How do I explain why the writer organises information this way?
Think about openings, endings, paragraph order and why the writer chooses that structure.
Step-by-step approach for Year 5-6
- Identify what the writer does at that point in the passage.
- Ask why that choice helps the reader follow or feel the text.
- Use words such as begins, shifts, contrasts, reveals or concludes.
- Explain the effect of the structure, not just the content.
What to look for
- How the passage begins and what question or mood it creates.
- Changes in time, setting, viewpoint or pace.
- The order in which information is revealed.
- How the ending changes the reader's understanding.
Worked example
Example question
Why does the author begin the passage with a question?
Short extract
What would you do if the sea vanished overnight? By morning, the harbour was a field of cracked mud.
Model answer
The author begins with a question to make the reader curious and involved straight away. It prepares us for an unusual event before the next sentence reveals that the sea has disappeared.
Exam tip
Structure questions are about the writer's choices. Try asking: why this first, why this next, and why this ending?