Speech Writing for the NSW Selective Test 2026

Speech Writing for the NSW Selective Test 2026 — Complete Guide

The 2026 NSW Academic Selective Aptitude Test (ASAT), sat on 1 May 2026, confirmed that speech is now part of the selective writing test genre rotation. This means students preparing for the selective test must practise writing speeches alongside narratives, persuasive essays, diary entries, news reports, advice sheets, and emails.

This guide breaks down exactly how to write a high-band speech: what markers look for, how to structure it, what rhetorical techniques to use, and how speech writing differs from every other genre you have practised.

What is a speech?

A speech is a piece of writing designed to be spoken aloud to an audience. It is persuasive, informative, or inspirational — and it must sound natural when read out loud. Unlike an essay (which is read silently), a speech has to *land in the ear*, not just on the page.

In the selective test context, you will not actually deliver the speech. But markers will assess whether your writing *reads like a speech* — meaning it uses spoken-language techniques, addresses an audience directly, and has rhythm and flow that would work if read aloud.

Think of the kind of speech you might give at a school assembly, a community event, a debate, or a class presentation. That is the register and energy you are aiming for.

Why speech catches students off guard

Most students prepare heavily for narrative and persuasive essays. A speech is persuasive — but it is not an essay. The format, structure, and techniques are different.

Students who write a standard five-paragraph essay and call it a "speech" will lose marks on genre conventions immediately. A speech has:

• Direct address ("Ladies and gentlemen," "Fellow students," "Think about the last time you...")
• Rhetorical techniques designed for spoken delivery (repetition, the rule of three, pauses, questions)
• A conversational yet authoritative tone — more personal than an essay, more structured than a conversation
• A clear call to action — speeches end by asking the audience to do, feel, or believe something

If your piece could be submitted as either an essay or a speech with no changes, it is not a speech.

How the speech is marked

The NSW selective writing test uses the same marking criteria for all genres. The difference is how you demonstrate those criteria within the speech format:

Genre conventions and content (Set A)

Your speech must:

• Open with a greeting or acknowledgement that establishes who you are speaking to ("Good morning, teachers and students," or "Members of the school council,")
• State your purpose clearly within the first 2-3 sentences ("Today, I want to talk to you about..." or "I stand before you to argue that...")
• Maintain the illusion of live delivery throughout — reference "this room," "all of you," "right now," "today"
• Close with a memorable final statement — a call to action, a powerful question, or a repeated phrase that echoes your opening

Markers are looking for evidence that you understand this is a speech, not just an argument. The techniques below are what separate a speech from a persuasive essay.

Structure and organisation (Set A)

A strong speech has this structure:

1. Opening (greeting + hook + thesis): 2-3 sentences that grab attention and state your position
2. Body (2-3 key arguments): Each supported with evidence, examples, or emotional appeal
3. Counterargument (optional but impressive): Acknowledge the other side, then demolish it
4. Closing (call to action + memorable final line): Tell the audience what to do next, then end with impact

Unlike an essay, a speech does not need "Firstly... Secondly... Thirdly..." transitions. Those are essay scaffolding. Speeches use more natural transitions:

• "But here is what nobody talks about..."
• "Now, some of you might be thinking..."
• "Let me put it another way..."
• "And that brings me to the heart of the matter..."

Style, vocabulary, and voice (Set A)

Tone: Confident, passionate, and direct. A speech-writer speaks *to* the audience, not *at* them. First person ("I believe") and second person ("You know this is true") should both appear regularly.

Vocabulary: Slightly more accessible than a formal essay. Speeches are heard, not re-read — complex vocabulary that requires processing time works against you. Choose words for their *sound* as much as their meaning. Strong, punchy, single-syllable words land harder in speeches: "We must act. We must change. We must begin — today."

Rhythm: Read your speech aloud in your head. Does it flow? Do certain phrases punch? Speeches are musical — they use patterns, repetition, and cadence to carry the audience forward.

Sentences, punctuation, and spelling (Set B)

Same requirements as always: accurate spelling, correct punctuation, varied sentence structures. But speeches have specific punctuation habits:

• Short sentences for impact. "Enough is enough." "The time is now."
• Longer sentences for building momentum. "When we look at the state of our playgrounds, when we consider how little time we spend outside, when we remember what recess used to feel like — we realise something has to change."
• Dashes and ellipses for pause. These mimic the pauses a speaker would take: "This is not just a problem — it is a crisis."
• Fragments for punch. "Not tomorrow. Not next term. Now." (Fragments are acceptable in speeches where they would not be in essays.)

