Checkpoint 8 · Paper 1 writing (non-fiction)

Persuasive Writing — Writing Pack

How to persuade a reader to act in Paper 1: formats, DAFOREST techniques, PEEL paragraphs, counter-arguments, calls to action and a strong 350+ word sample speech.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

Persuasive writing tries to convince the reader to think something, believe something or — most importantly — do something. Opinion writing wants the reader to understand and agree with your view. Persuasive writing pushes further and wants the reader to act: vote, sign, join, buy, change, stop. In Paper 1 it can come as a speech, a letter, an article, an email or a leaflet, so this pack shows you one structure (introduction → PEEL paragraphs → counter-argument → call to action) that works for all of them, plus the persuasive toolkit DAFOREST.

1. What is persuasive writing?

Question	Answer
Purpose	To persuade: change the reader's mind and make them take action.
Audience	Named in the task: students in assembly, parents, the head teacher, the local council, newspaper readers. Every choice you make (tone, examples, call to action) depends on them.
Tone	Confident, passionate and urgent — but still polite and controlled. Formal for officials, semi-formal for students.
Voice	First person (I, we) and direct address (you). Inclusive 'we' and 'our' make the reader feel part of the cause.
Where it appears	Paper 1 Non-fiction, Section B Writing. Task words: persuade, convince, encourage, urge, campaign, appeal.

Exam fact	What it means for you
Paper	Paper 1 Non-fiction (Stage 8 Progression Test and Checkpoint 0861 have the same format).
Paper length	1 hour 10 minutes for the whole paper: Section A Reading (25 marks) + Section B Writing (25 marks).
Writing time	About 35 minutes is suggested for Section B (some 2023 papers said 30 minutes).
Number of tasks	One extended writing task. There is a planning space. Planning is not marked, but it saves marks.
This genre	Persuasive writing (letter, speech, article, leaflet) is a framework text type that is likely to appear. Watch the verb in the task: 'persuade', 'convince' or 'encourage' means this genre.

Formats: the task decides the layout

Format	Layout and opening	Typical ending
Speech	Greet the audience (Good morning, Mr Ahmed, teachers and fellow students). Strong spoken hook.	Call to action + Thank you for listening.
Letter	Dear Mr/Mrs… (Yours sincerely) or Dear Sir or Madam (Yours faithfully). Say why you are writing in paragraph 1.	Call to action + I look forward to hearing from you.
Article	Headline, optional subheadings. Indirect hook, then your claim.	A punchy call to action addressed to all readers.
Email	Subject line that already persuades. Greeting.	Clear request + polite sign-off.
Essay	Title + thesis statement. Continuous paragraphs, no subheadings.	Restated thesis + call to action.

How your persuasive piece is marked (25 marks)

Category	Marks	Bands	What the top band needs in THIS genre
Creation of texts (content & purpose)	5	[1] [2] [3] [4–5]	A clear stance from the first lines, sustained throughout. All task points covered with strong, developed arguments. A powerful relationship with the named audience. A clear call to action.
Vocabulary and language	3	[1] [2] [3]	Emotive, powerful and precise words chosen to persuade (devastating, invaluable, transform, safeguard), suited to the audience.
Structure of texts (text structure)	7	[1] [2–3] [4–5] [6–7]	Introduction (hook, background, claim) → PEEL paragraphs in a building order → counter-argument and rebuttal → conclusion with call to action. Correct format features. Strong links between paragraphs.
Grammar and punctuation (sentence structure, punctuation & grammar)	7	[1] [2–3] [4–5] [6–7]	Deliberate sentence variety: short punchy sentences, rhetorical questions, conditionals (If we act now…), lists of three, accurate punctuation including question marks, colons, dashes and commas.
Word structure (spelling)	3	[1] [2] [3]	Ambitious persuasive vocabulary spelt correctly (irreversible, responsibility, opportunity, environment, necessary).

