Taught through the care guide that tells you not to buy the animal
Approx. 55 minutes · KS3
Before you start
Most writing about pets is trying to sell you one. The care guides at Pets on the Green are written the other way round — they lead with what the animal actually needs, and sometimes that means telling a reader the honest answer is no.
That makes them a useful thing to study, because writing that argues against its own interest has to be unusually well made to be believed.
Nothing here is timed or scored, and nothing you write is marked.
What you'll be able to do by the end
- Tell the difference between writing to inform and writing to persuade, and recognise when a text is doing both.
- Identify how a writer builds trust with a reader.
- Use rhetorical techniques deliberately rather than decoratively.
- Structure a piece of persuasive writing that survives a sceptical reader.
Part 1 — Two purposes, one text
Writing to inform gives the reader facts so they can decide. Neutral tone, clear structure, no pressure.
Writing to persuade moves the reader towards a position. It uses emotion, rhetoric and selection.
Real texts usually do both, and the interesting question is always: which facts did the writer choose, and what did leaving others out achieve?
Two ways to describe the same animal
Version A
Panther chameleons are stunning, colour-changing reptiles that make an eye-catching addition to any home. Watch in amazement as your chameleon shifts through vivid greens, blues and reds!
Version B
A panther chameleon needs a tall, planted enclosure, controlled heat and UVB, and misting several times a day. It will not drink from a bowl. It does not want to be handled, and stress shows in its colour before it shows anywhere else. Kept properly it is a remarkable animal to watch. Kept as an ornament it will die slowly and you will not notice until late.
Both are informative. Both are persuasive. They persuade in opposite directions.
Look at what A leaves out — every requirement, every cost, every hour. Notice that A never actually lies. It selects.
Look at what B risks. It tells a reader who wants a chameleon that they may not be able to keep one. That costs the writer a sale, and it is precisely that cost that makes the reader believe them.
Check yourself
"Kept as an ornament it will die slowly and you will not notice until late." Why is this sentence more effective than "chameleons require a high standard of care"?
Model answer
It states a specific consequence rather than a general requirement, so the reader can picture what happens rather than filing it as a vague warning. "You will not notice" also puts the reader inside the failure and makes it personal — the harm is not just to the animal but something the reader would be responsible for and blind to. The alternative is abstract, and abstract warnings are easy to agree with and ignore.
Part 2 — The techniques, and what they actually do
Naming a technique gains you nothing. Explaining its effect gains you everything.
| Technique | What it is | What it does to a reader |
|---|---|---|
| Direct address | Speaking to "you" | Makes it the reader's decision rather than a general issue |
| Rule of three | Three items in a list | Gives a sentence rhythm and a feeling of completeness |
| Rhetorical question | A question not expecting an answer | Makes the reader supply the conclusion, so they own it |
| Short sentence after long | A deliberate break in rhythm | Lands a point hard. Use sparingly |
| Concession | Admitting the other side has a point | Buys credibility for what comes next |
| Specific detail | A real number, name or fact | Harder to dismiss than a general claim |
"Yes, they are beautiful, and yes, watching one is genuinely worth it — which is exactly why it is worth doing properly" concedes, then turns. That reader is still with you.
Check yourself
Rewrite this so it uses a concession: "Anyone who buys a chameleon on impulse is being irresponsible."
Model answer
"It is easy to see why someone falls for a chameleon in a shop — they are extraordinary animals and the impulse is a perfectly human one. The problem is that the enclosure, the lighting and the daily misting cannot be bought on impulse, and the animal pays for the gap."
The accusation is gone. The point is unchanged. A reader who has done exactly this can still keep reading.
Part 3 — Structure that survives a sceptic
A persuasive piece that only stacks up points is easy to stop reading. This shape is harder to escape:
- Open on something concrete. A specific image or fact. Not "in today's society."
- State the position plainly. The reader should know within two sentences what you think.
- Concede the other side. Early, and genuinely.
- Turn. "The problem is…" or "What that misses is…"
- Build the case. Two or three points, strongest last.
- Close on something the reader can do. Not a summary. An action or a question that stays with them.
Part 4 — Your task
Choose one:
a) Write a care guide entry for an animal you know something about, which is honest about the difficult parts. Aim to leave a reader better able to decide, not more likely to buy.
b) Write a persuasive piece arguing that pet shops should be required to state an animal's full lifetime cost before a sale.
c) Write a letter to someone considering an animal you think is wrong for them, without insulting them.
Plan before you write
- What is my position, in one sentence?
- What is the strongest point on the other side, and where do I concede it?
- What is my one specific detail — a number, a name, a real consequence?
- What do I want the reader to do at the end?
Four answers. Then write, three to five paragraphs.
Part 5 — Questions
1. Explain the difference between writing to inform and writing to persuade. (2 marks)
Answer
Informing presents facts so the reader can reach their own conclusion (1). Persuading selects and presents material to move the reader towards a particular position (1).
2. Identify one technique in Version B and explain its effect on the reader. (3 marks)
Answer
Any valid technique named (1), with a precise explanation of effect (1) and a link to the reader's response (1).
For example: the short final clause "you will not notice until late" follows a longer sentence, and the abrupt stop leaves the reader with the consequence rather than the explanation — making the harm feel sudden and personal rather than technical.
3. Explain why a writer might deliberately admit a weakness in their own argument. (3 marks)
Answer
It shows the writer has considered the other view rather than ignoring it (1), which makes them appear fair and therefore more trustworthy (1), so the reader is more likely to accept the points that follow (1).
4. Write the opening two sentences of a persuasive piece on any subject, avoiding both "in today's society" and a dictionary definition. (4 marks)
What to look for
A concrete or specific opening rather than a general one (2), and a clear position established within the two sentences (2). The subject does not matter; the opening move does.
If you want to go further
- Find a real pet shop description online and rewrite it honestly. Note what you had to add, and how much longer it got.
- Related lessons: Reading Non-Fiction · Structuring an Argument · GCSE English Language Paper 1.
Notes for the adult
Curriculum: KS3 English — writing for different purposes and audiences, identifying and using rhetorical devices, and structuring extended writing.
The misconception this lesson targets: that persuasive writing means stacking up techniques. Part 2 reframes every device as an effect on a reader, which is what both KS3 assessment and GCSE actually reward.
Why concession is given so much weight. It is the technique students use least and markers credit most, and it transfers directly to GCSE English Language Paper 2 and to any essay subject.
A note on the two versions in Part 1. Version A is written to be plausible rather than absurd, because a caricature teaches nothing. Some students will prefer it, and that is a useful discussion rather than a wrong answer.
Access: read-aloud, dyslexia-friendly font, enlarged text, high contrast and calm mode. The planning prompts in Part 4 can be answered aloud and scribed, producing a usable plan without the student facing a blank page.
No timing, no scoring. No word count is required.
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