Visual Text Analysis: Layout, Salience, Gaze and Vectors in a Poster — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 9 text analysis & essays worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 9 · English · Text Analysis & EssaysVisual Text Analysis: Layout, Salience, Gaze and Vectors in a Poster — Answers
Part A: The language of images
Answer each question.
- salience
- vector
- demand gaze
- offer gaze
- focus
- contrast
- The element that stands out most and draws the eye first.
- A figure looks away, so the viewer observes them from outside.
- Which parts of the image are sharp and which are blurred.
- Placing opposites side by side, such as light and dark or warm and cool tones.
- A figure looks directly at the viewer, creating a connection.
- A line, real or implied, that leads the viewer's eye through the image.
Answer: salience → The element that stands out most and draws the eye first.; vector → A line, real or implied, that leads the viewer's eye through the image.; demand gaze → A figure looks directly at the viewer, creating a connection.; offer gaze → A figure looks away, so the viewer observes them from outside.; focus → Which parts of the image are sharp and which are blurred.; contrast → Placing opposites side by side, such as light and dark or warm and cool tones.
- AThe small logo
- BThe hashtag
- CThe huge white headline
- DThe body text
Answer: The huge white headline
Size, position at the top and bright white letters on an image make the headline the most eye-catching element.
- Aa demand gaze, because she stares at the viewer
- Ban offer gaze, because she looks down at her phone
- Ca demand gaze, because she is the largest figure
- Dneither, because she has no eyes in the image
Answer: an offer gaze, because she looks down at her phone
She looks at her screen, not at us, so we observe her from the outside, perhaps seeing ourselves in her.
- Athe logo
- Bthe girl's phone
- Cthe group of laughing friends
- Dthe navy band
Answer: the group of laughing friends
They run diagonally toward the bright group, guiding the viewer's eye to what the girl is missing.
- AThe photographer made a mistake
- BTo show they are less important to the girl, who is absorbed in her screen
- CTo protect their privacy only
- DBecause they are moving too fast to see
Answer: To show they are less important to the girl, who is absorbed in her screen
Blurring the friends shows how far away the real world feels from the girl's point of view, even though it is just behind her.
Part B: Explaining effects
Use the visual terms from Part A in your answers.
Answer: Cool blue light from the phone suggests loneliness, isolation and an artificial world; the warm golden light suggests friendship, happiness and real life. The contrast positions viewers to see the phone as cutting the girl off from joy.
Answer: The emotional image grabs attention and creates feeling first; the text underneath then gives the practical message and call to action. Viewers move from emotion (the ideal) to information (the real).
Answer: The layout acts out the meaning of the word: the text itself looks up. It is a playful visual pun that draws attention and makes the message memorable.
Answer: (1) Imperative verbs "Put your phone down" and "see" directly command the reader, creating a call to action. (2) Inclusive, direct address with "you" and "your" makes it personal. Also accept the sweeping claim "The best moments don't happen on a screen" or the appeal to fear of missing out in "what you have been missing".
Answer: Teenagers and young people. The main figure is a teenager, the setting is a casual park with friends, and the hashtag suits social media users.
Answer: An open eye suggests paying attention and seeing the world, which reinforces LOOK UP and the idea of noticing what you have been missing.
Part C: Your turn
Model answer: The poster combines striking visual contrast with direct language to persuade young people that time on screens means missing out on real life. The most salient feature, the headline SWITCH OFF. LOOK UP., uses imperatives in huge white capitals to give an immediate instruction, and the raised word UP playfully acts out the message. Below it, the girl's offer gaze is fixed on her phone, so viewers observe her from the outside and may uncomfortably see their own habits reflected in her bowed head. The contrast between the cold blue light on her face and the warm golden light around her friends positions screens as isolating and real friendship as joyful. Vectors formed by the bench, path and shadows lead the eye away from the girl toward the laughing group, showing exactly what she cannot see. The blurred focus on the friends reinforces how distant the real world has become for her. Finally, the body text addresses the viewer as "you" and offers a simple, achievable challenge of one hour a day, turning the emotional image into a practical call to action. Together, these features make the viewer feel the loss first and then offer them an easy way to change.
Success criteria:
- Topic sentence states how the poster persuades and names its audience or purpose
- Uses at least three visual terms accurately (salience, gaze, vectors, contrast, focus, layout)
- Discusses both visual and written features
- Explains the effect on the viewer, not just what is shown
- Logical order that follows the viewer's eye or builds an argument
- Formal register, present tense, accurate expression
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.