Key Idea: This topic is a family of persuasive text types — texts whose whole job is to make you buy, choose, believe or act: the advertisement, the poster, the brochure/leaflet, campaign material, and the speech. They share one secret: they don't just give facts, they sell a feeling and steer you toward one action. In Paper 1 you're rewarded for naming the persuasive choices and showing what each one does to the reader.
🗝️ The persuasive text types
| Text type | What it's for | Conventions to spot |
|---|---|---|
| Advertisement | To persuade you to buy or choose | Slogan + brand; imperatives (‘Grab’); direct ‘you’; FOMO/flattery; a sold feeling |
| Poster | To catch a passer-by in seconds | Few words + bold design; one big image; size/colour = importance; a call to action |
| Brochure / leaflet | To inform AND sell at once | Headings/bullets; glowing words (‘cosy’); best-bits images; direct address + ‘book now’ |
| Campaign material | To rally people to act (vote, sign, march) | A memorable slogan; ‘us vs them’; emotive appeals; a clear call to action |
| Speech | To move a listening crowd (written for the ear) | Repetition (anaphora); rule of three (tricolon); inclusive ‘we’; questions; contrast |
🔍 The one move that scores
Analyse any persuasive text the same way: name the convention (a slogan, an imperative, a big bold word, an ‘us vs them’, a repetition), say its effect (what it makes the reader feel or do), then reach the so what — the feeling being sold or the action it wants, and who it targets. A label on its own (‘it uses persuasive language’) scores nothing.
✍️ IB-style worked examples
IB-style question — analyse an advertisement
Analyse how this advert persuades: “Block out the noise. Turn up your world. LUMA headphones — hear what matters.”
Step by step:
Name the choices: two commands (‘Block out’ / ‘Turn up’) and the metaphor ‘your world’.
Effect: the commands put the reader in control; ‘your world’ suggests a private space you get to choose.
So what — the feeling sold: not just clear sound but control and escape, so the headphones feel like freedom, not a gadget.
The two commands and the metaphor ‘your world’ make the headphones feel like control and escape — so the advert sells a feeling of freedom, which is what really makes the reader want them.
IB-style question — analyse campaign material
Analyse this campaign line: “For too long, they decided your future in rooms you'll never see. On Thursday, take it back.”
Step by step:
Name the choice: an ‘us vs them’ — ‘they’ decided ‘your’ future — plus the resentful image ‘rooms you'll never see’.
Effect: it casts a shadowy elite as the enemy and stirs anger at being shut out.
So what — the action: ‘take it back’ on ‘Thursday’ aims that anger at one thing, voting, so a feeling becomes an action.
The ‘us vs them’ framing makes a hidden elite the enemy, and ‘take it back on Thursday’ turns the reader's resentment into a clear call to act — to vote.
IB-style question — analyse a speech
Analyse how the speaker rallies the crowd: “We built this. We believed in it when no one else did. And we are not finished — not today, not ever.”
Step by step:
Name the choices: repeated line-openings ‘We… We…’ (anaphora) and a three-beat ending ‘not finished — not today, not ever’.
Effect: hear it — the inclusive ‘we’ makes the crowd one team; the rising rhythm builds to a defiant climax on ‘ever’.
So what: pride in a shared past turns into determination, sending the crowd out united and fired up.
The inclusive ‘we’ unites the crowd as one team, and the rising three-beat ending builds to defiance — so the sound of the speech turns pride into determination.
Important: Don't stop at naming a convention (‘it has a slogan’, ‘it uses ‘you’’, ‘the word is big’). Always add the effect and the so what — the feeling sold or the action wanted. And for a poster read the design (biggest = message); for a speech hear the sound; for a brochure notice how plain facts are sweetened.
Tap each card to check yourself.
What do the best adverts really sell? A feeling or identity (confidence, belonging, freedom) attached to the product — name that feeling to analyse, not just spot.
On a poster, what does the biggest element tell you? The main message — size signals importance, so read the largest word or image first, then say what it does.
What two jobs does a brochure/leaflet do? It informs (facts, headings) AND sells (glowing words, best-bits images, a call to act) — analyse how facts are dressed up.
How does ‘us vs them’ persuade in a campaign? A ‘we’ against a ‘they’ builds unity and gives the reader a side and an enemy, then aims that feeling at a call to action.
Why ‘hear’ a speech when you analyse it? It's written for the ear and the crowd — say what the sound (repetition, rhythm, ‘we’) does, and track the build to a climax.
Exam Tips
- Every persuasive text: name the convention → its effect → the feeling sold or action wanted.
- Adverts, brochures and campaigns sell a FEELING or identity — always reach it.
- For posters and web-style visuals, read the design (biggest first, colour, image), not just the words.
- For a speech, hear the sound and track how it builds to a climax on the crowd.
- Find the call to action — the exact thing (buy, book, sign, vote) it wants you to do.