English - Speech Notes

You might wish to structure your speech in the following way:
1. Directly address the reader or audience:

o Introduce the topic and your point of view
o Use personal and inclusive pronouns to involve your audience, e.g., “you” or
“we”
o Engage your audience using a rhetorical question
2. Your next paragraph should develop your argument:
o You will need to infer information, ideas and opinions from the reading texts to
do this
3. Provide an anecdote to offer an example which proves your argument:
o This builds rapport with your reader by engaging with them on a personal level
o Again, this should be based on what you have read
4. Engage the reader on a personal level using a counter-argument:
o Again, this should be based on and developed from the ideas in the reading texts
5. Offer more research or studies:
o This can be in the form of statistics, a witness statement, poll, or quote from an
expert, based on the reading texts
6. End your speech with an emotive plea:
o Use emotive language to engage your reader
o Ending your response on a single sentence, perhaps using a triplet, is an effective
conclusion
Exam Tip
Rhetorical questions are commonly used as a persuasive device, but avoid over-using any one
technique, as this will make your writing sound much less sophisticated. Always consider the
reason why you are using a technique and what the effect is that you want to achieve. Do not just
use techniques for the sake of using them.
Persuasive writing
A speech is often more persuasive than other forms of writing. You are trying to persuade your
audience that your point of view is valid, and sometimes encourage them to join you.
Here are some tips for how to make your speech persuasive:
 Write in the first person (write from your own perspective)

 Use personal and inclusive pronouns:
o Using words such as “we” and “us” builds rapport between you and your
audience and makes them feel involved
 Present your opinions as facts; as a truth that should not be challenged
 Be passionate but not aggressive:
o Use emotive language and imperatives to call your audience to action
 Decide on your position and stick to it
 Make sure you do not sound like an advertisement
As an example, let’s consider the following introduction to a speech about GCSEs:

Addressing the reading assessment objectives
Up to 15 marks are available in this task for your ability to evaluate both the explicit and implied ideas,
opinions and attitudes expressed in one or two texts, and assimilate them to write a developed and
sophisticated response.
Let’s take a look at how you do this, using the following Question 1 example:
Your response here has to be based on the ideas, opinions and attitudes contained in the following two
texts:
After carefully reading the task, you should read the texts and highlight the ideas and opinions
that could inform your writing. Your response might use the following ideas from these texts:
Text A:
 Student representation was “once fashionable”, but it may just be a passing fad
 School councils take up too much time and energy from schools and teachers when they have
more important things to be getting on with
 If student representation is fake or just to tick a box, then it has no substance, especially if views
and ideas are not acted upon
 Teachers are accountable to parents and should put education first
 Even some students are disillusioned with the idea of student representation when nothing is
acted upon, especially given the time and effort involved
 Experienced teachers should make decisions, not children - trust should be placed in the people
appointed to run the school and deliver the education
Text B:
 An “enlightened” approach is needed to make school councils work and it takes real
commitment
 Student participation is very popular and well regarded
 Student participation works when children are involved in “real” issues
 Students can take responsibility for difficult problems such as behaviour or bullying
 Participation can make a difference to students’ attitudes to school
 Attendance and results are improved by participation
 Students can learn important skills such as negotiation, communication and decision-making
 Students can have a fresh eye on issues
 Decisions made may have a major impact on them, so students are motivated to participate
Planning your response

Once you have read the text(s), identified relevant opinions, ideas and attitudes and bullet-
pointed these in your own words, you should then spend five minutes planning your written
response. In your plan:
 Decide on your “voice” and point of view

 Write a statement that summarises your point of view, based on your reading
 Note down which points you can develop that support your point of view in your first paragraph
 Decide whether you are going to make a counter-argument, and note down which points you
can develop to support this
 Return to your main argument, ensuring that you have included ideas and opinions from both
texts (if more than one)
 Note down the points you can make to address the second bullet point in the task
 Note down how you are going to start and finish your response, ensuring that it establishes the
correct style and tone
Speech model answer

The following model answer demonstrates a top-mark response to the above task:
Commentary:
 The speech starts as instructed and demonstrates an understanding of the task, its purpose and
intended audience
 The introduction establishes a clear voice and point of view
 Ideas and opinions from both texts are implied in the response
 The response uses conventions of a speech, such as inclusive pronouns and direct address, to
connect to the audience
 The argument is sustained throughout
 Spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate
Summary
 Remember to read the question carefully and highlight:
o What you are writing, who your audience is and why you are writing
o The focus of each bullet point
 Read the text(s) and highlight the relevant information that could be developed in your answer
 Bullet-point this information in your own words
 Plan your writing, focusing on one main idea or opinion per paragraph
 Address each bullet point in order:
o Make sure you cover all of the bullet points as equally as possible
 Decide on the voice and style you want to create and maintain that in your answer
 Do not just repeat details from the text(s):
o You need to evaluate and develop the ideas, opinions and attitudes in the text(s) - you
are not summarising them

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You might wish to structure your speech in the following way:

1. Directly address the reader or audience:

 Write in the first person (write from your own perspective)

As an example, let’s consider the following introduction to a speech about GCSEs:

Planning your response

 Decide on your “voice” and point of view

Speech model answer

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