English iGCSE Lesson: Understanding Text Types

Overview

• Focus on six different text types for iGCSE English exams.
• Look at exemplars for each text type.
• Importance of being able to adapt text types.

Question 3 on Reading Paper

• Known as the extended response.
• Requires transforming a given text into a different text type.
• Types: Letter, Newspaper Report, Journal, Speech, Interview, Magazine Article.
• Writing should be 2-4 pages long.
• Exam relevance: these text types can appear in reading and writing exams.

General Writing Advice: VAP

• Voice: Who are you writing as?
• Audience: Who are you writing to?
• Register: Formal to semi-formal.
• Purpose: Inform, entertain, discuss, argue, persuade.
• Format: Specific text type defines the format.

Structuring Question 3

• Short introduction and conclusion (1-3 sentences each).
• Three equally long paragraphs in the middle.
• For interviews, follow given questions.

Text Type Exemplars

1. Newspaper Report

• Focus on being brief, neutral, and factual.
• Use 5W's in introduction (Who, What, Where, When, Why).
• Avoid first-person; use passive voice.
• Examples of newspaper tone and headlines.

2. Magazine Article

• Can be chatty and humorous or emotive and dramatic.
• Use alliteration, puns, emotive language.
• Use collective pronouns for connection with audience.
• Examples of magazine headline tones.

3. Speech

• More talk-like and often to inform.
• Address audience directly using pronouns.
• Use rhetorical questions and repetition for emphasis.
• Aim for an engaging and inclusive tone.

4. Interview

• Usually a radio or TV format.
• Lay out like a script with names and lines.
• Use spoken language features like filler words, stage directions.
• Interviews are more conversational and semi-formal.

5. Letter

• Begin with greeting, end with sign-off.
• Different formality based on audience (formal vs. informal).
• Create a relationship through shared history or memories.
• Examples for formal and informal letter phrases.

6. Diary

• Personal and confessional tone.
• Use past tense for events, present for reflections.
• Avoid dialogue, instead report speech.
• Use informal language features like ellipses and exclamations.

Practice and Resources

• Exercise: Write opening paragraphs for each text type based on a given scenario.
• Resources available on the website including quizzes and worksheets.
• Encouraged to visit totally.co.uk for more study materials.

Conclusion

• Understanding and practicing these text types is crucial for exam success.
• Utilize resources and practice tasks to solidify learning.