 Hello and welcome back to yet another GCSE revision lesson now made this lesson specifically for the edXcel gang in other words for those of you who are going to be sitting the English language paper to exam according to the edXcel syllabus I want to show you guys how you can craft a perfect response for Section B, which is the transactional writing question now this question carries a massive amount of marks It's worth 40 marks in this entire paper Therefore, you do need to allocate a significant amount of time to this part of the exam and of course even going into the exam You need to be able to anticipate what questions and what forms of writing you should be questioned on so that you can prepare in advance Know the form know the layout and also most importantly know what to talk about. Okay Now remember when it comes to transactional writing for the edXcel exam, you always get a choice of two Questions, okay? You always get two questions. It can either be an article a letter or a speech or whatever, right? You're given a choice of one question question number eight and then another question questionable nine pick one Don't do both. Okay. Now when it comes to this portion of the exam Remember that you should try to spend at least 45 to 50 minutes on this question Simply because it counts towards 40 marks of this overall paper. Therefore, it will make or break your mark Now this particular part of the exam always test your awareness of form audience and purpose What do I mean by form audience and purpose number one when it comes to form? It tends to test your awareness of for example, if you ask to write a speech Do you know how a speech is laid out if you ask to write a letter? Can you illustrate an awareness of how a letter is laid out if you're asked to write a leaflet a guide even for instance? Sometimes in very rare circumstances, you even asked to write things like travel guides Are you able to demonstrate an awareness of form when you're writing out your response in relation to the question that you are given? Okay, so that's the first thing that's really really important You need to know and to show a demonstration of your awareness of form. Okay, that's the first thing However, of course closely tied to form is audience, right? So you might be asked to write a letter To an MP. You might be asked to give a speech to your peers You might be asked to write a travel guide for people who are going traveling You need to write in a way where you're pitching to these different audiences Okay, so for instance, if you're writing a travel guide, you need to write in a really exciting way Perhaps adding a little bit more informality because this is Something that you're writing for somebody who is reading it in the leisure They want to don't want to read something that feels like an essay. This is very different to the Audience that would be for instance a letter to an MP. You're writing an incredibly formal way Okay, so of course you also need to demonstrate an awareness of different audiences But of course also most importantly, you need to show an awareness of purpose purpose simply means Are you able to fulfill the primary purpose which is to inform Regardless of the form that you're asked to look at right regardless whether it's a letter an article speech a guide Leaflet whatever the primary purpose of what you are writing remember for transactional writing is to inform the secondary purpose is to Entertain hence when you're writing these different forms of writing you need to write in a way That's quite engaging for your reader You need to write in a way that's quite captivating from all the different letters that they could be reading from all the Different speeches that they could be sitting through. What would they pick yours in particular? You do so by making it engaging even from the opening rather than starting your speech with I am writing the speech for or starting your letter with I'm writing this letter or even for example a guide this travel guide I'm writing this travel guide to inform you about this country. That's boring Okay, so you need to also illustrate an awareness of purpose primary purpose is always to inform secondary purposes to entertain Okay, now as you can see behind me There are different color codings for the different forms of transactional writing Well, I want to show you guys is actually when it comes to transactional writing You don't need to stress out too much as to what's going to come up in the test because you can literally anticipate Okay, say if I get to if I'm asked to write a leaflet This is the layout and this is the form that I need to demonstrate if I'm asked to write for example a guide This is the layout if I'm asked to write a speech. This is the layout So I'm going to walk you through that right now Before I then walk you through the different techniques and devices you should include in any transactional writing and to show You actually it's actually quite straightforward once you understand the form There's actually a very standard approach that you can take for any question that comes up Okay, so I'm going to walk you guys through that before I then show you one model answer that I have prepared so The first set of forms which to be honest You can use exactly the same layout is if you're asked to either produce an article a Leaflet a guide a review or report I would argue that you can take this specific layout and this form this six step form for either of these Different forms of writing. Okay, so if you're asked to produce an article or a leaflet or a guide or review report Start off with a title or a headline right at the center Keep it to five maximum six words to make it easy You can look at the keywords in the question turn that into a rhetorical question that immediately