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: “Lace up. Leave the day behind. VELA running shoes — the road is yours.”
Step by step:
Name the choices: two commands (‘Lace up’ / ‘Leave the day behind’) and the metaphor ‘the road is yours’.
Effect: the commands put the reader in charge; ‘the road is yours’ suggests a space that belongs to you alone.
So what — the feeling sold: not just running but escape and ownership, so the shoes feel like freedom from a stressful day, not just kit.
The two commands and the metaphor ‘the road is yours’ make the shoes feel like escape and ownership — so the advert sells a feeling of freedom from the day's stress, which is what really makes the reader want them.
IB-style question — analyse campaign material
Analyse this campaign line: “While you queued for hours at the clinic, they closed three more. This Saturday, make them listen.”
Step by step:
Name the choice: an ‘us vs them’ — ‘you’ queued while ‘they’ closed clinics — plus the resentful image of a hidden decision.
Effect: it casts distant officials as the enemy and stirs anger at being let down.
So what — the action: ‘make them listen’ this ‘Saturday’ aims that anger at one thing, turning up to protest, so a feeling becomes an action.
The ‘us vs them’ framing makes distant officials the enemy, and ‘make them listen this Saturday’ turns the reader's anger into a clear call to act — to show up and protest.
IB-style question — analyse a speech
Analyse how the speaker rallies the crowd: “We planted these trees. We carried water up this hill when the taps ran dry. And we will not let them cut it down — not this year, not any year.”
Step by step:
Name the choices: repeated line-openings ‘We… We…’ (anaphora) and a three-beat ending ‘not let them cut it down — not this year, not any year’.
Effect: hear it — the inclusive ‘we’ makes the crowd one team who did the work; the rising rhythm builds to a defiant climax on ‘any year’.
So what: pride in shared effort turns into determination, sending the crowd out united and ready to defend the trees.
The inclusive ‘we’ unites the crowd as one team who did the work, and the rising three-beat ending builds to defiance — so the sound of the speech turns shared pride into determination to protect the trees.
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.