Hello and welcome back to yet another GCSE revision lesson. Now the English language paper 2 exams are taking place in just a few days. And what does that mean? Well on the one hand that means you don't have that much time to prepare for these exams. Actually the other side of it is that freedom is so tantalisingly close.
So if you're currently in year 11, you are about to get to the other side of freedom after Monday's exam. So of course what you want to do is finish off strong. You need to know what your examiner is going to be looking for and how to optimize this time that you've got left over in order to really make sure that you finish off these exams strong when you are sitting in front of your language paper two exams on Monday morning. So as you can see behind me I have created essentially a brief table going over quickly timings, frameworks for all five questions as well as what examiners are specifically after. when it comes to assessment objectives.
Make sure you are very, very clear on all of these things because the aim of the game is to make sure you get that great mark at the end of your exams. But how do you get that and secure that mark? You need to know what your examiners are looking for, okay?
So you need to also be really, really clear on the different assessment objectives, okay? Now guys, remember that I do have a free document where I've basically summarized all of this information as well as the different forms. For question five, so this is a letter, speech and article.
I've put that in the description link. If you want to download that, you can download it for free. Just click through to that link. So without wasting any more time and without waffling some more, let's begin by being clear on timings.
It's really, really important to manage your time so that you don't run out of time. especially for the big markers for the question four and the question number five so remember for this final exam you will have one hour 45 minutes this exam is quite challenging because you literally have exactly the same amount of time as language paper one but you're doing double the work okay you're doing double the reading and especially for questions two and four you are comparing both sources that you're given okay so remember that in one hour 45 minutes you're given two sources you've got answer four questions based on those sources and then of course question five is your non-fiction writing. Now how do you manage that time? Remember to spend the first 10 minutes of the exam firstly flicking through the question paper getting a lay of the land highlighting the keywords from questions one to five so that you can kind of be processing this information and then within that same 10 minutes making sure that you're working on your speed reading so you can read through both sources but you're selecting the relevant bits of information that go with the questions okay after you're done with that first initial 10 minutes remember for question number one which is the multiple choice question worth just four marks spend a max of five minutes on that question and then you move on it tends to ask you to look at source a and really specific line numbers question number two which is your first comparison question you were asked to write a summary of either similarities or differences between the two texts this question is worth eight marks therefore spend 10 minutes on this question try to aim to write at least one comparison paragraph if not two depending on your speed question three should come as a little bit of a relief because you're then asked to look at just one source either the modern source or the victorian source but it's just the one source it's actually quite similar to question two of language paper one because it asks you you to find how the writer uses language to show whatever the keywords in the question ask you to talk about, okay?
Now, this question is worth 12 marks, so make sure you spend 13 minutes on this question. Aim to write at least two pure paragraphs, if not three. That's question number three. Now, question number four is now your second chunky comparison question, okay?
Now, this question tends to ask you to talk about writer's viewpoints, thoughts, feelings, perspectives from both extracts, okay? This question is worth 16 marks, but you're working... very very hard for these 16 marks and I would suggest allocating at least 17 minutes and aiming to write at least two if not three comparative paragraphs where you're talking about source A and source B remember in question two and four you need to integrate your analysis of both sources okay don't write one paragraph about source a and then the second paragraph about source b that's not integrating and that's not comparative you need to in the same paragraph talk about both sources otherwise you're not comparing you need to make sure also for question number four you are also when you're explaining how the writers are showing either the similar viewpoints and perspectives of the different viewpoints and perspectives how they're doing so using language and structure techniques okay so you need to make sure you're weaving all of these things together when you're answering question number four.
That's why it's really challenging and you're working really hard for these 16 marks. Now the fifth and final question which is worth half of the overall paper's marks, it's worth 40 marks in this paper, is where you've got your non-fiction extract to write. Okay so you're given a, you don't get a choice unlike a paper one.
In question number five you're given a statement and this statement tends to be on a topical issue. What I mean by topical issue is it tends to be stuff that you maybe hear about you know journalists and stuff talking about on the um on tv on radio even on tiktok whatever right it's like a topical issue are qualifications worth you know um doing is social media good or bad for you it's usually just a topical issue you're given this statement and then you're asked to what extent do you agree you're either asked to produce a letter speech or an article and you need to write about it not only presenting your perspective but also counter arguments. Therefore, for this question, as it's worth half of the overall paper's marks, spend 50 minutes on this question. The first 10 minutes of this 50 minutes should be you planning your response, thinking about your reasons and your counter arguments, because this is a debate. Then the remaining 40 minutes actually writing out your response, or you can spend 35 minutes writing out your response and then five minutes checking the entire paper to see if you've not made any obvious errors, okay?
That's timings. Now let's talk about frameworks for all five questions. I am going to be going into more detail but this is just a general idea of the entire paper and the different frameworks in a nutshell okay. So remember that question number one is really straightforward okay.
Question one shouldn't even stress you out it's a multiple choice question so just make sure you're just selecting information from the right line numbers that you're given. Question two which is the summary question you are asked to summarize either similarities or differences between both texts. You don't need to talk about techniques in this question.
However, you need to integrate whether they're similar or different. So try to aim to write at least one chunky, pure paragraph, point, evidence, explanation, link. In your point, source, say, and source, be. Evidence, source, say, and source, be. Explanation, source, say, and source, be.
