Students will produce one piece of original writing based on one of the…

The idea

For this unit you create one original piece of writing and a commentary that explains and justifies your choices. You must base the writing on one of three areas: The Power of Persuasion, The Power of Storytelling, or The Power of Information. The piece should have a clear purpose, audience and form, such as a persuasive speech, a short story, or an informative article. The commentary is not a general reflection; it is a linguistic analysis of your own writing, showing how you shaped language for effect and how your choices relate to the chosen area. For example, if you choose The Power of Persuasion, you might write a speech urging action on an environmental issue and then analyse your use of modality, rhetorical questions and direct address. Together, the writing and commentary demonstrate both creative control and analytical understanding.

What earns the marks

• Selects one of the three specified areas and makes that choice evident in the purpose, content and style of the original writing.
• Establishes a clear audience, purpose and form for the writing, and maintains these consistently throughout the piece.
• Uses linguistic and stylistic features deliberately and effectively, such as persuasive devices, narrative techniques or informative structures, appropriate to the chosen area.
• Structures the writing coherently, with an effective opening, developed content and a purposeful ending that suit the selected form.
• Produces an accompanying commentary that analyses the original writing using linguistic concepts and terminology, rather than simply describing what was written.
• Explains and justifies specific language choices in the commentary, linking them to the intended effects on the audience and to the chosen area.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Writing a piece that does not clearly belong to any of the three areas.

  Put it right: Decide on the area first and then plan content, form and style that unmistakably serve that area.

• Treating the commentary as a diary of the writing process or a general statement of intentions.

  Put it right: Analyse the finished text, quoting short examples and explaining the effect of specific choices.

• Using linguistic terminology inaccurately or only labelling features without explaining their effect.

  Put it right: Pair each term with an explanation of how it shapes meaning for the intended audience.

• Neglecting the audience and purpose so the writing drifts in tone or form.

  Put it right: Keep a clear sense of who the writing is for and why, and to check that every paragraph serves that purpose.

Exam tips

• Plan both the original writing and the commentary together, so that the commentary can refer directly to the choices you made in the writing.
• Choose a form and area that play to your strengths, but ensure the piece is substantial enough to allow detailed linguistic analysis in the commentary.
• In the commentary, use short quotations from your own writing and analyse them with precise terminology, explaining the intended effect on the reader or listener.
• Proofread both pieces carefully for accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar, since technical control supports the overall effectiveness of the writing.