1. Reading for
interpretation
Presentational Features

2. Describe the picture below to the person sitting back to
back with you so that they can draw a perfect version of
it.

3. Now swap and try this one. Think about describing
everything: the image, the text, the layout, the font, the
colour...

4. Question 2a
This question relates to the second text
• Question 2(a) is worth 6 marks and focuses on
presentational features of the text.
• This is a ‘How?’ question so analysis is needed, linking
the presentational features to the purpose, audience and
tone.
• The question will direct you to comment on the effect of
specific features.
• You are given just short of a page to answer this
question.
• Examiners are looking to reward evidence of the ability
to analyse. Generic answers about the size of font or the
colourfulness of pictures will not score highly. You need
to identify specific items (e.g. a title or caption) and go on
to analyse their precise effects.

5. The connotations of a
Presentational Devices presentational or layout
feature may help you to
explain it’s use in the text.
Appearance is often an important factor
in the success of a text. There is a range
of PRESENTATIONAL DEVICES that writers
and designers can use to give a text more
visual impact.
List as many presentational devices as
Illustrations, including
Bullet points Logos and slogan
photographs and
you can. What does each add to a text?
drawings Captions
Charts and diagrams
Headlines
A range of fonts, styles,
Subheadings
Colours
sizes and effects

6. What are presentational devices of
layout and design?
• Images • Font style and size
• Captions • Colour
• Diagrams • Balance of text to
• Labels image
• Headings • Layout of page
• Subheadings • Shape of text
• Bullet points • Logo
• Text boxes
The connotations of a presentational or layout feature
may help you to explain it’s use in the text.

7. There are three main reasons for using presentational
devices: mood, memory, clarity.
Mood
A piece of writing will always try to express feelings. The mood created could be fun and
excitement (eg in a brochure for a theme park) or perhaps fear and concern (eg in an advice
sheet about road safety). The feelings should always be in tune with the target audience.
Devices to look out for in mood:
• Pictures
• Fonts
• Colour Clarity
Most non-fiction texts are written for people in
• Quotes
a hurry, so it is important that the purpose and
audience of a text is clear. This will make the
Memory right people pick it up and read it. The
If the main purpose of a piece of non-fiction information within the text also needs to be
writing is to inform, then it is important that clearly presented otherwise people will stop
readers find and remember key bits of reading.
information. These can include website addresses Devices to look out for to aid clarity:
or phone numbers, advice or statistics. •Bold text
Devices to look out for that are used to aid •Bullet points
memory: •Sub-headings
•Bold text •Paragraphs
•Headlines and sub headings •Colour
•Bullet points •Images and captions
•Diagrams, maps and illustrations •Quotes

8. Representation, Denotation and
Connotation
Every time we encounter a media text, we are not
seeing reality, but someone’s version of it.
So, we need to think about how the writer wants us to
see and read their work.

9. What do you think of when you
see...?
Americans

10. Representation
Stereotypes are a type of representation. A
stereotype is a simplification of a person or a
group of people.
For example: Blonds = not very clever but are
glamorous and girly.
What stereotypes do we have about:
• The Scottish
• Women drivers

11. Denotation and Connotation
DENOTATION: the common sense descriptive level of meaning in an image or
sound.
CONNOTATION: the secondary level of meaning by which images and sounds are
interpreted.
CONNOTATION:
DENOTATION: Red roses are
A red flower, associated with love
consisting of petals, – handing someone
a green stem and a red rose could
several thorns. symbolise your love
for them.
A Red Rose

12. Try to complete the following grid:
Image Denotation Connotation

13. Let’s look again at this advertisement. Which presentational
devices can we see? How are the presentational devices
supporting the purpose, audience and tone?

