6. Task 5: Presentational Features
CCEA GCSE English Language
UNIT 1 · TASK 5 · 10 MARKS · LESSON 6 OF 10
Task 5: Presentational Features
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CCEA GCSE English Language
UNIT 1 · TASK 5 · 10 MARKS · LESSON 6 OF 10
Task 5: Presentational Features
Lesson 6 of 10 · Unit 1 Section B · Task 5 (10 marks, about 8 minutes)
Purpose: students learn to name a presentational feature (how a media text looks) and explain its intended effect on the target audience. They study NEON DRIFT, the game cover from Lesson 5, built on a slide, then practise on a gym poster.
The exam: "Select two examples of presentational features used… Explain the intended effect of these two presentational features." Marks: feature 1 (1) + effect (4), feature 2 (1) + effect (4). In Lesson 5 students analysed the cover's language (Task 4); today is how it looks.
Support: lighter support starts here: the class builds its own word bank before the task. Units 1 and 2 also count towards Functional English, where reading media texts is a key skill.
--- Lesson description (paste into LessonUp): Presentational features for CCEA GCSE English Language Unit 1 Task 5. Students name features on a mock game cover and a gym poster, explain the intended effect on the target audience, and write a timed 10-mark answer.
SEO tags: ccea, gcse english language, northern ireland, unit 1, task 5, presentational features, media texts, intended effect, game cover, functional english, fe, further education Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Think of a poster, advert or game cover that made you look twice. What caught your eye?
Phase 1 · The Hook (0–4 mins)
Aim: a low-threat start from everyday life. Everyone has walked past posters, scrolled past adverts or browsed game covers. There is no wrong answer.
Likely answers: bright colours, a big photo, a famous face, huge letters, "50% off", a star rating, a dark scary picture.
Make the link: "Every one of those is a presentational feature: something about how a text looks, not what the words say. Designers choose each one on purpose. Task 5 asks you to spot two and explain why they were chosen."
Probing question: "Who was that advert aimed at? How could you tell?"
Device-free fallback: pair talk for one minute, then take three answers. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Name a presentational feature
Explain its intended effect on the target audience
Write a timed Task 5 answer
Today
Phase 2 · Objectives (4–5 mins)
Vocabulary (Tier 3):
Presentational feature: how a text looks: colour, font, images, layout, logos, banners, badges.
Intended effect: what the designer wants the reader to think, feel or do.
Target audience: the group of people the text is aimed at.
Say it: "Language is the words. Presentation is the look. Task 4 was language; Task 5 is presentation. Mixing them up is the most common way to lose marks here."
Device-free fallback: students copy the three terms with a one-line meaning. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Retrieval: which of these is a language feature, not a presentational one?
The bold neon title font
The five-star review banner
The words "heart-stopping online duels"
The age-rating badge
Phase 2 · Retrieval from Lesson 5 (5–7 mins)
Answer: C. "Heart-stopping" is an emotive compound adjective: a language feature (Task 4). The other three are about how the cover looks.
Watch for: students who pick B because the banner contains words. Explain: the quotation is language, but the banner itself (its shape, its colour, the stars, where it sits) is presentation. In Task 5, write about the banner, not the quotation.
Probing question: "How could you write about the review banner without analysing its words?" (Its gold colour, the five stars, its place near the top.)
Device-free fallback: A/B/C/D on fingers. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
What it asks
How the marks work
Select two presentational features.
Explain the intended effect of each.
Feature 1: 1 mark
Effect: 4 marks
Feature 2: 1 mark
Effect: 4 marks
Task 5 · 10 marks · about 8 minutes
Phase 3 · Input: the shape of Task 5 (7–10 mins)
The real wording: "Select two examples of presentational features used… Explain the intended effect of these two presentational features."
Say it: "Naming the feature gets one mark. Explaining the effect gets four. So the effect is where the marks are: 80% of this task."
What a 4-mark effect looks like: it says what the feature makes the reader think or feel, why, and links it to the audience. A weak effect says "it catches your eye", which fits every feature ever made.
Timing: about 8 minutes, so about 4 minutes per feature. Two features only: a third earns nothing.
Misconception: "I should list lots of features." No. Two, explained well.
Device-free fallback: draw the two columns on the board. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
NEON DRIFT: the game cover
NEON
DRIFT
U N D E R G R O U N D R A C I N G
The city never sleeps. Neither do you.
★★★★★ "Pulse-pounding. The fastest thing on any console." – GameZone Weekly
Race through 40 rain-soaked tracks
Build your dream machine from 300+ parts
Challenge friends in heart-stopping online duels
Every corner. Every second. Every choice. It all counts.
16+
PRE-ORDER NOW · EXCLUSIVE BONUS CAR
Click each marker.
Name the feature, then its intended effect on gamers aged 16 and over.
Phase 3 · Guided modelling: the cover (10–16 mins)
Say first: "This is the NEON DRIFT cover from Lesson 5. GameZone Weekly is made up, and so is the game."
Run it: before each click, ask "What is it? Why did the designer put it there?" Then reveal.
The six features: 1 the neon title font (pink and cyan on black: colour contrast) · 2 the dark night-street image · 3 the five-star review banner · 4 the bullet list · 5 the age-rating badge · 6 the starburst flash.
Model the thinking aloud for marker 1: "Feature: the bold neon title font. Effect: the glowing pink and cyan look like neon signs in a city at night. That links to the street racing, so the game feels exciting and slightly dangerous. That appeals to teenagers and young adults who want thrills."
Vocabulary: starburst is a spiky star shape used for offers. Colour contrast means colours placed together so both stand out.
Misconception: "The image makes it look good." Too vague. Which image, and what does it suggest? Night, rain, emptiness, speed, danger.
Device-free fallback: print the cover; students annotate six features in pairs. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp Image credit: Wes Hicks / Unsplash
Drag each one: presentation (the look) or language (the words)?
Presentational
how it looks
Language
the words chosen
The "16+" age-rating badge
The word "heart-stopping"
"Neither do you." speaking to the reader
Pink and cyan lettering on a black background
The pink starburst shape in the corner
Phase 4 · Interactive practice: look or words? (16–19 mins)
Answers: badge, presentational · "heart-stopping", language (emotive compound adjective) · "Neither do you.", language (second-person address) · pink and cyan on black, presentational (colour contrast) · starburst, presentational.
Zone order check: presentational, language, language, presentational, presentational: scrambled, not in zone order.
Probing question: "The starburst contains words. Why is it still presentational?" (We write about its shape, colour and position, not the words.)
Scaffolding: ask "Could you see it from across the room without reading it?" If yes, it is presentation. Take It Further: name one more of each from the cover.
Device-free fallback: five cards; pairs sort them under two headings. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Put the steps of a strong Task 5 answer in order
Phase 4 · Practice: the answer routine (19–21 mins)
Answer (top to bottom): name the feature · say where it is and what it looks like · explain what it makes the reader think or feel · link it to the target audience.
Why this order: step 1 earns the 1 mark. Steps 2–4 build the 4-mark effect. Higher marks go to answers that explain why the designer chose it and how it works on the reader; lower marks only spot or describe.
Probing question: "Which step do most people skip?" (The audience link.)
Device-free fallback: the four steps on cards; pairs put them in order. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
A model answer: one feature
1 + 4 marks
Feature: the pink starburst flash in the bottom corner.
Effect: its spiky shape and bright pink colour stand out against the dark background, so the eye goes straight to "Pre-order now". It looks like a sale sticker, which creates urgency: the reader feels they must act quickly or miss the exclusive bonus car. For young gamers who want to be first to play, this pushes them to buy before the release date.
Phase 3 · Guided modelling: a full answer (21–24 mins)
Read it aloud. Then ask students to find each step from the sorting slide:
Name: "the pink starburst flash".
Where and what: "bottom corner", "spiky shape and bright pink colour".
Think or feel: "creates urgency", "must act quickly".
Audience: "young gamers who want to be first to play".
Vocabulary: urgency means feeling you must act now. Exclusive means only some people can have it.
Why it scores well: it explains how the feature works (contrast, the shape of a sale sticker) and why it was chosen (to sell pre-orders). It never only says "it catches your eye".
Misconception: quoting the words "Pre-order now" and analysing them as language. The model mentions them only to say where the eye goes.
Device-free fallback: the model on the board; students underline the four steps in four colours. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Your practice text: a gym poster
STRONGER STARTS TODAY
FIRST MONTH FREE
RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY GYM
Open 24/7 · Students £15 a month
Free induction with a qualified coach
Join today. No contract.
Audience: students and young workers.
Find two presentational features.
What is each one meant to make the reader think, feel or do?
Phase 4 · Practice: a second media text (24–27 mins)
Say it: "Riverside Community Gym is made up. Who is this poster for, and how can you tell?" (Students: the price, "no contract", 24/7 for shift workers.)
Features to draw out:
Lime headline block: bright, energetic colour at the top; feels positive and active.
Orange circle badge: a round "sticker" tilted at an angle draws the eye to the free offer.
The dumbbell photo: real equipment shows what you get; metal and rows suggest strength and seriousness.
Dark panel with white text: high contrast; the key facts are easy to read quickly.
Bold capitals: "STRONGER STARTS TODAY" and "Join today" stand out as the main message and the action.
Pair talk (1 minute): which two features would earn the most marks? (The ones with the most to say about effect.)
Device-free fallback: print the poster or sketch it on the board. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp Image credit: Jason Grant / Unsplash
Features you can name
Effect words: makes the reader…
Audience: who is it for?
Class word bank: add at least one idea to each box
Class word bank (27–30 mins) (the class builds the word bank before writing)
Why: the class builds its own word bank instead of being given one. Recalling an idea yourself fixes it far better than copying a list, and seeing everyone's answers shows you misconceptions before they reach the writing.
Run it: each student adds at least one short answer to every box. Answers appear anonymously. After 2–3 minutes, discuss: which is the strongest idea in each box, and is anything in the wrong box?
Likely good answers: Features: bold capitals, colour contrast, circle badge, photograph, dark panel, layout. Effect words: trust, feel energetic, feel urgency, notice the offer, imagine themselves, feel welcome, feel it is affordable. Audience: students, young workers, shift workers, beginners, people on a budget.
Watch for: language features in the first box ("imperative"). Move them out together.
Device-free fallback: three columns on the board; students add sticky notes, then sort them together.
8
minute
00
second
Select two presentational features on the gym poster. Explain the intended effect of each. (8 minutes, 10 marks)
Feature 1: ___.
Effect: This makes the reader ___ because ___.
This appeals to ___.
Feature 2: ___.
Effect: ___.
Your word bank
is the one the class just built.
Use at least two ideas from it.
Your turn: Task 5 on the gym poster
Lighter support (Lessons 6–10): there is no printed word bank. Students use the class word bank from the previous slide. Keep it on a second screen, or let students jot two or three ideas down before you move on.
Phase 5 · Independent application (30–38 mins)
Exam link: 8 minutes, as in the real paper. Two features, on paper.
Model answer (one feature): "Feature 1: the orange circle badge saying 'First month free'. Effect: it is round and tilted, like a sticker slapped on the poster, and the bright orange stands out against the grey metal. The reader's eye goes straight to the offer, so joining feels risk-free. This appeals to students and young workers on a tight budget, who might worry about the cost of a gym."
1-to-1 targeted intervention:
Only names the feature: "What does it make you think about the gym?"
Writes about the words: "Tell me about its colour, shape or position instead."
"It catches your eye": "Why this eye-catcher? What does it want you to do next?"
Strong: Take It Further: explain how the two features work together.
Device-free fallback: already on paper. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Read out one feature and its effect.
Class: thumbs up if they
1. named a feature
2. explained the effect
3. linked it to the audience
Spin a student: peer check
Phase 6 · Peer feedback (38–43 mins)
Run it: three or four spins. The student reads one feature; the class votes on each of the three checks. Ask one voter to say how to push it to full marks.
Keep it safe: let a nervous student pass to a partner, or read the model answer instead. Praise a precise effect, not just a correct name.
Probing question: "Which part earned the 4 marks?" (The effect and the audience link.)
Device-free fallback: lolly sticks with names, or ask for volunteers. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Naming a presentational feature
Explaining the intended effect
Linking it to the audience
Keeping it to 8 minutes
Which part of Task 5 is hardest for you right now?
Phase 6 · Metacognitive plenary (43–46 mins)
Respond to the results:
Naming: "Use the word bank's first box: colour, font, image, badge, banner, layout."
Effect: "Ask: what does it make the reader think, feel or do?"
Audience: "Finish with 'This appeals to… because…'."
Time: "Four minutes per feature. One feature, then move on."
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, eyes closed. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
What is the difference between spotting a feature and explaining its effect?
Phase 6 · Metacognitive plenary (46–48 mins)
Aim: students put the key idea in their own words. Good answers: "Spotting is saying what it is; explaining is saying why it's there and what it does to the reader", "One mark against four marks".
Probing question for weak answers: "Which one earns four marks?"
Device-free fallback: an exit ticket on a sticky note, added to the game plan card from Lesson 1. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
Extension: in class
Homework
Explain how two features on the NEON DRIFT cover work together.
Example: the dark image and the neon font.
Find a real poster, advert or leaflet.
Write a Task 5 answer on two features.
Bring the text next lesson.
Take It Further: extension and homework
Take It Further: extension and homework (48–50 mins)
Extension (in class, for early finishers): writing about features working together shows evaluation. Model: "The neon font glows against the black night image, so the title looks like a sign lit up in an empty city: exciting, but slightly dangerous."
Homework: 15–20 minutes. Any real media text works: a bus-stop poster, a takeaway menu, a college leaflet, a game or film cover. Students photograph or bring it. Use two or three as a starter next lesson.
Support: use today's task stems; one feature is fine for students who find it hard.
Device-free fallback: set it verbally, and write it on the board. Image credit: CCEA GCSE English series art (from Timothy's LessonUp template) Image credit: LessonUp
