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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 about time travel.

Abed’s answer: “The hum and buzz of the station sounded familiar, and yet there was something discordant about it.”

How has Abed effectively developed the tone in this line?

  • They have used onomatopoeia to create a tone of peace and restfulness.

  • They have used informal language to make the tone appropriate for a story.

  • They have created tension by contrasting familiarity with unease.

  • They have used an exclamatory sentence to express excitement.

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21 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Harry’s answer: “I barely noticed their details as I stumbled through the imposing doors, weighed down by my suitcase, bags and the knowledge that I was going to miss my train unless I got a move on.”

Which feature of Harry’s style is most effective here?

  • The use of short, choppy sentences to create a fast-paced narrative.

  • The inclusion of lots of detail to create a sense of boredom.

  • The use of a compound-complex sentence to convey the character’s stress and urgency.

  • The use of the first-person perspective to create a tone of joy and excitement.

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31 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Micah’s answer: “Sharp shards of light split the polished floor into pools of sunshine, turning those standing under them into the palest of ghosts.”

What has Micah done well in this extract?

  • They have used dynamic verbs to emphasise speed and action.

  • They have used vivid imagery to create an atmospheric and otherworldly scene.

  • They have deployed alliteration to give a sense of the rhythm of the scene.

  • They have avoided dialogue, focusing instead on the effects of environmental sounds.

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41 mark

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

Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel. 

Kajal’s answer: “Beads of sweat shivered on my forehead; it seemed unusually warm for October.”

Which feature of Kajal’s style is most effective here?

  • They have used sibilance to suggest the temperature of the environment.

  • Their use of personification conveys an impression of the atmosphere in the scene.

  • Their sentence structure develops a feeling of urgency through rapid pacing.

  • They have used personification to convey the character’s physical sensations.

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51 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Charlie’s answer: “Slowly, I turned on the spot, gradually taking in my full surroundings and the people milling around. The men were all wearing hats.”

Which feature of Charlie’s style is most effective here?


  • They have used an adverbial phrase to reveal the time travel element subtly.

  • Their complex sentence results in a fast pace that builds excitement.

  • They have used onomatopoeia to create a sense of atmosphere.

  • The use of an adverbial phrase gives an engaging insight into the narrator’s feelings.

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61 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about a market.

Ariadne’s answer: “The midnight market roared to life, for it was now awake as the rest of the city slumbered peacefully.”


What has Ariadne done well in this extract?

  • They have used alliteration to give a sense of the noise made by the marketplace.

  • They have employed juxtaposition to suggest how the speaker feels about the situation.

  • They have used a metaphor to describe the market as alive and energetic.

  • They have used alliteration to create pace and a sense of urgency.

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71 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about a market

Eden’s answer: “The stalls were stuffed and hollering vendors made the street extremely narrow, forcing people to walk in a single file like soldiers going into battle.”

What has Eden done well in this extract?

  • They have used a simile to draw a vivid comparison between market-goers and soldiers.

  • They have described the stalls using vivid sensory details to create atmosphere.

  • They have used a simile to give readers a clearer understanding of the market stalls.

  • They have used onomatopoeia to add humour to the scene.

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81 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about a market

Gregory’s answer: “A large, pink animal carcass hung by a hook, while the butcher sawed and hacked at the flesh, sweat already dripping from his brow.”

What has the student done well in this extract?

  • They have used sensory details evoke the atmosphere of the wider marketplace.

  • They have used violent verbs to give a sense narrator’s feelings at this point.

  • They have used sensory imagery to vividly describe the scene.

  • They have used a sibilance create an atmosphere of uncertainty and unease.

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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.

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

What has Jacob done well in this extract?

  • They have used a metaphor to compare the sky to a living being.

  • They have employed pathetic fallacy to create an ominous mood.

  • They have avoided figurative language to maintain a believable tone.

  • They have used alliteration to convey the narrator’s sense of urgency.

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101 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.

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

What has Tim done well in this sentence?

  • They have used onomatopoeia to capture the sound of the rain and draw the reader in.

  • They have used adverbs to establish a sense of unbroken tension in the scene.

  • They have used plosives and alliteration to suggest the rhythm of the rainfall in the scene.

  • They have deployed informal, chatty language to create sense of time and place.

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11 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Kane’s answer: “I made my way to the centre of the space, looking for the electronic signs informing me of my platform. I looked at my watch. My watch said that it was half-past three.”

Based on these sentences, what feedback could you give Kane to help him improve his writing?

  • Include more short sentences to speed up the pace of the writing.

  • Use a more informal tone to better suit the conventions of narrative writing.

  • Add a rhetorical question to make the writing more thought-provoking for the audience.

  • Include more descriptive language to engage the reader.

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21 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Alix’s answer: “I rubbed my eyes and looked around again. I had stepped into the past. I spotted an official-looking gentleman walking towards me.”

Based on these sentences, what feedback could you give Alix to help her improve her writing?

  • Change to the present tense to reflect the main character’s time travelling.

  • Avoid starting each sentence with “I” and instead use a variety of sentence starters.

  • Replace “official-looking gentleman” with a more informal term to suit the tone of the story.

  • Use shorter sentences to increase the pace and urgency of the scene.

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31 mark

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

 Paper 1, Q5: Write a story about time travel.

Jaya’s answer: “Puzzled, I looked around. I noticed for the first time the bank of ticket windows. They stretched all the way across one wall of the station. Odd, I thought. They looked old-fashioned. A bit like the ones used in the 1950s.”

Based on these sentences, what feedback could you give Jaya to help her improve her writing?

  • Include more sensory details, such as sounds or smells, to create a more vivid atmosphere.

  • Use shorter sentences to make the writing feel more fast-paced and urgent.

  • Replace the first-person perspective with a third-person point of view to add more personal insight.

  • Avoid using informal expressions like “Odd, I thought” to maintain a detached, formal tone appropriate for a short story.

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