informs your reader That you know what the article is about what the guide is about what the report is about Okay, so Irrespective of what comes up start off with your headline then in your opening paragraph This is where you address what you're supposed to be talking about. Okay, when you again starting either article leaflet guide review report Do not start by saying in this review I will talk to you about this book that I've most recently read which is really really interesting That's boring. Do not start by saying in this leaflet. I will tell you the importance of volunteering That's really really boring a good way to open your paragraph and to fulfill the secondary purpose of making your writing your transactional writing entertaining is Think about the opposing view to try to create a sense of conflict maybe for instance, let's say you are asked to produce a An article based on the importance of traveling for instance Why it's really good to travel or why we should have really important possessions, right? You can then begin by stating that many people who don't think possessions are really important There are many people who don't think traveling is important, but I disagree. I think traveling is powerful traveling is important It's engaging. It's enriching. Etc. Etc. Okay, so in your opening paragraph Do not start with in this article. I will in this leaflet. I will in this review It's boring try to make it entertaining and engaging by presenting perhaps a counter view Then you say actually even if some people think this actually I'm here to tell you why it's really interesting Why you should you know if it's a travel guide why you should travel to Japan? For instance, okay That's your opening paragraph for either of these then include your first subheading break up the text make it easy for your Reader to digest what you are writing about. Okay subheadings really really brief. It's just a mini headline, okay? Five or six words long think about what you can talk about in your preceding paragraphs Then just kind of create a very brief subheading then this is the most important aspect of transactional writing This is where students make this work way more complicated than it needs to be in the question that you get You always get bullet points you get a minimum of three bullet points So you're asked to address the question and then you're given by eddxl very very helpfully Three areas within the bullet points that you can focus on use them for your main body paragraph So now after you've added your opening paragraph your subheading your main body points would literally be first paragraph your first body paragraph Would literally address the first bullet point go into detail based on that bullet point Then your second body paragraph will literally address the second bullet point in lots of detail Then your third body paragraph will address the third bullet point and Excel has literally given you within those three bullet points You'll essay plan. Okay, so use that use that to help you. Okay, so then of course once you're done with all your main points Maybe add a second subheading to just break it up make it easy for your readers eyes to glide over your article leaflet guide review or report Before you finish off of by closing your Discussion now when it comes to a letter or an email I've grouped them together because they're basically to do with Corresponding with somebody. Okay, so irrespective of whether you're asked to write a letter or an email This is the standard approach to take for this transactional writing task start off with either for your letter Writing an address. So of course add the recipient MP John Smith one Westminster way Westminster London SW 11 kb writes This is a made-up address or if it's an email add your email title. Okay, so for instance, let's say you're writing an email to your MP Regarding why environmental pollution is a big issue, right? So then the title would be Environmental pollution colon. What do we need to do or what we need to do? Okay, so something really basic something quite straightforward Okay, so you either go for either of those depending whether it's a letter or an email that of course just for your letter Include a date right the day that in which you're writing don't make up some fictional date in the future Just write the date that you're writing this particular letter Of course, you don't have to add a date for an email then for both of them now Okay, so now this is the standard approach either a letter or an email. This is what you do Dear whoever you address the person that's receiving that letter or that email Then you go into your opening paragraph Introduce the issue make it really interesting Don't say in this letter I will talk about or in this email auto It's boring. Okay, try to make it engage and try to make it interesting Then your main body paragraphs when you go into lots of detail as to why you take your approach is Literally again guided by the bullet points in the question bullet point one two and three That's literally what goes into your main paragraphs So your first body paragraph is what you're asked to talk about and to address in the first bullet point in the question Second body paragraph goes to the second bullet point third body paragraph goes with a third bullet point before in your email Or you're in your letter You add a closing paragraph to close off your discussion and then finish off by signing off by saying kind regards Your name and surname you're sincerely I personally prefer kind regards only because it's really easy to spell The final form to bear to pay attention to is a speech You might be asked in your transactional writing portion of your exam to produce a speech Again, speech is super easy super straightforward to be clear on in terms