Marking rules you must know

The examiner uses 'best fit': each category is judged on its own, starting from the lowest band.
20 words or fewer scores 0. Between 21 and 60 words can score no more than 7 marks in total — so always finish a full piece.
Writing the wrong text type is expensive: in recent mark schemes Creation is capped at 1 and Structure is capped (at 3, or 2 if the content is also wrong).
Your plan is not marked, but students who plan for 4–5 minutes almost always score higher in Structure.

2. Features of persuasive writing

Feature	What it does	Example
Clear stance	Your view is obvious from the very start	Our school must say no to the car park.
Logical order	Arguments build towards the strongest point	First… Secondly… Most importantly…
Evidence	Facts, statistics, examples and expert views make you believable	Experts agree that green spaces lower stress.
Persuasive techniques (DAFOREST)	Work on the reader's mind and feelings	Who would choose concrete over trees?
Counter-argument and rebuttal	Shows the other side, then knocks it down	Some say parking is needed. However…
Audience-matched tone	Formal for officials, warmer for classmates	Fellow students, this is our chance.
Emotive, powerful words	Stir feelings	a rusty, forgotten corner
Sentence variety	Long sentences explain, short ones hit hard	Act now. Tomorrow is too late.
Repetition	Hammers the key message home	Vote green. Vote for the garden. Vote for our future.
Call to action	Tells the reader exactly what to do next	Tick 'Garden' on your voting slip on Thursday.

The persuasive toolkit: DAFOREST and more

Tool	Meaning	Example
D — Direct address	Speak to the reader as 'you'	You have the power to change this.
A — Alliteration	Same first sound for a memorable phrase	fresh food, fresh air and fresh ideas
F — Facts	Statements that can be proved	Our city regularly reaches 40 °C in summer.
O — Opinions	Your view or an expert's, stated confidently	It is undeniable that students need shade.
R — Rhetorical questions	Questions that make the reader think — no answer expected	Do we really want to look out at rows of hot metal?
E — Emotive language	Words that create strong feelings	a dusty, abandoned wasteland
S — Statistics	Numbers that add authority	Three out of four students say they have nowhere shady to sit.
T — Triplets (rule of three)	Ideas in threes for rhythm	healthier, calmer and happier
Anecdote	A short real-life story	Last June, a Year 7 student fainted in the heat at break time.
Inclusive language	we, us, our — builds unity	Together, we can build something special.
Hyperbole	Deliberate exaggeration for effect	It is the most important vote of our school lives.
Conditionals	Show consequences	If we choose concrete now, we will regret it for years.
Imagery	Helps the reader picture your idea	Picture lemon trees swaying above a bench.
Counter-argument + rebuttal	Admit the other side, then defeat it	While parking matters, the street already has space.

Use tools naturally

Examiners reward techniques that are used for a purpose, not a list of tricks squeezed into every line. Five or six tools used well (one or two in each paragraph) are far better than fifteen that make the writing sound forced.

3. How to structure persuasive writing

Paragraph	What to write	Example sentence
Title / greeting	Headline for an article. Greeting for a speech or letter	Good morning, teachers and fellow students.
Introduction	Hook → background (what is happening and why it matters) → claim / thesis statement	I am here to ask you to vote for the garden.
Body 1 — PEEL	Your first strong point	First, a garden would make our school a better place to learn.
Body 2 — PEEL	Your second point	Secondly, we need shade more than we need tarmac.
Body 3 — PEEL	Your strongest, most emotional point	Most importantly, a garden would teach us responsibility.
Counter-argument + rebuttal	State the other side fairly, then show why your side is still stronger	Some of you will say… However, …
Conclusion + call to action	Sum up the points, restate the claim in new words, tell the reader exactly what to do	So on Thursday, tick 'Garden'. Thank you for listening.

PEEL: the persuasive paragraph

P — Point: a topic sentence that gives one clear argument. (First, a garden would make our school a better place to learn.)
E — Evidence: a fact, statistic, example, expert view or anecdote that supports it. (Research shows that students who spend time among plants feel calmer and concentrate better.)
E — Explain: show how the evidence proves your point and why it matters to THIS audience. Add a persuasive tool here: a rhetorical question, emotive words, a triplet. (Think what that would mean here: Science lessons where we grow the beans we study…)
L — Link: a final sentence that links back to your main claim or leads into the next paragraph. (A car park offers none of this.)

