Functional Skills English

Presents…

•Many students get confused about bias – what it is and how to spot it in a piece of written work.

•As a result, a lot of students get the bias question wrong.

•You can gain a total of 25 marks in the Reading exam and the bias question is always worth 4 marks.

•A lot of students fail the exam by 4 marks.

•Do the maths!!!

Why are we focusing on the bias question?

So, if you are going to pass the exam, you need to nail bias! It’s not that hard – bias, as

you will see, is everywhere!

•First, you will learn ‘what is bias?’

•Next you will learn how to recognise bias in written texts.

•Then you will learn where to expect the ‘bias question’ in the exam.

•You will also learn what sort of questions around bias to look out for in the exam…

So what are my learning aims today?

•When you want to win a dispute or convince people that you are right, you present your own point of view (aka viewpoint).

•Sometimes you might not even bother telling them about the other side of the argument.

•Your argument is probably one sided

•That is bias!

First - what is bias?

Bias can be personal….

Why should we have a death penalty?

If people commit a crime then they should expect to be punished. If they kill someone, they should

expect to be killed in return!

If there is a death penalty it makes people think twice before they commit

a crime!

If you execute a murderer then you know that they will never, ever murder

anyone again..!

Here Ibrahim is showing personal bias in favour of the death penalty. He does not make any attempt to give the other side of

the argument. He gives only his viewpoint.

Let’s ask

Ibrahim!

If you are in a class, have a 5 minute

discussion about WHY we should have the

death penalty. If you are doing this on your own, write

down some reasons….

What about the other side of the argument?

Why should we NOT have a death penalty?

It is morally wrong to kill another human being, even if they have murdered others.

There is no evidence to show that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to

crime

If you execute a murderer and then you

find out they didn’t commit the crime then

you are killing an innocent person.

Here Ibrahim is showing personal bias

against the death penalty. He does not make any attempt to give the other side of

the argument. He gives only his own

viewpoint.

What could Ibrahim say?

If you are in a class, have a 5 minute

discussion about WHY we should NOT have the death penalty. If you are doing this on your own, write

down some reasons….

• If Ibrahim had given both sides of the argument then he would

have given a balanced view

PUNISHMENTDETERRENTAVOID

REPEAT OF CRIME

WRONG TO KILL AS

PUNISHMENT

LACK OF EVIDENCE IT

DETERSWHAT IF

THEY ARE INNOCENT?PLUS

•However, if he gives only a one-sided perspective, then he is showing bias.

FOR AGAINST

A balanced article will show the opinions (or viewponts) of a number of people.

How to spot bias in an article

AND MY OPINION….

MY OPINION…. ANDMY

OPINION….One way to spot bias in an article is if it only gives one person’s perspective on an issue or if most of the article is given over to that perspective.

When one viewpoint is given priority…. Then only one opinion may be read (or heard).

Me me me, blah blah blah, me, me,

me…and when you only read (or hear) one person’s viewpoint about something, it is often not balanced but biased!

Millwall 4-0 Bolton Wanderers

Magnificent Millwall are triumphantly through to the third round of the magical FA Cup after whipping the clueless Bolton with ease.

Their blistering first goal came from the outstanding John Marquis who took a penalty after a despicable foul by the appalling Mike Whitlow.

Other goals were from the elegant Therry Racon after just 35 minutes and Shaun Batt added to the party atmosphere after 56 minutes.

This was followed by an entertaining own goal from Bolton's hapless Anthony Barness after 72 minutes.

A Football Match

Read this reportAdapted from a piece on BBC Skillswise.

Millwall 4-0 Bolton Wanderers

Magnificent Millwall are triumphantly through to the third round of the magical FA Cup after whipping the clueless Bolton with ease.

Their blistering first goal came from the outstanding John Marquis who took a penalty after a despicable foul by the appalling Tom Eaves.

Other goals were from the elegant Therry Racon after just 35 minutes and Shaun Batt added to the party atmosphere after 56 minutes.

This was followed by an entertaining own goal from Bolton's hapless Anthony Barness after 72 minutes.

Discussion•Who do you think wrote this match report?

•Why?•What words are used to describe the Millwall team and players?

•What words are used to describe the Bolton players and team?

A Football Match Report

Millwall 4-0 Bolton Wanderers

Millwall have scraped through to the third round of the pointless FA Cup after being very lucky against Bolton.

Their fortunate first goal came from John Marquis who took a greedy penalty after supposedly being fouled by the courageous Tom Eaves.

Other lucky goals were from the ‘Terrible Therry’ Racon after 35 minutes and Shaun Batt managed to score one way or another after 56 minutes.

This was followed by an unfortunate own goal from Bolton's usually magnificent Joshua Vela after 72 minutes.

Another Football Match Report

Read this reportAdapted from a piece on BBC Skillswise.

Millwall 4-0 Bolton Wanderers

Millwall have scraped through to the third round of the pointless FA Cup after being very lucky against Bolton.

Their fortunate first goal came from John Marquis who took a greedy penalty after supposedly being fouled by the courageous Tom Eaves.

