Audience

The audience is who you are writing for. This may be teenagers, adults or children. It will help your planning if you can imaginatively 'put yourself in your audience's place' - so for example, if you are writing a letter informing people about a trip, it is likely that they will want to know about cost and key facts such as times and places. If you’re writing for adults this doesn't necessarily mean you have to use long or complicated words - just ensure your writing is clear, sensible and interesting.

Purpose

This is what you want to achieve by writing the text. Persuasive texts often encourage readers to accept a point of view, buy something, or give to charity. These need a combination of informative, and persuasive (often emotive) language. A text meant purely for entertainment will generally be more light-hearted but all texts have a primary need to engage the reader’s attention.

We can usually work out who the target audience and purpose by looking at a few questions.

1. What is the texts content?
2. Who would be interested?
3. Is it serious or light-hearted?
4. Is the language formal or informal?

Your Teacher is now going to model finding the audience and purpose of the following short article.

Ashfield Park is threatened with closure next month as a local business has applied for planning permission to turn the area into a car park. Local residents have begun a fierce campaign to save the park, which is a popular walking spot for young children and the elderly, as well as home to the War Memorial and many wildlife species.

Who is the target audience?

What is the purpose of the text?