An introduction to advisory writing as part of the Edexcel IGCSE

1. Advise

2. Under what circumstances
might a person need to offer or
receive advice?

3. What determines whether the
advice a person is offered is
followed or ignored?

4. What text types tend to be
used to present advice?

5. Writing features of
advisory texts

6. The tone adopted is likely to be
authorative but friendly
depending on the target
audience

7. Expert
or
someone who has already
managed the same issue

8. In my professional opinion...
Many people ask me if...
In the last 5 years, countless clients...
As an authority in the field, I...

9. I found myself in your position…
I can remember when I…
I had no idea how I was gong to…
Thankfully I was able to…
If I had known then, what I know now…

10. Show empathy

11. Be encouraging and seek to
motivate your audience

12. Don’t worry about...
You will achieve success if you...
Boost your confidence by...
It’s never too late to...
In no time at all you’ll...
Before you know it, you will...

13. Offer choices and ensure that
the audience retains their
autonomy – you are offering
options rather than dictating a
direction that they MUST take!

14. You might like to try...
Why not...
Alternatively you could...
If this doesn’t suit you, then...
Another approach could be to...
Once you have decided...

15. Make good use of modal verbs
to reinforce the idea of choice

16. Could
should
might
ought to
may
can

17. At the same time, as the text
develops, don’t be afraid to use
imperatives in order to
emphasize the importance of
your guidance

18. Try to find out...
Don’t let yourself...
Ask a friend to...
Keep a careful record of...
Remember to...
A week later, make a point of...
Take the opportunity to...

19. Give examples or anecdotes
that show the effectiveness of
the guidance you are offering.

20. After 2 weeks of doing this, I found
that I was already far better at…
From a study of 150 people who
tried this approach, over half were
able to…

21. How to Structure
advisory texts

22. Make sure the advice given is
structured and clearly
expressed so that it is easily
understood and simple to
follow

23. Follow these 5 simple guidelines...
Step 1...2...3
Your first task should be to...
The next thing you could consider...
Firstly.....next.....finally

24. Problem / Solution

25. Use a provocative or attention-
grabbing title

26. The opening paragraph should
motivate your audience to read
further – make it clear what the
benefits are for their investment
of time

27. The main body is likely to offer
several pieces of advice in a
clear and logical order – try
including:
•Bullet points
•Headings & subheadings
•Brief paragraphs
•Supportive evidence
•Checklists

28. Encourage your audience to
engage and actively participate
in the advisory process by
using...

29. A multi-choice self assessment
A quick quiz
Use of direct 2nd person address
Use of rhetorical questions
Examples of success achieved by
others in a similar position

30. The conclusion should
summarise the advice offered,
and encourage the reader to
take action.

31. Example tasks

32. You are an Agony Aunt for a teenage
magazine. Respond to a letter from a 14
year old girl whose friends are
pressuring her into taking up smoking.
She doesn’t want to smoke and needs
your advice on how to keep her friends
without giving in to peer pressure.

33. Imagine you are a sports personality.
Write an advice sheet for young people
about what it takes to be successful.

34. Write an article for your school
magazine in which you advise students
on the importance of being healthy and
how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

35. Write a letter to a relative who is taking
up teaching as a career. Use your
experience as a student to give advice
to this new teacher on how to deal with
a difficult class.

36. The School Meals Service is seeking
advice from students about how to
make their meals more attractive to their
customers. Write a letter to the
Manager of the School Meals Service in
which you offer your suggestions.