Non-Fiction and media texts

The exam

• Paper 1, Section A: Reading response to non-fiction/ media texts.

• In this part of the exam, you will be asked to read at least two texts. They will be non-fiction documents. You will have to answer questions about the texts and then write a piece in which you compare them.

Mind the GAP

GAP stands for:

• Genre

• Audience

• Purpose

Genre

• What is the text? How do you know?In the exam, this is easy because you will be told where the text came from.Knowing where the document came from - eg a newspaper, a magazine, a website, a book etc - will help you to think about the intended audience.

Audience

• Who is the text aimed at? How do you know?A writer always has an audience in mind. Different styles of writing will be used for different audiences. You would probably not speak to your head teacher in the same way as you speak to your friends.

• There are many different types of audience for which a text might be written. A text could be aimed at:

• a certain age group

• men or women

• those with a common interest or hobby

• people from a particular geographical area

• people who buy or use a particular product

Who is the audience?

• The language is not too technical, but neither is it too childlike. Therefore, it suggests the text is aimed at young adults.

• Unfamiliar words appear in bold so that they can be identified and discussed.

• Photographs are used to support the text. • There is factual information about the height,

age and measurement of trees that would be useful to a class discussion on the topic.

Purpose

• What does the text want you to do? How does the text make you do it?All documents have a purpose - some entertain, some inform, some persuade and so on.

• Non-fiction texts can be written for a variety of purposes. For example, a text might be written to:

• provide instruction • promote awareness • inform about the facts • report news • Non-fiction texts are usually written with a

purpose to explain, inform or persuade.

What is the purpose?

• The leaflet describes the problems of Amazon rainforests, moves on to talk about temperate rainforests in North America and Canada and then covers ancient woodlands in Britain, highlighting the fact that it is not just tropical rainforests that are affected.

• Look at the diagram and text on the following slide. This is one of several diagrams featured in the leaflet. What do you think its purpose is?

This diagram, together with the accompanying text, seeks to inform people about ancient forests by providing a source of facts and figures.

It's easy for the information in the leaflet to be digested and understood because:

• It is broken up into different subjects in short blocks of text with clear sub-headings.

• Technical words, which may be unfamiliar, appear in bold so that they can be identified and discussed.

• There are plenty of photographs, diagrams and maps to reinforce and develop the message of the text.

• The leaflet is designed to appeal to everyone, and this is achieved by presenting the information in so many different ways.

Make a LIST

LIST stands for:

• Language

• Information

• Style

• Tone

Language

• Is the language persuasive, informative, descriptive, childish or adult? Is the language emotive? Does it make you feel angry or sad? Does the writer address you directly?

• To get high marks in an exam, you have to understand how language is used, because when it comes to non-fiction text every word is designed to achieve a specific effect.

So how do you go about unpicking the language of a text? A lot of people have trouble answering questions on language, because it's hard to know where to start

Emotive language

• When the author of a text is trying to persuade you to believe an opinion, you'll often find they use language that appeals to your emotions. This emotive language can be extreme at times, but can also be deceptively subtle.

• Emotive language can sound very convincing, but you have to decide if the writer is using it to twist the meaning and manipulate your response.

• Ask yourself why the author is using emotive language. Are you being persuaded to form a particular opinion about a subject or agree with a particular point of view?

• Have a look at this text and see if you can pick out any of the emotive language for yourself.

• The sight has become all too familiar: drunken yobs, hunting in packs, degrading themselves and shaming the flag of their country. Heavy drinking, violence and racial hatred is all part of the culture of young Britain, and is generally followed by whines and bleats of self pity when those trusted with upholding the law are pushed to take action.

• Now, just to ensure that you've spotted the emotive language above, look at this text and compare the two.

• The sight has become familiar: drunken young men, travelling in groups, letting themselves and their country down. Heavy drinking, violence and racial hatred is all part of the culture of young Britain, and is generally followed by expressions of self pity when the local police take action.

• The two texts say the same thing, on the surface. Yet the furious attitude of the first one comes over strongly. How?

• Did you notice how the emotive word yob has much more impact than young men? You may agree or disagree with the writer, but the words have certainly provoked a response from you.