of form now when it comes to speech Remember you always begin by addressing your audience So for example if it's a grown-up audience you say ladies and gentlemen However, if you're writing this speech for your students who are listening to you Do not say ladies and gentlemen address them as fellow students not boys and girls say fellow students then Have your opening discussion opening paragraph introduce your speech do not start off by saying in this speech I will talk about that's boring. You're gonna send your audience to sleep make it engaging then once you're done with your Opening paragraph literally your main points once more just like an article leaflet guide review report as well as let an email You literally just follow the same framework. You look at the bullet points Think about bullet point number one for your main body paragraph bullet point number two for your main body Paragraph for your second body paragraph bullet point number three for your third body paragraph literally that's how you approach it So you start fellow students then your opening paragraph introduce the issue Then your main points are bullet point one two and three based on so your body paragraphs address each of these bullet points Before you in your closing paragraph in your speech you round off You know, I hope I've convinced you to think about things from my perspective And then the final step in the speech that students always Forget is thanking the audience and by thanking your audience literally just a sentence saying thank you for your time and attention I hope you've learned something new. That's it. That's the perfect way to end your perfect speech Now the final thing is you might be looking at this and saying, okay That's great. It's great to know all of these different layouts and all these different formats But I've heard of deforest. I've heard of direct address. I've heard of rhetorical question I've even heard of statistics and anecdotes. How does that work in as you can see here? Literally irrespective of what you get in your opening paragraph and your main body paragraphs You need to make sure you're including literary and persuasive techniques Firstly when it comes to literary techniques, this is stuff like direct address For example talking directly to your radio or your audience using pronouns like you also using inclusive pronouns like we I think we can all agree all of that makes your writing engaging or even your speech entertaining for your audience other literary techniques include things like similes things like metaphors also your long and short Sentences your rhetorical questions all of that count as literary techniques which bring your writing to life However, of course, there's also persuasive techniques you need to include in transactional writing to make your audience or your reader feel convinced to take your approach Persuasive techniques are made up statistics. Okay, again, you don't know what's going to come up in the question Therefore the examiners understand that you don't know all statistics about the topic that's going to come up Just show that you know to persuade your reader or your audience You need to add a persuasive element, which is for example giving the study saying this is not just my opinion actually According to Cambridge University 75% of people who went on holiday were really happy 60% of people who read a book were really intelligent for example, okay I'm just making up statistics on the spot But essentially what I'm saying is that when it comes to transactional writing make sure you also add persuasive devices Statistics is number one according to Cambridge University according to gov.uk 55% of people blah blah blah use also realistic made up statistics Don't say a hundred percent or zero percent even in real life. There's never a hundred percent agreement on something or zero percent Disagreement on something. Okay, it's always somewhere in the middle Another persuasive element and another persuasive device is anecdote anecdotes are really really powerful Statistics are really good because it shows that it's not just your opinion It's shown in the general population But one thing about statistics that makes it a limitation is it's very hard for us to visualize what a statistic looks like However, what an anecdote does is it brings that idea to life by visualizing or by enabling us to visualize what? That particular anecdote is in other words an anecdote is when you pinpoint one particular person who's affected by the issue that you're talking about Let's say you're talking about the importance of travel say and then you say let's take the case of Sally Smith She's a year 11 student who last year went traveling to France me giving that really particular anecdote Enables my reader to imagine and visualize how one particular person is affected by the issue that you are discussing That's really deeply persuasive another persuasive device is just giving a range of examples talking about, you know Let's think about this that and that going to my travel example. Let's consider the budget airlines easyjet Ryanair whiz air. Okay. That's another persuasive device and finally of course Very closely tied to anecdotes who can even say for instance John Doe in an interview with the BBC said I think traveling is really good Okay, again, all of this is made up But you're showing an awareness that when it comes to transactional writing and you're writing in a debate You need to make what you're writing about convincing and compelling by showing it's not just my opinion actually Here's an anecdote. Here's a statistic. Here's some examples Here's an interview that shows that you know, not only do I think in this way, but actually other people think in this way Okay, so hopefully that makes it easy to understand