How do I answer each question in Section A (Higher Tier)?
Q1
Provide a summary of what you learn from the text source. (8 marks)
Try to strike a balance in your answer between (a) what you learn about events and (b)
deducing what the writer’s feelings are from how they describe their experiences. This will
be enhanced further if you can make connections between different parts of the text.
Examples
(a) You learn that from the source that the writer went rafting down the Grand Canyon with her
husband and three daughters.
(b) She had a ‘Disney-like’ experience on the water which was exciting and hard work: it was a ‘white
knuckle, roller-coaster ride’.
WARNING! Q1 does not require you to analyse language techniques. No marks will be awarded for it.
Q2
Focus on individual words in the heading(s), explaining their meaning and effect, as well
as the detail within the picture. (8 marks)
Comments on (a) language features in the headline(s) are expected for this question,
along with (b) detailed, original ideas about the picture.
Examples
(a) The headline mentions ‘Sue’ which is effective because it’s amusing and unexpected: you wouldn’t
think of a violent and threatening dinosaur being female or having a friendly, normal name.
(b) The picture is very dramatic; the ‘fossil’ is a massive size compared to the people. The head is huge
and makes it even more mysterious that a ‘pigeon parasite’ could kill such a monster.
WARNING! Avoid vague answers like ‘the picture has a dinosaur on it and the article is about dinosaurs’.
Q3
Make inferences based on relevant parts of the text. (8 marks)
This question may ask you to explain (a) how parts of a text are tense or exciting, or (b)
how you know what the writer’s thoughts and feelings are. Read the question carefully to
ensure you are clear on what you are being asked to do.
Examples
(a) When the climbers thought they were going the wrong way, the reader realises the vastness of the
mountain and the possibility of confusion and ‘panic’ in their desperate situation.
(b) You can tell Pete Boardman is feeling anxious and uncertain when he asks ‘Were we in the gully?’
which links to his ‘panic’ at the thought of being lost.
WARNING! ‘It makes you want to read on to find out what happened’ is neither explanation nor inference.
Q4
Compare two texts by analysing the effects of the writers’ use of language. (16 marks)
Select interesting, vivid or exciting phrases from the prescribed text and ‘unpick’ their
meaning and effect. Find similar (or very different) examples from your chosen text and
explain how and why they are similar or different.
Example
‘He has been splitting rats in half and scooping out their innards’ both disgusts and interests the reader due
to its violence. The second extract also contains death and violence with the ‘remains of twisted tanks’.
Both examples are similar as they are a harsh realisation which engages the reader. However, where the
first details the gory actions of one person, the second explores the devastation left behind by war.
WARNING! Simply writing ‘It’s in the first person’ is not analysis; likewise, ‘both use rhetorical questions’ is
not comparison unless there is a clear explanation of how each affects the target audience.
What do I need to remember for Section B (Higher Tier)?
Q5
Explain, inform or describe briefly in a given form. (16 marks)
Communicate clearly and in detail, using appropriate, ambitious (and correctly spelled)
vocabulary for the specified audience. Build and order ideas using paragraphs, bullet
points and dialogue. Punctuate to make meanings clear in a variety of sentence types.
Example (explaining why a place is very special)
I watched the children play gloriously and found myself enthralled by their joyous singing. These children
were not like those you see having tantrums in Tesco or glued to mindless TV for hours on end. The children
of southern India have not been corrupted by the western world, yet.
WARNING! Leave enough time for Q6. Be concise, accurate and focused on the exact task.
Q6
Argue for or against a given view or idea, or persuade a specified audience. (24 marks)
Structure and develop your argument. Refer to consequences and implications, and
articulate ideas, concerns and issues. Adopt an appropriate tone with emphasis, reason
and emotive language. Punctuate to make meanings clear in a variety of sentence types.
Example (arguing that tourists and TV crews should leave primitive communities in peace)
The families living in this area of Brazil have done so for years. They have grown up there, seen their
children grow up there and watched their culture grow there. All sense of belonging and connection to this
place is being destroyed as western countries move in and create their own tourism industry. Tribal families
have absolutely no say and are brutally forced to move on, leaving all but their memories behind. How
could you knowingly do that to another human being?
WARNING! Read the task carefully and take time to think though your answer before you begin writing.
What will happen on the morning of the exam?
Get off to the best start with FREE tea and toast in the hall with your friends. Your
English teachers will be around to answer any last-minute questions.
What equipment will I need?
At least two pens. You never know when one might run out, and you’ll be using a lot of ink!
You’ll find a highlighter invaluable in the first 15 minutes, where you’ll be carefully reading
each question and source, highlighting the evidence you will need to write your answers.
How much time do I have for
each question?
1.5 minutes per mark. For
example, spend 12 minutes
writing your answer to a
question worth 8 marks.
Remember Q6 is worth the same
number of marks as Q1, Q2 and Q3 combined!
Section A
Section B
Total
Reading time
Q1 8 marks
Q2 8 marks
Q3 8 marks
Q4 16 marks
Q5 16 marks
Q6 24 marks
80 marks
15 mins
12 mins
12 mins
12 mins
24 mins
24 mins
36 mins
2 hrs 15 mins