KS3 · English

Writing a speech on a real issue

A speech is won in the first line and the last. Open so the audience can’t look away, and finish so they know exactly what to do next.

English · Writing a speech

Model speech: save Harbour Lane Library

A practice speech on an invented issue. The library, the date and Dr Fell are all made up. Tap each underlined choice to read what it is doing.

On the third of March, the lights went out in Harbour Lane Library.

Silence on the shelves. Silence in the reading corners. Silence where there used to be laughter.

A library is a lighthouse: it shines so that every one of us can find our way. We must not let that light go out.

Dr Amara Fell, a reading expert, says: “A child with a library card holds a door that never locks.” Think about what we are locking instead.

So tonight, sign the petition by the door. Tomorrow, bring one friend. Do it now, while there is still a light to save.

On the third of March, the lights went out in Harbour Lane Library. On the third of April, let them come back on. Keep the lighthouse burning.

An invented model speech, written for practice

Start at the very top and work down. Then ask: which choices sit at the edges of the speech?

Reading “On the third of March, the lights went out in Harbour Lane Library.”

Short declarative sentence

What to notice

One short sentence. One date, one fact. No warm-up and no “Hello everyone, today I will be talking about…”.

Effect

A short declarative sentence that states a date or fact is intriguing, and it tells the audience what the speech is about.

Focused phrase “On the third of March, the lights went out in Harbour Lane Library.”. technique Short declarative sentence. One short sentence. One date, one fact. No warm-up and no “Hello everyone, today I will be talking about…”.. effect: A short declarative sentence that states a date or fact is intriguing, and it tells the audience what the speech is about.

Before you write: who is listening?

Commit to an answer first. Then see what happens.

Your task is: “Write a persuasive speech about looking after our local park.” It doesn’t say who the audience is. What do you do?

English · Planning a speech

What job is each idea doing?

This is a plan for a practice speech on a lunchtime litter campaign. Every name, story and fact in it is made up. Pick a line, then pick the section where it would fit.

Still to sort

Introduction (0)

Establishes the argument and viewpoint.

Where the line is: It says where you stand. It doesn’t tell the story or prove the point yet.

Anecdotal section (0)

A personal moment or story.

Where the line is: A story only you could tell, not evidence anyone could look up.

Factual section (0)

Experts, facts and statistics as evidence.

Where the line is: Evidence that backs the argument, not a feeling or a story.

Best-case / worst-case scenario (0)

Compares what happens if people act with what happens if nothing changes.

Where the line is: It looks ahead to two possible futures, not back at something that has happened.

Emotive conclusion (0)

Leaves the audience feeling something and ready to act.

7 of 7 still to sort.

Here is one possible way to organise a speech into five sections. You can choose a different order or different sections; what matters is knowing what each idea is for.

English · Using evidence

Where does this speech lose its credibility?

A student drafted the factual section of a practice speech about a town river. Everything in it is invented. One line makes the audience stop believing the speaker. Which one?

A student’s draft — which line goes wrong?

Historically, our river has been the heart of this town, the place where families have met for centuries.
Currently, rubbish gathers along its banks, and the bins by the bridge are full by Saturday lunchtime.
In fact, our river now holds more rubbish than every ocean on Earth put together.
With a river like that, nobody will ever want to visit again.
Together, we can bring it back.

English · Devices and tone

What makes a speech persuasive?

Three students are planning a speech to persuade their school to start a lunchtime reading club. Each one has a different plan for how to make it persuasive.

Whose plan is closest to what you think right now?

Pack in as many devices as I can. More devices means a more persuasive speech.Sound angry. If I’m furious, the audience will feel how much it matters.Use a range of devices, each used sparingly and crafted with care, and persuade without being confrontational.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

Pack in as many devices as I can. More devices means a more persuasive speech.

This is a common misconception

It feels sensible, because devices are the things that make a speech sound impressive. But using as many as possible is a misconception. Devices should be used sparingly and crafted carefully so they keep their impact. A crowd of them just crowds out the ones that matter.

Sound angry. If I’m furious, the audience will feel how much it matters.

This is a common misconception

Anger can look like passion, which is why it’s tempting. But a persuasive speech does not need to be angry or aggressive. You can motivate and persuade without being confrontational, and you should avoid alienating any audience members.

Use a range of devices, each used sparingly and crafted with care, and persuade without being confrontational.

This matches the evidence

Yes. A speech needs more than one or two devices, but each is used sparingly and crafted carefully so it keeps its impact. And the tone motivates the audience rather than alienating them. Look back at the model speech: it makes a handful of well-placed choices, mostly at the opening and the ending.

Persuasion isn’t about how many devices you use or how loudly you use them. It’s about a few devices, well crafted and well placed, in a tone that brings the audience with you.

English · Your turn

Write the edges of your own speech

Choose an issue you care about and can explore in detail. Jot your first ideas by asking: what is my opinion, what do I already know, and what do I need to find out? Then write the opening of your speech (two or three sentences) and an ending that mirrors it, with a call to action. Read it aloud and fix anything that slips, then add one sentence saying what effect one of your devices creates. [7 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

My opening hooks the audience and sets out my viewpoint from the start. (1 mark)
My language is formal and uses sophisticated vocabulary. (1 mark)
I used a range of devices, each sparingly and crafted with care, without sounding angry or confrontational. (1 mark)
My ending has a clear call to action that tells the audience a role they can play. (1 mark)
My ending mirrors my opening by repeating and developing something from it. (1 mark)
I read it aloud, and I checked my homophones and any words I was unsure of. (1 mark)
I wrote a sentence explaining the effect one of my devices creates. (1 mark)

Model answer

Issue: wasted food at lunch. Opening: “On Tuesday, the canteen bins were full before the second bell. Full of bread. Full of fruit. Full of food that we have squandered. We must do better.” Ending: “On Tuesday, the canteen bins were full before the second bell. By next Tuesday, let them be empty. Tomorrow, take only what you will eat, and ask a friend to do the same.” Proofreading: I read it aloud and checked homophones such as “whole” and “hole”, and that “bread” and “fruit” were spelt correctly. Reflection: the repeated “Full of” builds a rhythm that makes the waste feel endless, which reinforces my message that we must change.

