Types of Non-Fiction Texts
What is non-fiction?
Non-fiction texts are about real events, ideas, or people. They can inform, persuade, argue, advise, or entertain.
The reading paper that uses non-fiction usually pairs a modern text with a nineteenth-century one and asks you to compare them. That pairing is deliberate: the subjects are often similar, and the interest lies in how differently two periods write about the same thing.
Common Non-Fiction Text Types
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Newspaper article | Inform / comment | News report, editorial |
| Letter | Persuade / advise | Formal complaint, open letter |
| Speech | Argue / persuade | Political speech, school debate |
| Travel writing | Describe / entertain | Magazine article, blog |
| Autobiography | Narrate personal experience | Memoir, diary |
| Review | Evaluate / entertain | Film, restaurant, product review |
| Leaflet | Inform / advise | Health campaign, tourist guide |
Purpose — The PAPA Framework
- Purpose — why is the text written?
- Audience — who is it written for?
- Presentation — how is it laid out?
- Angle — what viewpoint does it take?
Work through these before you begin writing about a text. Establishing purpose and audience first prevents the most common error, which is analysing an informative text as though it were trying to persuade.
Most texts have more than one purpose
Real texts rarely do only one thing. A travel article informs you about a place while entertaining you and quietly persuading you to visit. A charity leaflet informs and persuades at once.
Saying so is a mark of sophistication: "While ostensibly informative, the article's selection of detail works persuasively, encouraging the reader to see the region as unspoilt."
Reading nineteenth-century texts
These intimidate students unnecessarily. Some practical guidance:
- Sentences are longer and more heavily subordinated. Read to the full stop before deciding what a sentence means
- Vocabulary is more formal, but the argument underneath is usually straightforward
- The register is more elaborate — writers address the reader more formally and at greater length
- Attitudes may be dated. You are analysing how the writer presents a view, not endorsing it
The most useful habit is to summarise each paragraph in a few words in the margin. Once you can see the shape of the argument, the vocabulary matters much less.
Comparing two texts
The comparison question rewards writing about both texts together rather than one after the other.
Compare on:
- Viewpoint — what does each writer think, and how strongly?
- Purpose and audience — are they writing for the same kind of reader?
- Tone — angry, amused, detached, nostalgic?
- Methods — anecdote against statistic, first-person against reported, humour against outrage
- Structure — where does each writer place their strongest point?
A structure that works: make a comparative point, evidence it from text A, evidence it from text B, then explain what the difference reveals. Repeat for three or four points. Never write three paragraphs on one text and then three on the other.
Useful comparative connectives
Whereas, by contrast, similarly, in the same way, while, conversely. Using these forces you to hold both texts in view rather than drifting into single-text analysis.
Worked example
Two texts describe a mountain climb — one a modern blog, one a Victorian journal.
"Both writers convey the difficulty of the ascent, but they position themselves quite differently in relation to it. The modern blogger uses short, fragmented sentences and self-deprecating humour — 'I stopped. Twice. Possibly three times.' — which invites the reader to identify with her struggle. The Victorian writer, by contrast, employs extended subordinated sentences and elevated diction to present the mountain as a worthy adversary, positioning himself as a conqueror rather than a companion. Where the blogger seeks solidarity, the Victorian seeks admiration."
Common mistakes
- Writing about one text then the other, comparing only in the conclusion
- Summarising content instead of analysing method and viewpoint
- Assuming a single purpose where a text has several
- Being put off by nineteenth-century vocabulary and missing a simple argument
- Ignoring audience, which usually explains the writer's choices
Exam tips
- Identify purpose and audience first — every other observation follows from them
- Use comparative connectives to keep both texts present
- Quote briefly from both in the same paragraph
- For older texts, summarise each paragraph before analysing
- Comment on tone; it is often where the sharpest differences sit
Key facts to remember
- Establish purpose, audience, presentation and angle before analysing
- Most texts have more than one purpose — saying so shows sophistication
- Compare throughout, not text-by-text
- Nineteenth-century texts have longer sentences, not harder arguments
- Audience explains method — who the writer is addressing shapes everything else