Paper 2 Question 5: Letter Model Answer (AQA GCSE English Language)
Revision Note
Paper 2 Question 5 Model Answer: Letter
In Question 5, you will be presented with a writing task based on a statement. The subject matter will be related to the reading in Section A. This means you can adapt some of the ideas in the texts you read and use them in your own writing.
The question asks you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific format. It is important to use the correct conventions of the format and directly focus your writing to its purpose, as the mark scheme rewards adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.
This means:
The tone (sound of the writer’s ‘voice’) is appropriate and convincing
The register (vocabulary and phrasing) is appropriately formal or informal, and suitable for the purpose
The style of the writing (sentence structure and overall structure) is dynamic and effective
Below you will find a detailed model letter in response to an example of Paper 2.
Writing a GCSE English Language letter
Remember, Paper 2 Question 5 is worth 40 marks, broken down into two Assessment Objectives:
AO5 (24 marks) Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts |
AO6 (16 marks) Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation |
If the Question 5 task is to write a letter, then it is essential to keep the tone, style and register in mind, as well as the conventions of the form.
These are the basic features of a letter the examiner would expect to see:
The use of addresses:
If the task specifies the letter is to a friend or family member, you do not need an address
A date
An appropriate mode of address:
an informal letter will name the recipient, e.g., “Dear Joe,”
a formal letter will address the recipient using the surname or appropriate address, e.g., “Dear Sir/Madam,” or “Dear Mr Jones,”
An appropriate mode of signing off:
Yours sincerely (for a named recipient)
Yours faithfully (for “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Editor”)
Overview |
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Below is an example of the type of letter you may be asked to write in Question 5. This is taken from the AQA GCSE English Language June 2019 exam paper:
Genre (what) | A letter to the editor of a newspaper |
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Audience (who) | Newspaper readers (adults) interested in debate/points of view |
Purpose (why) | To argue your point of view |
This task asks you to write a formal letter as it is to the editor of a newspaper:
Letters will be formal if they are to people you do not know well
This means the register will be sophisticated
As the task asks you to argue your point of view, you will need to sound convincing:
It will be necessary to use persuasive techniques, but also to ensure you maintain a calm and controlled tone and a balanced argument
GCSE English Language letter layout
This example template shows the layout of a letter.
This letter template includes:
The address of the sender
The date and the address of the recipient:
You do not have to use your real address
Do not spend a long time trying to think of an address
The examiner just wants to see evidence that you know the conventions and layout of a letter
This letter is signed off using the appropriate sign-off for a letter to an unnamed recipient:
If you choose to start the letter with “Dear Mr Peters,” you could sign off with “Yours sincerely,”
10 Edgware Road London SE12 4PR 4 June 2019 The Editor The Stanley Times 98 Waterside View London SE1 7AD Dear Editor, Introduction Main arguments Concluding paragraph Yours faithfully, Kathryn Thornley |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You should always start a letter with “Dear”, followed by their name or surname. If you do not know the name of the person, you should use “Sir/Madam” or you can address it to their job title, e.g., “Dear Editor”. To sign off your letter, end with “Yours sincerely” if you do know their name, and “Yours faithfully” when you do not know their name.
Structuring your letter
This is a longer writing question, and you should allocate 45 minutes to complete it. Spend about 5 minutes planning your answer, 35 minutes writing and 5 minutes at the end to re-read to check for any obvious errors.
Once you are sure of the form you should write in, and you have considered your audience and the tone you wish to adopt in your writing, you should plan the content of your response. It is up to you whether you choose to argue for or against the statement, as long as you plan your argument, develop it thoroughly and sustain it throughout.
To plan a range of points which will support your point of view, you can:
Mind-map or write a list of points and techniques to use:
It can also be helpful to number your ideas to structure your answer in a specific order
You can use the ideas you read in the texts in Section A, as well as your own experiences
The examiner is not grading you on how much you know about the given topic, as it is impossible to predict what subject matter will be on the paper. You are marked on your ability to construct a convincing argument
Your letter should be structured into 5 or 6 paragraphs:
Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length
Better answers vary the lengths of their paragraphs for effect
Develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph
But avoid repeating the same idea throughout your letter
Below is an example of how you might structure your letter:
Directly address the reader or audience:
Introduce your argument - what you are writing about, why you are writing and what your opinion is
Consider your use of pronouns, e.g., “you” or “we”
Offer a fact or some research to support your opinion:
This will gain you credibility and prove you are knowledgeable about the topic
Engage the reader on a personal level using a counter-argument:
This suggests you understand your reader and have already considered their concerns
Provide an anecdote to offer an example which proves your argument:
This builds rapport with your reader by engaging with them on a personal level
Offer more research or studies:
This can be in the form of statistics, a witness statement, poll, or quote from an expert
End your letter with an emotive plea or solution to the issue:
Use emotive language to engage your reader
Ending your letter on a single sentence, perhaps using a triplet, is an effective conclusion
Sign off your letter in the correct way
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Always write with your intended audience in mind. Address them directly throughout your writing, mention their specific concerns and ensure you develop your points in a way which would convince your specific reader.
