Recap
Writers use evidence strategically and purposefully to illustrate, clarify, set a mood, exemplify, associate or amplify a point. Strategic evidence strengthens validity and reasoning, relates to the audience’s emotions and values, and builds the writer’s credibility. When reading, explain what a piece of evidence is doing; when writing, choose evidence by the job you need done.
Six jobs
| Job | Meaning | Short example |
|---|---|---|
| Illustrate | Make a general point visible | The bus shelter full by nine |
| Clarify | Make an unfamiliar idea understandable | Compound interest as a rolling snowball |
| Set a mood | Create an atmosphere | “The hush of a waiting room” |
| Exemplify | A representative instance | The Corner Café’s closure |
| Associate | Link to something respected or feared | Comparing a library closure with a school closure |
| Amplify | Raise the scale or force | Not one shop but twelve |
Four things to weigh when choosing
- The claim: does the evidence bear directly on it?
- The audience: will it convince these readers and connect with their values?
- The writer’s credibility: is it reliable, relevant and fair?
- The purpose: inform, persuade, honour, warn or move to act?
Source credibility
Ask whether the source is qualified, independent and current. A named study by a relevant department carries more weight than “I read somewhere”.
Strategic selection versus cherry-picking
Selecting is normal. Hiding what cuts against you can mislead. A fair writer acknowledges contrary evidence and explains why it does not change the conclusion.
Worked mini-example
Lincoln, 16 June 1858: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Clarifies (turns a political problem into a familiar picture), associates (the phrase comes from the Gospels, which his audience knew), and amplifies (“cannot stand” implies collapse). It prepares the claim that follows: “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”
For a governors’ audience asked to keep a minibus: choose the cost comparison with taxis (validity) and the usage table (exemplifies need) before a parent’s story (illustration) or a cheerful photograph (mood only).
How to write about it
- Quote the evidence briefly.
- Name the job (illustrate, clarify, associate…).
- Say how it fits the audience and purpose.
- Link to the claim.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling evidence “an example” and stopping.
- Choosing the most dramatic evidence regardless of relevance.
- Assuming true evidence is automatically well chosen.
- Ignoring contrary evidence.
- Treating a famous source as automatically credible.
- Saying an analogy proves a claim.
Quick self-check
- Name three jobs of evidence. For example illustrate, clarify, amplify.
- Why associate a point with something the audience respects? It transfers respect or feeling and makes the point seem familiar.
- What question tests whether evidence is relevant? Does it bear directly on what the claim says?
- What is cherry-picking? Choosing only the evidence that suits and hiding what does not.
- What job does Lincoln’s “house divided” image do first? It clarifies by turning an abstract problem into a familiar picture.
For the full explanation and worked examples, return to the study guide.