Component 2 Section B Task 2 — second transactional piece

Component 2 Section B contains TWO transactional writing tasks, each worth 40 marks (split AO5: 24 / AO6: 16). Task 2 is deliberately designed to contrast with Task 1: a different form, a different audience, a different purpose. Together the two tasks test breadth as well as depth.

How Task 2 differs from Task 1

If Task 1 asks for a formal letter to a Member of Parliament arguing a case, Task 2 will typically demand something like a leaflet aimed at younger readers, a speech to be delivered at a school assembly, an article for a website, a review for a local newspaper, a guide for tourists, or a report for a head teacher. The shift in audience and form is the point — show you can switch register, layout and tone deliberately.

Form features the examiner expects

• Letter: address blocks (no real addresses needed), Dear / Yours, paragraphs.
• Article: headline, byline, standfirst, named columns or sub-headings.
• Speech: address to audience ("Good morning, fellow students"), rhetorical questions, direct address.
• Leaflet: title, sub-headings, bullet points, short paragraphs, call-to-action box.
• Report: title, sections, formal register, conclusion or recommendation.
• Review: rating opinion in opening, evidence-based judgement, recommendation.

Audience awareness

Mark for AO5 rewards adapting register: vocabulary, sentence-length, complexity, idiom. A speech to Year 7 pupils needs short sentences, concrete examples and humour. A formal report to school governors needs measured tone, evidence, formal vocabulary.

Time and length

You have 30 minutes per task. Aim for one side or just over of A4. Quality of crafted sentences, varied vocabulary and accurate punctuation matter more than sheer length.

Avoiding Task 1 overlap

Vary your structural choices. If Task 1 used a tricolon hook, choose a question hook for Task 2. Examiners notice mechanical repetition between the two tasks.