What you'll learn
- How a speech is different from an article, letter or essay.
- How to use greeting, direct address, rhetorical questions and repetition.
- How to create a persuasive spoken rhythm that keeps an audience listening.
- How to end memorably while meeting AO5 and AO6.
Where speeches appear in GCSE English Language
In AQA GCSE English Language 8700, speech writing can appear in Paper 2 Section B: Viewpoint Writing. Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and is worth 80 marks / 50% of the GCSE. Section B is the writing task, worth 40 marks: 24 marks for AO5 and 16 marks for AO6.
AO5 rewards clear, convincing communication and organisation. AO6 rewards accurate spelling, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary and sentence control.
Form
Form means the type of writing you have been asked to produce, such as a speech, letter, article, leaflet or essay. Each form has its own conventions: the expected features that make it look and sound right.
A speech is a polished piece of writing designed to be spoken aloud to an audience. In the exam, you are not writing a messy transcript full of pauses, “um”, “er”, interruptions or stage directions. You are writing a controlled persuasive response that sounds speakable.
Speech writing in one sentence
A strong GCSE speech combines a clear viewpoint, audience-focused language and a spoken rhythm that makes the listener want to keep listening.
Use this planner to see how the main speech features fit together from opening to ending.
Start with audience, purpose and viewpoint
Before you write, work out three things.
Audience
The audience is the person or group you are speaking to. It might be students, parents, teachers, local residents, young people, adults, or the general public.
Your audience affects your tone. Speaking to classmates may allow warmth, humour and shared experience. Speaking to local councillors may need a more formal, respectful tone.
Purpose
The purpose is what your writing is trying to do. In Paper 2 Section B, you are usually asked to argue, persuade, explain or give your viewpoint.
A speech often needs to persuade listeners to agree, reflect, change behaviour or take action.
Viewpoint
Your viewpoint is your clear opinion on the issue. Avoid sitting on the fence unless the task specifically invites a balanced response. Examiners reward writing that feels purposeful and controlled.
Planning a clear speech direction
Imagine the task asks you to write a speech to your year group about whether mobile phones should be allowed in school.
- Decide your viewpoint: you might argue that phones should be allowed at limited times because they support safety, organisation and independence.
- Match the audience: because you are speaking to students, you can use shared experience, such as checking homework apps or contacting family after clubs.
- Shape the purpose: your aim is not just to complain, but to persuade listeners that a sensible phone policy is better than a total ban.
- Choose your order: begin with common ground, develop two or three reasons, then end with a clear call for a fairer approach.
The opening: greeting and hook
A speech usually begins with a greeting. This quickly signals the form.
Good openings might begin:
- “Good morning, everyone.”
- “Thank you for giving me the chance to speak today.”
- “Friends, teachers and fellow students, I want to ask you something important.”
After the greeting, you need a hook: an opening idea that grabs attention. This might be a bold statement, a short anecdote, a surprising contrast or a rhetorical question.
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a question asked for effect, not because you expect the audience to answer aloud. It makes listeners think and can guide them towards your viewpoint.
For example: “How can we expect young people to act responsibly if we never give them responsibility?”
Opening with empty drama
Avoid openings like “Hello, I am here to talk about…” if they stay vague. A speech should quickly reveal the issue, the audience and your viewpoint.
Direct address: speaking to the listener
Direct address means speaking straight to the audience using words such as “you”, “your” and “we”. It makes the speech feel immediate and personal.
For example:
- “You know how frustrating it is when adults make decisions without asking us.”
- “We all want a school that is safe, fair and realistic.”
- “Your voice matters.”
Direct address is powerful because speeches are live in their effect. Even though an examiner reads your answer, you want them to hear the imagined speaker.
Use ‘we’ carefully
“We” can create unity, but make sure it fits the audience. “We as students” works if you are speaking to classmates; “we as a community” works for a public audience.
Repetition and persuasive rhythm
Repetition means deliberately repeating a word, phrase or structure. In speeches, repetition helps ideas stick in the listener’s mind.
A common type of repetition is anaphora, where the same word or phrase begins several nearby clauses or sentences.
For example:
- “We need a policy that trusts us. We need a policy that protects us. We need a policy that prepares us for real life.”
Persuasive rhythm means the pattern and flow of your sentences. Speeches often sound convincing when they mix:
- short sentences for impact;
- longer sentences for explanation;
- repeated patterns for emphasis;
- groups of three for a satisfying rhythm.
Tricolon
A tricolon is a list of three words, phrases or ideas. It often sounds complete and memorable, such as “safe, fair and realistic”.