• The phrase hunting in packs is much stronger and more emotive than travelling in groups, which is purely a phrase to describe what the men are doing. The writer's attitude is beginning to come over clearly.

• Degrading and shaming are much more pointed than letting their country down. We are being encouraged to share the writer's firm opinions.

Informative language

• Non-fiction text often uses informative language, which is simply language that gets across the facts. The newspaper extract shown simply puts across the facts.

•

• Often non-fiction text will use a mixture of emotive and informative language to try to get its message across.

Tone of Language

• Another key word describing the way an author uses language is tone.

• One of the best ways to examine tone is to read or listen to a speech. Think about some famous people who have made speeches that you might be able to remember:

• Earl Spencer's speech at Princess Diana's funeral

• Martin Luther King (his 'I have a dream...' speech)

• Winston Churchill

• These people all used a combination of their voice and words to communicate messages that were important to them. Obviously, some people are better at this than others. Why do you think this is?

• You will notice how people might use emotive language to reinforce arguments.

• They might also use a passionate tone in their voice to persuade or show how strongly they feel about their purpose.

Information

• Is the information in the document factual, a series of the writer’s opinions, or a mixture of the two?

• When reading a non-fiction text, you need to be able to assess whether the information in the text is fact or opinion.

You will also need to be able to comment on the writer's line of thought or their argument.

• If you want to check how a writer makes a convincing argument:

• Find the topic sentences.

• Look for sentences that reinforce.

• Look for sentences that illustrate or give facts.

• Look at the ending (conclusion)

Style

• Is the document long and wordy with few pictures? Is it written in short paragraphs with lots of pictures? Is it written in bullet points? Is it interesting or eye-catching to look at? Is it a leaflet?

• Every time you pick up a magazine, or look at a web page or newspaper, you are introduced to different types of information presented in hundreds of different styles.

• When you are answering a question on style and presentation devices, it is often helpful to think about what attracts your attention most:

• Is it headlines (eg 'Help')? • Is it pictures (eg the eyes of a little boy in a

photograph)?

• Can you think of any examples of the following presentation devices? Try to think about how these devices are used and for what purpose.

• headlines

• subheadings

• illustrations/photographs

• bold print

• underlinings

• logos

• slogans

Tone

• This is linked to language. Imagine how you would read this document aloud. Do you need a serious, humorous, sad or angry tone of voice?

• One important aspect of a non-fiction text that you will need to be able to comment on is the tone in which it is written

• Tone can be defined as the attitude of the writer towards the subject in a text.

• So how can you tell what tone a piece of non-fiction text is written in?

• Firstly, and most importantly, you need to assess the language in which it is written. If it seems quite light-hearted, then it is possible that the text has a humorous tone; whereas text with lots of facts about an important topic is probably quite serious in tone.

• There are certain clues you can look out for to help determine the tone of a non-fiction text:

• Source of textFor example, an article from a broadsheet newspaper or a charity advertisement is likely to be quite serious in tone.

• PunctuationThe use of exclamation marks can suggest that the writer is in disbelief about, or astounded by something.

• Rhetorical questionsAn article that uses rhetorical questions is likely to be quite thought-provoking in tone.

• ImagesThe use of cartoons or caricatures could suggest that an article is not serious or aims to ridicule its subject matter.

Fiction or non-fiction?

•Fiction or non-fiction?

• Non-fiction text is usually written for a precise practical purpose, unlike fiction text, which is primarily written to entertain.

• Non-fiction text could be used to:• Inform the reader. • Persuade the reader. • Give advice to the reader. • Describe a person, place, feeling or object.

Fiction or non-fiction?

• Of course, fiction texts - novels, poems, plays - might include information, persuasion, advice and description, but remember that they were not specifically written with these in mind.

• Text usually contain clues that enable you to tell at a glance whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Non-fiction text often has bold headlines and sub-headings, poignant illustrations and lots of facts and figures - but more of that later. The main thing to remember is that non-fiction text has a particular job to do: how successful it is at doing this job depends on the skill of the writer.

• newspaper article • magazine article • list of instructions • dictionary definition • advertisement • social worker's report • list of ingredients on the side of a cereal packet • For each one, think about the job that it does -

its purpose - and who it is aimed at - its audience.