|Imaginative/Personal |
|Genre |Purpose |Framework |Language Features |
|Recount |To tell what happened, to retell |Orientation |use of nouns to identify people, animals and things |
|Personal retellings, eg. Diary, |events |(who, where, when) |linking words to do with time eg ‘later’, ‘after’, ‘before’ |
|autobiography, some letters Series of events in time-order |simple past tense |
|Imaginative recounts Personal comment |action verbs |
|Descriptive |To portray a person, place, or thing |Introduction |elaborate use of sensory language |
|Description of a person, place or thing: |in such a way that the reader can |Supporting descriptive details |rich, vivid, and lively detail |
|character sketch, description of setting,|visualise the topic and enter into |Summary |figurative language such as simile, hyperbole, metaphor,    symbolism and |
|object |the writer’s experience. personification |

|poem |showing, rather than telling through the use of  active verbs and precise modifiers |
|Narrative |To entertain, create, stimulate |orientation (introduce main characters in a setting of time |defined characters |
|Eg fairytales, legends, plays, science |emotions, motivate, guide, teach |and place) |descriptive language |
|fiction, myths, cartoons, adventure complications/problems |dialogue |
|stories (main characters find ways to solve the problem) |usually past tense|
|resolution

|Functional |
|Genre |Purpose |Framework |Language Features |
|Recount |To tell what happened, to |Orientation |use of nouns to identify people, animals and things |
|Factual retellings, eg. science experiment or |retell events |(who, where, when) |linking words to do with time eg ‘later’, ‘after’, ‘before’ |
|news article Series of events in time-order |simple past tense |
|Personal comment |action verbs |
|Information Report |To organise and present |general statement identifying the subject of the information report |generalised participants |
|topic based school project |information about a class |bundles of information relating to such things as: habits, behaviour, |impersonal objective language |
|tourist guide book |of things. |colour shape |timeless present tense |
|encyclopedia entry summary(optional) |technical terms |
|information leaflet |paragraphs with topic sentences |
|magazine article
|non-fiction book
|science textbook ||
|Procedure/instructions |To tell how to do or make |goal |use of action verbs (turn, put) |
|Eg. recipes, craft instructions, game rules, |something |materials |linking words to do with time |
|science experiments, instruction manual method or steps |tense is timeless |
|evaluation (optional) |use of precise vocabulary |

|Explanation Eg. |To explore how things work |a statement about what is to be explained |cause and events relationships |
|explain how soil erosion occurs, explain how a|or how something came to be|explanation sequence (several statements of reason explaining and |simple present tense |
|volcano is formed |- to explain phenomena |elaborating on the topic) |generalised non human participants |
|concluding statement (optional) |passive voice eg ‘is driven by’ |
|Explanations may include visual images such as flow charts or diagrams |complex sentences |
technical language |
|Discussion |To present arguments and |• Statement of the issue + a preview of the main arguments |simple present tense |
information from different |• Arguments for + supporting evidence |use logical connectives, but usually more formal ones than Persuasion texts,|
|Leaflet/article giving balanced account |viewpoints(non-biased), and|• Arguments against + supporting evidence (Alternatively, |e.g. ‘therefore’, ‘however’, ‘nevertheless’ |
|Non-fiction book |then, usually, to conclude |argument/counter-argument, one point at a time)
|Business reports |in favour of one point of |• Recommendation – summary and conclusion ||
|Politicians’ briefing documents |view |
|News article
|Persuasive Texts/arguments |To argue (or persuade) a |statement or position |generalised participants |
|Eg. a letter of protest/complaint; poster |case for or against a |points in the argument with evidence and examples (elaboration) |linking words associated with reasoning eg ‘therefore’ |
|advertising sun-smart behaviour; propaganda; |particular point of view or|reiteration - restate the position in light of the arguments presented |nominalisation (actions become things). Eg. ‘to pollute’ becomes ‘pollution’|
|advertisements; suggestions for environmental |position |
|improvements; magazine article |evaluative language eg ‘important’, ‘significant’, ‘valuable’ |

Forms/formats of Writing Genres
• advertisement
• article
• advice column
• autobiography/biography
• ballad
• comic strip
• letter of complaint/request/inquiry
• campaign speech
• diary/journal
• readers theatre/role play/monologue
• book review
• report/essay
• fable/fairy tale
• greeting card
• game rules
• directions
• horoscope
• interview
• obituary/eulogy
• news article/editorial
• poem/song
• anecdote/personal experience story
• sports column
• short story
• research report

Genres of Writing

These are the typical features of the main genres found in written English. However, there are many examples of mixed genres: for example, advertisements are often descriptive followed by persuasion, or a mixture of the two, as the product is described in persuasive terms. A biography can also be a narrative text.

The notion of genre includes: purpose and features of layout as separate things ie. a letter may be written in very similar format for very different purposes (description, recount, persuasion, even instruction – if we give the reader directions to reach our house), and the language used will reflect these different purposes.

Poetry is sometimes viewed as a separate genre.

Note: most of the functional writing genres could appear in an imaginative context, e.g. writing the recipe for a witch’s spell would involve the genre of Instructions. This sort of Functional writing for imagined purposes is recognised in the National Assessment arrangements for Writing 5-14.
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Genres of Writing

HIGHLAND LITERACY PROJECT
www.hvlc.org.uk/hlp