What the exam asks
In Paper 1, you might encounter a speech transcript, a political manifesto, or a multimodal campaign poster (one that combines words and images). The guiding question usually targets how the creator builds authority, appeals to a dual audience (the people present and the wider public), or structures an argument toward a call to action:
- “In what ways does the speaker use rhetorical devices and shifting pronouns to unite the audience?”
- “How do visual and verbal choices in this manifesto establish an urgent call to action?”
To reach the top band in Criterion A (Understanding and interpretation) and Criterion B (Analysis and evaluation), you must analyse how the text addresses both its immediate listeners and the wider public, and evaluate how effectively its choices promote a specific ideology (system of beliefs).
Core ideas
1. Occasions and the transcript–delivery gap
Every speech responds to a specific rhetorical situation: the speaker, the audience, and the occasion.
| Speech type | Typical occasion and audience | Core conventions |
|---|---|---|
| Political / Campaign | Rallies, parliamentary debates, broadcasts; addresses voters and opponents. | Inclusive pronouns (we, our), policy pledges, attacks on the status quo, clear call to action. |
| Ceremonial / Eulogy | State events, memorials, awards; addresses a mourning or celebrating community. | Epideictic rhetoric (praise or blame), elevated register, shared values, reflection on legacy. |
| Protest / Activist | Marches, strikes, public squares; addresses supporters and those in power. | Urgent tone, stark antithesis (justice vs oppression), anaphora, emotional appeals (pathos). |
| Commencement | Graduation ceremonies; addresses graduates, families, and faculty. | Humorous opening, personal anecdote, life advice, optimistic vision of the future. |
In Paper 1, you read a transcript of a spoken event. Always account for the gap between page and stage:
- Prosodic cues: Punctuation like dashes, ellipses, or italics signals pauses, emphasis, and pacing.
- Audience markers: Bracketed notes such as [Applause] or [Laughter] show where the speaker’s rhythm and pauses are designed to trigger a crowd reaction.
- Dual audience: A speaker often addresses the people in the room (primary audience) while knowing the speech will be broadcast or printed for the general public or history (secondary audience).