Writing to Persuade and Argue
Know purpose and audience
Decide who you're addressing and what you want them to think/do, then match your tone (a letter to a head teacher is formal; a blog for teens is lively).
Persuasive techniques — DAFOREST
| Letter | Technique | Example |
|---|---|---|
| D | Direct address | "You can change this" |
| A | Alliteration | "a bold, brilliant future" |
| F | Facts | "the data proves…" |
| O | Opinion (stated confidently) | "It is clear that…" |
| R | Rhetorical question | "Isn't it time we acted?" |
| E | Emotive language | "innocent victims" |
| S | Statistics | "75% of students…" |
| T | Triples (rule of three) | "cheaper, faster, fairer" |
Structure
- A strong opening that hooks the reader.
- Clear paragraphs, each with one main point (use connectives: furthermore, however, therefore).
- A memorable final line that lingers.
Argue vs persuade
- Argue: balanced, acknowledge the other side, then justify your view.
- Persuade: one-sided, push the reader to your view.
Exam tip
Don't just name techniques — use them well and vary them. Accurate, well-crafted writing scores more than a checklist of devices.