How to Answer Question 5 (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language)

How to Answer Question 5

Paper 1, or Component 1, is the “fiction” paper. You will be given five reading questions to answer about an extract from a longer piece of literature or a short story in Section A. You should always begin by dividing up the reading passage into the sections specified by each question, and you should complete these questions in the order they are given.

The following guide to how to answer Question 5 includes:

• Question 5 overview

• How to answer Question 5

• Exam tips

Question 5 overview

Question 5 shifts focus away from AO2 and onto AO4, with the focus on critical evaluation of the reading passage. It is very important that you manage your time effectively in this part of the exam to ensure you leave 15 minutes to answer this question, as it is also worth 10 marks. Every year, lots of students fail to answer Question 5 due to time management issues. This is important: scoring zero marks for this question will mean that you would be unable to access the highest grades.

For this question, you will be given a statement and asked to what extent or how far you agree. You may be directed specifically to lines at the end of the passage, but you will also always be asked to consider the passage as a whole. It is important to remember that you are being asked to give your opinion based on the evidence contained in what you have read. You should therefore establish a clear point of view, based on the text, and sustain this throughout your response. Answers that provide a clear, even if simple, perspective are usually the most convincing, so do not be tempted to disagree or argue against the statement for the sake of it.

How to answer Question 5

The following example of Question 5 is taken from the Eduqas GCSE summer 2022 exam:

Because Question 5 is a more detailed question, you should take care to read it carefully and highlight its focus. If you are directed to certain lines, then begin your analysis with these lines before extending it to the text as a whole.

The steps are:

1. Read the question and highlight the focus (what you are being asked about)

2. Scan the section of text (if given), and go back over the whole of the passage:

   • Highlight any information directly relevant to the focus of the question

   • Annotate in the margins what your selected evidence tells you that answers the question

For the above question, you are directed initially to lines 62–80, so this is where you would begin:

3. Decide on your stance, and then re-visit the rest of the passage to highlight some evidence from both the start and the middle of the passage that supports your point of view:

• For example, in the above question, there is evidence to support the fact that Rachel is academically intelligent, as she has a degree from Cambridge

4. It is useful to make a brief, bulleted plan of your key arguments for this question, to ensure you are covering the whole of the text (see our Model Answer for an example)

5. Start your answer using the wording of the question and your argument (state clearly whether you agree or disagree):

• For example: “I agree that the writer presents Rachel as an intelligent woman who behaves foolishly in her relationship with Peter Kemp because, despite her academic and emotional intelligence, she is manipulated and taken advantage of.”

6. Then, make your arguments as to why you think this:

• For every argument you make, you must provide evidence from what you have read to back it up

For an exemplar model answer to Component 1, Question 5, please see Question 5: Model Answer.