P1 text types:

• Written correspondence (emails and letters)

• Blog
• Review
• Interview
• Brochure/pamphlet/leaflet/flyer/poster
• Essay
• Article
• Diary entry/Journal
• A set of guidelines/instructions
• Speech/presentation
• Editorial/opinion column
• Letter to the editor
• News report
• Proposal/report
• Podcast
• Social media posting
• Online forum
• Public commentary
• Personal statement/cover letter

Article (newspaper, magazine)

context, audience, purpose -
* the context of the article will usually be set out briefly in the question: e.g the background to
the subject matter of the article
* the audience will usually be indicated by where the article will be published: e.g. 'your school
magazine'
* the fundamental purpose of any article is to inform or to report - but we may also include
'interest', 'explore', 'study'. Note that strong opinions or attitudes would probably not be
expected - such purposes would probably come under 'opinion column' (qv)
register and tone -
* will have a semi-formal to formal register
* will have a tone appropriate to task e.g. suitably serious
conventions -
* will have a relevant headline/title
* will have an introduction intended to catch the readers’ attention
* will use techniques that engage and interest readers e.g. direct address
Blog
context, audience, purpose -
* the context will usually be set out in the question e.g. the issue which is to inspire the blog
entry
* the audience may be assumed to be people interested in the subject matter OR (youngish?)
internet-interested people
* the generic purpose of blogs is to interest / entertain / amuse / be provocative & stimulating -
in general, NOT solemn
register and tone -
* will use a semi-formal to informal register
* the usual tone will be personal - chatty, direct and unpretentious
conventions -
* will include first person statement and/or narration
* will seek to engage the reader, eg through direct address, a lively and interesting style etc
* will use 'typical blog techniques' e.g. a provocative closing statement, leading to an invitation
to comment / response
* will have an interesting, catchy title for the entry

Brochure, leaflet, pamphlet

context, audience, purpose -
* the context will usually be set out in the question e.g. the problem to which the pamphlet is
going to propose a solution
* the audience will usually be pretty clearly defined by how context and purpose are linked e.g.
if the context is the need for healthy exercise among young people and the purpose is to
promote a new sports centre, the audience will be... young people (who may or may not be
interested in exercise!)
* the basic purpose of these text types is publicity - and this can be divided broadly
into 'inform' (e.g. health information) and 'promote' (e.g. selling something)... although typically
both elements are required in different proportions
register and tone -
* will use a semi-formal to formal register
* the tone will tend to be simple and direct - i.e. to convey the sense of honest address
conventions -
* will have an engaging title, which attracts attention
* will identify ideas with format techniques such as sub-headings, bullet points, numbering etc
 * will include practical aspects of the brochure like “contact us”, or “a phone number and/or an
email address”.
* will have a short introduction and a conclusion
NOTE: Graphic design as such is not marked

Diary (private) / journal

context, audience, purpose -
* the overall context may be assumed to be the writer's own life - but the question will probably
set some particular situation around which the entry should be invented e.g. 'you have had an
argument with a good friend'. (In exams, whether or not the "writer's own life" is the student's
real one, or is completely invented, does not matter at all - it merely has to be credible.)
* the question of 'audience' is the key distinction perceived by IB between 'diary' and 'journal' -
a diary is assumed to be essentially private i.e. written for the author's eyes only; whereas a
journal may be written for possibly public reading (e.g. a scientist's journal of experiments
and data-collection).
* the purpose will generally be to 'record' some experiences of personal significance - but
what sorts of experiences are required will be indicated in the question. One way of stating the
distinction between the two text types is that a diary is anecdotal (dealing with intimate
personal feelings) while a journal is intellectual (dealing with personal reactions to more public
concepts and arguments).
register and tone -
* will use a generally informal register
* the tone will be personal, frank and open - e.g. emotions may be described clearly and with
feeling
conventions -
* will use first person narration
* will have a closing statement to round off the entry
* will avoid self-evident explanatory phrases or sentences, e.g. will use “I saw Alicia”, not “I
saw Alicia, my best friend”
* will include the date and/or day

E-mail / letter
Email
context, audience, purpose -
* the question will usually describe a background situation, which the writer wishes to
communicate to...
* ... a specified friend / acquaintance (note that e-mail tasks usually require individual
communication with one person only, as opposed to some kind of general message to a
collective audience)
 * the purpose will usually be to express and explore personal attitudes and experience:
usually of the writer, but perhaps involving advice to the reader
register and tone -
* will adopt a consistently informal register
* will adopt a lively, engaging tone and style, perhaps with some “youth-speak” eg “I’m good”,
“Can’t wait” etc
conventions -
* will maintain clear sense of address to a specific person
* will have an appropriate opening salutation
* will have an appropriate closing salutation.

Formal Letter
context, audience, purpose -
* the question will usually provide the context - a background situation, which causes some
kind of issue, about which the writer wishes to communicate some significant idea
* the audience will be identified, but may well not be known personally (in contrast with the
usual audience of an e-mail) - the letter is likely to be addressed to a post or administrative
position, rather than a known individual (as exemplified by the use of 'Dear Sir/Madam')
* the purpose will usually be to present an argument or state a position, most probably about
some general social procedure or system - to illustrate, #1: complaining about poor service in
a shop; or #2: suggesting how the Town Hall can serve the public better. The writer may have
personal emotions to express, but these are subordinated to the impersonal technique of
objective, convincing argument
register and tone -
* will adopt a consistently formal register
* will adopt a suitably serious and respectful tone
conventions -
* will have a clear sense of address to a specific person
* will have an appropriate opening salutation
* will have an appropriate closing salutation
* will clearly identify the recipient (by name, and/or address, and/or role/title etc.)
* will have a date (and sender’s address)

Essay
context, audience, purpose -
* in relation to an essay, the term 'context' may involve two elements: the general area to be
discussed, and/or how the essay has been set. These may be combined (e.g. "Your English
teacher has shown a video about the dangers fof online gaming, and has set an essay about
 the subject..."), and may include the actual title of the essay (e.g. "The dangers of online
gaming are much exaggerated. Discuss"). If no title is given, the student should make one up,
thus defining clearly what the essay is about.
* the audience is assumed to be educated and informed, and capable of understanding
sophisticated language
* the purpose will usually be to analyse / explore / discuss the topic, as required by the
question - so students should pay close attention to the 'action verbs' in the task
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal to formal register
* will have an appropriately serious tone
conventions -
* will have a relevant title
* will use techniques that enable the reader to follow the arguments easily, e.g. methodical
structure using cohesive devices
* will have a distinct introduction and conclusion

Interview
(It is assumed that for English B tasks, the expected type of interview will be the Embedded, not the
Transcribed)
Embedded Interview
context, audience, purpose -
* the context of any interview task will usually involve who is to be interviewed, and why... and
the combination of these will usually indicate the angle that the interview should take. To
illustrate: "a famous musician visiting your town... interview because former student of your
school... so, how did school influence his/her career?"
* the task will normally indicate where the interview is to be published, and this will define (to
some extent) the audience e.g. "in your school magazine" will suggest a different audience to
"a well-known online music magazine".
* as with 'Article' (qv), the prime purpose of an interview is to inform or report - but good
interviews manage also to explore or even probe: we want to discover something intriguing
and personal about the person interviewed, don't we?
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal to formal register
* the tone should express interest in the person interviewed, and probably respect, even
fascination - after all, why interview someone who is not worth the effort?
conventions -
* will have a relevant headline/title
* will use a style aimed at involving and interesting the reader
 * will refer to the interview, including direct quotations
* will have an introduction and a conclusion
NOTE: interview tasks will usually not be a verbatim transcript - but this has not been
ruled out by IB

News report
context, audience, purpose -
* in a way, the 'context' of a news report is actually the point of a news report, its main content
- a news report describes and explains the very context that makes it necessary. In exams,
the task will describe some kind of general context or situation, and the student will have to
invent the specific story and concrete details
* as with most Media text types, where the report is going to be published will define the
expected audience - the more 'serious' the publication venue, the more sophisticated the
audience should be assumed to be
* evidently, the prime purpose of a news report is to inform, factually and objectively - although
almost always there will be some subjective valuation, indicating why the facts of the story are
of importance
register and tone -
* will have a semi-formal to formal register
* will have a generally impersonal tone, and use a neutral/objective style (eg presenting ideas
without personal opinion of the writer)
conventions -
* will have a title/headline
* will use a neutral/objective style e.g. presenting ideas with only minimal embellishment (if
any)
* will have a clearly structured layout (eg sub-headings, short brief paragraphs/sections, etc)

Opinion column / letter to the editor

Opinion column
context, audience, purpose -
* the question will usually provide the context - a general situation, which results some kind of
issue, on which the writer chooses to take a particular stance or judgement
* the audience will be defined by the publication context - but can also be assumed to be
reasonably informed about the issue in question, and to have the developed intelligence and
the language skills to be able to handle quite complex argument
* the purpose of such columns is to discuss in a provocative and stimulating way -
and explore the issue in some depth
register and tone -
 * will have a semi-formal to formal register
* will have a tone appropriate to task e.g. suitably serious... or possibly, provocative and
amusing, depending on the approach to the task required, or taken
conventions -
* will have a relevant headline/title
* will have an introduction intended to catch the readers’ attention
* will use techniques that engage and interest readers e.g. direct address
* will probably use first-person statement, but not necessarily

Letter to the Editor

context, audience, purpose -
* the question will usually provide the context: typically, that the the Editor has published
something with which the writer of the letter strongly agrees/disagrees
* the principal audience is the Editor, to whom the letter should be clearly addressed.
However, there is an assumption that the letter may be published, and so the letter may also
be written so as to be persuasive to the general reader
* the prime purpose of such a Letter is to present the writer's particular, personal point of view
- as persuasively and convincingly as possible, and probably in contrast to other controversial
points of view
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal to formal register
* will adopt an appropriately serious tone
conventions -
* will refer to the original article/issue raised
* will set out to give interesting opinions in an engaging style
* will include appropriate opening and closing salutations

Personal statement / cover letter

Personal statement
context, audience, purpose -
* A 'personal statement' is understood to be a specific type of essay generally requested of an
applicant (e.g. a student applying to university / scholarship / programme; or a professional for
a job). The subject matter, and approach to be taken, will be given in the task - typically, to
discuss personal responses to a particular moral situation, or to write something generally
autobiographical
* as with any essay, the audience is assumed to be educated and informed, and capable of
understanding sophisticated language
 * the purpose is actually to display clear thinking and effective argument, in order to impress
and be successful in the application. In order to impress, one should simply write a convincing
Essay (qv) or a stimulating Opinion Column (qv), depending on the requirements of the actual
task
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal to formal register
* will have an appropriately serious tone
conventions -
* will have a relevant title
* will use a style that arouses interest in the reader
* will have a clear and interesting introduction and conclusion

Cover letter
context, audience, purpose -
* the question / task will explain the context - i.e. what needs to be 'covered' and why.
* as with the Formal Letter, the audience will be identified, but may well not be known
personally - the letter is most likely to be addressed to a post or administrative position, rather
than a known individual (as exemplified by the use of 'Dear Sir/Madam')
* presumably, the purpose is to introduce other enclosed or attached materials, and to relate
them to whatever is the overall purpose of the correspondence (... but all this seems to require
an improbable amount of invention, in my view! How likely is this text type?)
register and tone -
* will adopt a consistently formal register
* will adopt a suitably serious and respectful tone
conventions -
* will have a clear sense of address to a specific person
* will have an appropriate opening salutation
* will have an appropriate closing salutation

Proposal
context, audience, purpose -
* the context will be explained in the question - at least, the basic background, since the main
content of the proposal itself will be what the student will have to invent, based on that basic
background
* the audience will, again, be specified in the question - i.e. the specific person or group of
people to whom the proposal is to be addressed. Close attention should be paid to the target
audience, since a key feature of a good proposal is that it is adjusted to appeal to the intended
recipients
 * the purpose will be defined by the context, very largely - typically, a problem exists, and so
the purpose of the proposal is to solve the problem. In order to do this, a good proposal needs
to be (1) relevant; (2) practical; and (3) attractive - all those aspects need to be included.
register and tone -
* will be expressed in a formal register, with perhaps semi-formal touches
* will have a tone which aims to be objectively authoritative, but also subjectively enthusiastic
conventions -
* will use a style aimed to persuade a specified audience
* will have a title which summarises the overall subject
* will set out the text clearly using features such as headings, short clear paragraphs, sections
identified by letters/numbers/bullets, insetting etc.
* will have an introduction and a conclusion
NOTE: the proposal may be presented within the framework of a letter / email -
provided the features above are present.

