How do I read a poster or advertisement that mixes words and pictures, and answer questions on it?
Read a visual text such as a poster or advertisement, taking in both the words and the images, and answer comprehension questions on its message and details
How to read a visual text such as a poster or advertisement that combines words and images, take in both, and answer comprehension questions on its message, details and choices.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
SEAB wants you to read a visual text (a poster, an advertisement, a flyer, an infographic) that combines words and images, and to answer comprehension questions on it. Section A of Paper 2 is Visual Text Comprehension. The key skill is to read the whole text, both what it says and what it shows, because the meaning comes from the two working together. You take in the headline, the main image, and the smaller details, and you answer questions on the message, the details, and the choices the designer made.
The answer
Read words and images together
A visual text is designed so the words and the images work as a team. The picture is not decoration; it supports or extends the words. If you read only the text or only the image, you miss part of the message. Always take in both, and ask how they connect.
Start with the headline
The biggest words, the headline, usually state the main message ("Give Blood, Save Lives", "Stop Wasting Water"). Read this first, because it tells you what the visual text is about. Slogans and sub-headings add to it. The headline is short and bold for a reason: it is the heart of the message.
Look at the main image
The main image draws the eye and adds meaning. A heart on a blood-donation poster links to caring and to blood. A wilting plant on a water poster links to the harm of waste. Ask what the image shows and how it supports the headline. Questions often ask why a particular image was chosen.
Check the smaller details
Visual texts carry smaller details: dates, times, places, contact information, prices, small print, a logo. Questions frequently ask about these ("when is the event?", "how can you find out more?"). Scan the whole poster so you can find these details quickly when a question points to them.
Examples in context
Example 1. A safety poster. A road-safety poster shows a child crossing at a green man, with the headline "Cross Safely, Live Fully". Reading both, you understand the message is to cross roads safely at the right place. The image of the child at the green man supports the headline, and a small line might give a campaign hotline that a question could ask about.
Example 2. A product advertisement. An advertisement for a sports drink shows an athlete drinking after a race, with the slogan "Refuel. Recover. Repeat." Reading both, you see the message is that the drink helps you recover after exercise. The image of the tired athlete supports the slogan, and the small print might list the flavours or price.
Try this
Cue. A poster shows a smiling family at a park with the words "Spend Time, Not Money". What is the message, reading both parts? That families should enjoy free time together, such as at a park, rather than spending money; the happy family image supports the words.
Cue. A question asks "when is the event?" but you only read the headline. What did you miss? The smaller details (the date and time), which are usually printed in smaller text lower on the poster.
Cue. Explain why the image on a poster is not just decoration. The image works with the words to carry the message, supporting or extending it; reading only the text would miss part of what the poster communicates.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Original2 marksA poster for a blood donation drive shows a large red heart, the words 'Give Blood, Save Lives', and the details of where and when to donate. A question asks: what is the main message of the poster, and how do you know? Write a model answer.Show worked answer →
The main message is that people should donate blood because doing so can save lives.
How I know: the headline "Give Blood, Save Lives" states the message directly, and the large red heart is an image linked to blood and to caring, which supports the message. Together the words and the picture tell the reader to donate blood to help others.
What markers reward: identifying the main message from both the words (the headline) and the image (the heart), showing that you read the visual text as a whole rather than only the text or only the picture.
Original2 marksExplain why you must read both the words and the images in a visual text, and describe two parts of a poster you should always look at.Show worked answer →
You must read both the words and the images because a visual text makes its meaning through the two together; the picture supports or extends the words, and missing either means missing part of the message. A poster is designed so that the image and the text work as a team.
Two parts to always look at: (1) the headline or biggest words, because they usually state the main message; (2) the main image, because it draws attention and adds meaning. You should also check the smaller details, such as dates, contact information or a slogan, which questions often ask about.
What markers reward: understanding that words and images work together in a visual text, and knowing the key parts (headline, main image, and the smaller details) that carry meaning and answer questions.
Related dot points
- Identify the purpose and target audience of a visual text, using clues in the words, images and design to work out why it was made and for whom
How to work out the purpose and target audience of a visual text from its words, images and design, deciding why it was made and who it is aimed at, with evidence from the text.
- Analyse the images and design features of a visual text, explaining how colour, pictures, size and layout add to the message and affect the reader
How to analyse the images and design of a visual text: explaining how colour, pictures, size and layout add to the message and affect the reader, not just describing what is there.
- Explain how a writer uses language for effect, identifying a word or technique and describing the effect it has on the reader
How to answer 'language for effect' questions in comprehension: identifying a word or technique the writer uses and explaining the effect it has on the reader, not just naming it.
- Answer inference questions by reading between the lines, using evidence from the text to work out what is suggested rather than stated
How to answer inference questions in comprehension: reading between the lines to work out what the text suggests, and backing your answer with evidence from the passage.
- Select and use the relevant information from the visual text or stimulus in a situational writing task, addressing all the bullet points and reorganising details into your own writing
How to pull the relevant details from the visual text or stimulus in a Situational Writing task, cover every bullet point, and rework the information into your own writing instead of copying it.