Rеmеmbеr that to produce an effective response, you should aim to develop your points carefully in each paragraph, using language features and techniques to highlight ideas and emphasise your points.
Here are some examples of how you might begin to employ the structural and language techniques assessed in the mark scheme to develop your ideas.
AO5: Content and organisation
AO5 (24 marks) Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts |
Level 4 Response (19-24 marks) |
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Why can you not publish articles about the triumphs of our local heroes? They are the real celebrities in my eyes; not some drug-riddled, entitled and idle pop star who’s had far too much lip filler. |
Key point | AO5: the student has employed convincing and compelling communication through a range of language techniques such as rhetorical questions and triplets | |
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Language features and techniques | Rhetorical question | Directly challenges the reader |
Triplet | Three ideas placed together establishes a strong viewpoint | |
Level 4 Response (19-24 marks) |
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Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society. |
Key point | AO5: the answer’s tone, style and register are accurately matched to the purpose and audience of a letter | |
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Structural features and techniques | Anecdote | A personal example or story allows for a personal connection |
It is therefore engaging and relatable | ||
Formal register | Use of vocabulary such as “assist” rather than “help”, and “witnessed” rather than “saw” adds authority and credibility | |
AO6: Technical accuracy
AO6 (16 marks) Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation |
Level 4 Response (13-16 marks) |
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You are taking advantage of people who believe that they have got a chance at “stardom” by replicating the lifestyle of their favourite celebrity. It is quite simply scandalous. I saw a recent survey that stated that 42% of teenagers aged 13-17 said that they would forgo a place at university in favour of going on Love Island. |
Key point | AO6: the student has employed varied structural techniques such as varied sentence structure | |
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Structural features and techniques | Short sentence | A short sentence next to a longer sentence draws attention to it and adds dramatic impact by changing tone |
Level 4 Response (13-16 marks) |
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Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society. |
Key point | AO6: Paragraphs are fluently linked, with integrated discourse markers | |
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Structural features and techniques | Discourse markers | “Lastly” |
The markers develop the argument fluently and cohesively | ||
Question 5 Level 4 model letter
Below is an example of a full-mark Level 4 model answer.
Level 4 Response (AO5 - 22-24 marks/AO6 - 13-16 marks) |
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10 Edgware Road London SE12 4PR 4 June 2019 The Editor The Stanley Times 98 Waterside View London SE1 7AD Dear Editor, I write in response to your most recent article: “10 top hotspots to go celebrity spotting”. It is the opinion of this reader that it is people who have extraordinary skill, courage and determination who deserve to be famous, rather than those who have good looks, money or behave badly. The celebrities you mentioned in that article have very little to offer our society, as I’m sure you are already aware. One of these so-called “hotspots” you mentioned was actually outside a court, so that us humble townsfolk might catch a glimpse of whatever celebrity has been arrested for a DUI this week. These people do not deserve to be famous or our adoration, so why are we glorifying them? Your paper appears to endorse this obsession with celebrity culture; putting them on a ridiculous pedestal just because they are a bit more attractive or have a bit more money than the rest of us. Our society is saturated with these people who do not deserve their fame. You churn out article after article promoting their fad diets and pseudo beauty treatments. To be frank, I think you should be ashamed of yourself. Celebrity culture is, to my mind, the root of many ills. Firstly, think of the people out there who are desperate to achieve the unattainable beauty standard championed by celebrities. I am sure I would look good too if I had a personal trainer, a dietician and a masseuse at my house every other day, but the fact of the matter is that this is not reality. You are taking advantage of people who believe that they have got a chance at “stardom” by replicating the lifestyle of their favourite celebrity. It is quite simply scandalous. I saw a recent survey that stated that 42% of teenagers aged 13-17 said that they would forgo a place at university in favour of going on Love Island. We have to put a stop to this and free ourselves from the tight grasp of our celebrity obsession. Furthermore, celebrity worship culture causes the idolisation of some rather questionable individuals. For example, the growing population of Jack Tipton, who garners attention due to his content purporting to share “hacks to make millions online”, is especially problematic. His social media pages make no reference to the fact he has bowed out due to bankruptcy multiple times. Evidently, he is in no position to be imparting financial know-how to our teenagers. However, he is still willingly worshipped by his naive army of fans, when in actual fact it would be possible to debunk his advice with a flourish of bankruptcy papers. Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society. Why can you not publish articles about the triumphs of our local heroes? They are the real celebrities in my eyes; not some drug-riddled, entitled and idle pop star who’s had far too much lip filler. I am asking you to change the content you publish, not for my benefit, but for the benefit of society itself. You have got a great opportunity to turn the tide of this ill-founded obsession. Your newspaper reaches thousands across the country, and millions more around the world. You could be a force for positive action, promoting better role models and inspiring future generations to become firefighters, NHS doctors and nurses and those who overcome adversity to achieve great things in their lives. People who demonstrate extraordinary skill, courage and determination should be those who are hero-worshipped, not those who base their careers on what they look like, their money or their behaviour. Yours faithfully, Kathryn Thornley |
Why would this letter achieve top marks?
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