Year 3 English Writing non-fiction: Purpose and audience
Part of the Year 3 English writing non-fiction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Purpose and audience
Every piece of writing has a purpose, which is the reason for writing it. It also has an audience, which is the person or people who will read it. Think about both before you write.
Common purposes are: to inform (give facts), to instruct (tell the reader how to do something), to explain (say how or why something happens), to persuade (try to make the reader agree or act) and to write to someone (for example, in a letter).
| Text | Purpose | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| A letter to the headteacher | to ask for something | the headteacher |
| A set of instructions for a bean | to instruct | a class of younger pupils |
| A fact page for the library | to inform | pupils who want facts |
| A poster for the school gate | to persuade | parents and visitors |
Key ideas
- The purpose is the reason for writing: to inform, instruct, explain, persuade or write to someone.
- The audience is the person or people who will read the text.
- Choose the words and the amount of detail to suit the audience.
- Think about the purpose and the audience before you write the first sentence.
- The form, such as a letter, a list or a leaflet, should suit the purpose.
Method. Look at what the sentence does: does it give a fact?
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: purpose.purpose
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Snails have a hard shell on their back
- Write the answer. to inform
Check. A fact is given, so the purpose is to inform. ✓
Watch out. An instruction tells the reader what to do.
Method. Think about who needs to know the steps.
- Look at the words. Add the water and stir it are steps for making something.Add the water; stir it
- Choose the reader. People who want to make the drink need these steps, so they are the audience.make the drink
- Write the answer. a) people who want to make the drink
Check. The steps are for someone making the drink. ✓
Method. Choose the form that suits one reader and a request.
- Think about the audience. The audience is one person, the headteacher, and the purpose is to ask.one person; to ask
- Choose the form. A letter is written to one person, and it can make a polite request.a letter
- Write the answer. a letter
Check. A letter suits one reader and a polite request. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a text can have more than one purpose, but one purpose is usually the main one. A recipe is mainly to instruct, even if it also gives facts about food.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Before your child writes anything, ask: Why am I writing this, and who will read it? Then ask what they would change if the reader were a younger brother or sister.
Exercise 11A Practice: purpose and audience
Method. Look at the words, and say why someone writes them.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: purpose.purpose
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Thank you for the lovely book
- Write the answer. to thank someone
Check. The card says thank you, so it is written to thank someone. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: to say thank you.
Method. Think about what the recipe asks the cook to do.
- Look at the words. A recipe gives steps for the cook to follow.steps to follow
- Name the purpose. Telling someone what to do is the purpose to instruct.to instruct
- Write the answer. to instruct
Check. The recipe tells the cook what to do. ✓
Method. Look for the word that names the readers.
- Think about each word. Purpose is the reason for writing; heading names a part of a text.purpose; heading
- Choose the word for the readers. The people who will read a text are the audience.audience
- Write the answer. audience
Check. The audience is the reader. ✓
Method. Look at what the poster wants the reader to do.
- Find the request. Please recycle your bottles asks the reader to act.asks the reader to act
- Name the purpose. A text that tries to make the reader act is persuading them.to persuade
- Write the answer. to persuade
Check. The poster tries to make the reader recycle. ✓
Method. The audience is the person who will read the text.
- Find the name at the start. Dear Grandma shows who the card is for.Dear Grandma
- Name the audience. Grandma is the reader, so she is the audience.Grandma
- Write the answer. Grandma
Check. The card starts with Dear Grandma. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: my grandma.
Method. Think about who the rules are for.
- Find the purpose. The rules help new pupils use the library.help new pupils
- Name the audience. The new pupils are the people who will read the rules.new pupils
- Write the answer. new pupils
Check. The rules are for new pupils. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: new pupils in the school library.
Method. Look at what the page does with the stages.
- Look at the content. The page tells how something happens, one stage after another.how something happens
- Name the purpose. Saying how something happens is to explain.to explain
- Write the answer. to explain
Check. The page explains a process. ✓
Method. State what the leaflet wants to do, using the word persuade.
- Say what the leaflet is for. The leaflet wants families to recycle.recycle more
- Write the purpose. Use the word persuade to show the purpose.persuade families
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that uses persuade, for example: The leaflet tries to persuade families to recycle more.
Check. The sentence states a purpose and uses persuade. ✓
Method. Think about what young readers can understand.
- Think about the reader. Year 1 children are young and still learning to read.young readers
- Name a helpful choice. Short sentences, simple words or a picture make the text easy for them.short sentences; a picture
- Write the answer. Accept any: use short sentences and simple words, or add a picture.
Check. Choices like these suit a young audience. ✓
Method. Think about what changes when the reader changes.
- Think about the words. A young reader and an adult need different words.different words
- Think about the detail. The writer chooses what to include so the reader can follow it.what to include
- Write the answer. Accept any: so the writer chooses the right words and the right amount of detail for the readers.
Check. The audience decides the words and the detail. ✓
Method. Think about how well each reader knows Tom.
- Compare the readers. A friend knows Tom well; a headteacher does not.a friend; a headteacher
- Name the difference. The friend's letter is chatty, but the headteacher's letter is polite and formal.chatty; polite and formal
- Write the answer. Accept any: the letter to his friend is informal and chatty, and the letter to the headteacher is formal and polite, because the audiences are different.
Check. Different readers need a different tone. ✓