what the requirements of transactional writing are It's literally as simple as just following these forms within whatever question that you get Remember you get a choice of two questions pick one Don't do both and then literally just default to whichever form that you want to take Okay, so now that you have an understanding of transactional writing I'm going to show you a worked example and a worked model answer and you'll see how I applied this framework and this approach And especially how use the bullet points bullet point one two and three to guide my response So let me show you how you can apply this framework to the transactional writing question that came up in the 2021 exam I'm going to select one of the questions, but then show you guys how you can apply this framework So I decided to go for question number eight and as you can see I've already Started this question and I've highlighted the keywords in this question that this question asks you to write the text for a Speech you will give to your peers persuading them to volunteer with a charity already if it's a speech I already know I'm going to be addressing it using the speech format and of course the speeches for my peers Therefore, I'm going to start off with fellow students then my opening paragraph They're my body points led by these bullet points before I close and I thank my audience for listening So go back to this question. You're asked in your speech to include ways your peers can volunteer What kinds of charities and people they can help and reasons why it's important to volunteer So as I mentioned firstly, you need to obviously demonstrate an awareness of form in this case I've got a right a speech but also most importantly I need to address these bullet points and the easiest way to approach it and I'm also showing my edXl examiners that I Totally get the assignment. I know what I'm supposed to be answering is literally in my main points after I've introduced the topic Which is why it's important to volunteer with a charity. I literally will address it chronologically my first main body point will be ways I can volunteer by the way guys you can write One body point for each bullet point or for instance if you write say two points But relating to just ways they can volunteer you can do so you can write two points for this and two points for that It all depends on your writing speed. Okay, how much you can write between 45 to 50 minutes But you're still using this more as just a general essay plan. Okay, so just for the first bullet point You're thinking okay after I've opened my discussion I'm going to definitely have to talk about ways they can volunteer So now here I'm going to think about different examples I can use to show ways people can volunteer I'm also going to embed some made-up statistics say for example Maybe for the second bullet point or the for the third bullet point I'm also going to include some anecdotes and they can go in either of these okay But as I mentioned you're not restricted to just one paragraph per bullet point It's more for instance You start off the first point your first main point first paragraph second main point second paragraph Third main point third paragraph, but it can be first two paragraphs volunteer second two paragraphs ways And what kinds of charities people can help in third paragraph or third and fourth paragraph or fifth six whatever can be the final Okay, you're working through it chronologically. So let me show you my model response for this speech Of course, I begin by addressing my audience. Hello fellow students and of course That therefore means I'm showing my examiners that I'm aware who my audience is it's my peers not grown-up Individuals okay, so then of course I need to introduce what I'm talking about before I launch into these bullet points Okay, so that's my opening paragraph as you can see I'm not going to begin by saying I am here to tell you this speech about That's boring. You're gonna send your audience to sleep try to make it entertaining There's one thing and one thing alone that I want to emphasize. What is it? It's your duty to volunteer with the charity. There is nothing more fulfilling than helping those in need Volunteering is necessary for us as young people. Some of you seated here may feel skeptical You may think that I'm what I'm saying is none is utter nonsense You may wonder whether it's possible in your pat schedules to squeeze in time for a charity you have school then after school clubs There are many There there may be chores to do at home. It is impossible to make time to volunteer Yeah, it's possible. We waste so much time on tiktok snapchat youtube twitch We all have spare time to give to others Voluntary will make us feel better about ourselves while improving someone else's life As you can see in my opening paragraph, I've not said I am here to do this I'm using Literary to techniques and literary devices to make my audience pay attention to me I'm also using things like direct address So using pronouns like your to make my audience feel included And I'm weaving in and developing my argument by using a mix of long and short sentences You need to make sure you're doing that consistently as you're developing your speech or any other form of transactional writing Now i've introduced why i'm talking to them that i'm here to persuade them to volunteer and even if some of them disagree Right, so, you know, I've addressed that you may think that what i'm saying is utter nonsense Even if they disagree i'm about to now launch into these three bullet points and why they should volunteer So here's my first bullet point There are a plethora of charities to choose from i'm addressing the ways they can volunteer And what kinds of charities children's charities animal charities Homeless