GCSEEnglish LanguageWJEC EduqasPaper 2Revision Notes19th & 21st Century Non-Fiction Reading & Transactional/Persuasive WritingPaper 2: OverviewPaper 2: Walkthrough

Paper 2: Walkthrough (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language)

Revision Note

Deb Orrock

Expertise

English

Paper 2: Walkthrough

Eduqas GCSE English Language Paper 2, or Component 2, is the non-fiction paper. It is divided into two sections:

  • Section A: 19th and 21st Century Non-fiction Reading

  • Section B: Transactional/Persuasive Writing

This exam is 2 hours in length and is worth 60% of your overall GCSE grade. In the exam, you will be given the question booklet which will include the 19th-century text, and a separate source booklet containing the 21st-century text.

The following walkthrough contains:

  • Paper 2 overview

  • Paper 2 walkthrough

  • Exam tips

Paper 2 overview

Paper 2 consists of two sections:

Section

What it involves

Section A: 19th and 21st Century Non-fiction Reading

  • You will be given two reading extracts: one written in the 19th century and the other written in the 21st century

  • You will have six questions to answer, based on both extracts

  • This section is worth 40 marks

  • You should spend 1 hour on this section

Section B: Transactional/Persuasive Writing

  • You will be required to write two non-fiction pieces of writing

  • Most commonly, you are given two of: letter, speech, article and review

  • Each task will differ in its form, audience and primary purpose

  • This section is worth 40 marks (20 marks per task)

  • You should spend 1 hour on this section (30 minutes per task)

Exam Tip


Running out of time is the biggest cause of lost marks in this exam paper. You have a lot to get through in 2 hours. You therefore need to make the best use of your time. It is a good idea to start with Section B and complete your two writing tasks first, ensuring that you spend no longer than 30 minutes on each. Each task is worth the same number of marks, so each response you write needs to be of about the same length (300–400 words per piece of writing). Sticking to this word length will ensure you do not run out of time to complete the second writing task, which is also worth 20 valuable marks.

There are six assessment objectives for this qualification, and you are assessed on all of them in Paper 2:

AO1

(i) Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas

(ii) Select and synthesise evidence from different texts

AO2

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

AO3

Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two or more texts

AO4

Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references

AO5

(i) Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences

(ii) Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts

AO6

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

Paper 2 walkthrough

Section A:

Question

Marks

Timing

What you have to do

1

3 (AO1i)

3–5 minutes

  • You will be given three sub-questions

  • Read each sub-question carefully and scan the 21st-century text for the answer

  • Write the answer to each sub-question

  • You can use one-word answers — you do not have to write in complete sentences

  • Make sure what you write directly answers the question

2

10 (AO2)

15 minutes

  • You will be asked “how” the writer makes the text, or their experience, exciting, dramatic, astonishing, etc.

  • Read the question carefully and highlight the focus

  • Scan the 21st-century text and highlight anything directly relevant to the question

  • Start your answer using the wording of the question

  • Make as many points as possible that answer the question, backing up each point with short, relevant quotes from the text

  • Use at least two quotes to support each point you make

  • Ensure you take your evidence from the whole of the text: start, middle and end

3

3 (AO1i)

3–5 minutes

  • You will be given two or three sub-questions

  • Read each sub-question carefully and scan the 19th-century text for the answer

  • Write the answer to each sub-question

  • You can use one-word answers — you do not have to write in complete sentences

  • Make sure what you write directly answers the question

  • If the question asks for one thing, make sure you only write down one thing

  • If the question asks for two things, make sure you write down two things

4

10 (AO4)

15 minutes

  • You will be given a statement about the 19th-century text and you will be asked how far, or to what extent, you agree

  • Read the question carefully and highlight the focus

  • Scan the 19th-century text and highlight anything directly relevant to the focus of the question

  • Start your answer using the wording of the question

  • Make as many points as possible, using “I agree” or “I think”, and support each point with at least two short, relevant quotations from the text

  • Ensure you take your evidence from the whole of the text: start, middle and end

5

4 (AO1ii)

5–9 minutes

  • You will be asked about something specific about both texts

  • Read the question carefully and highlight the focus

  • Find two points that answer the question from the 21st-century text, and two points that answer the question from the 19th-century text

  • Write your answer using your own words, making two clear points per text

  • You do not need to use quotations from the texts in your answer

6

10 (AO3)

15 minutes

  • You will be asked to compare something specific about both texts

  • Read the question carefully and highlight the focus

  • Identify 4–5 points per text that directly answer the question

  • Start your answer using the wording of the question, then include all of your points

  • You can use direct quotations or textual references to support your points

Exam Tip

In Section A, Questions 1 and 2 will be about the 21st-century text, Questions 3 and 4 will be about the 19th-century text, and Questions 5 and 6 will be about both texts. 

However, the examiners’ reports show that over 10% of students in each exam series miss out Question 6 because they run out of time, throwing away 10 marks. Therefore, if you struggle to complete all six questions adequately in 1 hour, then consider doing Questions 2, 4 and 6 first, as these are the 10-mark questions. Questions 1, 3 and 5 are “quick” questions and, as you will have already scanned the texts to answer Questions 2, 4 and 6, you should be able to locate the answers for these questions much more quickly and therefore not miss out on marks.


Section B:

Question

Marks

Timing

What you have to do

1

20

(12 for AO5)

(8 for AO6)

5 minutes planning

25 minutes writing

  • Read the task carefully and identify:

    • What you are being asked to write

    • Who you are being asked to write for

    • Why you are being asked to write

  • Make a brief plan of your arguments (five separate points)

  • Start your response in the most appropriate way for the format (for example, “Dear Sir/Madam,” for a formal letter)

  • Make a separate point or argument in each of your paragraphs, developing each point with examples and evidence

  • Keep your argument clear and logical throughout

  • End your piece of writing appropriately for the format

2

20

(12 for AO5)

(8 for AO6)

5 minutes planning

25 minutes writing

  • As above, but you will be given a different form of writing, a different audience and a different purpose — make sure you identify these things before you start writing

Exam tips

  • Eduqas exam papers always follow a similar structure:

    • You can therefore familiarise yourself with the types of questions you will be asked in advance

  • Timing is really important:

    • Ensure you keep an eye on the time in the exam so that you do not miss out any questions, or run out of time to answer all of the questions fully

    • Pay attention as well to how many marks a question is worth — do not spend too long on questions that are only worth 3 marks

  • Do not take any information from the section in italics or in bold at the top of the reading passages:

    • You will not be given any marks if you do

  • In the reading section, use the texts effectively to support your response:

    • Ensure you use the whole of each text, and take evidence and quotes from the start, middle and end of each

    • This is called “tracking”, and doing this methodically gains marks

  • Make sure you keep the focus of each reading question in mind throughout your answer:

    • Do not just write generally about what you have read in the text, especially for Question 6

  • In the writing section, keep your readers in mind throughout and ensure you have adapted your tone and the type of language you use to suit them:

    • Make sure you write an equal amount for both writing tasks

  • Check your work for basic errors with spelling and punctuation:

    • Especially make sure you spell any words you are given on the exam paper or in the reading extracts correctly

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

    Next topic

    Did this page help you?

    Deb Orrock

    Author: Deb Orrock

    Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She most recently managed a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.