Students analyse and compose public information texts such as notices, signs, brochures and announcements that inform and direct a wide community audience

A 3-mark Section I question on an infographic (the "10 Keys to Happier Living"). An infographic is a public information text built for a broad audience, exactly the kind of text this dot point covers, so the same reading skill applies: how design and image work with words to inform quickly and clearly.

State the main message, then link the images to it. The infographic's message is that small, everyday actions build happier living, and the simple icons paired with each "Give it a go" tip make that message instantly readable for a wide, mixed audience.

Show how the images do the work. The clear, consistent icons let a reader scan and grasp each key at a glance without reading dense text, and the visual grouping organises ten ideas into a single, accessible message, which is exactly what a public information text needs to do.

For 3 marks, identify the main message, explain how the images make it clear and quick to read, and link this to the broad audience a public text must serve.

A short composition-and-reflection task of the kind the exam and portfolio use. You produce a public text and justify your choices.

A strong notice leads with a bold heading and the key information (what, when, where) where the eye lands first, uses plain words and a clear symbol, and ends with a next step or contact. The reflection then names two choices: for example, placing the date and time first because readers glance once, and using plain words so readers of different ages and language backgrounds all understand.

Markers reward a notice that works at a glance and a reflection that explains choices in terms of the broad, mixed audience a public text must serve.

Any three of (1 mark each, capped at 3). A clear heading stating the topic at once; the key message placed where the eye lands first (top or centre); short chunks of text with white space rather than dense paragraphs; symbols or images that carry meaning without words; direct language (imperatives for instructions, plain statements for information); contact details or a next step.

Marking spine: 1 mark per correctly named feature, to a maximum of 3. A feature described vaguely (e.g. "it looks nice") without a specific design/language quality does not earn the mark.

The audience problem (2 marks). A public text is read by a broad, mixed audience of different ages, languages and reading levels, arriving with no shared background knowledge, so it cannot assume the reader will study it carefully or already understand context the way a private letter to a known reader could.

Why 'at a glance' follows (2 marks). Because most real readers only glance once (a swimmer walking past a pool sign, a commuter passing a station announcement board), the text must deliver its key message within that single glance or it fails its purpose entirely, however accurate or well written its full content is; this is why layout, size and symbols matter as much as the words themselves.

Marking spine: an accurate description of the broad/mixed audience (2), a clear explanation of why this forces the "single glance" design standard (2).

A 5-mark "describe" question rewards identifying SPECIFIC design and language features and linking each to the broad-audience purpose, not a general summary.

Language and colour (about 2 marks)

The warning uses red, a colour widely understood to signal danger regardless of language background, and the words are short and direct ("NO DIVING") rather than a fuller sentence such as "Diving is not permitted in this area", trading grammatical completeness for instant readability.

Symbol and layout (about 2 marks)

The crossed-out diver icon carries the same warning without relying on English at all, reaching readers who may not read fluently, while its placement directly beneath the words (not buried elsewhere on the sign) reinforces the message rather than competing with it.

Supporting detail (about 1 mark)

The smaller depth and lifeguard-hours text is placed last and smallest because it supports rather than replaces the primary warning, which is exactly the size hierarchy a public safety sign needs: the most safety-critical information is also the most visually dominant.

Marking spine: at least two specific features described (language/colour, symbol, layout/size) each linked to the broad-audience purpose (up to 4), with a concluding point about the size hierarchy matching safety priority (1).

A 6-mark "compare and explain" question rewards identifying SPECIFIC differences (not just "the strong one is shorter") and explaining why each difference suits a broad audience reading at a glance.

What is different (about 3 marks). The weak version opens with a formal, apologetic frame ("Please be advised that... the council apologises") and buries the actual dates inside a long sentence, forcing the reader to process irrelevant politeness before reaching the fact that matters. The strong version leads with the single most urgent fact ("Car park closed"), states the dates as a short, scannable phrase, and adds only the two details a stranger genuinely needs: an alternative and a contact.

Why the strong version works for a broad audience (about 3 marks). A broad, mixed-ability audience reading in a hurry needs the closure dates and the alternative parking option within a single glance; the weak version's formal register and long sentence structure demand careful, linear reading that many glancing or less fluent readers will not give it, so the key fact (which dates, where to park instead) risks being missed entirely. The strong version's short, chunked lines and plain words remove that risk without losing any information a reader actually needs.

Marking spine: at least two specific structural/language differences identified (3), a clear explanation linking the strong version's choices to the needs of a broad, glancing audience (3).

