What a speech is: A speech is a text written to be spoken aloud to an audience — a class, an assembly, a club, a celebration. It is part of the Text Types you must recognise and produce for Paper 1.
Unlike an essay, a speech talks directly to the people in the room. It greets them, keeps their attention and usually asks them to think, feel or do something by the end.
When you'd write a speech in Paper 1
- A talk to your class or year group (e.g. about a school issue).
- An assembly or campaign speech (recycling, well-being, road safety).
- A welcome or thank-you speech at an event.
- A speech standing for a position (class delegate, club president).
The one thing that makes it a speech: It is spoken to an audience, so it must address that audience directly — "Good morning everyone", "How many of you…?", "I'm asking you to…". Lose the audience and it stops being a speech.
Spoken, lively, and aimed at the audience: A speech is usually semi-formal and energetic. The exact register depends on who is listening: a speech to your classmates is warmer and more direct than one to the whole school or to adults.
Whatever the audience, a speech speaks to them ("you", "we", "all of us") and sounds like a real voice, not a printed report.
Speech tone (do this)
- Addresses the audience: "you", "we", "all of us".
- Rhetorical questions: "How many of you…?"
- Energetic, persuasive, sometimes an exclamation.
- Short, punchy sentences that are easy to say aloud.
Wrong tone (avoid)
- Flat, impersonal report style: "It is recommended that students…"
- No greeting and no address to the listeners.
- Long, tangled sentences that are hard to read out.
- Cold, distant language with no "you" or "we".
| Audience | Register you'd use |
|---|---|
| Your own class / friends | Warm and friendly, but still organised — direct "you" and "we". |
| Whole school / assembly | Semi-formal and energetic — polite greeting, clear, persuasive. |
| Adults / a formal event | More formal greeting ("Good evening, ladies and gentlemen"), still spoken and lively. |
Match the register to the audience: Decide who is listening before you write a word. Choosing the right register and form of address is exactly what Criterion C (conceptual understanding) rewards on a speech.
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The shape of a speech: Almost every speech follows the same five-step shape. Learn it once and you can plan any speech in seconds.
Speech structure — 5 steps
1
Greeting + hook
Greet the audience, then grab attention. "Good morning everyone. How many of you…?"
2
Topic statement
Say what the speech is about and signal your points. "Today I want to talk to you about…"
3
Body (signposted)
Two or three developed points, each signposted. "First… Second… Finally…"
4
Call to action
Tell the audience what to do or think. "So I'm asking you to…"
5
Memorable close + thanks
A short repeatable line, then thank them. "Every plate counts. Thank you for listening."
Greet+Hook → Topic → Body → Call to action → Close+Thanks
Signpost the body: The body is where marks are won or lost. Signpost each point — first, second, another reason, finally — and develop each one with a concrete example. Two well-developed points beat five vague ones.
The task this model answers: Task: Your school is running a campaign against food waste. Write a speech for your year group asking them to waste less food in the canteen. Write 250–400 words.
Read the model below, then see how each part maps onto the five-step structure.
Model speech — "Every plate counts": Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here.
How many of you throw away half of your lunch every single day? I used to do exactly the same — until I saw how much food our school bins really hold.
Today I want to talk to you about food waste, and about two simple things we can all do about it.
First, let's only take what we are actually going to eat. Second, let's take our leftovers home instead of throwing them away.
So I'm asking you to start tomorrow. It costs us nothing, and together we can make a real difference. Every plate counts. Thank you very much for listening.
How the model is built — the 5 steps in action
The speech, step by step
- Greeting / hook — "Good morning everyone… How many of you throw away half of your lunch?" Greet the audience, then grab attention with a rhetorical question.
- Topic statement — "Today I want to talk to you about food waste…" Tell the audience exactly what the speech is about, and signal how many points are coming.
- Body — signposted points — "First, let's only take what we'll eat. Second, let's take our leftovers home." Two clear, developed proposals, each marked with a signpost.
- Call to action — "So I'm asking you to start tomorrow… together we can make a difference." Tell the audience what to do and why it matters.
- Memorable close + thanks — "Every plate counts. Thank you very much for listening." A short, repeatable line, then thank the audience.
Why it scores: This speech earns all three Paper 1 criteria — here's what each one rewards:
A — Language /12
- Range: past "I used to…", imperatives "let's…", a question
- Connectors / signposts: "first", "second", "so"
- Accurate, topic-relevant vocabulary
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: names the problem AND proposes action
- Each point developed with a concrete example
C — Conceptual /6
- Speech conventions: greeting, hook, call to action
- Direct address: "How many of you…?", "I'm asking you…"
- An energetic, persuasive, spoken tone
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Plug-in phrases for each part: Keep a small bank of speech phrases ready. Drop them into the right step and your speech instantly sounds like a speech.
- Good morning / afternoon, everyone.
- Greeting — opens the speech and addresses the audience.
- Thank you all for being here.
- Warm opening that acknowledges the audience.
- How many of you…? / Have you ever…?
- Rhetorical-question hook — grabs attention at the start.
- Today I want to talk to you about…
- Topic statement — says what the speech is about.
- First… Second… Finally…
- Signposts — mark each point in the body clearly.
- Another important reason is…
- Adds a further point and develops the argument.
- So I'm asking you to… / Let's…
- Call to action — tells the audience what to do.
- Together, we can make a real difference.
- Persuasive line that motivates the audience to act.
- Thank you very much for listening.
- Closing — thanks the audience and ends the speech.
Vary, don't repeat: Pick different phrases for each step rather than starting every point with "First". A short repeated line at the end ("Every plate counts") makes the close memorable — a Criterion C win.