14. Purpose and Audience
Remember, the first two things writers need to
consider when they start to write are:
• Purpose- why am I writing this? What do I want to
achieve? How am I going to achieve this?
• Audience- Who am I writing this for? Is anyone else
likely to read it? How can I get my readers’ attention?
When you are reading a text you need to:
 Identify the intended purpose(s) and audience(s)
 Assess how successful the writer has been in targeting these

15. TASKS
1. Make a list of 5 points which explain why and when writers might use charts and
diagrams
2. Add 4 more slogans to the table below:
Logo/Slogan Associated What it suggests
with
Olympic games Unity – working together – shared interests
3. Look at the headlines below. Which one – uses a rhetorical question; uses
alliteration; is made to sound dramatic; uses a play on words (pun)? Add this to
the table, with the effect.
Headline Techniques Effect
I thought we would never get out alive
Who will trust the spin doctors now?
Dyeing for a Boy-band-binge weekend
United’s double act shatters sorry Spurs

16. Presentation and Layout
Look at the charity leaflet.
1. How do the illustrations:
• Link to the writing
• Provide information in a visual form
• Add interest to the text?
2. Who do you think the designer chose those colours for?
What impact do they have?
3. How are the headings used in the text?

17. (a) Explain how the following
contribute to the effect of the
leaflet on the reader:
6 marks = 9 minutes •The headings
•The images

18. Evaluate the effect of these presentational devices.
You will need to refer to the purpose, audience and form of the text to
fully evaluate them.
1. A graph in a Telegraph newspaper article on
global warming.
2. A green background on a leaflet encouraging
students to recycle.
3. An image of a puppy looking sad and
scraggly on a RSPCA poster placed at
bustops.
4. A caption below a picture of a footballer in a
tabloid newspaper which reads ‘Beckham’s
Fury Fopar’.

20. What does a 6 mark answer
look like?

21. CRITERIA
The Mark Criteria
Candidates should demonstrate that they can:
• Explain and evaluate how writers use presentational features to achieve effects and
engage and influence the reader (AO2 iii).
Higher Band responses [Bands 4 and above] are likely both to identify the heading
and pictures and to make reasonably sustained comments about the effects on the
reader. At the top end there will be clear evidence that specific effects of these
presentational features are being analysed rather than described or merely listed.
Middle Band responses [Bands 5 and 6] are likely to be characterised by a general
awareness of the effects of the heading and pictures, and by a descriptive rather than
analytical approach. Examples at this level may be simply listed and amount to little more
than feature-spotting, with some basic and generalised comment.
Lower Band responses [Bands 7 and below] are likely to show only a basic
understanding of the effects of the heading and pictures. Comments on presentation
are likely to be basic and generalised, at the level of spotting more obvious features such
as use of large fonts and colourful pictures.

22. Explore how Mhairi Aitken’s experience in
‘Tales from the Bush’ is reflected in the:
*Headline
*Images
6 marks
6 marks = 9 minutes

24. Model Response
Aitken’s experience is one that has a happy ending and this is reflected in
the presentational devices used throughout the article. The text is
accompanied by a headline: ‘The Bear Essentials’ a playful pun on the word
‘bear’ and ‘bare’. This tells the reader that the story contained in the article
may be a light-hearted one – certainly it doesn’t suggest a tragic tale.
The article also uses colour and image to give the same cheery impression.
The images are bright, sunny pictures of the forest and of a bear – who is
pictured in a non-threatening pose, facing away from the camera and
obscured by ferns. The colours, greens and sky blues, all have positive
connotations of a pleasant walk in the woods and give the reader the
impression the article that follows is of the same sunny tone. The pictures
are accompanied by captions which add to the light-hearted feel of the text:
‘If you go down to the woods...’ being a line from a children’s nursery rhyme
and ‘So, how close does a bear...?’ a rhetorical question which gives the
reader something to think about and with it’s conversation tone from the ‘so’
it also seems jovial. Even the picture of Aitken’s herself with the by-line is a
bright, cheerful picture in which she is smiling. All these presentational
features work together to present the article as a light-hearted entertaining
read.

25. Avoiding the generic
In order to analyse and explore a text in detail, and
reach those higher bands, you have got to avoid
those awful generic phrases: this is effective... this
draws the reader in... It is powerful...
Instead think about:
• This draws the reader in = it creates a friendly
tone/ excitement/ shock/mystery/tension BY ...
• It is powerful = technique X makes the reader
feel.../causes the reader to feel...
• This is effective = the effect of X is to make the
writer’s point.../ is to make the reader feel.../ is to
highlight the...

26. Reading for interpretation
Presentation and layout
The exam question will ask you about the EFFECT of two
specified presentational features
 STEP 1: What is the P.A.F.T. of the text?
 STEP 2: Read the question and identify the features you are being asked
about.
 STEP 3:Using paragraphs to give a clear structure for the marker, write about
each feature linking the features to their effect on the purpose, audience,
form or tone of the text.
 Higher level responses consider effectiveness of the feature on the target
audience.
TIP: Rather than stating your explanation as a fact, use modality to express
uncertainty: ‘It could/may/might be that/makes me think/suggests’. This will
make you sound considered and thoughtful.
Try it with the next text:
How does the text use presentation and layout to persuade people to
train as teachers?

27. Explain how the images and the
titles contribute to the purpose of
the World Vision leaflet.
6 marks
6 marks = 9 minutes

30. CRITERIA
The Mark Criteria
Candidates should demonstrate that they can:
• Explain and evaluate how writers use presentational features to achieve effects and
engage and influence the reader (AO2 iii).
Higher Band responses [Bands 4 and above] are likely both to identify the heading
and pictures and to make reasonably sustained comments about the effects on the
reader. At the top end there will be clear evidence that specific effects of these
presentational features are being analysed rather than described or merely listed.
Middle Band responses [Bands 5 and 6] are likely to be characterised by a general
awareness of the effects of the heading and pictures, and by a descriptive rather than
analytical approach. Examples at this level may be simply listed and amount to little more
than feature-spotting, with some basic and generalised comment.
Lower Band responses [Bands 7 and below] are likely to show only a basic
understanding of the effects of the heading and pictures. Comments on presentation
are likely to be basic and generalised, at the level of spotting more obvious features such
as use of large fonts and colourful pictures.

31. Peer Assessment
We are not making writing in Section A unless the expression is so bad that
it impedes communication and is effectively self-penalising.
• Indicate by the letter P in the text each presentation point clearly made.
• Put a bracket round the letter P if a point has not been made clearly.
• If a point has been repeated, use a capital R.
• Tick explanatory/analytical comments. This will help to determine the extent
of any analytical comment when making judgements about the relevant
band in which to place an answer.
• Use the band descriptors in conjunction with the standardisation scripts to
arrive at your mark but do not reward mark per point in this question.
• Write a brief comment at the end of the answer to explain your
mark, include a ‘wish’ for something they could do next time.

32. Question 2a
MARK DESCRIPTOR
6 •Clear and reasonably sustained analytical response
•Use of well-selected detail for support
5 •Some evidence of analytical comment
•Use of some appropriate details for support
4 •Begins to develop a response; mainly descriptive
•Reference to some relevant detail
3 •Some relevant comment
•Reference to a little detail
2 •Straightforward points
•Features merely identified
1 •Simple points
•Little, if any, specific detail

33. Model Response Paragraph
Explain how the images and the titles contribute to the purpose of the World
Vision leaflet.
The ‘Thirsty’ leaflet is a persuasive text which seeks to
encourage adults between the ages of 30 and 60 to
make a donation to the World Vision charity.
One way this is done is through the use of pictures of
the children. All of which are colourless to represent
their lives as dull and hard. Some are taken from a
high angle to make them seem weaker and fragile and
all are close ups of the children’s faces to show the
emotion on their faces. Also in none of the pictures do
they show any sort of happy emotion. It’s all sad and
looks of despair. All of these put together create very
depressing images for the reader to look at and think
about...

34. (a) Explain how the following
contribute to the effect of the
advertisement on the reader:
•The title
•The images 6 marks = 9 minutes