Turning a plain point into speech style
Plain point: “School clubs are important because they help students.”
- Add direct address so the point feels spoken: “Think about the clubs you have joined, the teams you have played for, the rooms where you finally felt you belonged.”
- Add repetition to build rhythm: “They build confidence. They build friendships. They build futures.”
- Add a tricolon to sharpen the argument: “Clubs make school more active, more supportive and more human.”
- Link back to purpose: “So cutting them would not save our school; it would shrink it.”
Audience engagement: keeping listeners involved
Audience engagement means using language that keeps listeners emotionally and intellectually involved. You are not simply delivering information; you are building a relationship with the audience.
Useful ways to engage an audience include:
- shared experience: “Most of us have felt…”
- inclusive pronouns: “we”, “us”, “our”;
- contrast: “We are told to be independent, yet we are rarely trusted”;
- anecdote: a brief personal story or realistic example;
- call to action: a direct instruction or challenge at the end.
Anecdote
An anecdote is a short personal story or example. In a speech, it can make an argument feel human rather than abstract.
You do not need to invent a long story. One or two sentences can be enough: “Last week, a student missed the late bus because practice overran. A phone was not a distraction then; it was a lifeline.”
Forgetting the listener
Some students write an essay with “Good morning” at the start. To make it a speech, keep returning to the audience with “you”, “we”, questions, repeated phrases and moments that sound speakable.
Organising the middle of the speech
A speech still needs paragraphs. Paragraphs help AO5 because they show your ideas are organised.
A simple structure is:
- Opening: greeting, hook and viewpoint.
- First main point: your strongest or most relatable argument.
- Second main point: a different angle, perhaps moral, practical or emotional.
- Counter-argument: briefly acknowledge the opposing view, then challenge it.
- Ending: memorable final message and call to action.
Counter-argument
A counter-argument is an opposing viewpoint that you briefly consider. Using one can make your speech sound fair and mature, especially if you then explain why your view is stronger.
For example: “Some people say a ban is simple. They are right: it is simple. But simple is not the same as sensible.”
That kind of line works well in a speech because it uses contrast, repetition and a sharp final sentence.
The ending: make it memorable
A memorable ending is the final section that leaves the audience with a clear message. Do not simply write “Thank you for listening” and stop. You can include thanks, but it should not be the whole ending.
Strong endings often use one of these methods:
- echo the opening by returning to the first question or image;
- repeat a key phrase from earlier in the speech;
- use a call to action telling the audience what to think, feel or do next;
- finish with a short sentence for impact.
For example:
“Today, I am not asking for chaos. I am asking for trust. Trust us to make sensible choices. Trust us to learn from mistakes. Trust us to become the responsible young people you keep telling us to be.”
End with purpose
Your final lines should make the examiner feel that the speech has arrived somewhere. Leave the audience with a clear viewpoint, not a vague goodbye.
Technical accuracy still matters
Even though a speech is spoken, AO6 still rewards accurate writing. You need controlled sentences, punctuation and spelling.
Use punctuation to guide the voice:
- commas for pauses;
- colons to introduce important ideas;
- dashes for emphasis, if controlled;
- question marks for rhetorical questions;
- full stops for punchy short sentences.
Avoid overusing exclamation marks. One may be effective; five usually look uncontrolled.
Speech style is not slang
A speech can sound natural without becoming careless. Use contractions like “we’re” or “don’t” if they suit the audience, but keep grammar, spelling and punctuation accurate.
A quick speech toolkit
Use these features when they genuinely help your argument:
- Greeting: establishes the form.
- Direct address: makes the audience feel involved.
- Rhetorical question: encourages reflection.
- Repetition: makes key ideas memorable.
- Tricolon: gives rhythm and completeness.
- Anecdote: adds a human example.
- Contrast: sharpens your viewpoint.
- Call to action: gives the ending force.
Do not cram every technique into every paragraph. The best speeches feel controlled, not overloaded.
In the exam
- Spend a few minutes planning your audience, viewpoint and three-part structure before you write: opening, developed middle, memorable ending.
- Make the form obvious early with a greeting, direct address and a clear spoken tone, but remember you are writing a polished argument, not a transcript.
- Leave time to check AO6: sentence boundaries, commas, apostrophes, spelling and whether your final paragraph lands with impact.
Check yourself
- Could you explain the difference between a speech and an essay with a greeting attached?
- Which three techniques would you use to make an audience feel directly involved?
- How could you end a speech without relying only on “Thank you for listening”?
