GCSE English

Reading Non-fiction

The world of work

Analysing presentational features

GCSE English

Reading Non-fiction

Lessons 1&2

LO: Can I identify and comment on the presentational features of a

non-fiction text?

Key words: Headline, Sub-headline, Image, Caption

Match the headline to the picture!

1. Scientists on brink of HIV

cure

2. New build house prices rise by 12pc

3. Tobacco display ban in large shops comes into force

4. Is there really a north-south water taste divide?

5. WWI prisoner of war postcard found

6. Children and apps: Should we fear the iNanny?

Match the headline to the picture!

1. Earth’s core far hotter than

thought

2. Measles: 'greater risk of infection' in private schools

3. John Hannah on the best cycling routes

4. Meet the women doing ‘men’s work’

5. University reputations: will teachers pay the price?

6. Katherine Jenkins ran the marathon and still looked good. So what?

Which presentational features can you identify? Why have they been used? Comment on size, colour, tone, style…

In the GCSE English Language exam, you are expected to

both read and write different kinds of non-fiction. This unit focuses on the reading section of the paper, which asks you to read and respond to texts in certain ways. You are asked…

1. To retrieve information and explain it to show you’ve fully

understood a text (usually a newspaper article)

2. To analyse a text’s presentational features, such as headlines and images,

and link them to the text (again – usually a newspaper article)

3. To infer meanings, ideas, thoughts, feelings etc. from a text – to ‘read

between the lines’ (usually a descriptive piece)

4. To compare the use of language in two non-fiction texts.

We are going to work this week on the second kind of skill you’ll have to show at GCSE – the ability to analyse the presentational features of a text, and to connect them to the content, purpose, audience etc. of the text itself.

Headline Image Caption

Features Do they have typical features?

Functions What are they for?

IN PAIRS

Which devices might be found in newspaper headlines?

• 1st, 2nd or 3rd person (narrative viewpoint)

• Directly addressing the reader

• Imperatives (commands) • Rhetorical questions • Register - formal/informal

language • Diction - simple/complex

vocabulary • Figurative language &

imagery: similes/metaphor/ personification etc. • Word play & puns • Alliteration

• Rhyme & rhythm • Anecdote & allusion • Slogan & catchphrase • Statistics & facts • Exaggeration & hyperbole • Repetition • Humour • Sensory language • Emotive language • Punctuation type • Expert advice • Short sentences • Superlatives • Lists

Waste crime: Britain's war on illegal dumping There are more than 1,000 illegal waste sites in Britain, causing huge pollution and ruining people's lives. Are the authorities doing enough about the problem?

Pun / play on words. “Hate crime” is a serious crime based on prejudice. Referring / alluding to this makes waste dumping seem more serious. Colon adds impact to what comes after it.

Powerful words such as “war”, “huge” and “ruining” emphasise / exaggerate the seriousness of the issue.

Statistic puts story into perspective and, again, emphasises seriousness.

Rhetorical question leads into the article; it makes the reader curious.

Analysing the effectiveness of presentational features…

Image is bright, colourful and vivid, giving a clear illustration of the issue. The image depicts

illegal dumping; this picture is unpleasant and messy and, again, gives the reader a clearer picture of the issue.

Waste crime: Britain's war on illegal dumping There are more than 1,000 illegal waste sites in Britain, causing huge pollution and ruining people's lives. Are the authorities doing enough about the problem?

Connecting an image or headline to words / phrases from a text…

Link to article on Guardian Online

“Earlier this year, four waste bosses operating six illegal waste sites in Lancashire were sentenced to jail terms of up to 18 months” -Supports the idea of a ‘war’ – something’s being done

“Some waste crimes are just gruesome. Rutherford last year helped convict a Derbyshire woman who had been illegally disposing of clinical waste and dead pets” - An example of a ‘waste crime’ – a serious one, too

•“a rubbish-strewn Derbyshire farmyard” •“87 known illegal waste disposal sites” •“half-filled skips and trailers of fresh builder's rubble” -Examples of these kind of environments – they do exist!

Analysing the effectiveness of presentational features…

Eight jobs at Costa branch attract more than 1,700 applicants Coffee chain reveals job competition with claim it received 1,701 applications for posts at a new branch in Mapperley, Nottingham

Costa, the coffee chain said eight jobs in a new branch attracted 1,701 applicants, giving a stark reflection on the job market. Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

IN GROUPS

Making connections between presentational features and the text itself…

Eight jobs at Costa branch attract more than 1,700 applicants Coffee chain reveals job competition with claim it received 1,701 applications for posts at a new branch in Mapperley, Nottingham

Costa, the coffee chain said eight jobs in a new branch attracted 1,701 applicants, giving a stark reflection on the job market. Photograph: Keith Morris/Alamy

IN GROUPS

Analysing the effectiveness of presentational features…

Forget about your dream job – it's all about the ride There are many ways to find your dream job, so don't worry about whether you're on the most efficient path to get there. Just work hard at what you do, says Baron Anyangwe

What's your dream job? One small step in your career can be a giant leap towards achieving your goals. Photograph: Neil Armstrong/ Corbis

IN GROUPS

Forget about your dream job – it's all about the ride There are many ways to find your dream job, so don't worry about whether you're on the most efficient path to get there. Just work hard at what you do, says Baron Anyangwe

What's your dream job? One small step in your career can be a giant leap towards achieving your goals. Photograph: Neil Armstrong/ Corbis

Making connections between presentational features and the text itself…

IN GROUPS

Analysing the effectiveness of presentational features…

Working mothers do no harm to their young children, research finds Long-term study by University College London suggests young girls fare better if their mothers go out to work

UCL's research found there seemed to be many benefits for young children if both their parents worked – though perhaps not in these circumstances. Photograph: Marc Carter/Getty Images

IN GROUPS

Working mothers do no harm to their young children, research finds Long-term study by University College London suggests young girls fare better if their mothers go out to work

UCL's research found there seemed to be many benefits for young children if both their parents worked – though perhaps not in these circumstances. Photograph: Marc Carter/Getty Images

Making connections between presentational features and the text itself…

IN GROUPS

GCSE English

Reading Non-fiction

Lessons 3&4

LO: Can I analyse presentational features in detail, connecting them

to the content of a text?

