Comparison — the engine of Paper 2 Q4
Paper 2 Q4 is worth 16 marks (AO3). It asks you to compare how the two writers convey their attitudes/perspectives — meaning both what they think AND how they show it.
The cardinal rule
Compare in every sentence (or at least every paragraph). Don't describe Source A then describe Source B. The structure should travel: whereas… in contrast… similarly….
The sentence shape that wins marks
"Whereas Source A presents [idea] through [method + quotation], Source B counters with [different idea] through [different method + quotation]."
Notice every component:
- Comparative connective (whereas).
- Both writers' ideas in one sentence.
- Both methods named.
- Brief embedded evidence from each.
A student who can build five paragraphs around five comparison points using this shape is heading for a 7+.
Connectives that make comparison visible
| Similarity | Difference |
|---|---|
| similarly | whereas |
| likewise | in contrast |
| both writers | by contrast |
| in the same way | however |
| equally | unlike Source A |
Make the connective the first or second word of your sentence so the comparison is the first thing the examiner reads.
✦Worked example— Worked example — comparing two attitudes to the city
Source A (1854): "The streets thronged, smoky, deafening — every face a stranger; yet there was a kind of pride in being lost in such a press."
Source B (2018): "I walked the same streets a hundred years on. The thrum was the same, the indifference was the same, but I no longer felt awe — only fatigue."
Possible comparison points:
- Both writers acknowledge the city's overwhelming noise/scale.
- They differ in emotional response — A finds pride; B finds fatigue.
- They differ in method — A piles up adjectives; B uses stark balanced clauses.
- The 19th-century writer's "pride" reads as Victorian optimism about urban modernity; the 21st-century writer's "fatigue" reads as post-industrial disenchantment (context).
A model paragraph (one comparison point, ~80 words):
"Both writers register the city's sheer scale, but their emotional responses pull apart. Where Source A finds 'a kind of pride in being lost' — the Victorian writer celebrating urban modernity as transformative — Source B inverts the same observation: the city remains, but the wonder has gone, leaving 'only fatigue'. The shift is generational and tonal: confidence becomes weariness; the same streets carry opposite weights for the two writers."
That paragraph does comparison + context + evidence + judgement in three sentences.
Method comparison — the AO3 boost
A 6-grade comparison stops at "they think different things". A 7+ comparison adds the methods: the writers' specific language and structural choices.
Examples of method comparison:
- Source A: piled adjectives ("thronged, smoky, deafening")
- Source B: balanced parallel clauses ("the thrum was the same, the indifference was the same")
- The two methods produce different rhythms — A is breathless and chaotic; B is patient and resigned.
Naming the method is what unlocks the top band.
How to plan Q4
- Read both sources. Highlight the question's key word ("attitude", "feelings", "perspective").
- List 3–4 comparison points where the writers either share or split.
- For each point, find one piece of evidence in each source.
- Decide which method each writer uses to convey the idea.
- Plan paragraphs: connective + idea + method + evidence + brief judgement.
⚠Common mistakes— Common errors
- No comparison. Describing both sources separately.
- Quote-only comparison. "A says X, B says Y." No analysis of how they say it.
- Single-source paragraphs. One paragraph on A, the next on B. Combine!
- Forgetting context. Q4 rewards period awareness when it sharpens the comparison.
A reusable Q4 paragraph template
"[Connective], the [period A] writer of Source A presents [idea] through [method, quotation]; [connective], Source B [shows the same idea differently / shows a contrasting idea] through [method, quotation]. The difference reveals [a thoughtful generalisation about why the writers diverge]."
Memorise that shape. Adapt it to whatever Q4 throws at you.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-english