Build up: put your arguments in an order that grows in strength, or start strong and finish with the most emotional point. Use 'ladder' connectives: First… Secondly… What is more… Most importantly… Above all…

How to start: five hooks

Picture this: Close your eyes for a moment and picture the empty patch of land behind our sports hall.
Shocking fact: Every single day, our school canteen throws away enough food to feed an entire class.
Rhetorical question: When was the last time you walked to school without breathing in a cloud of exhaust fumes?
Anecdote: Last June, a Year 7 student fainted from the heat while queueing for lunch. She was not the first.
Bold statement: Next Thursday, we will make the most important decision our school has faced in years.

How to end: five calls to action

Repetition: Vote green. Vote for the garden. Vote for a school we can all be proud of.
Specific request: Please sign the petition at the library desk before Friday, and ask your parents to sign it too.
Choice: The choice before us could not be clearer: act now, or accept the consequences later.
Future image: Imagine walking through these gates in five years' time and seeing what we built together.
Formal letter: I urge you to reconsider this decision, and I look forward to hearing from you.

4. Useful phrases and vocabulary

Introduction and claim

It has become increasingly clear that we can no longer ignore [issue].
The truth is that [issue] grows more urgent with every passing day.
I hold the firm conviction that [action] is essential.
If we are serious about [goal], the logical choice is to [action].

Point and evidence

One compelling reason to support this is that…
Research has shown that…
Just look at [example], which proves that…
Ask any [student/parent/teacher] and they will tell you that…

Explain (with a persuasive tool)

This clearly shows that…, so it is impossible to ignore.
Think about what this would mean for…
Can we, in good conscience, allow…?
Surely no reasonable person could deny that…

Counter-argument and rebuttal

Some people claim that… However, …
Of course, it is true that… but…
Critics may argue that…, yet the evidence shows…

Conclusion and call to action

The choice before us could not be clearer: …
Let us act with determination and…
Do not wait for someone else to act. …
Join us. Sign today. Make the difference.

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
vital (adj.)	absolutely necessary
urgent (adj.)	needing attention immediately
alarming (adj.)	worrying and frightening
devastating (adj.)	causing great damage or distress
unacceptable (adj.)	too bad to be allowed
invaluable (adj.)	extremely useful
irreversible (adj.)	impossible to undo
undeniable (adj.)	impossible to argue against
transform (v.)	to change completely
jeopardise (v.)	to put at risk
squander (v.)	to waste something valuable
safeguard (v.)	to protect from harm
galvanise (v.)	to shock or excite someone into action
prospect (n.)	a possibility of something good happening
repercussion (n.)	an unwelcome result of an action

5. Strong sample answer

Persuasive speech for a school assembly485 words · Strong answer — Creation 5/5 · Vocabulary 3/3 · Structure 7/7 · Grammar & punctuation 7/7 · Spelling 3/3

Task: Your school has an unused area of land behind the sports hall. Students and staff will vote on whether it should become a car park or a school garden. Write a speech to be given in assembly persuading students and teachers to vote for the garden. In your speech you should: • explain how a garden would benefit students • respond to people who want a car park • encourage your audience to vote.

Good morning, Mrs Hassan, teachers and fellow students.

Close your eyes for a moment and picture the empty patch of land behind our sports hall. What do you see? Dust. Broken chairs. A rusty football goal that nobody has used for years. Next Thursday, we will all vote on its future: it can become a car park, or it can become a school garden. I am standing here today to ask you to vote for the garden, because it is the only choice that gives something back to every single one of us.

First, a garden would make our school a better place to learn. Research from around the world shows that students who spend time among plants feel calmer and concentrate better in lessons. Think about what that would mean here: Science lessons where we grow the beans we study, Art lessons where we sketch real flowers instead of pictures on a screen, and quiet break times far from the noise of the playground. A car park offers none of this. A garden would bring every subject to life.

