Reading for interpretation

Presentational Features

Describe the picture below to the person sitting back to back with you so that they can draw a

perfect version of it.

Now swap and try this one. Think about describing everything: the image, the text, the layout, the font,

the colour...

Question 2aThis question relates to the second text

• Question 2(a) is worth 6 marks and focuses on presentational features of the text.

• This is a ‘How?’ question so analysis is needed, linking the presentational features to the purpose, audience and tone.

• The question will direct you to comment on the effect of specific features.

• You are given just short of a page to answer this question.

• Examiners are looking to reward evidence of the ability to analyse. Generic answers about the size of font or the colourfulness of pictures will not score highly. You need to identify specific items (e.g. a title or caption) and go on to analyse their precise effects.

Presentational Devices

Appearance is often an important factor in the success of a text. There is a range of PRESENTATIONAL DEVICES that writers and designers can use to give a text more visual impact.

List as many presentational devices as you can. What does each add to a text?

Illustrations, including photographs and

drawings

Colours

CaptionsCharts and diagrams

Logos and slogan

A range of fonts, styles,

sizes and effects

Headlines

Subheadings

Bullet points

The connotations of a presentational or layout feature may help you to explain it’s use in the text.

What are presentational devices of layout and design?

• Images• Captions• Diagrams• Labels• Headings• Subheadings• Bullet points• Text boxes

• Font style and size• Colour• Balance of text to

image• Layout of page• Shape of text• Logo

The connotations of a presentational or layout feature may help you to explain it’s use in the text.

There are three main reasons for using presentational devices: mood, memory, clarity.

MoodA piece of writing will always try to express feelings. The mood created could be fun and excitement (eg in a brochure for a theme park) or perhaps fear and concern (eg in an advice sheet about road safety). The feelings should always be in tune with the target audience.Devices to look out for in mood:

• Pictures • Fonts • Colour • Quotes

ClarityMost non-fiction texts are written for people in a hurry, so it is important that the purpose and audience of a text is clear. This will make the right people pick it up and read it. The information within the text also needs to be clearly presented otherwise people will stop reading.Devices to look out for to aid clarity:•Bold text •Bullet points •Sub-headings •Paragraphs •Colour •Images and captions •Quotes

MemoryIf the main purpose of a piece of non-fiction writing is to inform, then it is important that readers find and remember key bits of information. These can include website addresses or phone numbers, advice or statistics.Devices to look out for that are used to aid memory:•Bold text •Headlines and sub headings •Bullet points •Diagrams, maps and illustrations

Representation, Denotation and Connotation

Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but someone’s version of it. So, we need to think about how the writer wants us to see and read their work.

What do you think of when you see...?

Americans

Representation

Stereotypes are a type of representation. A stereotype is a simplification of a person or a group of people. For example: Blonds = not very clever but are glamorous and girly.

What stereotypes do we have about:• The Scottish• Women drivers

Denotation and ConnotationDENOTATION: the common sense descriptive level of meaning in an image or sound.CONNOTATION: the secondary level of meaning by which images and sounds are interpreted.

DENOTATION:

A red flower, consisting of petals, a green stem and several thorns.

A Red Rose

CONNOTATION:

Red roses are associated with love – handing someone a red rose could symbolise your love for them.

Try to complete the following grid:

Image Denotation Connotation

Let’s look again at this advertisement. Which presentational devices can we see? How are the presentational devices

supporting the purpose, audience and tone?

Purpose and Audience

Remember, the first two things writers need to consider when they start to write are:

• Purpose- why am I writing this? What do I want to achieve? How am I going to achieve this?

• Audience- Who am I writing this for? Is anyone else likely to read it? How can I get my readers’ attention?

When you are reading a text you need to: Identify the intended purpose(s) and audience(s) Assess how successful the writer has been in targeting these

TASKS1. Make a list of 5 points which explain why and when writers might use charts and

diagrams2. Add 4 more slogans to the table below:

3. Look at the headlines below. Which one – uses a rhetorical question; uses alliteration; is made to sound dramatic; uses a play on words (pun)? Add this to the table, with the effect.

Headline Techniques Effect

I thought we would never get out alive

Who will trust the spin doctors now?

Dyeing for a Boy-band-binge weekend

United’s double act shatters sorry Spurs

Logo/Slogan Associated with

What it suggests

Olympic games Unity – working together – shared interests

Presentation and Layout

Look at the charity leaflet.1. How do the illustrations:

• Link to the writing• Provide information in a visual form• Add interest to the text?

2. Who do you think the designer chose those colours for? What impact do they have?

3. How are the headings used in the text?

(a) Explain how the following contribute to the effect of the leaflet on the reader:•The headings•The images

6 marks = 9 minutes

Evaluate the effect of these presentational devices.

You will need to refer to the purpose, audience and form of the text to fully evaluate them.

1. A graph in a Telegraph newspaper article on global warming.

2. A green background on a leaflet encouraging students to recycle.

3. An image of a puppy looking sad and scraggly on a RSPCA poster placed at bustops.

4. A caption below a picture of a footballer in a tabloid newspaper which reads ‘Beckham’s Fury Fopar’.

What does a 6 mark answer look like?

The Mark CriteriaCRITERIA Candidates should demonstrate that they can: • Explain and evaluate how writers use presentational features to

achieve effects and engage and influence the reader (AO2 iii).

Higher Band responses [Bands 4 and above] are likely both to identify the heading and pictures and to make reasonably sustained comments about the effects on the reader. At the top end there will be clear evidence that specific effects of these presentational features are being analysed rather than described or merely listed.

