High School - Audience and Purpose

You have been asked to write a guide to starting high school. Who is your audience?

• High school teachers

• Elementary school teachers

• Pupils who are at the end of Grade 6

• Pupils who are at the end of Year 11

Answer explanation

Your audience would be pupils who had not yet joined high school

What would be the primary purpose of a guide to starting high school?

• To entertain

• To inform

• To persuade

• To argue

Answer explanation

You could have a range of purposes beyond the main purpose of providing information: you might also advise, explain and entertain

You have been asked to write a speech promoting your friend, who is running for school council. Who would your audience be?

• Pupils

• Parents

• Governors

• Teachers

What would be the primary purpose of the speech?

• To inform

• To instruct

• To review

• To persuade

You have been asked to write a review of the school's musical on its first night of performance, to be published on the school website. Who would be your audience?

• Parents

• Pupils

• Relatives of the performers

• All of the above

Answer explanation

When writing, you should take into account the format in which your work will appear. A website often appeals to a broad range of readers (more broad, for example, than that of the school newsletter). Exam questions always specify the format (i.e. 'Write an article for a young people's magazine')

What would be the purpose of the musical review?

• To persuade the school to reduce ticket prices

• To impress the performers with your comprehensive knowledge of musicals

• To give people an idea of the performance and whether they should buy tickets for it

• To make the performance sound better than it is

You have been asked to write an article for your local community center's monthly newsletter on the benefits of e-readers to the housebound and the elderly. Who would be your audience?

• Children only

• Teenagers only

• Elderly people only

• All local residents

Answer explanation

The phrase housebound refers to people of all ages who are unable to leave their home without difficulty due to advanced age, illness, or a disability. Another target audience is the care-takers who may be the provider of the e-readers.

What would be the purpose of an article explaining the benefits of e-readers?

• To advise

• To argue

• To persuade

• To entertain

Answer explanation

To advise includes both to argue the benefits of and to persuade the use of the e-readers.

You have been asked to write a letter to the council against a recent decision to close parks at 5pm. Who would be your audience?

• The receptionist who opens the letter

• Councillors

• Parents

• Residents who live near the parks

What would be your purpose in writing the letter to the council?

• To advise

• To explain

• To argue

• To review

Answer explanation

The word 'against' in the earlier prompt indicates a debate/ rebuttal.