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GCSEEnglish LanguageAQAExam QuestionsPaper 1Question 5

Question 5 (AQA GCSE English Language)

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Question 5

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11 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Discovery'.

Leya’s answer: “Calmness would descend over me like a soft blanket.”

What makes Leya’s sentence structure effective for the audience?

  • The use of a short, simple sentence for emphasis.

  • The use of a compound sentence to develop the idea further.

  • The use of a complex sentence to add descriptive detail.

  • The use of a declarative sentence to state a fact clearly.

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21 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Discovery'.


Freddie’s answer: “In the summer, he would wear a white vest, brown shorts, socks and sandals. Socks always pulled up, of course.”

Which feature of Freddie’s sentences makes this description effective?

  • The use of a compound sentence adds rhythm to the description.

  • The combination of a longer sentence with a shorter follow-up sentence adds impact.

  • The use of a short sentence creates a tone of sadness.

  • The use of commas to separate items in a list creates a sense of urgency.

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31 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Discovery'.

Julia’s answer: “His hands, though old and speckled, were always soft and clean, and if he had washed his hair that day, it would be wafting on top of his head like dandelion petals floating in the breeze.”

Which feature of spelling and vocabulary contributes to the effectiveness of Julia’s line?

  • The use of formal vocabulary creates a sense of seriousness, suitable for a story.

  • The repetition of simple descriptive words creates a tension.

  • The use of figurative language gives a mysterious impression to the man.

  • The use of ambitious vocabulary such as “speckled” and “wafting” adds richness to the description.

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41 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Abandoned'.

Emma’s answer: “The sun was still bright; the wind still gently grazed the trees, but now it was different.”

What makes the punctuation in Emma’s sentence effective?

  • The use of a semicolon links related ideas and creates contrast.

  • The use of a semicolon connects “the wind” with the word “bright”.

  • The use of a semicolon introduces an explanation.

  • The use of a comma creates a pause that slows down the rhythm.

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51 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Abandoned'.


Jeremy’s answer: “Flowers of all colours had filled the elegant front garden, but now there were just weeds.”

What makes Jeremy’s punctuation choice effective?

  • The use of a comma quickens the pace of the sentence.

  • The use of a comma creates a deliberate pause between two contrasting ideas.

  • The use of a comma separates related ideas.

  • The use of a comma relates the natural imagery (the “flowers” and the “weeds”).

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61 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Abandoned'.

Lottie’s answer: “One moment, without supervision, and a slip of a foot meant that our favourite tree would never be scaled again.”

Which feature of sentence length makes Lottie’s line impactful?

  • The complex sentence adds detail to create a sense of terror.

  • The use of a long sentence reflects the urgency of the situation.

  • The sentence uses varying lengths to maintain a quick rhythm.

  • The use of a long sentence reflects the emotional weight of the event.

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71 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Pooja’s answer: “The night and storm completely enveloped us, making it impossible to distinguish hedges, trees or buildings.”

What makes Pooja’s sentence effective for its purpose?

  • The use of a complex sentence shows the numerous effects of the storm.

  • The use of a compound sentence highlights the sequence of events.

  • The sentence uses short, simple vocabulary for emphasis.

  • The use of commas to create a list emphasises the beauty of the natural setting.

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81 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained. 

Lia’s answer: “Fat, round drops of rain began to plop heavily on the windscreen. Brilliant, I thought.”

Which feature of sentence length contributes to the effectiveness of Lia’s line?

  • The abrupt ending of the sentence reflects the urgency of the scene.

  • The use of two short sentences maintains a simple and clear tone.

  • The sentence uses a single, long structure to mimic the sound of rain.

  • The combination of a longer sentence with a short, impactful follow-up creates contrast.

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91 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Philippe’s answer: “We rounded another bend and, like a beacon of hope in the darkness, the warm, orange light of a cafe and petrol station appeared through the gloom.”

What makes the vocabulary in Philippe’s line effective?

  • The use of simple vocabulary makes the description accessible to the reader.

  • The use of ambitious words like “beacon” and “gloom” creates a vivid and atmospheric description.

  • The repetition of simple descriptive vocabulary creates a sense of neverending horror.

  • The use of the contrast between darkness and light reflects the main character’s disappointment.

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11 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story with the title 'Discovery'.

Patrick’s answer: “In the winter, he always had a new pair of slippers for Christmas, and a jumper so thick small animals could nest in it.”

Which feature of Patrick’s sentence structure makes this line effective?

  • The use of a declarative sentence to state a fact clearly.

  • The use of ambitious vocabulary to impress the reader.

  • The use of a compound sentence to link related ideas.

  • The use of a complex sentence to to add extra detail to the description.

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21 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Johan’s answer: “The glorious, late summer sun had morphed into a dark, gloomy sky, and the clouds were burdened with rain and thunder.”

Which feature of sentence structure contributes to the effectiveness of Johan’s line?

  • The use of a declarative sentence to state a clear fact.

  • The use of a compound sentence to create a quick rhythm.

  • The use of a compound sentence to link two contrasting ideas.

  • The use of a compound sentence to add more description about the sun.

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31 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Sara’s answer: Fat, round drops of rain began to plop heavily on the windscreen and I thought, brilliant, because to make matters worse, the petrol light flickered orange.

Based on this sentence, what feedback could you give Sara to help her improve her writing?

  • Break the sentence into two shorter sentences to improve clarity and create impact.

  • Replace “plop heavily” with a more scientific and technical vocabulary to suit the tone of the story.

  • Use more ambitious vocabulary throughout the sentence to make it more descriptive.

  • Remove the commas in the sentence to create a sense of movement and quicken the pace of the description.

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41 mark

A student has answered the following AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Prince’s answer: The sun was yellow and hot like the desert and the clouds were soft and fluffy like candy-floss at a fun fair.

Based on this sentence, what feedback could you give Prince to help him improve his writing?

  • Split this long sentence into two to create a sense of tension.

  • Replace “yellow and hot” with more ambitious vocabulary to make the description more vivid.

  • Add brackets to add more information about the sun.

  • Add a rhetorical question to engage the reader more effectively.

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51 mark

A student has answered an AQA English Language exam question:

 Paper 1, Q5 exam question: Write a story about an event that cannot be explained.

Fara’s answer: “What are we going to do?” said Grace.
“There must be a petrol station around here somewhere,” I said.

Based on this extract, what feedback could you give Fara to help her improve her writing?

  • Remove the quotation marks to make the dialogue more impactful.

  • Create lines of dialogue using longer, complex sentences to add more detail about the characters.

  • Replace “said Grace” and “I said” with more ambitious vocabulary to aid characterisation.

  • Add more dialogue to help describe the setting around the narrator and Grace.

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