The 8 rhetorical techniques that score top band

These are the techniques markers look for in a speech. Use at least 4-5 of them per piece:

1. Rhetorical questions

Questions you do not expect the audience to answer — they force the listener to think.

"How many of you have walked past litter on the ground and done nothing? How many of you have thought, 'someone else will pick it up'?"

Use rhetorical questions to open paragraphs, to transition between ideas, or to build toward a conclusion. They keep the audience mentally active.

2. Rule of three (tricolon)

Groups of three words, phrases, or sentences create satisfying rhythm and feel complete:

"We need to be braver, kinder, and louder."

"It affects our health. It affects our happiness. It affects our future."

Three is the magic number in speech writing — two feels incomplete, four feels like a list.

3. Repetition (anaphora)

Repeating a word or phrase at the start of consecutive sentences creates power and emphasis:

"We deserve better lunchtimes. We deserve better equipment. We deserve a school that listens to its students."

This technique is what makes speeches *sound* like speeches. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" is anaphora. Use it at least once.

4. Direct address

Speak directly to your audience using "you," "we," and "us":

"You — every single one of you sitting here today — have the power to change this."

Direct address creates intimacy and urgency. It makes the audience feel personally responsible.

5. Emotive language

Choose words that trigger emotional responses:

"Imagine a child — your age, your height — who has not eaten a proper meal in three days."

Emotive language is not exaggeration. It is *precision*. Choose the detail that hits hardest and trust it to do the work.

6. Personal anecdote

A brief story from your own experience (real or plausible) builds credibility:

"Last Tuesday, I watched my little sister cry because the playground was too crowded for her to find a swing. She is six years old. She should not have to fight for space to play."

Keep anecdotes to 2-3 sentences. They illustrate, not dominate.

7. Statistics or evidence

Even a single fact adds weight:

"Did you know that Australian children spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on screens? That is more time than they spend playing, reading, and talking to their families — combined."

If you invent a statistic, make it plausible. "Studies show that 73% of students feel happier when..." sounds credible. "99% of all scientists agree..." does not.

8. Call to action

Every speech ends by asking the audience to do something:

"So I ask you — sign the petition. Talk to your teacher. Tell your parents. And next time you see litter on the ground, pick it up. Because change starts with one person. Let that person be you."

Calls to action should be specific and achievable. "Change the world" is too vague. "Sign the petition by Friday" is actionable.

Step-by-step: writing a speech in 30 minutes

Minutes 1-5: Planning

Before you write anything, decide:

1. Who is your audience? The prompt will tell you — a school assembly, a local council meeting, a class debate. Your tone and vocabulary shift depending on who you are speaking to.
2. What is your position? State it in one sentence: "I am arguing that [X] because [Y]."
3. What are your 2-3 key arguments? Brainstorm briefly. Pick the strongest.
4. What is your opening hook? A question, a shocking fact, a short anecdote.
5. What is your closing line? Write this now — your ending should echo or answer your opening.

Minutes 5-8: Opening (greeting + hook + thesis)

Open with your audience acknowledgement, then hit them with a hook:

"Good morning, Mr Chen, teachers, and fellow students. Last week, I asked my mum a simple question: 'Why don't we recycle at school?' She did not have an answer. Neither did my teacher. Today, I want to propose one."

Three sentences. Greeting, anecdote, purpose. The audience is hooked and knows where you are going.

Minutes 8-20: Body (2-3 arguments)

Each argument gets its own paragraph. Structure each one as:

1. Claim (one sentence stating the point)
2. Evidence or example (2-3 sentences supporting it)
3. Link back to thesis (one sentence connecting to your overall argument)

Use a different rhetorical technique in each paragraph — repetition in one, a statistic in another, a rhetorical question in the third. This variety keeps the speech dynamic.

Minutes 20-24: Counterargument (optional but powerful)

Acknowledge what the other side might say, then dismantle it:

"Now, I know what some of you are thinking: 'It is too expensive.' And yes, setting up recycling bins has a cost. But do you know what is more expensive? Watching our planet suffocate under mountains of plastic while we do nothing."