Secondly, we need shade far more than we need tarmac. Every summer, temperatures in our city climb above forty degrees, and that corner of the school turns into a frying pan. Last June, a Year 7 student fainted from the heat while queueing for lunch. Tarmac would make the area even hotter; it would soak up the sun all morning and give the heat back all afternoon. A few lemon trees and some climbing plants could create a shady space where students can actually sit and eat. Do we really want to look out of our classroom windows at rows of hot metal when we could be looking at green leaves?

Most importantly, a garden would teach us responsibility. Each class could look after its own vegetable bed, from planting the seeds to harvesting the crop. Imagine Year 8 selling their own tomatoes and mint at the school fair and giving every pound to charity. That is the kind of memory that stays with a student for life — and nobody has ever treasured the memory of a parking space.

Some of you will say that our teachers need somewhere to park, and that is true. Nobody wants them to spend twenty minutes searching for a space every morning. However, the road beside the main gate already has room for more cars, and the school could easily arrange for staff to use it. Parking problems can be solved in other ways. A lost chance to build a garden cannot.

So, when you pick up your voting slip next Thursday, remember what is at stake. A car park will give us space for cars. A garden will give us fresh air, fresh food and fresh ideas. Vote green. Vote for the garden. Vote for a school that we can all be proud of.

Thank you for listening.

Why this gets the marks

Creation 5/5 — the stance is clear from the claim at the end of paragraph 2 and never weakens. All three bullets are covered and developed: benefits (three PEEL paragraphs), people who want a car park (counter-argument and rebuttal), encouraging the vote (conclusion). The speech speaks directly to its real audience of students and teachers.
Vocabulary 3/3 — emotive, precise and memorable words for a spoken audience: rusty, frying pan, treasured, at stake. Alliteration and a triplet in 'fresh air, fresh food and fresh ideas'.
Structure 7/7 — speech format: greeting, spoken hook ('Close your eyes…'), and 'Thank you for listening'. Each body paragraph is a full PEEL paragraph, e.g. paragraph 3: Point 'a garden would make our school a better place to learn' → Evidence 'Research… calmer and concentrate better' → Explain with a list of examples for THIS school → Link 'A car park offers none of this. A garden would bring every subject to life.'
Structure — arguments build in strength with ladder connectives (First, Secondly, Most importantly). The counter-argument and rebuttal come just before the conclusion. The call to action echoes the 'car park or garden' choice from the opening, giving a strong circular shape.
Grammar & punctuation 7/7 — deliberate minor sentences for effect (Dust. Broken chairs.). Rhetorical questions with correct question marks. A colon introducing an explanation (…vote on its future: it can become a car park, or…) and a colon introducing a list (…what that would mean here: Science lessons…, Art lessons…). A semicolon joining two related independent clauses (Tarmac would make the area even hotter; it would soak up the sun…). A single dash for emphasis in paragraph 5. Triple repetition in the call to action (Vote green. Vote for… Vote for…). Modal verbs (would, could, can) and a conditional sense of consequence.
Persuasive toolkit used naturally — Direct address (you), Facts (forty degrees), Opinion (the only choice), Rhetorical questions, Emotive language, Triplets, plus an anecdote (the Year 7 student), imagery (lemon trees), inclusive language (we, our) and repetition.
Spelling 3/3 — ambitious words spelt correctly: concentrate, temperatures, harvesting, responsibility, treasured, arrange.

Timing plan for Section B (about 35 minutes)

Minutes	What to do
0–4	Underline format (speech? letter?), audience, purpose and every bullet. Write your claim in one sentence.
4–7	Plan three PEEL points (weakest → strongest), one piece of evidence each, one counter-argument with a rebuttal, and your call to action. Choose 5–6 DAFOREST tools and note where they go.
7–30	Write about 350–450 words. Make the first and last paragraphs especially powerful.
30–35	Check: format features, clear call to action, question marks after rhetorical questions, spelling of ambitious words.