Report (official)
context, audience, purpose -
* the basic context will be explained in the question - and the student will then have to invent
the details of the report, expanding on the basic background provided.
* the audience will, again, be specified in the question i.e. the specific person or group of
people who have asked for the report. Ideally, information should be given in the question
about why the report is needed, and what kind of information is expected.
* the fundamental purpose is to provide an objective, reliable account of some situation or
event - methodically, clearly and efficiently. Personal and subjective reactions would not be
considered appropriate.
register and tone -
* will adopt a generally formal register
* will have a tone which aims to be impersonally authoritative
conventions -
* will have a title
* will use a neutral/objective style (eg presents ideas and facts plainly)
* will have a clearly structured layout (eg a clear introduction, sub-headings, short brief
paragraphs/sections, etc)
* will have a conclusion; or a recommendation if this has been required.
NOTE: an official report may be presented within the framework of a letter / email -
provided the features above are present.
Review
context, audience, purpose -
* the question is likely to propose a general context (e.g."a recently released film... which you
love / hate...") - but the review itself should contain informative context (invented) about the
specific subject of the review
* the audience will usually be decided by where the article will be published: e.g. 'your school
magazine'
* the prime purpose of a review is to stimulate interest ... then to inform ... and finally to offer
some kind of judgement (although this is likely to be a continuation of the purpose of
stimulating interest)
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal register
* will use a tone and style intended to engage the reader
conventions -
* will include the name of the reviewer
* will have an attractive, catchy title
* will use a style which will attract and interest the reader

Set of instructions, guidelines

context, audience, purpose -
* the question will set up a context that requires telling people exactly what to do in precisely
which circumstances: such a context will probably be fairly commonplace, but will require
thoughtful and detailed analysis of what is required
* the audience will be specified in the task, but is likely to be the Average family - competent in
language and understanding, but not necessarily very sophisticated
* the purpose of both of these text types is the same: to analyse behaviour in a given situation,
in order to break it down into clear and detailed advice - with the difference that the 'set of
instructions' will follow a step-by-step sequence, whereas guidelines will attempt to give a
coherent overview of more generalised advice
register and tone -
* will adopt a semi-formal register
* will adopt a tone which is direct, clear and supportive
conventions -
* will have a clear and focused heading / title
* will include a short introduction and conclusion
* will set out the guidelines clearly, using techniques such as bullets, sub-headings,
numbering, etc
 * will directly address the intended audience

Social media posting / online forums

context, audience, purpose -
* the question will set up a context by explaining what sort of social media or what sort of
online forum is involved - this will probably mean defining some sort of 'special interests'
forum, concerned with a particular subject area
* the audience is likely to be specified by the kind of media/forum. If this is a special interest
forum, it may be assumed that the audience is informed and familiar with subject-specific
terminology .... otherwise, one assumes that the audience will be the Average Internaut -
competent in language and understanding, but not necessarily very sophisticated
* it would seem that the purpose of these two text types will be very similar: to make a public,
online statement about one's personal stance / attitude / knowledge AND/OR to respond to /
comment on other people's postings
register and tone -
* will adopt an informal to semi-formal register
* will adopt a tone which is lively and personal, direct and clear
conventions -
* will include first person statement and/or narration
* will seek to engage the reader, eg through direct address, a lively and interesting style etc
* will use 'typical forum techniques' e.g. references to other postings; comments about other
members of the forum; etc
NOTE: do not worry that most forum postings are short: for the purpose of exam tasks,
write as many words as is required by the exam rules, whether this is realistic or not. IN
ADDITION: tasks will most probably not require writing a 'dialogue' between several
different posts - but this has not been ruled out by IB.

Speech, presentation, debate

context, audience, purpose -
* the context will describe a situation in which a particular type of message is to be
communicated orally - this situation will not only specify the type of audience, but also the
expected behaviour of the audience (e.g. whether the audience expects simply to be
informed, or to be challenged, or required to make a choice...etc). The subject matter, and
how it is best presented, will also be influenced by this general context
* the audience can generally be assumed to be reasonably educated and informed, and
capable of understanding sophisticated language (unless some particular audience is
specified in the task)
* the purpose of the text will be some mixture of 'inform' and 'persuade' (with perhaps a good
dash of 'amuse & entertain' for rhetorical purposes!)
register and tone -
 * will use a semi-formal to informal register
* will have an appropriately serious tone
conventions -
* will address the audience and keep contact with them throughout (eg use of “we” and “you”
etc)
* will set out to catch the audience’s attention at the beginning, and leave a clear impression
at the end
* will include elements of speech rhetoric eg rhetorical questions, repetition etc.