Choosing Form and Tone for Your Audience

Mastery Evidence

Determine the audience (e.g., peers, teacher, younger children, a public audience) and purpose (to persuade, inform, entertain, or explain) before drafting and explain how these choices affect language and structure
Select an appropriate form for the writing task (letter, report, story, instructions, review) based on audience and purpose
Adjust vocabulary, sentence length, and level of formality to suit the identified audience, e.g. using simpler language for younger readers and more formal language for an official letter

Assessment Prompt

“Before [child] starts a piece of writing, do they think about who will read it and why — adjusting their tone, vocabulary, and format accordingly, like writing more formally for a teacher than for a friend?”

Curriculum Standards1 alignment

Eng.UKS2.Write.Comp.1aThe national curriculum in England

Identify audience and purpose

Plan their writing by identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own.

English · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites5

Writing Craft Vocabulary
hardAges 8—11
Formal and Informal English
softAges 7—10
Planning Ideas Before Writing
hardAges 6—10
Author's word choices
softAges 7—9
Planning a Task
softAges 6—7

Show full prerequisite tree

Writing Craft Vocabulary hard
Identifying audience, purpose, form, tone, and register before writing requires all these as named vocabulary
Formal and Informal English soft
Formal/informal register awareness supports matching tone to audience and purpose
- Describing Aloud soft
  Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
  - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
    Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
  - Group discussions soft
    Conversational skills support oral description
    - Listening and responding hard
      Listening and responding foundational to conversation
    - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
      Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
      - Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Using New Vocabulary soft
  Using acquired vocabulary supports recognising register differences
  - Discussing and Questioning New Words soft
    Need to understand words before using them
Planning Ideas Before Writing hard
Identifying audience and purpose before writing builds on general planning skills; the step up is from planning content to strategically matching form and tone to audience
- Describing Aloud soft
  Oral expression supports saying aloud what you'll write
  - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
    Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
  - Group discussions soft
    Conversational skills support oral description
    - Listening and responding hard
      Listening and responding foundational to conversation
    - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
      Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
      - Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
- Organising Writing into Paragraphs soft
  Planning skills build on earlier oral skills
  - Building Writing Stamina hard
    Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
    - Joining Letters soft
      Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
      - Forming Capital Letters soft
        Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
        
        Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
    - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
      Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
      - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
        
        Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
      - Simple Calming Strategies soft
        Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
        
        Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
    - Writing to inform soft
      Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
      Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
      - Rote counting to 100 soft
        Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
        
        One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
      - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
        Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
        
        Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
        
        Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
        
        Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
      - Characters, settings, and events soft
        Story elements from reading inform writing
        
        Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for written narrative
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
    Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts
- Building Writing Stamina soft
  Planning before writing builds on earlier compositional skills
  - Joining Letters soft
    Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
    - Forming Capital Letters soft
      Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
    - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
      Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
  - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
    Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
    - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
      Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
      - Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
    - Simple Calming Strategies soft
      Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
      - Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
      - Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
  - Writing to inform soft
    Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
    Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
- Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending soft
  Experience with narrative writing supports planning narratives
  - Rote counting to 100 soft
    Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
    - One-to-one counting hard
      One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
  - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
    Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
    - Describing Aloud soft
      Oral description supports oral rehearsal
      - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
      - Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
    - Building sentences hard
      Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
  - Characters, settings, and events soft
    Story elements from reading inform writing
    - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
      Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
  - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
    Handwriting needed for written narrative
- Writing Process Vocabulary hard
  Planning before writing requires 'plan', 'draft', 'compose', 'sequence', and 'key words' as working vocabulary
- Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
  Planning writing builds on Y1 oral rehearsal
  - Describing Aloud soft
    Oral description supports oral rehearsal
    - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
      Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
    - Group discussions soft
      Conversational skills support oral description
      - Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
      - Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
  - Building sentences hard
    Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
Author's word choices soft
Identifying audience and purpose before writing requires understanding how authorial choices shape reader experience — you are now making those choices deliberately
- Connecting New & Old Ideas soft
  Recognising how authorial choices create effects requires connecting your reading experience to existing knowledge of how language and texts work
  - Thinking Before Starting hard
    Making connections between new and old ideas requires the habit of activating prior knowledge first
    - Persisting When It's Hard hard
      Activating prior knowledge requires the foundational habit of persistent engagement with new material
- Monitoring Comprehension hard
  Recognising authorial effects requires reading for meaning rather than just decoding — you can only notice the effect of a word choice if you are genuinely engaging with meaning
  - Feeling of not understanding soft
    Noticing the decoding/understanding gap is the English-specific form of the universal comprehension-monitoring habit
    - Asking for Help hard
      Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
  - Reading for Meaning hard
    Noticing the gap between decoding and understanding requires first having the foundational idea that reading means making meaning
    - Feeling of not understanding soft
      Understanding that reading means making meaning is the English-domain grounding of the universal habit of noticing when you don't understand
      - Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
Planning a Task soft
Identifying audience and purpose before writing is the writing-domain form of the universal planning habit
- Checking Your Own Work hard
  Planning before a task grows from the habit of checking back after finishing — both are self-regulatory bookends

Unlocks4

Writing Across Genres
hardAges 11—14
Planning Narratives
softAges 10—11
Persuasive Writing
hardAges 11—14
Developed Informational and Explanatory Writing
hardAges 11—14