Functional Writing, Journalism and Speeches

What this unit covers

The unit brings together the kinds of writing people produce for a real purpose and a real reader. You will find mind maps on newspaper articles, editorials, feature article structure, technical writing, business writing, reports and letters, plus several on speeches and debate. Most of the material is aimed at secondary level, with a small share suited to university study.

Where to start

Begin with the note Inform. It sets out useful questions to ask of your own writing, such as whether you are telling the reader what they need or want to know, and whether you have given a balanced view. Then move to the Transactional Writing flashcards and the Inform and Explain deck to fix the key ideas.

Journalism and speeches

For news writing, open the mind maps Key Features Of A News Article and Feature Article Structure, then the flashcards the parts of a newspaper. For speeches, read the Speech Guide note and compare the maps What makes a Good Speech? and Top tips for writing a successful speech. The TRAVEL WRITING map lists persuasive devices such as alliteration, facts, opinion, emotive language, statistics and triples, alongside personal features like first person and past tense.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. Revising transactional writing asks what the transaction actually is. Consciously crafting writing for impact sets a charity sponsorship letter task, so you can practise tone and purpose. Crafting texts for the web checks whether web texts are just digital copies of print. Note any questions you miss, then go back to the matching map.

Where it sits

This unit is part of the Writing strand in Spanish language as a school subject. Some items, such as Spanish Letter Frases, link directly to Spanish, while others support wider writing skills.

Choose one format, work through it, and then try making a map or flashcard set of your own on a text type you find tricky.