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A Student's Guide to AQA GCSE English Language: Paper 1, Section A (Questions 1 & 2)


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AQA GCSE English Language, Paper 1 is all about storytelling and tests your ability to explore how writers create vivid characters and settings.


From analysing the language that brings a stormy cliff-top to life to crafting your own narrative or description, Paper 1 is all about creativity and critical thinking and gives you the opportunity to shine as both a reader and a writer.


What You Need To Know About AQA GCSE English Language, Paper 1


In this exam, you'll analyse an extract from a work of fiction, exploring the writer’s techniques and intentions and, in Section B, will write your own piece of creative writing.

 

Section A focuses on reading and understanding a text so you’ll read an extract from a modern prose text (usually 20th or 21st century) and answer questions that test your comprehension and analytical skills.


Section B focuses on your creative writing skills; either descriptive or narrative.


This guide will focus on Section A, Questions 1 & 2 but I've also written blog posts on the other questions in both Paper 1 and Paper 2 which can be found here.


Assessment Objectives for Section A


In Section A, you'll respond to four questions based on a fiction extract and your answers will be evaluated according to the following Assessment Objectives (AOs):


AO1: Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. (Question 1)

AO2: Analyse the writer’s use of language and structure. (Question 2)


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Answering the Questions


Question 1


List four things...


This question is worth 4 marks and will assess you for AO1: Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas.


What Do You Have to Do? 


To achieve full marks in this question, you will need to find and list four pieces of information from a specific part of the extract (for example, lines 1 - 8).

The focus is on identifying explicit information so you could use facts or details directly stated in the text but can also include implicit details if you're confident that you've fully understood the text.

 

How to Approach Question 1


  • Draw a box around the section of the extract you have been asked to focus on. This will help ensure that your answers are relevant and you'll avoid wasting time reading irrelevant sections.


  • Read the text carefully as small details can sometimes be missed on a quick read-through.


  • Highlight explicit information. Look for clear, stated facts that you can confidently explain or prove with evidence from the text as these are the easiest to identify and are less likely to lead to mistakes.

    You can include implicit information (details that are suggested but not directly stated) but, if you make an incorrect assumption, you risk losing marks.


  • Stick to short and simple answers where possible. You don’t need to write long sentences or detailed explanations for this question so if the extract says, “the room was cold,” you can simply write, “the room was cold.”


  • Make sure each of the four points you list is different as repeating the same piece of information in a different way could lead to losing marks. For example, an extract might suggest a character is hot by saying they are “sweltering,” and later mention they “take off their coat,” but listing both points separately won’t count as two different details.


    Top Tips


    1. Don’t overthink this question - your task is to select and list.


    2. Ensure the details are accurate and taken from the specified lines.


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Question 2


How does the writer use language to…


This question is worth 8 marks and will assess your ability to meet AO2: Analyse the writer's use of language and structure.


What Do You Have to Do?


Question 2 will ask you to analyse how the writer uses language in a specific part of the extract to create meaning or effect.


To do this, you’ll need to explore how the writer's choices of words, phrases and literary devices (such as similes, metaphors, personification and alliteration) contribute to the reader's understanding or emotional response. You'll need to think carefully about the impact of the language and how it makes the reader feel.


If you need a reminder of some key figurative language techniques, check out this guide.


You could consider:


  • Word choices: Think about the connotations of specific words or phrases. What images or emotions do they evoke in the reader?


  • Figurative language: Identify techniques like similes, metaphors and personification. How do these enhance the description?


  • Tone and mood: How does the writer’s language set the tone of the piece? Is it formal or informal, optimistic or pessimistic, calm or angry?


  • Sensory language: Are there any descriptions that appeal to the senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste or smell? How do they help to build the atmosphere and help the reader imagine the scene?


How to Approach Question 2


  1. Read (and re-read the question), identify the focus and highlight key words.

    You might be asked to explain how the writer uses language to describe something, build tension or create sympathy etc.


  1. Focus on the Specified Lines.

    Only analyse language from the lines mentioned in the question.


  1. Identify Language Features.

    Which words, phrases, imagery or sentence structures stand out?


For example:


  • Adjectives, adverbs and verbs

  • Similes and metaphors

  • Alliteration and personification

  • Sentence length and punctuation


  1. Use Relevant and Concise Quotations

    Focus on short, specific quotations and "zoom in" on the effect of individual words. For example, if a word has powerful connotations (like “crept” instead of “walked”), discuss how it creates a particular effect, such as portraying the movement as stealthy or ominous.


  2. Explain the Effect

    Don’t just identify techniques—explain how they affect the reader and contribute to the text’s meaning or atmosphere.

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  3. How to Structure Your Answer to Question 2


  1. Opening Sentence

    Begin with a brief explanation of the writer’s use of language in creating a specific effect.

    For example: The writer uses vivid imagery and sensory details to convey the chaos of the storm.


  2. Point + Evidence

    Select one feature of language, provide a quotation and explain its effect.

    For example: The metaphor, “the sky roared like a furious beast.” emphasises the storm’s ferocity and gives it an animalistic quality, suggesting it is wild and uncontrollable.


  3. Point + Evidence

    Add another example with a quotation and analysis.

    For example: The use of onomatopoeia in “the waves crashed and thundered” creates a sense of urgency and mirrors the relentless sound of the sea.


  4. Link and Summarise

    Link the examples together and summarise their combined effect.

    For example: Together, these techniques immerse the reader in the storm, making them feel the power and chaos of the natural elements.


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Top Tips


  1. Aim to write 2 - 3 paragraphs, each focusing on a different element of the writer’s language.


  1. Use subject terminology accurately.


  2. Double check that you have included the following in your answer:


    Point: Identify the technique or feature.

    Evidence: Provide a short, embedded quotation.

    Explanation: Analyse how it creates the intended effect.


Example Answer


How does the writer use language to describe the forest in lines 5 to 12?


The writer uses vivid imagery to create a sense of danger and mystery in the forest. For example, the simile, “the trees stood like patient soldiers,” suggests that the forest is watchful and menacing, as though it is alive and observing the protagonist.

Additionally, the writer uses sensory language to immerse the reader in the setting. The phrase “the damp earth clung to his boots” appeals to the sense of touch, emphasising the oppressive and uncomfortable atmosphere of the forest.

The use of sibilance in “the soft swish of leaves” creates a hushed, eerie tone, making the forest seem both quiet and unsettling.

Overall, these techniques create a vivid and tense depiction of the forest, making the reader feel the protagonist’s unease.


Additional Help


If you found this guide helpful, you might like my other blog posts, including:


AQA GCSE English Language: Paper 1


AQA GCSE English Language: Paper 2


AQA GCSE English Literature

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EHS Masterclass Revision Guides

For more support with AQA GCSE English Language, why not take a look at my downloadable and printable revision guides?

Tailored specifically to the requirements of the AQA GCSE exam board, they're packed with expert advice and step-by-step guidance to help you feel confident and prepared for your exams and are perfect for independent study... or last-minute revision!


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Click here for your FREE samples for Paper 1 and Paper 2!



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About the Author


I’m a private tutor, a former secondary school English Teacher and the founder of English Home Studies. In addition to offering 1:1 tuition sessions for students from 9 - 16 years old (Year 5 - Year 11), I create digital and printable revision guides and activity packs.


I often post advice and links to free and affordable English resources on the English Home Studies Facebook and Instagram pages but, if you have a child in KS3 or KS4, you might like to join one of my Facebook groups:



If you would like to find out more about my qualifications and experience or read some of the lovely reviews I've received from previous clients, please have a look around my website and, if you have any questions, please send me a message. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

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