Crafting Persuasive Writing

Overview

In this focused 10-minute session, the student will plan and draft a persuasive paragraph for a clear audience and purpose. The lesson develops Cambridge writing skills: selecting relevant ideas, organising content logically, using an appropriate register, and checking accuracy.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify the purpose and audience of a persuasive task
• develop a clear viewpoint with relevant supporting reasons
• organise ideas into a coherent paragraph
• use precise vocabulary and accurate sentence structures

Success criteria

• I can state a clear opinion that answers the task.
• I can include two relevant reasons or examples.
• I can link my ideas logically.
• I can check my paragraph for accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Curriculum links

• Writing for different purposes, audiences and forms.
• Developing relevant ideas and supporting details.
• Organising writing coherently with effective paragraphing and linking.
• Using a wide range of vocabulary, sentence structures, spelling and punctuation accurately.

Lesson structure (10 minutes)

1. 0–2 minutes – Engage with the task Open with the persuasive writing hook. Display the question: “Should mobile phones be banned during the school day?” Ask the student to give an immediate yes/no response and one reason. Briefly identify the purpose as persuasion and the audience as a school decision-maker.

2. 2–4 minutes – Model a strong opening Use the model paragraph slide to compare a weak opening with a stronger one. Think aloud: the stronger version gives a clear viewpoint, addresses the audience, uses a linking word and explains why the issue matters. Highlight the opening opinion and supporting reason.

3. 4–6 minutes – Plan ideas Distribute the persuasive paragraph planning sheet. The student records a viewpoint, two reasons and one specific example for each reason. Prompt with questions such as, “Why would this matter to students?” and “What evidence or realistic example could make this convincing?”

4. 6–9 minutes – Write and improve The student writes one persuasive paragraph using the plan. Remind them to begin with a clear topic sentence, develop at least one reason, and use connectives such as “because”, “furthermore” or “as a result”. Confer briefly, asking the student to improve one word choice or add one explanation rather than correcting the whole paragraph.

5. 9–10 minutes – Review and respond Return to the success-check slide. The student reads their paragraph aloud and checks it against the four criteria: clear viewpoint, relevant support, logical linking, and accurate writing. Ask them to identify one successful choice and one revision they would make next.

Resources

• the persuasive writing hook
• the persuasive paragraph planning sheet
• Pen or pencil
• Timer
• Student writing book or digital document

Assessment

• Listen to the student’s initial response to assess whether they understand purpose, audience and viewpoint.
• Review the planning sheet for a clear opinion, two relevant reasons and supporting examples.
• Use the paragraph and verbal reflection to assess organisation, vocabulary, register, sentence control, spelling and punctuation.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters such as “I believe that…” and “This is important because…”. Allow the student to discuss ideas orally before writing.
• Support: offer a small word bank including “beneficial”, “disruptive”, “concentration”, “responsibility” and “therefore”.
• EAL/SEN: keep the task visible, model one sentence at a time, and allow speech-to-text or additional planning time if needed.
• Extension: challenge the student to acknowledge an opposing view in one sentence before rebutting it, for example, “Although some people argue…, …”.