AO5 — Transactional & persuasive writing
Section B of OCR Component 01 asks you to write a non-fiction piece (article, letter, speech, leaflet, blog, report) for a stated purpose, audience and form. AO5 carries roughly 75% of the marks for this writing question — get this right and AO6 (SPaG) often follows naturally.
The three things AO5 rewards
- Purpose — does your writing actually do what was asked? (persuade, argue, advise, inform)
- Audience — does your tone, register and reference frame match the reader?
- Form — does your piece look and behave like the form requested (e.g. an article has a headline; a letter has a sign-off)?
Examiners read the question stem and your opening line, and they decide your top-band ceiling within 30 seconds. Set up your purpose-audience-form in the first sentence.
Form conventions to memorise
| Form | Must include | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| Article | Headline, byline option, 4–6 paragraphs, often a kicker close | Lively, semi-formal |
| Letter | Address, date, "Dear…", sign-off | Formal but personal |
| Speech | Direct address, rhetorical question, repetition, call-to-action | Spoken voice |
| Blog | Headline, "I", relaxed tone, sub-headings, sometimes lists | Conversational |
| Report | Title, sub-headings, "Findings", "Conclusion", "Recommendations" | Detached, impartial |
| Leaflet | Title, slogan, sub-headings, bullet points, contact info | Direct, persuasive |
If the question says "Write a letter to your headteacher", a letter that has no opening "Dear…" or sign-off is not a letter and the form mark drops sharply.
Persuasive devices — the AFOREST kit
You do not need every device, but two or three layered well will lift your work:
- Alliteration — "policies, programmes, possibilities".
- Facts (real or invented but plausible — "47% of teenagers report…")
- Opinions stated as truths — "It is plain that…"
- Rhetorical questions — "Is this really what we want?"
- Emotive language — "shameful", "betrayal", "hope".
- Statistics — "one in three".
- Triple structures — "stronger, fairer, freer".
Structure — the four-paragraph article
- Hook — anecdote, statistic, or sharp opening line.
- Position — what your view actually is.
- Development — counter the obvious objection, then return to your view.
- Climax — emotive close + call-to-action.
This is enough for 35–40 minutes of writing.
✦Worked example— Worked example — opening of a persuasive article
Question: Write an article for your local newspaper persuading readers to support a 20mph zone in residential streets.
The day the world stops for a child — by Hardik Mehta, your neighbour, 64 Acacia Avenue.
Last Tuesday, Mrs Khan watched her seven-year-old son fly into the air at the corner of Acacia Avenue. He landed, miraculously, with only a broken arm. The driver, doing forty in a thirty zone, drove on. We are told that "accidents happen". We are told that "speed limits are advisory". I tell you, as a parent, as a neighbour, as a tax-payer: enough.
That opening uses anecdote, repetition, tricolon, direct address and an emotive single-word close. It signals article form (headline, byline, conversational paragraphing) and a clearly persuasive purpose.
Common AO5 mistakes (examiner traps)
- Wrong form. A speech in letter format. A report in blog format. Read the question.
- Forgetting the audience. Slang in a formal letter; corporate jargon in a teen blog.
- Listing techniques without ideas. Examiners want a real argument, not a checklist of devices.
- No structure. A wall of text without paragraphing tops out mid-band.
- Generic counter-arguments. "Some people may say…" without specifics is empty.
- Running out of time. Aim for 5 min plan, 30 min write, 5 min check.
➜Try this— Quick check
- Form unmistakable in the first 3 lines?
- Audience-appropriate tone throughout?
- At least three persuasive techniques layered, not isolated?
- Clear position by the end of paragraph 1?
- Memorable closing line?
Tick all five and you are inside the top band.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-ocr-english-language