Model notice

"Fire alarm test today. Tuesday, 10:00-10:15am. No need to evacuate - this is a scheduled test. Questions: ask staff at reception."

Choice 1 (about 2 marks, any well-justified choice)

The heading states the event and its harmless nature almost immediately ("Fire alarm test") so that anyone startled by the alarm can quickly find reassurance, rather than assuming a real emergency; this matters because a broad audience includes people unfamiliar with the building's routines.

Choice 2 (about 2 marks, any well-justified choice)

The time is given as a short, exact range (10:00-10:15am) rather than a vaguer phrase like "mid-morning", because a broad audience reading in a hurry needs a precise, scannable fact, not an approximation they must interpret.

Overall (about 1 mark)

The notice is short and chunked, with the reassurance ("no need to evacuate") placed early rather than at the end, because withholding it risks unnecessary alarm for even a few seconds.

Marking spine: an effective, plausible notice using plain words and clear hierarchy (up to 2), two distinct, well-justified choices explicitly tied to the broad/mixed audience (up to 3, partial credit for choices stated without justification).

An 8-mark "analyse and evaluate" needs sustained discussion of SPECIFIC design and language features linked to the broad-audience purpose, plus a genuine evaluative judgement (not just a list of good points), addressing both strengths and any limits.

Colour and text size

The black-on-yellow colour combination is a widely recognised high-visibility warning pairing, readable at distance and in poor light, which matters because a platform audience includes people glancing while walking, distracted, or with limited English, for whom colour contrast carries meaning before any word is read. The all-capitals "PLATFORM CLOSED" is short, urgent and placed first, giving the single fact that changes a traveller's plan before any supporting detail.

Symbol before elaboration

The arrow icon appears immediately beneath the heading, before the sentence explaining the detour, so that a reader who does not read English fluently, or who is rushing, can still physically follow the correct direction without decoding words at all; this is precisely the kind of symbol-carries-meaning design the dot point asks students to recognise.

Ordered supporting detail

The smaller text is sequenced logically: the alternative platform, then the accessibility detail (lifts available, relevant to a mixed audience including travellers with limited mobility), then the concrete next-train time. Placing the time last, though it is highly practical, is a reasonable choice because a reader's most urgent need on seeing "PLATFORM CLOSED" is direction (where to go), not yet the schedule; only once redirected does the specific time become the next most useful fact.

Evaluation

The notice meets the demands of a public information text well: it leads with the single most disruptive fact, backs it with a universally readable symbol, and orders supporting detail from most to least urgently needed, all achievable within a single glance. Its main limitation is that it assumes the reader can physically see and reach the footbridge signposted only by a general arrow; a stronger version might add a short distance or "50m" cue for readers unfamiliar with the station layout, showing that even an effective public text can be refined further for genuinely unfamiliar users.

Marker's note: the top band sustains analysis of at least three specific design/language features (colour, symbol placement, information ordering), explicitly ties each to the broad/mixed audience, and reaches a genuine evaluative judgement that goes beyond "it works well" by naming a concrete strength AND a plausible limitation.

An evaluate question at this level needs a clear position, reasoning about WHEN the claim holds and when it does not, and specific original evidence, not a flat yes/no.

When the claim holds (about 3 marks)

For instructions that must cross language and literacy barriers instantly - a "no smoking" sign with a crossed-out cigarette icon, or a wheelchair-access symbol on a door - the symbol genuinely carries the full meaning faster and more universally than any short phrase could, because it requires no reading at all and is recognised across languages. In these cases the claim is essentially correct: the symbol is doing the primary communicative work.

When the claim does not hold (about 3 marks)

For a notice with specific, changeable detail - for example, an original notice reading "Community hall car park closed 10-17 August, park on Elm Street, enquiries 02 5550 1234" - no symbol can convey a specific date range, a named alternative street or a phone number; words are indispensable here because the information is precise and time-bound, not a universal safety concept a single icon can represent. A symbol might support this notice (an arrow toward Elm Street) but could not replace the words.

Judgement (about 1 mark)

The claim is only true for texts communicating a single, universal, safety- or access-related concept; for texts carrying specific, situational detail, words remain essential and symbols can only support them, so "always" over-states the case.

Marking spine: a reasoned case for when symbols dominate (3), a reasoned case for when words are indispensable, with an original example (3), and an explicit final judgement addressing the word "always" in the claim (1).