Paper 1 at a glance
Paper 1 is your literary fiction paper. You'll get one fiction extract (about 700 words from a 20th- or 21st-century novel or short story), and two sections: A is reading, B is writing. The paper lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, worth 80 marks total (50% of GCSE English Language).
Section A — Reading (40 marks; ~1 hour)
Four questions on the same fiction extract:
- Q1 (4 marks, AO1): "List four things…" about a specific section of the extract. Pure retrieval. Spend 5 mins.
- Q2 (8 marks, AO2): "How does the writer use language to…" — language analysis on a small portion. Spend 12 mins.
- Q3 (8 marks, AO2): "How has the writer structured the text to…" — structural analysis on the whole extract. Spend 12 mins.
- Q4 (20 marks, AO4): "To what extent do you agree with this statement about…" — extended evaluation. Spend 20 mins.
Section B — Writing (40 marks; ~45 minutes)
Q5: A descriptive or narrative task, often with a stimulus image or a sentence prompt.
- AO5 = 24 marks (content and organisation).
- AO6 = 16 marks (SPaG).
You choose between the descriptive option (write a description suggested by a picture) and the narrative option (write the opening of a story, or a story with a given title). Pick whichever plays to your strengths; don't change your mind halfway.
How marks are distributed by skill
| AO | What | Section | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Identify and synthesise | Q1 | 4 |
| AO2 | Language and structure analysis | Q2 + Q3 | 16 |
| AO4 | Critical evaluation | Q4 | 20 |
| AO5 | Writing — content and organisation | Q5 | 24 |
| AO6 | SPaG | Q5 | 16 |
| Total | 80 |
A planning tip that always works
In the first 5 minutes, read the whole extract once, slowly. Don't answer Q1 first. Get the gist; notice the protagonist; spot the structural turn (where does the focus shift?); register the tone.
Then re-read for Q1 (the lines specified in the question), and work through Q2–Q4 in order. Don't skip ahead; the questions build.
How to use the timing
A common error: students spend 35 minutes on Q4 (because it's 20 marks) and only 5 on the writing — yet Q5 is 40 marks. The correct split is roughly:
- 5 mins: read extract.
- 5 mins: Q1.
- 12 mins: Q2.
- 12 mins: Q3.
- 20 mins: Q4.
- Mid-paper switch.
- 5 mins: plan Q5.
- 35 mins: write Q5.
- 5 mins: check SPaG.
That sequence respects the marks-per-minute equation. Q5 is worth half the paper; treat it that way.
What AQA examiners notice (from chief examiners' reports)
Recurring themes:
- Q1 — students copy whole sentences instead of identifying four discrete things. Be precise; one fact per bullet.
- Q2 — students still feature-spot ("the writer uses a metaphor"). Always say what the choice does.
- Q3 — students miss the structure part and just describe what happens. Comment on shifts in focus, time markers, beginning/middle/end pattern, sentence-length changes.
- Q4 — students forget to take a position. The "extent" word in the prompt invites you to agree, partly disagree, or push back.
- Q5 — students plan poorly or not at all; pieces drift after 200 words.
Mock-ready habits
- Practise full extracts under timed conditions at least three times before the exam.
- Use a watch — phones aren't allowed.
- Mark up the extract: underline the line ranges given in the questions; circle one or two words per paragraph that strike you.
- Plan Q5 in three lines, not three paragraphs.
⚠Common mistakes— Common errors
- Going over time on Q4 and starving Q5.
- Reading the extract once and never re-reading.
- Treating the descriptive and narrative options as interchangeable; pick the one whose stimulus gives you a strong opening line.
- Forgetting to leave 5 minutes for SPaG check.
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