Year 5 School uniform: persuasive letter writing worksheet

“Spotting persuasive techniques” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 5 English unit “School uniform: persuasive letter writing”, for children aged 9 to 10, and takes about 22 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 28 to 30 of the year, 10 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Spotting persuasive techniques

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 5 · English · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can name the persuasive techniques used in a letter about school uniform.

A Look back3 min

1.
Which sentence has the comma in the right place? Circle it.
Later that day, we went to the park.Later that day we went, to the park.Later, that day we went to the park.
2.
Four girls share one peg for their jumpers. Which words show the jumpers belong to all four girls? Circle them.
the girls' jumpersthe girl's jumpersthe girls jumpers
3.
Which sentence uses inverted commas correctly? Circle it.
Ali said, 'We need a longer break.'Ali said 'We need a longer break'.Ali said: We need a longer break.

B Watch me, then you5 min

Here are two sentences from a letter about school uniform. Name the technique in each one.

A folded envelope, a pen and a glass of water on a wooden table

Watch me

'Surely you can see that uniform saves time?' The reader answers in their head, so this is a rhetorical question.

'I am sure you will agree it saves money too.' The writer assumes the reader agrees, so this is presumption.

Now you

1.
Read: 'Everyone can see that a uniform keeps mornings calm, so it must be right.' Which technique is this? Circle the right name.
PresumptionFlatteryVeiled threat

C Your turn7 min

Read each sentence from a persuasive letter. Circle the technique it uses. Flattery praises the reader. A veiled threat hints at trouble if the reader does not act. Evidence gives a fact the reader can check. A topic sentence says what the letter is about.

1.
Would you rather pupils felt proud or ignored? Circle the right name.
Rhetorical questionFlatteryVeiled threat
2.
I would hate for this to go any further than this letter. Circle the right name.
Veiled threatEvidence and proofTopic sentence
3.
The school office counted 12 late arrivals last term. Circle the right name.
Evidence and proofPresumptionTopic sentence
4.
I am writing to request that uniform stays for every pupil. Circle the right name.
Topic sentencePresumptionVeiled threat

Say it out loud: What clue in each sentence told you which technique it was? Did the clue change from row to row?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Kit says: “Consequently, uniform costs less. It is in the and group because it adds a point.”

1.
The and group holds words that add a point. The cause group holds words that show a result. Which group is Consequently in, and why?

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Write two sentences for a letter about school uniform. In one, praise the reader. In the other, ask a question they can answer in their head.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Spotting persuasive techniques · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. Later that day, we went to the park.

2. the girls' jumpers your child may have picked 'the girl's jumpers' because it looks like one girl. Ask how many girls share the peg, then check where the apostrophe goes.

3. Ali said, 'We need a longer break.'

B

1. Presumption your child may have chosen 'Flattery' because the sentence sounds positive. Ask: is the writer praising the reader, or assuming everyone already agrees?

C

1. Rhetorical question

2. Veiled threat your child may have chosen 'Topic sentence'. Ask: does this sentence say what the letter is about, or hint at what will happen if the reader does not act?

3. Evidence and proof your child may have chosen 'Presumption' because the sentence sounds sure of itself. Ask: is there a fact or number the reader could check?

4. Topic sentence

D

1. Look for: Says Consequently is in the cause group because it shows a result, not an added point. If your child says 'and group', ask: does 'Consequently' add another point, or does it show what happens because of the last point?

E

1. Look for: Two sentences about uniform. One praises the reader, such as a compliment. The other is a question the reader answers in their head.

Words to use

Say“Which technique is this, and what does it want the reader to think or do?”

Instead of“Tell them the name straight away, or say that all these techniques mean the same thing.”

After the sheet

Read a letter from the post or a council notice together. Find one question and one compliment, then say what each one is trying to make the reader do.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

9 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

One sharp point(with a plan)
Planning an introduction(with a plan)
Layout and a strong opening(with a plan)
Planning my first argument(with a plan)
Linking ideas in your argument(with a plan)
A brand new argument(with a plan)
Building the second argument(with a plan)
Ending with a calm push(with a plan)
Editing your persuasive letter(with a plan)

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