Key words: Headline, Sub-headline, Image, Caption

Burnout ‘is a bigger heart attack risk than smoking’

Stressed at work? Cut back your hours and you could cut your risk of a heart attack (Picture: Getty)

The ‘alarming’ results show employers need to do more to support workers, as once they experience long-term exhaustion it is usually a downward spiral, said researcher Dr Sharon Toker. The study tested 8,838 apparently healthy men and women for signs of both burnout and heart disease, with controls in place to take account of other risk factors. People in the top 20 per cent of the burnout scale were found to be 79 per cent more likely to have a heart attack, while all sufferers had at least a 40 per cent increased risk. The findings surprised the researchers, as they suggest burnout is a bigger risk factor than smoking, eating a fatty diet or taking too little exercise. The condition can be caused by high stress, a heavy workload, a lack of control over job situations, insufficient emotional support and long hours. This leads to physical wear and tear, which eventually weakens the body. In light of the study by Tel Aviv University in Israel, GPs may need to start routinely testing burnt-out patients for signs of heart disease, Dr Toker said. The research is published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Working too hard? Permanently exhausted after years of stress and long days in the office? If so, it really is time to make a change and cut back your hours. As well as improving your social life it could reduce your risk of having a heart attack – by nearly 80 per cent. People suffering burnout are even more likely to develop heart disease than smokers, a study has found.

ON YOUR OWN

How are the headline, image and caption effective, and how do they link to the text?

The article informs readers about the risk of “burnout” which means becoming

exhausted by high levels of stress at work. The article warns readers about this

danger, and the headline, caption and picture help get this message across.

Firstly the headline is big, bold and prominent, which helps attract the reader by

summarising the content of the article in a few hard-hitting words. The headline

contains powerful words like “burnout’”, “heart attack” and “risk” which shock the

reader into realising how serious overworking is. This seems like an exaggeration,

but the claim is in quotes, which suggest that a medical expert has said this. This

links to the article, because we are told that the claim is from a “study” which

“tested 8,838 apparently healthy men and women”.

The caption begins with a rhetorical question “Stressed at work?” which may make

readers wonder whether they are working too hard. The command (imperative)

“Cut back your hours” may make readers consider working less for the sake of their

health. This links to the article, which warns workers about “high stress”, “long

hours” and “physical wear and tear”. Readers may be alarmed at the dangers

caused by working too hard and again think about their own situation.

Lastly, the image portrays a victim of “burnout” - a person who has been over-

worked, in a professional environment. The individual is slumped with exhaustion

in a dark and dingy office environment, echoing the claim in the article that

working too hard “weakens the body”.

The person in the image may represent the “insufficient emotional

support and long hours” referred to in the text – this woman appears

to be alone in the office, working after everybody has gone home.

1. •Highlight the key words in the question. At GCSE, the presentational features question asks you to do to two things, and is always very similar: •It asks you to analyse the presentational features, noticing how they are effective. •It asks you to link the presentational features to the content of the text.

Explain how the headline and picture are effective, and how they link to the text.

Explain how the headline, sub-headline and picture are effective, and how they link to the text.

Explain how the headline, picture and caption are effective, and how they link to the text.

2.

IN GROUPS

•Actively read the text: First, look at / read the things you’ve

been asked to analyse (in this case, the headline and picture).

•Next, go through the text, highlighting the short quotes that most strongly link to the presentational features.

•Then, knowing what’s in the article, go back to the presentational

features and highlight / annotate them in terms of their

effectiveness.

Text 2: Explain how the headline and pictures are

effective, and how they link to the text.

Fancy koala catching? Australia needs you for new holiday jobs

IN GROUPS

3.

IN GROUPS

•Now you’re ready to write up your ideas, you

need a clear introductory sentence introducing your response (see next slide for a reminder).

•You then need to talk about each feature in turn. You’ll

need to say more than one thing about each feature (making about 4-5 points about presentational features overall).

•Pepper your points with short quotes, linking the

presentational features to the text with perceptive comments.

Writing up ideas

3.

WHAT TO WRITE

Remember! Keep it simple!

Why are these good openings?

Purpose and Audience

Text 1 aims to inform ‘Guardian’ readers about the huge competition for jobs at a branch of the coffee chain, Costa.

This article tells readers about new research into working mothers. Its headline, image and caption are effective as they help convey the article’s point of view.

In Text 3 Baron Anyangwe advises ‘Guardian’ readers about paths to finding their dream jobs. The presentational features in this text help support the article’s purpose.

Connective The headline / image etc…

How they link to the text…

The reader… (or ‘we’…)

Firstly Secondly Thirdly

As well as this Furthermore

Moreover Finally Lastly

Likewise Similarly

Amuses Attracts

Connotes Delights

Describes Depicts

Emphasises Fascinates Highlights

Informs Interests Intrigues

Raises

Refers to Reflects Reveals Signifies Suggests

Summarises Shocks Shows Tells

Alludes to Demonstrates

Echoes Illustrates

Links Portrays

Reinforces Reiterates

Reflects

Is made aware

Is informed Is told

Learns

Discovers Realises

3.

USEFUL WORDS & PHRASES

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Wider reading…