6. Common mistakes

Mistake	Why it costs marks	Fix
No call to action — the piece just stops	The purpose (to make the reader act) is not achieved	End by telling the reader exactly what to do, when and how
Shouting: CAPITAL LETTERS, '!!!' and insults	Unsuitable tone loses Creation and Vocabulary marks	Strong words, calm control, one exclamation mark at most
Points without evidence	Arguments not developed	PEEL: every point needs evidence and an explanation
Forgetting the audience named in the task	Weak writer–reader relationship	Use their name/role and examples that matter to them
Ignoring the other side	The argument looks weak	One counter-argument + a firm rebuttal
Forcing a technique into every sentence	Sounds unnatural	One or two tools per paragraph, chosen for effect
Wrong format (no greeting in a speech, no 'Dear' in a letter)	Wrong text type can cap Creation and Structure	Check the format features before you start writing
Rhetorical questions with no question mark	Grammar & punctuation errors	Read each question aloud and check the ending

Checklist before you finish

The format features are correct (greeting and 'Thank you for listening' / Dear… Yours… / headline).
My stance is clear from the first paragraph and stays consistent.
The introduction has a hook, background and a clear claim.
Each body paragraph follows PEEL — Point, Evidence, Explain, Link.
One counter-argument is admitted and answered with a rebuttal.
I have used at least five persuasive tools naturally (DAFOREST and more).
Sentence variety: short punchy sentences, rhetorical questions, a triplet, a conditional.
The conclusion ends with a clear, specific call to action.

سر الدرجة النهائية في الكتابة الإقناعية

الهدف مش بس إن القارئ يوافقك، الهدف إنه يتحرّك ويعمل حاجة، فلازم تختم بطلب واضح (call to action): صوّت، وقّع، اشترك.
كل فقرة اكتبها بطريقة PEEL: النقطة، الدليل، الشرح (وحط فيه أداة إقناع زي سؤال بلاغي أو كلمات مؤثرة)، وجملة ربط ترجعك لرأيك.
استخدم أدوات DAFOREST بشكل طبيعي، مش في كل جملة. خمس أو ست أدوات كويسة أحسن من عشرين مزروعين بالعافية.
اذكر رأي الطرف التاني ورد عليه (rebuttal)، واكتب بثقة واحترام من غير صريخ ولا علامات تعجب كتير.

Practice tasks

Task 1: Many students throw away plastic water bottles every day. Write a letter to your head teacher persuading him to install water refill stations in the school. Write the opening paragraph and a PEEL plan.
Show answer
Opening: Dear Mr Khaled, I am writing on behalf of the Year 8 Eco Club to ask you to install water refill stations around our school. Every day, hundreds of plastic bottles end up in our bins, and I believe this simple change could transform our school's impact on the environment. PEEL plan: P1 Point — waste (Evidence: our club counted over 300 bottles in one day. Explain: that is tens of thousands a year. Link: refill stations would stop this). P2 Point — health (students drink more water when it is free and cold). P3 Point — reputation and money (families save money. The school leads by example). Counter: cost of the machines → cost shared with the parents' association, and savings on cleaning. Close: call to action — 'I urge you to approve this proposal before the summer term, and I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, …'
Task 2: Name the persuasive technique in each sentence: (a) Together, we can make our streets safe again. (b) This plan is cheap, simple and effective. (c) Would you want to breathe this air every morning? (d) Nine out of ten residents support the new park.
Show answer
(a) Inclusive language (we) and emotive language. (b) Triplet (rule of three). (c) Rhetorical question with direct address. (d) Statistic.
Task 3: Write a rebuttal to this counter-argument: 'A longer lunch break would waste learning time.'
Show answer
Some people claim that a longer lunch break would waste valuable learning time. However, students who have had time to eat properly and rest return to lessons more focused, so the learning that does happen in the afternoon is far more effective. Surely thirty minutes of real rest is worth more than an hour of tired, distracted students.
Task 4: Improve this weak call to action: 'So that is why I think we should have a library. Bye.'
Show answer
So, the choice is clear: a library would give every student a quiet place to read, learn and dream. Sign our petition at the reception desk before Friday, tell your parents about it, and help us turn an empty room into the heart of our school. Thank you for listening.

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction