Reading · Module 12
Author’s Purpose & Tone
Work out why a text was written and the mood behind it — reading word choices as clues, with four tiers of practice.
Page 1 · Introduction
Author’s purpose & tone
Every piece of writing is written for a reason, and in a certain mood. Working out why the author wrote something, and how they feel about it, is a key reading skill — and one the test loves.
This module teaches you to identify purpose (why) and tone (mood), using clues in the words the writer chooses.
The big ideaWriters reveal their purpose and mood through their word choices. Read those choices like clues.
💡We build from simple "why did they write this?" up to spotting subtle tone. Look at the words, not just the facts.
On the real testWhere this appearsPurpose and tone questions are part of the Reading section (25% of your mark, from 2025), alongside comprehension and vocabulary.
Page 2 · Purpose
Why was this written?
Most writing has one main purpose. The big four:
The four purposes
- To inform — give facts (a news report, an encyclopaedia).
- To persuade — change your mind (an advert, an opinion piece).
- To entertain — enjoyment (a story, a funny poem).
- To instruct — tell you how (a recipe, directions).
✅Ask: "what does the writer want me to DO after reading — know something, believe something, enjoy something, or make something?"
Page 3 · Clues to purpose
How to tell them apart
"Add two cups of flour, then stir in the eggs and sugar."
Step-by-step commands telling you how to do something.
Purpose: to instruct
"You simply MUST visit Sunny Cove — the finest beach you'll ever see!"
Strong opinions and pushing you to act.
Purpose: to persuade
"The Amazon River is around 6,400 km long and flows through several countries."
Just facts, no opinion.
Purpose: to inform
💡Persuasion often uses excited or extreme words ("must", "finest", "amazing"). Information stays calm and factual.
Page 4 · Tone
The mood of the writing
Tone is the writer’s attitude — how they feel about the subject. The same fact can be written in very different tones.
Common tones
- Cheerful / excited — upbeat, positive words.
- Serious / solemn — grave, weighty.
- Humorous — playful, funny.
- Sad / gloomy — downcast.
- Angry / critical — disapproving.
✅Tone lives in the adjectives and verbs. "The old house crumbled sadly" feels very different from "The cosy cottage glowed warmly."
Page 5 · Tone in action
Reading the mood
Passage A
At last the sun broke through, and the children raced onto the golden sand, laughing as the warm waves chased their toes.What is the tone of Passage A?
Words like "at last", "raced", "laughing", "warm", "golden" are all positive and lively.
Cheerful / joyful
Passage B
The empty playground lay silent. A single swing creaked in the cold wind, and grey clouds pressed low over the deserted street.What is the tone of Passage B?
"Empty", "silent", "cold", "grey", "deserted" build a heavy, lonely mood.
Gloomy / lonely
Page 6 · Putting it together
Both at once
A passage has a purpose AND a tone. An advert (persuade) might be excited; a warning (inform) might be serious.
CarefulDon’t confuse the two. Purpose is WHY it was written; tone is the MOOD. A funny story and a sad story can share the purpose "to entertain" but have opposite tones.
💡Answer them separately: first "why?" (purpose), then "what mood?" (tone). Keeping them apart avoids the trap.
Page 7 · Practice
Level 1 · EasyWarm up
Identify the purpose. Tap to check.
1. "First, unplug the device. Next, remove the back cover." What is the purpose?
A To persuade
B To instruct
C To entertain
D To frighten
Step-by-step commands telling you how to do something — the purpose is to instruct.
2. "Buy now! This once-in-a-lifetime deal won’t last — you’d be mad to miss it!" What is the purpose?
A To inform
B To instruct
C To persuade
D To sadden
Excited, pushy language urging you to act — the purpose is to persuade.
3. "Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia, at 2,228 metres." What is the purpose?
A To inform
B To persuade
C To entertain
D To instruct
A plain fact with no opinion — the purpose is to inform.
🎉You’re reading the writer’s intention from their words. Now let’s tune into tone.
Page 8 · Practice
Level 2 · MediumReading the tone
Passage
Hooray! The bell rang and we burst out of the classroom, cheering. Six whole weeks of holiday stretched ahead like a bright, endless road.1. What is the tone of this passage?
A Serious
B Excited and happy
C Angry
D Gloomy
"Hooray", "burst out", "cheering", "bright" all signal excitement and joy.
2. Which word most helps create the tone?
A bell
B classroom
C cheering
D weeks
"Cheering" carries the happy, excited feeling. "Bell", "classroom" and "weeks" are neutral.
3. What is the author’s main purpose here?
A To entertain (share a lively moment)
B To instruct
C To sell something
D To give directions
It’s a lively personal moment written to be enjoyed — the purpose is to entertain.
💪See how purpose and tone are different? This passage entertains (purpose) in a joyful way (tone).
Page 9 · Practice
Level 3 · HardSubtle tone
Passage
Another meeting. Wonderful. Exactly how I’d hoped to spend my sunny Saturday afternoon — sitting in a windowless room listening to a printer jam.1. What is the real tone here?
A Genuinely delighted
B Sarcastic (annoyed, saying the opposite of what is meant)
C Frightened
D Proud
"Wonderful" and "exactly how I’d hoped" clash with the miserable details — the writer means the opposite. That’s sarcasm.
2. How does the writer really feel about the meeting?
A Excited
B Curious
C Fed up
D Grateful
The sarcasm and the gloomy details (windowless room, printer jam, lost Saturday) show they’re fed up.
3. Which clue best shows the tone is NOT sincere?
A The cheerful words are paired with miserable details
B The passage mentions a printer
C It is set on a Saturday
D It mentions a meeting
The mismatch between happy words ("wonderful") and grim details is the giveaway that the praise isn’t sincere.
💡Sarcasm is when the words say one thing but mean the opposite. Spotting the clash between words and details is the skill.
Page 10 · Challenge
Level 4 · ChallengeThink smart
Passage
The report noted, calmly and without alarm, that the ancient forest — home to creatures found nowhere else on Earth — would be entirely cleared by summer. It listed the timber’s value to the last dollar. Of the animals, it said nothing.1. What is the writer’s attitude toward the report?
A Approving
B Critical / disapproving
C Amused
D Indifferent
By stressing that the report valued timber "to the last dollar" but said "nothing" of the animals, the writer is quietly criticising it. The contrast reveals disapproval.
2. What is the writer’s main purpose?
A To instruct the reader how to log a forest
B To simply list timber prices
C To persuade the reader that something is wrong
D To entertain with a funny story
The careful contrast is designed to make you feel the loss — the writer is persuading you that clearing the forest is wrong.
3. Why does the writer mention that the report said "nothing" of the animals?
A To highlight what the report ignored, making a point
B Because animals are unimportant
C To give cooking instructions
D By accident
Pointing out the silence about the animals draws attention to what was ignored — a subtle way of criticising the report’s priorities.
🌟Detecting an attitude a writer never states outright — through contrast and what’s left unsaid — is advanced reading. Superb work reaching this level.
Complete
Beautifully read!
You’ve completed the Author’s Purpose & Tone module.
You can now identify the four purposes, read tone from word choices, keep purpose and tone separate, and even spot sarcasm and unstated attitudes. That’s a real edge in the Reading section.
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