Other lucky goals were from the ‘Terrible Therry’ Racon after 35 minutes and Shaun Batt managed to score one way or another after 56 minutes.

This was followed by an unfortunate own goal from Bolton's usually magnificent Joshua Vela after 72 minutes.

Another Football Match Report

Discussion•Who do you think wrote this match report?

•Why?•What words are used to describe the Millwall team and players?

•What words are used to describe the Bolton players and team?

•Question 7 is usually about BIAS. Often the question explicitly asks for ways in which the text is biased.

•Sometimes, however, the question asks about how the writer gets their VIEWPOINT across – the answers may be the same.

•More about that later!

Where can I expect the bias question?

DECEMBER 2010

SEPTEMBER 2012

OCTOBER 2011

7. Which of the three documents do you think contains the most evidence of

bias? Give evidence to support your answer and explain why being aware of bias

is important when trying to solve the infestation problems. (4 marks)

7. Which of the documents do you think contains the most evidence of bias?

Give evidence to support your answer. Explain why being aware of bias is

important when considering issues such as tuition fees. (4 marks)

6. Which of the three documents do you think contains the most evidence of

bias? Give evidence to support your answer and explain why being aware of bias

is important when making decisions about introducing a loyalty scheme. (4

marks)

Functional Skills EnglishSection 60: Stop and Search at

its Most Pernicious

Sadly this article is missing, but you can apply what you learn to this article…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14483149

You will need to read the article carefully – but before you do, go on to the next slides for some advice about what to look for.

Ifeoma will show you what else to look out for when checking an article for BIAS!

First, look for a selective use of statistics. These are the facts and figures used to support the viewpoint of the

writer. Often these are the only statistics you will find. The opposite perspective is missing or only mentioned in passing.

If the article contains opinions, then watch out for them all being on one side of the argument. If the article is about

cats and all (or most) of what you get is what bad pets they make, then the argument is one-sided.

The language can be a give-away too... If the author uses emotive language that can show that they have bias. They can also ‘accentuate the positive’ (or negative depending on

their viewpoint) too much!

Wait! There’s more!

Quotations from experts are often used in articles. While this is a good approach in journalistic writing, you often find that the writer has used quotations just like they use facts

and figures – selectively!

One thing which can become obvious when you have read an article is that the writer just doesn’t have the evidence to support their viewpoint. This can also indicate bias as it

shows they have not thought things through properly.

Although most good writers will avoid this, always watch out for sarcasm! Oh, really? Yes! When trying to destroy an opposing viewpoint, writers will often use sarcasm in an

attempt to make it look stupid – even if it means it reveals their bias to the reader.

A final point about language. If it is a bit ‘over the top’ - exaggerated – then the writer might be using hyperbole. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally. It often

shows that the author is biased.

• selective use of statistics

• one-sided argument

• emotive language/use of positive (or negative) views

• selective use of quotations

• lack of evidence to support views

• use of sarcasm

• use of hyperbole

Spotting bias

Let’s put all of that in to one list!

Now go and read the ‘Stop and Search’ article and see what you can spot!

What did you spot?

We suggest that you do!

The statistics only show the negative aspects of Section 60. The argument is one-sided.

There is exaggerated, emotive language used in the article:

“Peter is unhappy. Really really unhappy”

Remember you must get the answer from the text – do NOT draw on your own experience or

knowledge!

Q6 – Other possible answers

The quotations are only from people who are against Section 60.

There is selective use of statistics in the text, so one point of view is

A final answer could be that there is really a general lack of evidence presented in the article (even if you agree with its sentiments) – so you

had FIVE options for TWO marks here...!

given too much emphasis

What if the word ‘bias’ does not appear in the question......?

True, true! In the exam YOU have to do, the word BIAS might not appear in the question. So, what else should

you look for? Here are TWO recent examples….

What if the word ‘bias’ does not appear in the question......?

Watch out for words like ‘the writer’s viewpoint’.This will be asking how the writer gets their views across while neglecting other opinions...

Here’s another way bias may be included in a question without the word being used.How does the writer influence the reader? Or Give examples how the writer is in favour of… (or against)

This is really asking you to show the ways in which the text reveals bias.

What if the words ‘supports this viewpoint’ appears in the question......?

This question is looking for the same answers, really. Look for selective use of quotations, a one-sided argument, selective use of statistics, and the language used (is it emotive or exaggerated?).

What if the word ‘bias’ does not appear in the question......?

Watch out for this one, however….

This question is looking for EXAMPLES. ‘In favour’ means that the writer has a POSITIVE viewpoint – so look for where language is used to show just that. Look for exaggerated language and POSITIVE adjectives and adverbs.

Finally, YES! When the exam asks for EXAMPLES, you can just write the examples down on your answer sheet, either in your own way or word for word as they appear in the article.

Good luck in your Functional Skills English

exam!

This was a… production

Thanks to Lewisham and Southwark College students Ibrahim, Ifeoma, Louis, Trevaughn and Kenan (and tutor Lance Stanford) for use of their image(s).

Created by Robert Evans and adapted by Barbara Kay for use with OCR.