Year 6 English: Planning: audience, purpose and form
Part of the Year 6 English writing for purpose: narrative, non-fiction, persuasive and discursive chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Planning: audience, purpose and form
Before you write, plan three things. The audience is who will read the text. The purpose is why you are writing: to tell a story, to inform, to persuade or to discuss. The form is the type of text, such as a letter, a story, a report or a poem. Read a similar text as a model, to see how it is organised.
A planning frame
| Question | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Who is the audience? | The head teacher, who is formal and busy |
| What is the purpose? | To persuade her to fund a new reading area |
| Which form suits it? | A formal letter, with paragraphs and a polite ending |
Key ideas
- Name the audience, the purpose and the form before you draft.
- The audience decides the tone; the purpose decides the content; the form decides the structure.
- A model text shows how a similar form is organised.
Method. Think about the audience and the purpose.
- Find the audience. A friend is a personal reader.friend
- Find the purpose. The purpose is to share a day, which suits a personal form.share a day
- Choose the form. A letter is personal, so it suits a friend.letter
- Write the answer. letter
Check. A letter is personal and suits a friend. ✓
Method. Think about who the notice is for.
- Find the purpose. The notice tells pupils about the disco.tells pupils
- Choose the audience. Pupils are the readers the notice is for.pupils
- Write the answer. pupils
Check. Pupils are the audience. ✓
Method. Think about the reader and the relationship.
- Find the reader. A head teacher is a formal reader.formal reader
- Choose the tone. A formal tone with full words suits the reader.formal
- Write the answer. formal
Check. The tone is formal. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a plan is not the text. Use the plan to make choices, then write the full text in sentences and paragraphs.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to name the audience and the purpose of one piece of writing they will do this week, before they begin.
Exercise 12A Practice: planning the audience, purpose and form
Method. Think about who can act on the request.
- Find the reader. The council can repair the path.the council
- Write the answer. The council, or the council staff.
Check. The audience can act on the request. ✓
Method. Think about the purpose of the instructions.
- Find the purpose. The purpose is to tell the reader how to make something.how to make
- Choose the form. A recipe is the form that gives steps for making something.recipe
- Write the answer. recipe
Check. A recipe suits instructions. ✓
Method. Think about what the poster wants the reader to do.
- Find the action. The poster asks pupils to recycle.recycle
- Name the purpose. The purpose is to persuade.persuade
- Write the answer. To persuade pupils to recycle paper.
Check. The purpose is to persuade. ✓
Method. Think about which form can describe a storm with feeling.
- Look at the purpose. The purpose is to describe a storm with feeling.with feeling
- Choose the model. A poem can describe the feeling of a storm.a poem
- Write the answer. a poem
Check. A poem describes feeling. ✓
Method. Name the three parts of the plan.
- Audience. A grandparent is a warm reader.a grandparent
- Purpose and form. To thank, in a friendly letter.to thank
- Write the answer. The audience is a grandparent, the purpose is to thank, and the form is a friendly letter.
Check. The plan has audience, purpose and form. ✓
Method. Think about the relationship with the reader.
- Compare. A friend is informal; a bank manager is a formal reader.formal reader
- Choose. The bank manager needs a formal tone.a bank manager
- Write the answer. a bank manager
Check. A bank manager is a formal reader. ✓
Method. Think about the layout and the purpose.
- Name the model. An article is a similar text.an article
- Give the reason. It shows the headline and paragraph layout.headline and paragraphs
- Write the answer. A newspaper article, because it reports school news clearly with a headline and short paragraphs.
Check. The model is a similar text, with a reason. ✓
Method. Think about who hears the poem.
- Find the listeners. The pupils hear the poem in assembly.pupils
- Write the answer. pupils
Check. The pupils are the audience. ✓
Method. Think about how the form serves the purpose.
- Think about the purpose. The purpose is the goal of the writing.goal
- Think about the form. The form is the way to reach that goal.way
- Write the answer. Because the purpose decides what the form needs to do, such as inform or persuade.
Check. The purpose comes first. ✓
Method. Think about the purpose of explaining.
- Find the purpose. The purpose is to explain facts about volcanoes.explain facts
- Choose the form. A report suits factual explanation.a report
- Write the answer. a report
Check. A report suits factual writing. ✓
Method. Think about who would read a leaflet.
- Audience. Local families would read it.local families
- Purpose. The leaflet informs about opening times.inform
- Write the answer. Local families; to inform them about the park and its opening times.
Check. The audience and purpose are named. ✓