Hook at the start, call to action at the end, the ending echoing the opening, and a proofread out loud before anyone else hears it.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

What you need to know

Pick a focused topic, then ask: what’s my opinion, what do I know, what do I need to find out?
If the task names no audience, you choose one and adapt your language and tone to suit them.
Tone can shift, for example from serious to uplifting or humorous, as long as purpose and viewpoint stay consistent.
Have a goWhich would break a speech: going from serious to humorous, going from serious to uplifting, or switching from arguing for a cause to arguing against it?
Switching from arguing for the cause to arguing against it.
Tone is allowed to shift, but the purpose and the viewpoint have to stay consistent.
Plan the overall structure first, then write a single-paragraph outline for each section so your argument develops clearly.
Hook the audience in the opening and set out your viewpoint from the start.
Use rhetorical devices sparingly and craft them carefully. Using as many as possible is a misconception.
You can motivate and persuade without being angry or confrontational. Avoid alienating anyone in the audience.
Have a goLeo’s draft opens: “You lot are lazy and I am FURIOUS.” He says that is how you persuade. Will it work on the people it’s aimed at?
Unlikely. It risks alienating the audience he wants on his side.
A persuasive speech does not need to be angry; it should motivate without being confrontational.
Keep statistics realistic and credible, use them sparingly (once or twice), and work them into a sentence.
Have a goA draft has six statistics crammed into one paragraph. About how many should stay?
Once or twice, each worked into a sentence.
Overusing statistics makes them lose their impact, so use them sparingly and embed them.
End with a clear call to action, and mirror your opening by repeating and developing something from it.
Proofread aloud for spelling and punctuation, structure, clarity, vocabulary and devices, and check your homophones.

The big picture

To write a persuasive speech, decide on your audience and purpose, plan your argument in sections, hook the audience in the opening, use credible evidence and a few well-crafted devices, and end with a call to action that mirrors the opening.

Key points

1Open by hooking the audience and setting out your viewpoint. Close with a call to action that mirrors the opening.

2A range of devices, each used sparingly and crafted with care, beats cramming in as many as you can.

3Motivate without being confrontational, and avoid alienating any audience members.

4Credible evidence only: realistic facts and statistics, used sparingly and worked into sentences.

5Proofread aloud, and check each homophone and any word you are unsure of.

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Worked example

Problem

Proofread this line from a draft speech, using what you know about proofreading: “Their is still time to act, so please come hear on Friday and bring a friend.”

⚠ Watch out

Thinking that more devices and more anger make a speech more persuasive. A few devices, carefully crafted and well placed, in a tone that motivates without alienating, persuade better.

🧠

Memory hook

Hook it. Mirror it. Make them move.

✓

Check yourself

Imagine a friend’s speech is due tomorrow. In half a minute, tell them where the hook goes, where the call to action goes, and what mirroring links together.

Flashcards

(15)

A speech task names no audience. What does the writer do?

Decides who the audience is, then adapts language and tone to suit them, remembering that other people may read or hear the speech too.

Which three questions help generate ideas for a speech?

What is my opinion? What do I already know? What do I need to find out?

Why plan a speech with single-paragraph outlines for each section?

They give a cohesive structure and a clearly developed line of argument. Mind mapping is a good starting point but is not always useful for structure.

Name the sections in one possible way to plan a speech.

Introduction, anecdotal section, factual section, best-case or worst-case scenario, and emotive conclusion. It is one possible way, not a fixed order.

What does a short declarative sentence stating a date or fact do in an opening?

It is intriguing and establishes what the speech is about.

What does repetition do in an opening?

It creates rhythmic emphasis and reinforces the message.

What does a modal verb such as “must” do?

It creates an urgent tone and establishes what the speaker wants from the audience.

What can an extended metaphor in the opening do?

It can be carried through the speech to create cohesion.

What does a simile do in an opening?

It creates an unexpected comparison that emphasises the issue and helps hook the audience.

What is a call to action?

Words that clearly tell the audience a role they can play after hearing the speech, using concise persuasive language and a sense of urgency.

What is mirroring?

Repeating and developing words, phrases or ideas from the start of a speech at its end. It reinforces the viewpoint and argument and gives a cohesive structure.

How should a speech use statistics?

Realistic and credible, sparingly (once or twice), and embedded within a sentence rather than isolated.

How can a developed fact link the past to the present?

With paired time phrases such as historically, for centuries, currently or more recently, emphasising the issue without overexaggerating.

What are the five reasons to proofread a speech?

To check spelling and punctuation, the overall structure, clarity of expression, vocabulary choices that can be elevated, and the effective use of rhetorical devices.

What are homophones?

Words that sound alike but are spelt differently and mean different things, so check that each is the right one.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Model speech: save Harbour Lane Library

What job is each idea doing?

Where does this speech lose its credibility?

What makes a speech persuasive?

Write the edges of your own speech

More KS3 English topics