Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A · specification 4EA1 · Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing · Free · no account needed
Letter (4EA1 specification)
A form with real conventions the examiner will look for, and a register set entirely by the relationship between writer and recipient.
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- Transactional writing — the letter — An article, a speech, a letter, a guide, a review or a leaflet, written for a real reader and marked out of 45, AO4 and AO5 judged separately. Paper 1 Section B.
Specification coverage
Component 1, Section B — Transactional Writing. The specification names six transactional text types, and this is one of them.
Assessment objectives: AO4, AO5. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Section B is worth 45 marks — half of Component 1 and 30% of the qualification
- The task gives a specified audience, form or purpose, and all three are assessed
- AO4 rewards communication and the adaptation of form, tone and register; AO5 rewards vocabulary, sentence structures, paragraphing and technical accuracy
- Conventions of this form: An appropriate opening: Dear Sir or Madam, or Dear [name]
Required skills
- Adapt form, tone and register to a specified audience and purpose
- Plan a structure before writing
- Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures with accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation
How it is examined
- One 45-mark writing task from a choice of two
Common mistakes
- Mixing up Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely — a small mark, but a visible one.
- Writing an angry complaint in an uncontrolled register. Controlled anger is more persuasive and scores better on AO4.
- Omitting the request. A letter that describes a problem without saying what should be done has not fulfilled its purpose.
- Running out of time and finishing mid-argument, which damages AO4 badly.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the anthology texts hold the whole course — completely free.
Carry on through the specification
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