SC2.1 — Purpose, audience, form
SC2.1 is the foundation of every Section B writing task on Components 01 and 02. OCR sets a stated purpose (persuade / inform / explain / describe / narrate), a stated audience (a magazine readership, a head teacher, a younger sibling, the general public), and a stated form (article, letter, speech, short story, descriptive piece). Drift on any of these three and you can lose a whole band before content is judged.
Purpose-first thinking
Before you draft a single sentence, write three letters in the margin: P / A / F. Beside each, jot a single phrase. Examples:
- P: "persuade against single-use plastic"
- A: "head teacher — formal, respectful"
- F: "letter — Dear Mrs Patel… Yours sincerely"
This 30-second triage anchors register, lexis and structure for the next 40 minutes.
Form conventions OCR examiners check
| Form | Must include |
|---|---|
| Article | Headline, by-line optional, opening hook, sub-section or final twist |
| Letter | "Dear…", paragraphed body, sign-off matching opener (Dear Sir → Yours faithfully; Dear Mrs Patel → Yours sincerely) |
| Speech | Direct address ("you", "we"), rhetorical question, call to action, signposted structure |
| Story | Setting + character in opening; conflict; resolution or deliberate ambiguity |
| Description | Sensory detail (5 senses), shifting viewpoint or zoom, controlled atmosphere |
Missing the form signals (no headline; no "Dear…") drops marks immediately.
Coherence
OCR mark schemes use the words "clear" and "coherent" deliberately. Coherent writing has paragraphs that build on each other, explicit signposting ("Firstly… Secondly… Yet…") and a deliberate ending that closes the argument or arc. Coherence is examiners' shorthand for the reader never gets lost.
Hit P, A, F. Open with conviction. Signpost. Close on purpose.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-ocr-english-language-leaves