Writing for an audience
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organisation are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience, maintaining a consistent style and structure throughout
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify the task, purpose, and audience before writing and make deliberate choices about structure, tone, and vocabulary to suit them
- Organise ideas logically so that the writing flows from introduction through development to conclusion, with each section serving a clear purpose
- Review a draft to check that the organisation, style, and level of formality are consistent and appropriate for the intended reader
The lesson
Before you write a single word, stop and ask three questions: What am I writing? Why am I writing it? Who will read it? The answers are your task, your purpose, and your audience. They decide almost everything else: how formal you sound, how you organise your ideas, and which words you choose.
A story for your friends can be silly and full of jokes. A letter to your headteacher asking for a new football pitch needs to sound serious and polite. Same writer, similar idea, but a different audience changes the whole piece. Once you decide your purpose and audience, keep your choices consistent all the way through. Don't start formal and end silly.
Zara wants more books in the library. To her best friend, she texts: 'the library needs way more books, it's kind of empty lol.' To the head teacher, she writes: 'I am writing to ask whether the school could order more books for the library, as many shelves are currently empty.' Same idea, but the second one matches a formal audience and a persuasive purpose.
When you finish a draft, read it back and check one thing: does it sound like the same piece all the way through? If it starts formal and turns chatty halfway down, smooth it out so the tone matches your purpose and audience from start to finish.
Before you write, know your task, purpose, and audience, then keep your tone and organisation consistent from start to finish.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.