Paper 1: Walkthrough (Edexcel GCSE English Language)

• You will be given one unseen fiction extract from the 19th century

• The extract will be approximately 650 words in length

• You will have 4 questions to answer on this extract

• Section A is worth 24 marks

• You should spend 1 hour on this section of the paper

• You will be required to write one piece of imaginative writing from a choice of two prompts

• One of the prompts will also provide images, and you may wish to base your response on one of these images

• Section B is worth 40 marks:

  • Up to 24 marks for content and organisation

  • Up to 16 marks for accurate spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

• You should spend 45 minutes on this section of the paper

Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas

Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support your views

Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references

• 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

Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation

1 

5 minutes

• This is a quick question based on the first few lines of the extract

• You will be asked to identify a word or phrase that means, shows, explains or describes something

• Read the question carefully to understand what you are being asked to identify

• Keep your answer to just the word(s) or phrase itself

• Take your answer only from the lines specified in the question

2 

5 minutes

• This question follows on from Question 1 and will focus on a longer section of the extract

• You will be asked to give two things the reader learns about something or someone in the lines

• You can use your own words in your answers, and/or quotations from the text

• Separate your answers into two distinct elements

• Make sure you read the question carefully to identify its focus

6 

20 minutes

• This question asks you to comment on both language and structure in specified lines of the text

• You need to address both language and structure in your answer

• Make sure you address the question and focus on this throughout the response

• Support each point with reference to the text

15 

30 minutes

• This question will ask you to make judgements about how well the writer has achieved their desired effects or meanings

• It will refer to the whole of the extract — you will be rewarded for covering all of the text

• You should use evaluative language throughout your response (“effectively”; “skilfully”)

• Support each point with 2–3 brief, apt quotations which clarify the points made

• Make sure you understand how your answer will be marked and the difference between AO2 and AO4

40

(24 for AO5)

(16 for AO6)

10 minutes planning

30 minutes writing

5 minutes checking

• Read the two prompts carefully, along with the images, and decide which one you are going to answer

• Spend 10 minutes planning your piece of writing — this helps create a coherent and controlled structure

• Write approximately 2–3 sides of A4 (of normal handwriting)

• Spend 5 minutes at the end re-reading your response, correcting any obvious errors (such as the use of capital letters or missing full stops)

• The question paper contains a space for you to plan your answer

• You can write a story, a descriptive piece or a monologue

• There is a deliberate and thematic link to the text used in Section A to encourage and support you in your writing