Presentation: Persuasive Language in Online Adverts

Slide 1 of 7 · Settling starter · English · Year 11

3 minutes

Persuasive language in online adverts: fair or foul?

Online adverts are written to make you act quickly: tap, buy, sign up. Today you take 3 adverts apart as a reader, a regulator and a writer. Every product in them is invented; the rules at the end of the stimulus sheet are real.

While the register is called: write your name, class and date on your worksheet, then read Advert A on the stimulus sheet, including the part you only see after tapping “…more”.

Starter question: Where does “#ad” appear in Gethin’s post, and why does that matter?

DCF: Producing → Evaluating and improving digital content No computers or phones needed · the adverts are printed

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Hand out: one worksheet per pupil and one stimulus sheet (Three online adverts) between two. Pupils need a pen and highlighters. Every product, company, influencer and figure is invented; the rules box at the end of the stimulus sheet quotes the real UK advertising code.

Say aloud: “Write your name, class and date at the top of your worksheet. While I take the register, read Advert A on the stimulus sheet, including the hidden part, and answer the starter question in rough.”

Starter answer: “#ad” is the last of 6 hashtags, hidden behind “…more”, and there is no paid partnership label. Gethin was sent the earbuds free and earns commission, so the post is an advert and the ASA says the label must be upfront, before people read the rest.

Slide 2 of 7 · Today’s brief and key words · English · Year 11

2 minutes

Your brief: name the techniques, check the claims, rewrite the worst

You will find 2 techniques in each advert, check 8 claims against the CAP Code, write a 200 to 250 word analysis of Advert B, rewrite Advert B honestly in 80 words or fewer with a change log, and rank the 3 adverts from most to least honest.

Objective claim

A fact that can be checked. The advertiser must hold evidence for it before the advert appears (rule 3.7).

Puffery

An obvious exaggeration nobody takes literally, such as “most breathtaking”. Allowed under rule 3.2.

Urgency and scarcity

Countdowns, “selling out fast”, “only 3 left”. False time limits break rule 3.30.

LNF: Literacy → Reading → Understanding, response and analysis Judge the claim against the evidence, not your opinion of the product

Slide 3 of 7 · Steps 1 and 2: technique hunt, then check the claims · English · Year 11

16 minutes

Step 1 & Step 2: the technique hunt, then check the claims

Step 1 (6 min): 2 techniques from each advert. Quote the exact words, name the technique from the box on your sheet, and explain the effect on the target reader, not just “it persuades them”.

Step 2 (10 min): for each of the 8 claims: objective or puffery? What do the checked facts show? Fair, or which rule does it break?

Advert	Quotation	Technique	Effect on the target reader
A	“Honestly the best earbuds I’ve EVER owned”	Superlative, hyperbole, capitals	“Honestly” makes a paid advert sound like a confession between friends, so his followers read it as advice, not selling.

Steps 1 and 2 on your worksheet · 16 minutes Highlight the quotation, then name a specific reader

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “The first row of the technique hunt is on the board. Fill in the other 5 rows: 1 more from A, 2 from B, 2 from C. Then check the 8 claims in Step 2 against the rules box on the stimulus sheet. Name a rule number every time.”

Quick check, Step 1: any correct quotation and technique is fine. Model rows: A “every single day for a month” (personal testimonial); B “Are you REALLY ready for your GCSEs?” (rhetorical question, direct address, capitals) and “Offer ends in 09:59, only 3 places left” (urgency and scarcity); C “Feel the rush” (imperative, sensory language) and “Rated 4.8 out of 5 by our visitors” (statistic, social proof).

Quick check, Step 2: A “#ad”: objective, hidden behind “…more”, breaks 2.1. A “30 HOURS”: objective, really 6 hours per charge and 30 only with the case, likely to mislead, 3.1. B “9 out of 10”: objective, 18 of 20 survey users who felt grades improved, breaks 3.1 and 3.7. B countdown: timer restarts at 10:00 on reload and “3 places” never changes, breaks 3.30 and 3.1. B “£4.99 a month”: billed annually as £59.88 in pale small print, breaks 3.17. B Ffion and 250,000: no contact details, no source, breaks 3.47 and 3.7. C “most breathtaking”: puffery, allowed under 3.2. C “1.2 km” and “selling out fast”: objective, measured at 1,212 m and 7 of 12 weekend dates booked, fair.

Slide 4 of 7 · Step 3: analyse Advert B · English · Year 11

15 minutes

Step 3: analyse Advert B, alone and in silence

One paragraph of 200 to 250 words: How does the writer of Advert B try to persuade a Year 11 reader, and is the persuasion fair? Use at least 4 short quotations, name the techniques, explain their effect, and bring in at least 1 rule to judge fairness.

Model opening: “The writer of Advert B persuades a Year 11 reader mainly by making them anxious and then rushing them, so that they act before they think.”

Shape: follow the advert’s own order (worry, relief, rush), then turn at “However” to judge fairness with named rules and the price worked out.

