Paper 1 Question 4 Skills: Evaluation (AQA GCSE English Language) : Revision Note
Paper 1 Question 4 tests you on your ability to evaluate the effectiveness of a text. This means you must come to an informed, evidence-based personal judgement about a text and the choices made by the writer.
The following guide contains everything you need to know about the skills you need to demonstrate when answering the evaluation question:
What is evaluation?
Responding to the statement
Evaluating in the exam
What is evaluation?
In Question 4, evaluation involves making an informed judgment based on careful analysis and consideration of the text. You are asked to examine the passage critically in order to assess the success of its intended effects.
Before you begin examining the text in detail it’s vital to:
Have a general understanding of what the text means
Understand what effects the writer has tried to create
Only once you’ve worked out the answers to these bigger questions, can you evaluate the success of the writer’s choices.
Key questions when evaluating a text
Evaluation means judging how well and for what reasons a writer has made certain choices. As you read through a text, consider these key questions. These questions will help you to move from the what, to the how and on to the why:
Stage | Questions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
What? |
| “I agree with the opening of the statement that…” “I only agree to an extent where the statement says…” |
How? |
| “For example, the writer describes...” “This quote illustrates…” “As shown when…” |
Why? |
| “I think this because the writer uses juxtaposition in order to…” “I think this because the use of repetition emphasises…” |
Responding to the statement
When approaching Question 4, it is important to consider the statement that you have been given carefully
The question directly underneath will always ask “to what extent do you agree” with the statement
The intention of the statement is to prompt your thinking and to give you a starting point for your answer:
However, you do not need to agree with it
You can agree, partially agree, or disagree entirely with the statement
Any personal judgement is valid as long as your views are appropriately supported by the text
Examiner Tips and Tricks
While the question asks you to determine the extent of your agreement with the student statement, it is reasonable to assume that the examiner is giving you a statement which can be supported with evidence from the text.
Therefore, you should always see the question as, first, an invitation to agree with the statement. If you choose to present alternate views, or disagree completely, you must be able to support these opinions with multiple pieces of textual evidence.
Evaluating in the exam
Question 4 is quite a lengthy question; therefore it is vital that you understand each part of it, so that you know precisely what it is asking you to do. The key to this question is to:
Have a sense of your own response before writing
Respond critically to the text:
This will enable you to interrogate, contest and have ideas about what you have read
Use the statement in the question to help inform your interpretation and evaluation of it
Annotating the extract
It’s important — before you start reading or annotating the extract — that you read the question carefully to know exactly what to look for.
Let’s look at a 20th-century prose extract and address each section of Question 4. Here is a sample question in the style of Question 4 based on an extract from Lord of the Flies:
Once you have understood the question, highlight relevant parts of the text and annotate the effects of the writer’s choices in the margins:
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Before you begin to understand what Question 4 is asking you to do, you must ensure you focus your attention on the correct part of the extract.
The beginning of the question will always inform you which part of the extract you need to focus your evaluation on. For example, “Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source, from line 21 to the end.”
Any references to other parts of the extract are not creditworthy and will receive no marks.
Turning your annotations into an answer
Now you have your annotations, let’s see how we might turn these into full sentences. First, let’s break down the three bullet points in the question, and what each is asking you to do:
Consider | Comment on the methods | Support |
|---|---|---|
This means to contemplate and be reflective | This means to assess and make a judgement | This means to use quotes from the text |
Let’s use these bullet point definitions to help us evaluate the first part of the statement — “Piggy can be seen as having little authority”:
Point from statement | Considered opening statement | Supporting quotes | Evaluative comments (comments on methods) |
|---|---|---|---|
“Piggy has little authority” | I agree with the statement that Piggy has little authority because the passage reveals how he faces challenges in gaining any authority and acceptance among the other boys | “‘I got the conch!’ said Piggy indignantly.” "you shut up" | Piggy's reactions to the others in this part of the story highlight his struggle to assert both his authority and ideas. Piggy’s commands go unheeded, further highlighting his limited authority within the group. |
This is how you might write these ideas in a paragraph:
Worked Example
The passage reveals how Piggy faces challenges in gaining any authority and acceptance among the other boys. For example, Piggy's reactions to the others in this part of the story exemplify his struggle to assert both his authority and ideas. When he exclaims, “I got the conch!” indignantly, it shows his attempt to take control of the situation and to make his voice heard. However, despite his efforts, he is continually interrupted and dismissed by the others. When he addresses the littluns with the imperative “you shut up”, it displays his frustration with their lack of discipline, but his commands go unheeded, further highlighting his limited authority within the group.
Lastly, we will evaluate the second part of the student statement: “The writer presents Piggy as isolated”.
Point from statement | Considered opening statement | Supporting quote | Evaluative comments (comments on methods) |
|---|---|---|---|
“The writer presents Piggy as isolated” | I also agree with the final aspect of the statement, as the passage offers several references that underscore Piggy's isolated position | “Ralph – they ought to shut up, oughtn’t they? You shut up, you littluns!” | Piggy is unable to gain attention and respect during the meeting, which illustrates the disconnect between him and some of the boys on the island. His dialogue reveals his desperation. |
This is how you might write these ideas in a paragraph:
Worked Example
The passage offers several references that underscore Piggy's isolated position. His frequent use of the phrase “you littluns” and his inability to gain attention and respect during the meeting illustrates the disconnect between Piggy and the rest of the boys. Furthermore, the way he takes off his glasses and blinks at them after his initial exclamatory statement could be used to convey his vulnerability and his sense of being overlooked. Piggy’s dialogue also shows him to be isolated: he turns to Ralph for reassurance (“Ralph — they ought to shut up, oughtn’t they?”) which signifies his desire for validation and support from someone he considers a figure of authority on the island. He understands that Ralph's support could lend credibility to his ideas and arguments, making them more likely to be considered by the group as a whole. Despite Piggy's well-intentioned efforts, he is presented as being marginalised and dismissed by the other boys.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Addressing all of the elements of the student statement can ensure that you have given a full evaluative response.
However, you do not have to address every element, as long as you make 3–4 well supported points about one element of the statement.
Learn more and test yourself
For more great tips and tricks, check out our dedicated revision notes on the Paper 1 Question 4 mark scheme and our fully annotated Paper 1 Question 4 model answer.
You can also test yourself on Paper 1 Question 4 with expert-created exam questions. Try answering full questions and get them marked by Smart Mark, our AI model created by English Language experts.
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