sentences, used a wide range of punctuation to create impact and who well you have used accurate spelling for a range of words including more challenging vocabulary and spelling patterns.
FAQs about your answer
Do I have to agree with what I write?
No! No-one will ever know what you really (truly) think about school uniform, or the legal driving age, or whether young people should eat more healthily. No-one will be phoning home to check if you had a McDonalds for dinner last night. And no-one will know if you really did wear your pyjamas under your uniform last winter (*based on a true story!). You can exaggerate the truth or all out lie in this exam answer, but the trick is to make it sound true, reliable and trustworthy, so don’t exaggerate too much. Sticking closely to your own opinion can really help to give you ideas to write about. So my advice is to write passionately about what you truly believe, but like I said, no-one will ever know!
What should I write about in persuasive writing?
You should focus relentlessly on the topic you have been given in the exam. Avoid tangents as they don’t help your score.
There is a list of past paper questions above to help you to plan for this exam. Remember that the topics will be based on general experiences which all GCSE aged students should be able to respond to. Give your own opinion clearly and add in examples from your own experience.
Think of this a big like a debate: write something that will convince the listener to agree with you.
How do I get a top mark?
The vague answer is: good content that is well written! It’s easy to say and harder to do!
Here is a quick checklist, but you should check out THIS PERSUASIVE WRITING GUIDE for further details.
- Plan four or more big ideas to prove your point before you start to write.
- Write a lively, catchy introduction which talks to the audience directly, sharing your opinion on the topic right from the start.
- Write in paragraphs, separating out each idea from another. Ensure each paragraph is a collection of several sentences all on the same topic, and make sure that each paragraph makes sense as a single unit.
- Use facts and statistics to prove your opinion is correct.
- Use emotive arguments to make the audience feel something e.g. guilt/fear/excitement, so they agree with you.
- Use personal stories to help the audience relate to you and to show that you have experience in this topic
- Use as many language devices as you possibly can: similes, triplets, metaphors, statistics, imperative verbs, anecdotes, repetition, rhetorical questions, adjectives, emotive language, alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia … these devices all create lively and interesting sentences which capture the attention of the audience.
- Provide a counter argument to show that you know what other people think, even though you don’t agree with them. Prove them wrong with your arguments.
- Write a clear, persuasive conclusion which sums up your point of view and leaves the audience with a challenge or call to action.
- Proof read to correct your spelling, punctuation and paragraphing. If possible, add in or change your vocabulary – swap basic words for more complex ones to increase your mark as you proof read.
Will I lose marks for spelling mistakes in persuasive writing?
The short answer is yes. Part of your mark is for the accuracy of spelling. To start, you want to build your spelling skills to get frequently used and more basic words right. Words such as: there/their/they’re, to/too/two, here/hear, its/it’s, etc are important to get right to secure a middle score.
Your examiner will credit your more ambitious attempts, so rather than using an easy word such as ‘big’, you could try enormous, gargantuan, titanic, etc. Even if you don’t get the spelling of these quite right, you are better to have a go to show that you have good vocabulary. If you can get more ambitious words right, then you can access the highest mark for spelling.
If the audience is your classmates, can you use slang?
No! You should always stick to standard English i.e. words and phrases that are in the dictionary, have correct spelling and meet the need to prove your writing skills.
Even though the audience is your classmates, you are writing for the examiner as well. As a result, you should use both relatable language and a formal tone to suit the occasion. Find a level of formality that suits your audience, for example build in some conversational phrases, humour, relevant examples from celebrity culture etc, but ensure the examiner can credit you for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
How long should my answer be?
Most teachers do enjoy the old faithful reply: ‘well, how long is a piece of string?’ But I think there’s a better answer. CCEA give you three sides of paper in the examination booklet – that’s your guide.
Of course, handwriting size will vary and not everyone will have the exact same word count in three sides. But if you have average sized handwriting and don’t score out large chunks of writing, you should aim to fill the space provided, and stay within it. There is no need for additional paper. Bear in mind, you have been asked to write a speech or an article for a school magazine or an essay for the examiner – a piece that is too long will bore your audience. A piece that is too short will not meet the need for development of detail.
And remember that the lines in exam booklets are wider than normal A4 so this isn’t three full sides of file paper.
How can I refer to facts, statistics and expert opinions if I don't know the topic in advance?
Great question! You can use a certain degree of creativity here in terms of the numbers. You want it to sound correct and truthful, so avoid going over-the-top with your numbers.
One way to show your own reliability is to refer to your own sphere of knowledge. You can refer to other school subjects for evidence e.g. ‘While completing my Home Economics controlled assessment this year, I learned that more than two thirds of young people eat at least three fast food meals a week! Isn’t this a shocking fact?’ Or, ‘In my Geography class just last month, I was shocked to learn that over 50% of people who …’.
I encourage my students to quote from a reliable, well known source. For example, you could say, ‘According to a recent YouGov survey …’ or ‘The latest research from Queen’s University Belfast states that …’ or ‘Just last week in the BBC news, I heard a report that …’. These phrases show your skill to write in a convincing way.
Another great way to provide evidence is to use personal/original research. You could say, ‘In my class alone, there are 21 out of 26 students who feel …’ or ‘Of the six girls in my close friendship group, four have been the victim of online bullying’. These statistics are reliable as they are based on your own experiences and cannot be argued with. You could follow up with a statement such as ‘Obviously, this is not a huge survey, but it certainly highlights a serious problem for young people.’
Check out more from ThinkLit's Persuasive Writing series:
