Observations

A few things stand out from the data. Let’s pick them out before we consider the implications for teaching. It’s worth considering the inherent level of challenge of each text type, as determined on this page and summarised below:

Firstly, it’s clear there are certain text types that the paper setters prefer to use more than others (speech, email/letter, blog). Two of these (email/letter and blog) fall into the simple and direct category. However, only two of these prompts can be considered to be informal written correspondence, with the vast majority requiring a more formal register, thus placing these tasks in the intrinsically challenging group.

It’s also evident that two text types have never been used as appropriate/generally appropriate options (essay, interview). Notably, both text types are intrinsically challenging for a variety of reasons.

In between, we can see a wide range of text types deemed appropriate/generally appropriate appearing between around 6-15% of the time.

It’s also worth noting the text types that appeared as the generally inappropriate option most frequently (guidelines, review, news report, and email).

Implications for Teaching: Exam Revision

The number of times speech, email, and blog have appeared suggests it might be an idea to ensure students are confident in producing an excellent version of each. It is also worth making a clear distinction between informal and informal written correspondence as students may be drawn to a (perceived) easier-looking task if they see email/letter as an option. They should be reminded to carefully consider the context, audience, and purpose of the prompt along with the specifics of the task (command terms) to ensure it is the best prompt for them. In the run-up to the final exam in May/November, have students practise each of these text types.

The fact that we are yet to see an essay or an interview as even a generally appropriate option doesn’t mean we should discount them. If anything, I’d argue ahead of the May 2025 exam that it would be worth spending a bit more time on these text types. That said, we’re not going to stick our neck out and predict what will be on future papers!

One area to focus your revision on could be the text types that have often been used as the generally inappropriate option (guidelines, review, news report, and email). Have students consider what it is about these text types that make them less suitable to complete the task. This encourages greater critical thinking about the conceptual understandings in the course. One conclusion you can draw is that guidelines tend to be used quite often as an example of a text type that is designed to instruct a large group of people how to do something. This is in contrast to other purposes, such as informing or persuading, which are more common among the other text types. Similarly, a review is concerned with evaluating something (E.g. a movie or event), which makes it relatively unique. A news report stands out as it is predominantly used to inform the public about a recent incident and tends to avoid overtly giving the writer’s opinion. The context here is a major hint for students.

Implications for Teaching: Designing a Course

There are numerous ways you can go about designing your course, but it goes without saying that you should cover all of the text types, rather than focusing on the most common. While it is important to ensure students know the conventions of the text types, the most useful teaching points are the different purposes that are required to communicate a message to a range of audiences in various contexts. The page Writing Purposes sets out seven key areas to focus on in your teaching: description, narration, written interaction, spoken interaction, explanation, argument, and analysis & critique. By actively teaching, modelling, and practising what these purposes look like (and the language students can use to achieve them), you can prepare students to produce all of the text types but with a more nuanced understanding of how to structure them. It is here that Criterion C (conceptual understanding) and Criterion B (message) intersect. Simply knowing which text type to choose isn’t enough; the message can only be effectively communicated if the student knows how to break down the constituent parts of the prompt and organise their response in such a way that each is fully covered.