English Language Paper 1

• Persuasive devices are commonly used in advertising.
• Problem and benefit: also called "benefit and need," the success of any advert depends upon appealing to the desires of its readers.
• Image: a major component of modern advertising, images often tell visual narratives, or employ tactics such as ‘shock value’ or ‘sex sells.’
• Adverts are always persuasive.
• Advertising claims often use weasel words, scientific claims, vague language, or bandwagon claims.
• Objects, settings, people and so on are symbolic.
• Even ads that are not trying to sell you a product or service might be asking you to think something, change your behaviour or help someone.
• Some ads feature celebrity testimonials.
• Testimonials in adverts often include the satisfied quotations of customers who already used the product and are delighted with their purchase.
• Slogan and copy: as the image is so important in ads, text is kept to a minimum.
• Slogans should be short, catchy, memorable and should have a relationship with the image; this is called anchoring.
• Look for typographical features such as bold fonts, underlined words and the like.
• Association: ads sell products… but also sell values.
• You should be alert to the abstract concepts that the advert is associating with its product and brand.
• The purpose of charity adverts is to persuade the reader to take action, usually in the form of money or time.
• Charity adverts aim to raise awareness of social problems.
• Charity adverts often use persuasive rhetorical features.
• Charity adverts are likely to be more emotive than regular adverts.
• Charity adverts appeal to emotions such as anger, pity, guilt, sympathy, and so on, making it more likely that the reader will want to respond.
• Like conventional advertising, charity appeals rely on visual elements to impact the viewer.
• An effective approach in charity adverts is to use hard-hitting shock tactics to spur the reader into action.
• Charity appeals need to be even more trustworthy than regular persuasive texts.
• Charity adverts often introduce the reader to a single individual who represents all those who your donation goes towards helping.
• Charity adverts often address the reader with the word 'you', striving to make a strong connection.
• If a person in the advert is making eye contact with you, this is a kind of visual direct address.
• The purpose of charity adverts is to persuade the reader to take action, usually in the form of money or time.
• Charity ads aim to raise awareness of social problems.
• Charity adverts often use persuasive rhetorical features.
• Charity ads are likely to be more emotive than regular adverts.
• Charity adverts appeal to emotions such as anger, pity, guilt, sympathy, and so on, making it more likely that the reader will want to respond.
• Like conventional advertising, charity appeals rely on visual elements to impact the viewer.
• An effective approach in charity ads is to use hard-hitting shock tactics to spur the reader into action.
• Charity appeals need to be even more trustworthy than regular persuasive texts.
• Look for information in charity ads that suggests your donations will make a positive change, perhaps in the form of facts and statistics.
• Charity ads often introduce the reader to a single individual who represents all those who your donation goes towards helping.
• Charity ads often address the reader with the word 'you', striving to make a strong connection.
• If a person in the advert is making eye contact with you, this is a kind of visual direct address.
• Ethos: the speaker establishes his or her credibility and may allude to a moral, social or spiritual leader with whom the audience cannot disagree.
• Logos: clear, reasonable arguments, facts and statistics and quoting experts in the field are all ways of establishing a logical appeal.
• Pathos: emotive language and imagery are ways of helping the audience empathize with the feelings of other – often vulnerable – people.