Step 3 on your worksheet · 15 minutes, in silence Short embedded quotations, then a judgement

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Step 3 is exam-style language analysis, so it is your own work, in silence, for 15 minutes. Open with an argument, not a list, like the model on the board. Embed short quotations. Finish with a judgement about whether the persuasion is fair.”

Walk the room: strong paragraphs quote “STOP SCROLLING” (imperative), “Are you REALLY ready for your GCSEs?” (rhetorical question, direct address, capitals), “9 out of 10 students” and “Join 250,000 students” (social proof), “Ffion, Year 11, Bridgend” (testimonial), and the countdown (urgency and scarcity). For fairness: the timer restarts at 10:00 so the deadline is false (rule 3.30); an app cannot run out of places; “Just £4.99 a month” hides £59.88 billed annually (rule 3.17); “9 out of 10” is 18 of 20 users describing a feeling. The model is 217 words and ends: “The advert works because every technique removes a reason to slow down and check.”

Slide 5 of 7 · Steps 4 and 5: honest rewrite, then rank · English · Year 11

13 minutes

Step 4 & Step 5: rewrite Advert B honestly, then rank the adverts

Step 4 (10 min): rewrite Advert B in 80 words or fewer. It must still make a Year 11 pupil want to try the app, every claim must be true according to the checked facts, and the real price must be as easy to see as the headline. Log 3 changes and the rule each one fixes.

Step 5 (3 min): rank the 3 adverts from most honest (1) to least honest (3), with 1 sentence of justification each.

What I cut or changed	What I replaced it with	Rule it fixes
The countdown and “only 3 places left”	Nothing. A real free trial is reason enough to act; there is no deadline to invent.	3.30, 3.1

Steps 4 and 5 on your worksheet · 10 minutes, then 3 minutes Honest copy can still persuade: keep the question, lose the lies

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “10 minutes for the rewrite and change log. The first row of the log is on the board. Count your words and write the number. Then 3 minutes to rank the 3 adverts, most honest first, using your Step 2 answers rather than which product you like.”

Quick check, Step 4: the model rewrite is 76 words: “Revising for your GCSEs? GradeRocket gives you a ten-minute quiz every day and shows which topics you keep getting wrong. Try it free for 7 days. After that it costs £59.88 a year, paid in one go, which works out at £4.99 a month. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. In our March survey, 18 of the 20 users who replied said they felt their grades had improved. [ TRY IT FREE FOR 7 DAYS ]” Model log rows 2 and 3: “Just £4.99 a month” in bold replaced by “£59.88 a year, paid in one go” in bold (3.17); “9 out of 10”, “250,000” and Ffion replaced by the real survey result and what the app actually does (3.7, 3.47).

Quick check, Step 5: expected ranking C, A, B. C: its big claim is puffery and its checkable claims all have evidence. A: the earbuds and the 30-hour figure are real, but hiding “#ad” behind “…more” breaks the most basic rule. B: 5 separate claims fail, designed together to stop a stressed teenager reading the price. If time allows, take 3 pupils’ rankings aloud and see whether the class agrees.

Slide 6 of 7 · Self and partner check · English · Year 11

2 minutes

Self and partner check: is every judgement backed by a rule?

Tick each success criterion on your sheet that your work meets. Then correct 1 thing.

I can name persuasive techniques accurately and explain their effect on a specific target reader.
I can tell objective claims from puffery, and I judge each claim against the evidence rather than my own opinion of the product.
I can link a misleading claim to the specific rule it breaks.
My analytical paragraph uses short embedded quotations and reaches a judgement about fairness, not just a list of techniques.
My rewrite is still persuasive, is 80 words or fewer, and contains no claim the checked facts do not support.

2 minutes · partner check Finished early? Rewrite Gethin’s caption so the label is upfront

Supply teacher script (no subject knowledge needed)

Say aloud: “Swap sheets. Read your partner’s rewrite and check every claim against the checked facts on the stimulus sheet. Tick the success criteria they have met, then take your sheet back and correct 1 thing.”

Extension answers: Gethin’s caption should start with “#ad” or a paid partnership label before anything else, and should say he was sent the earbuds and earns commission, while keeping his voice. Advert C’s catch: the zip line has a minimum age of 10 and minimum weight of 30 kg, so a family ticket for 2 children may include a child who cannot ride; the banner should say so next to the price. The technique in all 3 adverts is direct address (“you”, “your”, “my code”); accept 60 words on why it works on screens, such as a phone feeling personal and read alone.

Slide 7 of 7 · Plenary review · English · Year 11

2 minutes

Quick-check answers before handing in

Check your main answers before your worksheets are collected.

Question	Correct answer
What does “Just £4.99 a month” really cost, and which rule does it break?	£59.88 billed in one payment after the trial; rule 3.17, undue emphasis.
Is “Wales’s most breathtaking adventure” objective or puffery, and is it allowed?	Puffery; allowed under rule 3.2.
Rank the adverts from most to least honest.	C, A, B. Advert B breaks rules 3.1, 3.7, 3.17, 3.30 and 3.47.

Check your name and class are on your worksheet Leave stimulus sheets neat on the desk