IBDP Elements (E)

Elements are crucial to score high marks in Criterion A, B and C. They form the foundation of your analysis, allowing you to develop a well-structured response. They demonstrate critical thinking, which is essential for high scores. Elements help you justify your interpretation with textual evidence rather than making broad, unsupported claims. Besides, they enable comparative analysis (at HL) by identifying similarities and differences between two texts.

To successfully analyze a text-type, you should be knowing how to make one successfully!

Here are the key elements you will often find in Paper 1 Unseen Text Types:

Advertisements (Important)

• Headline – The main text that grabs attention and conveys the core message.
• Subheading – A secondary text that provides more details or supports the headline.
• Body Copy (Main Text) – The core message, including product benefits, features, and persuasive details.
• Call to Action (CTA) – A phrase that encourages the audience to take action (e.g., “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” “Call Today”).
• Slogan or Tagline – A catchy phrase associated with the brand (e.g., “Just Do It” – Nike).
• Testimonials or Endorsements – Statements from customers, influencers, or experts to build trust.
• Contact Information – Website, phone number, or social media details for engagement.
• Images & Graphics – High-quality visuals that attract attention and support the message.
• Logo – The brand’s logo to reinforce identity and recognition.
• Colors – A strategic color scheme to evoke emotions and brand association.
• Typography – Font styles and sizes that make the ad visually appealing and easy to read.
• White Space – Proper spacing to avoid clutter and enhance readability.
• Layout & Composition – A balanced arrangement of text, images, and design elements.
• Emotional Appeal – Uses emotions (happiness, fear, excitement, etc.) to connect with the audience.
• Urgency & Scarcity – Encourages immediate action (e.g., “Limited Time Offer,” “Only 3 Left in Stock”).
• Value Proposition – Clearly explains why the product/service is beneficial to the customer.
• Repetition – Reinforcing the key message multiple times for retention.
• Brand Identity & Consistency – Aligns with the company’s image, voice, and messaging.

Advisory Texts

• Tone: authoritative, reasonable, commanding or trustworthy. Look out for opinions presented as if they are facts.
• Tense: the imperative tense (also called the command tense) can be recognised by the position of the verb at or near the start of the sentence.
• Modality: modal verbs such as ‘must’, ‘will’, ‘should’ and ‘ought’ transmit strength of feelings.
• Credibility: expert sources, research and scientific evidence might be used to establish credibility.
• Register: official advice will be formal and persuasive; friendly advice will be delivered in a reassuring or intimate way. Sometimes, advice will include a warning.
• Structure: look for cause-and-effect structures, step-by-step guides or linear structures that are easy to follow.

Article (Important)

• Masthead or title
• Headline
• Strapline under headline, more detail
• Standfirst (might or might not be there)
  • Short paragraph summarising entire article
  • Generates interest in the audience
• Byline: name of the writer
• Image and caption
• Pullquote
  • One or two lines that grabs the attention of the audience.
  • Pulled out of the matter
  • relevant and important text.
• Introduction
  • States the purpose and topic.
  • States the relevance of the topic by relating to the audience.
• Body matter (largest part)

Conclusion: Either one of the four:

• Author gives a comment
• Talks about an investigation
• Predicts a consequence
• Call to action.

End credits: 1. Shows the credibility of the journalist; 2. Call to action, eg. comment on twitter, etc.

Blog

• Begins and ends with a hook, an attention grabber.
• Retains the curiosity and interest.
• Feedback mechanisms from the audience are present.

Linguistic Elements

• Personal
• Audience focused
• Informal
• Follows online conventions
• Figurative, but to the point.

Also:

• Viewpoint: blogs normally represent the interests and opinions of an individual, so are normally first person.
• Purpose: Blogs are guided by individual interests or concerns so the purpose is flexible. A blog might seek to inform readers about an area of interest, topic or movement. They may also discuss an event or issue. Blogs might even function like an online diary, describing the day’s events and reflecting on an experience.
• Diction: depending on the topic, writers of blogs could employ a specialist vocabulary or use technical terms.
• Visuals: blogs may illustrate the text with cartoons, images, illustrations, or photographs (perhaps illustrated or taken by the writers themselves).
• Structure: again dependent on the individual text, but you can look out for chronological and linear structures with subheadings, clear connectives or other features helping organise the text.
• Creative Language: blogs are written by a wide variety of individuals who explore topics of interest in unique and creative ways. Look out for interesting and creative uses of language, such as original comparisons, metaphors, newly coined phrases, and more.

Broadsheets

• More formal
• Metaphors rather than puns (puns – sometimes used, although more subtle)
• subtle rhetoric
• More complex sentences (look for sentences separated by lots of commas, semi-colons etc.)
• Statistics
• Descriptions of people tends to relate to personality or position in society ;
• Politician’s comments often included, with a commentary by the journalist
• Focusses more on being authenticity and sophistication.

Charity Appeals

• Persuasive: the purpose of charity adverts is to make the reader take action, probably in the form of donating money or time. Adjacent to this is the need to raise awareness of social problems. Therefore, look out for all kinds of persuasive rhetorical features in charity appeals.
• Pathos: charity ads are likely to be more emotive than regular adverts. By appealing to emotions such as anger, pity, guilt, sympathy, and so on, charity adverts make it more likely that you will want to respond.
• Hard-hitting: like conventional advertising, charity appeals rely on visual elements to impact the viewer. An effective approach is to use hard-hitting shock tactics to spur the reader of this text type into action.
• Credibility: charity appeals need to be even more trustworthy than regular persuasive texts. Look for information that suggests your donations will make a positive change, perhaps in the form of facts and statistics.
• Metonymy: social problems like hunger and poverty are too large for one person to help solve; so charity ads often introduce you to a single individual who represents all those who your donation goes towards helping.
• Direct address: charity ads will often address the reader with the word ‘you’, striving to make a strong connection. If a person in the advert is making eye contact with you, this is a kind of visual direct address.

Comics

• Panels – Individual frames that contain the artwork and dialogue. They guide the reader through the sequence of the story.
• Gutters – The spaces between panels, which indicate the passage of time or shifts in scenes.
• Emanata – Visual symbols used to show emotions or actions (e.g., sweat drops for nervousness, lightbulbs for ideas, motion lines for movement).
• Speech Balloons – Contain dialogue and are connected to characters by a tail pointing to the speaker.
• Thought Balloons – Cloud-like bubbles used to represent a character’s inner thoughts.
• Captions – Boxes or text outside of speech balloons that provide narration or background information.
• Sound Effects (Onomatopoeia) – Words that mimic sounds, like “BANG,” “BOOM,” or “ZAP.”
• Composition & Layout – The way panels, images, and text are arranged to control pacing and emphasis.
• Dialogue – Spoken words exchanged between characters.
• Narration – Background information provided to the reader.
• Title & Credits – The name of the comic and the creator’s information.
• Punchline (for gag comics) – The humorous or surprising ending in short comic strips.
• Borderless Panels (Bleeds) – When an image extends beyond the usual panel border, often for dramatic effect.
• Splash Panels – A single large panel that takes up most or all of a page, used to highlight a key moment.
• Inset Panels – A small panel inside a larger panel, often used to show detail or a character’s reaction.
• Close-Ups – Zooming in on a character’s face to emphasize emotion.
• Extreme Angles – Low or high camera angles to add dynamism to a scene.
• Montage – A sequence of small images that indicate a passage of time or show multiple actions happening at once.
• Silhouettes & Shadows – Used to create drama, suspense, or mystery.
• Motion Lines (Speed Lines) – Streaks behind a moving object to indicate motion.
• Impact Effects – Bursts or explosion-like shapes behind a character to emphasize strong emotion or action.
• ZAP Lines (Radiating Lines) – Lines around an object or person to highlight shock, excitement, or intensity.
• Wavy or Jagged Lines – Used to represent smells, vibrations, or pain.
• Chibi or Deformed Characters – In some styles (e.g., manga), characters are simplified or exaggerated to show extreme emotions.
• Background Detail (or Lack of It) – Backgrounds may be highly detailed to set the scene or left blank to focus on the character.
• Bold or Enlarged Text – Used to emphasize certain words.
• Different Font Styles – Can indicate different tones of voice (e.g., shaky text for fear, jagged text for anger).
• Whisper Balloons – Dotted or smaller balloons indicating a quiet voice.
• Shouted Speech Balloons – Jagged or explosive-shaped balloons showing yelling or excitement.
• Muttering or Mumbled Text – Small, faded, or scribbled text to indicate uncertainty or quietness.
• Time Jumps & Flashbacks – Indicated by faded colors, wavy borders, or special captions.
• Parallel Storytelling – Two separate events happening simultaneously in different panels.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall – When characters acknowledge the reader.
• Recurring Symbols & Motifs – Objects or themes that repeat to reinforce meaning.

Diaries

• Viewpoint: as one of the most personal text types, diaries are written in the first person and always express thoughts and feelings.
• Perspective: diaries are written to be private as the reader and writer are the same person. Confessional is a particular form of diary writing that reveals a secret.
• Structure: diaries function as records of the day’s events and are largely chronological. Look out for flashbacks when the writer begins at the end, then goes back to explore how and why an event happened.
• Register and tone: most diaries are written in an informal or semi-formal register, using language the writer feels comfortable with. Look out for language which reveals the attitude of the writer (tone): it is not uncommon for diaries to be thoughtful and reflective, scathing and caustic… or anything in between.
• Colloquialism: the writer might write as if he or she is talking and may use figures of speech in an original or entertaining way.

Editorial

• At times, the reader of a magazine or newspaper gets to hear the editor’s voice directly
• This usually takes the form of a brief explanation or justification on hoe they have decided to cover a topic in their newspaper or magazine
• Remember editors are the gatekeepers at a publishing house who decide what goes in to the final publication
• In an editorial they may comment on their journalists’ fieldwork, their columnists’ reputation, or their newspapers’ status in society.

• Headline/Title – A clear, catchy title that tells readers what the infographic is about.
• Subheadings – Sections or categories that break down information into digestible parts.
• Text (Body Content) – Concise, well-structured explanations, statistics, or key points.
• Data & Statistics – Relevant numbers or facts that support the main message.
• Source Citation – References or sources to validate the information presented.
• Call to Action (Optional) – Encourages readers to take action based on the infographic (e.g., visit a website, share the content).
• Icons & Symbols – Small visuals that enhance understanding and make information more engaging.
• Charts & Graphs – Bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, or other data visualizations to present numbers effectively.
• Illustrations – Custom drawings or vector graphics that enhance storytelling.
• Colors – A color scheme that makes the infographic visually appealing and easy to read.
• Typography – A mix of font sizes and styles to create hierarchy and emphasis.
• White Space – Empty space used to improve readability and prevent clutter.
• Lines & Dividers – Help organize sections and guide the reader’s eye.
• Icons or Visual Metaphors – Represent concepts in a simplified way (e.g., a lightbulb for ideas, a clock for time).
• Logical Flow – Information is arranged in a clear and easy-to-follow order.
• Grid-Based Design – Ensures alignment and balance in layout.
• Contrast & Emphasis – Certain elements (like bold text or bright colors) are used to highlight key points.
• Hierarchy – Important information is larger or placed at the top to draw attention.

Also:

• Audience: normally infographics are designed to reach as wide an audience as possible. As always look out for technical language that might indicate a niche audience.
• Simplification: the main purpose of infographics is to simplify complex knowledge or data. Look out for all kinds of simplification techniques including summary, bullet points, images with captions and more.
• Illustrations: they say a picture is worth a thousand words and nowhere is this more true than in infographics. Icons are simplified images that symbolise certain ideas from the text.
• Copy: infographics are multimodal, meaning there will be some writing included. Look out for headlines, labels, and snippets (brief chunks of text).
• Structure: good infographics are little visual narratives that tell a simple story, so look out for structural elements that help you decode the sequence of events. There might be side-panels, box-outs, arrows… and all sorts besides.
• Design: infographics are supposed to be eye-catching. Colour, typography, font and other design features should combine to help you get information and also engage your interest.

Information Text

• Neutral language: aiming to inform above all else, the register should be formal or semi-formal, the language accessible and the tone neutral.
• Diction: some informational texts are aimed at particular readers and employ technical terms or specialist language – watch out for jargon, which may not communicate clearly.
• Layout: these kinds of texts normally have a clear, easy to understand layout. They might use box-outs, lists, bullet points, page dividers and other organisational features to help guide you step-by-step through the text. Some informational texts are non-linear.
• Facts and Statistics: presented in all kinds of ways: percentages; graphs; charts or numbers. Look for credible sources that are cited.
• Typography: look for fonts, capitalisations, bold or italicised words, underlined words, or other features that help emphasise key points.
• Images: often in the form of diagrams or infographics, images should reinforce the written text or be broken into step-by-step guides. They may be simplified.
• Information: although this goes without saying, you should differentiate between general information and specific details.

Internet Article

• Name of the journal – masthead
• Headline
• Contextual information under the headline, it establishes relevance of lead story – standfirst
• Image
• Caption
• Name of the writer, when it was published, place – by-line
• Lead story
• Selective excerpts magnified – pull quote
• Quotations/sources
• Other reading suggestions – off-lead
• Sidebar

Interviews

• Question-Answer: a recognisable feature of interviews in this format, which presents the questions asked and responses using quotations (direct speech).
• Register: as a record of a spoken conversation, a written interview is likely to contain examples of language that is more like speech. Look out for colloquialisms, idioms, contractions and even jokes.
• Quotation: as an alternative to the question-answer format, you might see interviews written up as a magazine article. In this case you will see a mixture of direct quotation and indirect free speech.
• Topics: the interview may be focused on one issue or may range across various topics. Look out for the interviewer asking leading questions to take the conversation in a particular direction.
• Perspective: the interview presents a one-sided view on a topic or person, so is likely to be highly subjective. The interviewee may use assertive statements which present opinions as if they are facts.
• Them-and-us: celebrity interviews tend to put interviewees on a pedestal. Look for ways in which the text creates a divide between celebrities and ‘us’, the reader, or represents the interviewee as special in some way.

Characteristics

• Voice – this refers to many aspects of language including word choice, verb tense, tone and imagery
• Newsworthy – is the column relevant to its time? What makes it newsworthy?
• Call to action – columnist usually call on the reader to become involved or care about an issue
• Humour – this is really an aspect of voice; humour usually helps readers see a topic through an original and fun perspective
• Hard facts – this aspect of newsworthiness gives an opinion column credibility
• Logos – appealing to logic will help persuade your readers.

Opinion Columns (Important)

• Inherits all conventions from article.
• Opinion is stated very strongly in first paragraph.
• Body paragraphs have arguments in favour and rebuttic arguments.
• Newspapers and magazines often have columnists who write for them
• Generally speaking, newspapers or magazines want there to be a cult of personality surrounding these columnists to generate good sales and brand loyalty
• Columnists may be very outspoken in their opinions
• Nevertheless, their opinions are in tune with the readership of a particular magazine or newspaper
• Furthermore, their opinions are newsworthy, meaning that they both comment on the hot topics of the day and their opinions are worthy of publication.

Structural Elements

• Introduction: Introduces the issue and states the writer’s stance.
• Conclusion: Strongly puts forth call to action.

Op-ed

• This is written by a renowned person, somebody who has authority in a field.
• Opposes the stance of the editorial.
• Written prose piece typically published by a newspaper or a magazine written by a named writer/public personality usually not affiliated by the publication’s editorial board
• Op Eds are different from editorials (which are usually unsigned and written by the editorial board members) or Letters to the editor (which are submitted by the readers to the journal/newspaper)

Examples:

• The general of an army may write an op-ed about the status of war.
• A famous rockstar may write an op-ed in Rolling Stone magazine.
• The president of a country may write a letter to a political opponent, which he or she wishes to be published as an op-ed

Features common with editorials

• Short sentences and simple sentence construction
• Active voice rather than passive voice in verbs
• Short words from common vocabulary
• Almost no use of number or math
• Attention grabbing title
• Important point first, not last
• Use of people’s first and last names for ‘human interest’
• Affiliation language (business, university, titles, location) for persuasion
• Who, what, when, where, why, how

Letters

Structural Elements

• Salutation
• First paragraph: 1. Sets out the purpose of the letter; 2. Introduces context and content for analysis; 3. Contains statement of intent
• Body paragraphs: Contains purpose and contextual clues
• Closure: 1. Call to action (formal open letter); 2. Reiterating purpose + intent; 3. Pleasantries

Linguistic ElementsBase three elements for analysis:

• The tone, which establishes the relationship of the writer to the primary audience
• Relatability of the text
• Purpose of the writer

Possible devices:

• Anecdotes
• Contextual references
• Inference
• Minced words, euphemisms
• Questions
• Imagery
• Vernacular/local language
• Sarcastic elements

Uses emotive, personal language

Contains subliminal references

• The hidden implications of the text
• The real meaning of the text below the language

News Reports (Important)

• Masthead: a strip across the top of a newspaper front page containing the name of the newspaper, the date of publication and the price. Tabloid papers from the UK are called ‘red-tops’ because of the red colour of the masthead.
• Headline: the choice of words in a headline is essential to the tone and angle of the story. There are many techniques involved in creating headlines and you should definitely learn: slammer; pun; alliteration; elliptical headlines (which only include the keywords).
• Visuals: all newspapers make use of photographs to accompany stories. Tabloid papers are dominated by images while broadsheet papers tend to use smaller photographs. Look out for pictures of people’s faces, which reveal emotion and create bias.
• Copy: the main text of the article. Features you should be on the look out for are: sensationalism; vague language; emotive language and euphemism.
• Embedded interviews: you can expect to find witness recounts, expert opinions and statements from authority figures in almost all newspaper reports.
• Bias: all kinds of bias exist in newspaper reports, from selection bias (the choice of what content to include and what to exclude) to name-calling, to the use of certain facts and statistics and more.
• Figurative Language: News reports are a rich source of metaphor, simile, hyperbole, sensationalism, and exaggeration, often distorting reality in some way.

Speech (Important)

ElementsSalutation – shows the relationship between speaker and audience.

Introduction

• Establishes purpose
• Introduces stance of the speaker
• Relates to the audience

Body paragraphs

• Purpose is emphasised through different techniques.
• Repetition of the purpose using rhetorical devices.
• Proving the benefits of the purpose using appeals.

Conclusion

• Call to action
• Concludes message and ends with finality.

Linguistic elements

• Aristotelian appeal: Logos, ethos, and pathos
• Use of facts and figures
• Anecdotes or personal examples
• Allusions
• Figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, imagery)
• Hyperphora, anaphora, rhetorical structures
• parallel structures, tricolon
• Asyndeton, polysyndeton
• Personalized language, usage of second person pronoun

Tabloids

• Informal
• Use of puns
• Use of alliteration
• Exaggeration for effect
• Slang
• Colloquial language
• Informal names used
• Short, snappy sentences
• Heightened language (over the top)
• Brand names
• Sexual innuendos
• A focus upon appearance / colours
• Frequent use of elision e.g. won’t, don’t.

Travel Writing (Important)

• Viewpoint: travel writing often documents the personal experiences of someone exploring a new place or country so is often first person.
• Perspective: an outsider’s perspective is common when reading travel writing, particularly if the destination is new, exotic or remote. Alternatively, the piece might be written from an insider’s perspective and is inviting you to visit or share an experience in a different part of the world.
• Structure: look out for chronological timelines, past – present structures or a linear journey of discovery. Guidebooks will have clear headings and subheadings and will probably include box-outs and the like.
• Information: travel writing often seeks to be informative and can present you with facts and figures, names and dates, historical or architectural or geographical information and more.
• Description: if the writer is trying to make the destination tantalising, or to help transport the reader, you might find examples of visual imagery, vivid description, even figurative comparisons, helping you visualise a far-off place.
• Visuals: photographs, maps, or floor plans of famous locations are all visual features that you might encounter in travel writing, particularly guidebooks.

Rhetorical Elements

Aristotelian Appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos). These build credibility, emotional impact, and logical persuasion in visual texts.

Literature Only Students

Prose Fiction | Poetry | Drama | Prose Non-fictionYou will see some of these elements in all the text-types.