Opinion column / editorial
Persuade a public readership through audience-aware writing.
Write for the situation
Audience
readers of a school or community publication
Purpose
Persuade a public readership
Register and tone
Engaging and assertive, with fair treatment of alternatives
Avoid
Strong feelings without a developed argument
Conventions that help the reader
An identifiable issue and stance; reasons and examples; consideration of objections; a purposeful conclusion. These are adaptable guidance: task, audience and purpose decide the choices.
A flexible route through the text
- 1Engaging opening and stance
- 2Develop the case
- 3Address an objection
- 4End with a recommendation
Language to develop
Choose precise verbs and examples. Connect reasons and consequences, qualify claims when necessary and vary sentence forms without forcing unfamiliar language.
Planning question
What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Model extract · Social organization
This original teaching extract shows selected choices. It is shorter than a complete Paper 1 response and is not an IB-marked exemplar.
A welcome should last longer than one morning
We give new students a tour, a timetable and a cheerful greeting. Then we often assume they have everything they need. They do not. Belonging develops through repeated opportunities to participate, and a purposeful mentoring scheme could provide those opportunities. Critics may worry that the programme will demand too much from volunteers. That concern deserves an answer: short meetings, clear responsibilities and adult support. Let us begin with a manageable pilot instead of using imperfect conditions as a reason to do nothing.
Read as a writer
Find evidence of the intended reader, purpose and register. Identify a convention that makes the text usable.
Explore the content
Underline an example, reason or practical detail. Explain what it contributes, then develop the next paragraph yourself.
Connect it to each core theme
Identities
A school publication is inviting opinions about a multilingual welcome project.
Write an opinion column / editorial for readers of a school or community publication. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how language choices shape belonging.
Planning focus: What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Plan this taskExperiences
A school publication is inviting opinions about a student exchange programme.
Write an opinion column / editorial for readers of a school or community publication. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: what students gain from an unfamiliar experience.
Planning focus: What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Plan this taskHuman ingenuity
A school publication is inviting opinions about an AI-supported language-learning app.
Write an opinion column / editorial for readers of a school or community publication. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how technology helps learners and where its limits lie.
Planning focus: What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Plan this taskSocial organization
A school publication is inviting opinions about a school peer-mentoring programme.
Write an opinion column / editorial for readers of a school or community publication. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how a community can support newcomers.
Planning focus: What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Plan this taskSharing the planet
A school publication is inviting opinions about a student-led food-waste project.
Write an opinion column / editorial for readers of a school or community publication. Develop a reasoned position, address an opposing argument and reach a justified conclusion.
Theme connection: how individuals and institutions can reduce waste.
Planning focus: What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Plan this taskTeach, practise and refine
- Read a real example of this text type and identify its readership and purpose.
- Annotate the model extract, then discuss how a different audience would change its wording.
- Select a theme task. Plan all required actions before writing; develop examples rather than listing them.
- Draft independently, review audience and task coverage, then revise one paragraph.
Teacher language
What would persuade a thoughtful reader who disagrees?
Support without fixing every sentence
Offer an audience–purpose planning grid, a few useful connectors and oral rehearsal. Then remove the paragraph openings and ask for independent wording. Extend by developing an alternative viewpoint or a justified qualification.
Self-check
- Have I addressed every instruction?
- Do the reader, purpose, tone and conventions match?
- Does each main idea have a developed example or explanation?
- Have I checked verb forms, reference, spelling and punctuation?