This earns marks for sophistication and fairness.

Minutes 24-27: Closing (call to action + final line)

End strong. Repeat a phrase from your opening. Give the audience something to do:

"So I return to the question I started with: why don't we recycle at school? The answer is not that we cannot. It is that nobody has asked. Well, today — I am asking. Join me. Sign the petition on the noticeboard by Friday. Because if not us, who? And if not now — when?"

Minutes 27-30: Proofread

Read the speech aloud in your head. Check for:

• Does it *sound* like a speech? (Direct address, rhetorical questions, repetition?)
• Is the opening strong?
• Is the closing memorable?
• Spelling errors (especially in your first and last sentences — markers notice those most)

Common mistakes that lose marks

Writing an essay, not a speech

If your piece has no greeting, no direct address, no rhetorical questions, and no call to action — it is an essay in disguise. Markers will penalise on genre conventions.

Fix: Add a greeting in the first line. Use "you" at least 10 times. End with a call to action.

Opening with a dictionary definition

"According to the dictionary, recycling means..." is the most overused opening in student speeches. It is not wrong, but it is boring and marks you as unoriginal.

Fix: Open with a question, an anecdote, or a surprising fact. Anything that creates curiosity.

No repetition or rhythm

A speech without rhetorical techniques reads like flat prose. It will not fail — but it will not reach the top band either.

Fix: Include at least one rule-of-three, one anaphora (repeated opening phrase), and one rhetorical question.

Ending with "Thank you for listening"

This is not wrong — but it is a missed opportunity. "Thank you for listening" is functional, not impactful. The last words of your speech are what the audience (and the marker) remembers.

Fix: End with your strongest line: a question, a callback to your opening, or a short, punchy sentence that captures your message. Then, optionally, add "Thank you" as a single final word.

Being too formal or too casual

A speech is not an academic essay ("Furthermore, it must be noted that...") and it is not a text to a friend ("Like, honestly, it's so annoying"). It lives in the middle — passionate, personal, but structured.

Fix: Write like you are speaking to a school assembly: clear, warm, confident.

How speech differs from persuasive essay

If you have practised persuasive writing, you already have 60% of what you need for a speech. The extra 40% is: greeting, direct address, rhetorical devices, rhythm, and call to action.

Practice prompts

Use these prompts to practise speech writing under timed conditions (30 minutes):

1. School improvement: You have been asked to speak at a school assembly about one change that would make your school better. Write your speech.
2. Community issue: Your local council has invited students to speak about an issue affecting young people in your area. Write your speech.
3. Persuade your class: Your teacher has given the class a choice between two excursion options. Write a speech persuading your classmates to vote for your preferred option.
4. Inspire younger students: You have been chosen to speak at a Year 3 assembly about what to expect in Year 6. Write your speech.
5. Environmental action: You are speaking at a community meeting about what your neighbourhood can do to reduce waste. Write your speech.

For each prompt, aim for 400-500 words. Use at least 4 rhetorical techniques. Time yourself strictly.

Key takeaways

1. A speech is not an essay — it must sound spoken, with greeting, direct address, and rhythm
2. Use at least 4-5 rhetorical techniques: repetition, rule of three, questions, anecdote, call to action
3. Open strong (hook the audience in sentence one) and close stronger (end on your most powerful line)
4. Read your speech aloud in your head during proofreading — if it does not flow, rewrite
5. The 2026 ASAT confirmed speech as a test genre — practise it alongside all other formats

What we know about the 2026 ASAT

The 2026 NSW Academic Selective Aptitude Test took place on 1 May 2026. The writing component was a speech. Due to test security requirements, specific topics and prompts cannot be disclosed.

What we can confirm:

• Speech is now part of the official genre rotation alongside narrative, persuasive essay, diary entry, news report, advice sheet, and email
• Students had 30 minutes to complete the writing task
• The same 5-criteria marking rubric (genre conventions, structure, language/vocabulary, grammar/spelling/punctuation, creativity/effectiveness/voice) applied

This means students preparing for the 2027 selective test should practise all eight genres — including speech. The test can draw from any of them, and the genre is only revealed on test day.