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Different contexts will affect the text in different ways. An introductory statement to a text will give you some context, for example:

Following the death of Nelson Mandela in December 2013, US President, Barack Obama, made this speech as a tribute. Nelson Mandela had risen from being a political prisoner in South Africa to being the country’s first black President.

This tells you who wrote the text (Barack Obama), and some information about him (US President). It tells you when (2013) – and some extra information about why that was important (Nelson Mandela had just died). It also tells you something about the content – it’s a tribute, so it will be a positive opinion of Mandela.

Here are some suggestions for things that you might look out for. They are only suggestions. Context can only suggest things to look out for, not explain everything in the text.

Time it was written

Victorian or 19th century:

• old-fashioned, formal, elaborate vocabulary
• longer words and/or sentences
• expects an educated audience

During a World War:

• might contain fairly serious content
• might have a political point to make about the war
• vocabulary might be quite advanced or specific to the war, using terminology or words only known to people living in that era, eg describing ordinary soldiers in World War One as ‘Tommies’

21st century:

• modern and up-to-date vocabulary, using modern terminology that an older writer may not be familiar with, eg tweet, status update
• a modern topic like technology
• uses a more advanced layout specific to a modern text - for example, including web links or advanced photography

Where it was written

Abroad:

• may use some words in another language
• will provide an explanation of some of the topic so that people living in another area understand it
• the writer may have a different opinion of local cultural traditions because of where they are living when writing

In a school:

• words connected to learning, schooling, teachers and pupils - this could be adapted to more simplistic language if it is a text for children
• mostly concerned with the close at hand: a limited viewpoint that is specific to the school
• formal or informal depending on purpose and audience

Where it was published

On the web:

• expect links and pictures
• layout will have a clear aim to draw the reader’s immediate attention to a particular place on the screen - large headlines and different fonts will help to achieve this
• paragraphs will be shorter and more widely spaced

In a literary magazine, like the London Review of Books:

• aimed at an educated audience
• more advanced vocabulary and more literary devices
• longer sentences

As a book:

• it may turn its subject into a story (this is called an anecdote)
• the overall text is longer, and so the writer can provide more detail than in a news story