Purpose and Audience

Writers usually have a simple purpose for writing and they develop one or more related goals in order to communicate basic, essential information or ideas in writing. Some writers may need support to clarify a specific purpose, which can then inform their planning and composing. Areas of study can include:

• discussion of highly relevant topics or needs in order to develop possible purposes for writing
• writing brief notes so learners can recall or pass on information.

Writers can articulate their writing goals and relate them to an overall purpose, such as wanting to share information or to make a request or a complaint. They can use their goals to aid their planning, for example, by creating a mind map or web of ideas they wish to communicate. Writers refer to their purpose as they compose and revise, and they may adjust their goals or their writing accordingly. Writers are prepared to persevere with writing in order to achieve their purpose. Areas of study can include:

• making mind maps to record words and ideas related to writing for a specific purpose, for example, to explain how to use a piece of equipment
• exploring a selection of short texts that have been written for different purposes or audiences, such as children’s picture books, text books, newspaper advertisements and websites.

Writers use their knowledge of their audience to inform their thinking as they plan, compose and revise. They use such strategies as asking questions to
check their writing is meeting its purpose. Areas of study can include:

• discussing questions that writers use to question their own writing, for example, “Would my reader be interested in this?” or “Would this persuade people to come to the hui?”
• taking relevant notes, when listening to a speaker, for themselves or for colleagues.

Writers work towards goals that relate to their overall purpose and to the content of their writing. They reflect on the purpose and the audience as they
compose and revise. Areas of study can include:

• writing “before” and “after” reviews of their writing process, to track any changes in goals (recognising that expert writers often change their goals as they write)
• reflecting on the ways in which a text could be altered to match different purposes or audiences, for example, by adding emotive language to persuade or by simplifying complex sentences to make the text easier to read.