GCSE English Language Paper 2: Question 5 (Persuasive Writing)

Designed to help develop the persuasive language and extended writing skills needed for success in Question 5 of Paper 2. This resource has been used to engaging and productive results with 16-19 year-old vocational students resitting their GCSE English but would also work well within a Secondary School context. Its contemporary and contentious thematic focus on drill rap music and its link with violent crime has been met with enthusiastic engagement within each class used to date.

In order of sequence, this resource includes…

1. Slide 3 of Power Point: A target-setting checklist differentiated for three possible levels of achievement. This also doubles up as a progress review plenary, allowing students to assess individual progress.

2. Attached Word document: A Top 10 ranking exercise which requires students to rate potentially negative influences (e.g. horror films) on young people in order of relevance. Students’ choices then provide a helpful basis for stimulating discussion around the issue of youth violence.

3. Slide 5: A video featuring Croydon residents presenting their views on the issue. This is then used to help compile arguments ‘For’ and ‘Against’ the argument that drill is responsible for London’s dramatic spike in violent crime.

4. Slide 6 and attached Word doc: An article from The Guardian that explores these arguments to a thorough level of detail and includes a selection of comprehension questions.

5. Slide 8: A Question 5-style written task using the statement “Drill rap is just music. It can’t make you commit murder.” This also includes a model answer that requires students to annotate examples of persuasive language features.