Middle Band responses [Bands 5 and 6] are likely to be characterised by a general awareness of the effects of the heading and pictures, and by a descriptive rather than analytical approach. Examples at this level may be simply listed and amount to little more than feature-spotting, with some basic and generalised comment.

Lower Band responses [Bands 7 and below] are likely to show only a basic understanding of the effects of the heading and pictures. Comments on presentation are likely to be basic and generalised, at the level of spotting more obvious features such as use of large fonts and colourful pictures.

Explore how Mhairi Aitken’s experience in ‘Tales from the Bush’ is reflected in the:*Headline*Images

6 marks

6 marks = 9 minutes

Model ResponseAitken’s experience is one that has a happy ending and this is reflected in the presentational devices used throughout the article. The text is accompanied by a headline: ‘The Bear Essentials’ a playful pun on the word ‘bear’ and ‘bare’. This tells the reader that the story contained in the article may be a light-hearted one – certainly it doesn’t suggest a tragic tale. The article also uses colour and image to give the same cheery impression. The images are bright, sunny pictures of the forest and of a bear – who is pictured in a non-threatening pose, facing away from the camera and obscured by ferns. The colours, greens and sky blues, all have positive connotations of a pleasant walk in the woods and give the reader the impression the article that follows is of the same sunny tone. The pictures are accompanied by captions which add to the light-hearted feel of the text: ‘If you go down to the woods...’ being a line from a children’s nursery rhyme and ‘So, how close does a bear...?’ a rhetorical question which gives the reader something to think about and with it’s conversation tone from the ‘so’ it also seems jovial. Even the picture of Aitken’s herself with the by-line is a bright, cheerful picture in which she is smiling. All these presentational features work together to present the article as a light-hearted entertaining read.

Avoiding the genericIn order to analyse and explore a text in detail, and reach those higher bands, you have got to avoid those awful generic phrases: this is effective... this draws the reader in... It is powerful...Instead think about:

• This draws the reader in = it creates a friendly tone/ excitement/ shock/mystery/tension BY ...

• It is powerful = technique X makes the reader feel.../causes the reader to feel...

• This is effective = the effect of X is to make the writer’s point.../ is to make the reader feel.../ is to highlight the...

Reading for interpretationPresentation and layout

The exam question will ask you about the EFFECT of two specified presentational features

STEP 1: What is the P.A.F.T. of the text? STEP 2: Read the question and identify the features you are being

asked about. STEP 3:Using paragraphs to give a clear structure for the marker,

write about each feature linking the features to their effect on the purpose, audience, form or tone of the text.

Higher level responses consider effectiveness of the feature on the target audience.

TIP: Rather than stating your explanation as a fact, use modality to express uncertainty: ‘It could/may/might be that/makes me think/suggests’. This will make you sound considered and thoughtful.Try it with the next text:How does the text use presentation and layout to persuade people to train as teachers?

Explain how the images and the titles contribute to the purpose of

the World Vision leaflet. 6 marks

6 marks = 9 minutes

The Mark CriteriaCRITERIA Candidates should demonstrate that they can: • Explain and evaluate how writers use presentational features to

achieve effects and engage and influence the reader (AO2 iii).

Higher Band responses [Bands 4 and above] are likely both to identify the heading and pictures and to make reasonably sustained comments about the effects on the reader. At the top end there will be clear evidence that specific effects of these presentational features are being analysed rather than described or merely listed.

Middle Band responses [Bands 5 and 6] are likely to be characterised by a general awareness of the effects of the heading and pictures, and by a descriptive rather than analytical approach. Examples at this level may be simply listed and amount to little more than feature-spotting, with some basic and generalised comment.

Lower Band responses [Bands 7 and below] are likely to show only a basic understanding of the effects of the heading and pictures. Comments on presentation are likely to be basic and generalised, at the level of spotting more obvious features such as use of large fonts and colourful pictures.

Peer AssessmentWe are not making writing in Section A unless the expression is so bad that it impedes communication and is effectively self-penalising.

• Indicate by the letter P in the text each presentation point clearly made.

• Put a bracket round the letter P if a point has not been made clearly.

• If a point has been repeated, use a capital R. • Tick explanatory/analytical comments. This will help to determine

the extent of any analytical comment when making judgements about the relevant band in which to place an answer.

• Use the band descriptors in conjunction with the standardisation scripts to arrive at your mark but do not reward mark per point in this question.

• Write a brief comment at the end of the answer to explain your mark, include a ‘wish’ for something they could do next time.

Question 2a

MARK

DESCRIPTOR

6 •Clear and reasonably sustained analytical response •Use of well-selected detail for support

5 •Some evidence of analytical comment •Use of some appropriate details for support

4 •Begins to develop a response; mainly descriptive •Reference to some relevant detail

3 •Some relevant comment •Reference to a little detail

2 •Straightforward points •Features merely identified

1 •Simple points •Little, if any, specific detail

Model Response ParagraphExplain how the images and the titles contribute to the purpose of the

World Vision leaflet.

The ‘Thirsty’ leaflet is a persuasive text which seeks to encourage adults between the ages of 30 and 60 to make a donation to the World Vision charity.One way this is done is through the use of pictures of the children. All of which are colourless to represent their lives as dull and hard. Some are taken from a high angle to make them seem weaker and fragile and all are close ups of the children’s faces to show the emotion on their faces. Also in none of the pictures do they show any sort of happy emotion. It’s all sad and looks of despair. All of these put together create very depressing images for the reader to look at and think about...

(a) Explain how the following contribute to the effect of the advertisement on the reader:•The title•The images

6 marks = 9 minutes