Link, source, say, and source, be. If you are speedy enough, okay, so if you're as speedy as I am in speaking, aim to write two chunky, pure paragraphs, but you're trying to do that in 10 minutes, okay? If you can only manage one paragraph, do that in 10 minutes move on okay so that's the approach for question number two make sure you are integrating your discussion about both sources question three which is the language question you're only talking about one source how do you approach it with question number three it's really important to make sure when you're taking the bits of evidence from either source a or source b you're describing what language devices that they are illustrating okay try to aim to write at least two pill paragraphs if not three where you're talking about language devices relating things like similes oxymorons, metaphors, all of that stuff.
Again guys, I am going to be producing a video going over question number three, so don't sweat it if you can't remember some of the language techniques, okay? However, generally aim to write at least two pill paragraphs for this question. Question number four, this is the final chunky comparative question. Here, not only do you have to compare both sources, but you must mention technique, language and structure for both writers.
With this question, try to aim to write at least two, if not Three. chunky comparison pill paragraphs. I keep on doing this because you are integrating your analysis, okay? You're talking about source A, source B together in the same paragraph, not one paragraph for source A, one paragraph for source B because you're not comparing, okay?
You are integrating it, hence why the paragraphs become a little bit chunky. And when you're writing these paragraphs, in your explanation, you need to talk about what techniques are the authors using to illustrate either the similar viewpoints or the different viewpoints, okay? I would suggest write at least two comparison pill paragraphs, three if possible, if you...
you are fast enough. Question number five, in terms of frameworks, remember that you're going to be asked to demonstrate an awareness of form. Okay. So question number five is the question that you get asked to write either a letter, speech, or an article. For all three, you need to show and demonstrate an awareness of form.
Okay. A letter's layout is very different to speech and it's very different to an article. Letter, you've got your address, you've got your date, you've got dare, and then you write your main points. You're sincerely at the end.
Speech, You start off by addressing your audience. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow students, your main points, then you finish by thanking your audience. Article, start off with your headline, your main points, include your subheadings, and of course, also make it entertaining, okay?
That's really, really important. So that's for question number five. And of course, when you're writing your response and you're answering this debate, make sure you're using literary and persuasive devices. Literary devices are similes, oxymorons, metaphors, and so on. Persuasive devices are making up statistics, saying it's not only my opinion, actually, According to Cambridge University, 70% of people also think the same thing.
That's a made up statistic. Or you can use an anecdote. You know, Sally Smith, who's a year 11 student, also experienced something similar last year when blah, blah, blah.
You're given an anecdote. Or, for example, you can even give a range of examples. For example, if you're talking about travel. You know, let's think about the budget airlines, Ryanair, EasyJet, etc.
You're given examples, okay? That's the frameworks for all five questions. Now, let's finally talk about the assessment objectives.
This is the aim of the game. You want to answer the question according to what the examiners are looking for. The examiners are reading your script and thinking, I'm looking for AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4, AO5, and AO6 from this script, okay?
What do they mean and how do they relate to each of the questions? Now, remember, questions are not always the same. You want to Question number one, the multiple choice, test your AO1. This is just your ability to find the relevant bits of information, identify it, and then just select the correct, you know, the four statements that are true.
That's really it for question number one, okay? Just select the right bits of information from the line numbers that you're given. That's AO1. Question two, also test your AO1, but also test an additional side of AO1, which is where you need to show that you can select and synthesize information.
Basically, when you're writing your summary question, you want to show an awareness that when they're asking you, okay, show a summary of similarities or differences, when you're then selecting the bits of evidence, you're then saying, okay, this is why, you know, source A and source B is similar if you're asked to look at similarities, or this is why source A and source B are different if you're asked to look at differences, okay? That's the other side of AO1 that's tested, but this is tested specifically for question number two. Question three, test your AO2.
This is your awareness of subject terminology. Alliteration, metaphor, similes, all of that stuff is tested in question number three. Question four, which is your second comparative question, but this one is a 17 marker so you need to, you know, develop it far more.
This question tests your AO3, which is can you effectively compare text? Are you able to talk about source say and source speak, either the similarities in the writer viewpoints or the differences, but how they illustrate these similarities or differences through language? or structural devices okay that's your a03 now question number five test your a05 and your a06 a05 is are you able when you're presenting your perspective on the statement that you're given are you able to communicate effectively are you able to communicate persuasively are you able to say why you believe that perspective but support it by saying, here's some statistics, here's an anecdote.
Equally, AO5 tests your ability to demonstrate an awareness of form, purpose, and audience. Form is, can you show it's a letter versus a speech versus an article. Purpose is, you're writing always, your primary purpose is to inform, your secondary purpose is to entertain. And of course, audience, you tend to write for a formal audience, okay? So, you know, use titles like, sir.
Madam, MP, rather than just using someone's first name, okay? And of course, even when you end, for instance, say your letter, don't just end with your first name, okay? Don't say, kind regards, Barbara.
It would be kind regards, Barbara and Jo, okay? That is AO5. AO6 is basically your SPAG point. Spelling, punctuation, grammar.
Are you able to also, when you're writing your letter, article, or speech, are you able to show ambitious vocabulary, right? Rather than saying, for example, words like sad, you can say things like melancholic instead of happy, jovial. all of that type of advanced vocabulary. And of course, equally, are you able to use a range of short and long sentences in your writing? So that's really it when it comes to paper two in a nutshell.
Make sure you are very, very keenly aware when you're practicing these questions of these assessment objectives. They're very important because that's the aim of the game. You are writing this paper to make your examiners happy that you've ticked all of the boxes and they're like, great, I love this.
Here's your grade nine. Well done, you're done with English.