Language Paper 2: non-fiction reading and transactional writing
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This lesson covers AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Paper 2. Its reading pairs a nineteenth-century source with a twentieth- or twenty-first-century source on a linked theme.
The writing task presents a viewpoint for a specified form, audience and purpose. Do not apply AQA question numbering automatically to another board.
AQA Paper 2: marks
Typical reading questions
Question 1 selects accurate statements from the stated source section.
Question 2 now explicitly asks what can be inferred about differences in a specified focus. Explain the inference and support it with relevant source detail; this is not a ban on brief quotations.
Question 3 analyses language. Question 4 compares perspectives and how the writers convey them, supported by both sources.
Do more than paraphrase
The writing task
Plan the viewpoint and its development around the exact task. Select a manageable number of reasons; address a relevant alternative when useful, without a fixed three- or four-point quota.
Use persuasive techniques, a suitable register, and accurate technical writing.
Timing (typical 1 hour 45 minutes)
The total is 105 minutes. A possible strategy is 15 minutes reading, 45 answering reading questions and 45 on writing including planning and checking. Adapt to the actual instructions and your needs.
One possible 105-minute plan
Pitfalls
Avoid using only one source where both are required, paraphrasing without inference, ignoring the specified focus, or writing for the wrong audience. Short quotations are useful when they support your explanation.
Slides
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