charities pick a charity that aligns with your passion. Nonetheless, you may be wondering what are the ways in which I can volunteer Firstly, you can help charities fundraise charities always need money and sponsors In fact, gov.uk my made up statistic found that 80 percent of charities that shut down last year Failed because they simply ran out of money an hour or two of your time fundraising could save a charity And keep its doors open for the needy. So of course here I've literally stated you may be wondering what are the ways in which I can volunteer I've used a rhetorical questions here to show that I am addressing Very clearly bullet point number one and of course as you can see i'm using a mix of rhetorical questions long and short sentences But also now i've added a persuasive device I've made up a statistic gov.uk, which is the government's official website But i've made this up and said okay, this is why it's so good to volunteer Then i've then developed my speech another way you can volunteer is helping with the day to day functions of the charity You can help charity workers with administration work like cleaning up office supplies and filing paperwork You can even turn your talents into something that can boost a charity forward again Pay attention to the fact that i'm using stuff like alliteration turn your talents. I'm using a mix of different sentences Then i'll ask a rhetorical question. Are you obsessed with tick tock? Perhaps you can help the charity open up a tick tock account and manage the social media for them I've asked a rhetorical question then immediately answered my rhetorical question. We call this hyperphora very powerful persuasive technique In fact, jane doe. Here's my made up anecdote who's now in year 11 told me that last year she worked with cancer research She helped them set up their tick tock page, which now has over 100 000 followers Yet your volunteering does not have to be flashy You can visit a soup kitchen and ladle out soup to hungry people You can help poor families in a food bank the options are endless are finished off with a brief simple sentence But also used hyperbole these first two paragraphs are after my opening paragraph I've dedicated my first two paragraphs to the initial bullet point Which is ways they can volunteer so now i'm going to go on to talk about the different kinds of charities There are hundreds and hundreds of charities to choose from worried about endangered animals rhetorical question volunteer at Wwf keen to help the elderly second rhetorical question support ages uk Are you an animal lover third rhetorical question rspca is always looking for volunteers Passionate about protecting children fourth rhetorical question go and volunteer rspc There are over a hundred thousand charities made up statistic in the uk alone pick a charity that resonates with you You may still think volunteering is point is a pointless waste of your time pick a charity give it a week You may find it hard to continue excitement as a volunteer once you realize how rewarding this kind of work is So this is the ways they can volunteer you may still be skeptical now here I'm addressing people who don't want to agree with me Yes volunteering is great for those you serve they are in need your help will make their lives better However, what's in it for you? What will you gain if you consider volunteering from a selfish perspective? Voluntary is a fantastic way to clear your state of mind You may struggle with feeling down and depressed you may have mood swings You may think your life is depressing and repetitive. I've used tricolon here I'm talking I'm using three separate sentences to show why people might not want to you know Might want to um, volunteer in a charity in a way that selfishly benefits them Voluntary will change that all as a volunteer myself. I am amazed at how happy and fulfilled and grateful I am each week after working with the elderly at age uk. So now here I've brought it back to myself once more I'm showing my reader or rather my listener because this is a speech how also this applies to me as a speaker There are so many lovely older people many no longer have the parents volunteering makes me grateful for my family and friends Voluntary will also give you a great work experience and social skills for examples Now here I'm giving an example Voluntary in a charity shop will arm you with patience. You will learn how to speak to people of all ages who come in as customers You will learn how to cope with pressure during busy times These are all skills you will need in your first job in the real world. So I've addressed in my second to last Paragraph I've addressed this final reasons why it's important to volunteer and I've also weaved in Why people might also disagree with me. Okay, so I've also not only added in a counterpoint But I've then said actually these are the reasons why it's important to volunteer You can do it from a selfish perspective while still helping others Now I'm going to finish off my speech by thanking my audience I hope you'll consider being a volunteer. It's rewarding. It is challenging. It is worth it. Try colon I hope you'll sign up to help a charity. Thank you for your time and attention I hope you've learned something new students always forget this final bit where you need to thank your audience for sitting there And listening to your speech make sure you show an awareness of your audience. Okay So that's really it when it comes to how to approach the transactional writing question Use these bill of points that you're given as a guide It's literally almost like an essay plan that edxl is giving you to help you along this Work, okay to help you in your exam. So make sure you make use of it. Okay So I hope this helps and thanks so much for listening