Question 5: Model Answer (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A)
Revision Note
Written by: Deb Orrock
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
Question 5 is a long-answer question that is worth 22 marks. It will be based on both sources and tests AO3, your ability to compare texts.
The following guide will demonstrate how to answer Question 5. It includes:
Example question and text
Question 5 model answer with annotations
Summary
Example question and text
Remember, even though you will read both texts by the time you reach Question 5, it is still important that you highlight the focus of the question (what you are asked to compare).
For example (taken from the June 2019 exam paper):
Once you have done this, re-scan each text and create a plan of ideas and perspectives you can compare.
For example:
Question 5 model answer with annotations
Based on the above question, the following model answer demonstrates how to write your answer in order to achieve the full 22 marks:
Model answer: Both of these texts are written by newspaper journalists and are about people who go exploring and get into difficulty: Text One in the jungle and Text Two in Antarctica. In both texts, the writers are implicitly critical of how unprepared the explorers were and the effort required to rescue them safely. [Marking comment]
Both texts also hint at the writers’ disapproval for the explorers’ lack of sense and consideration, although the writer of Text Two is more explicit in his criticism. [Marking comment] Even though Benedict seems to be remorseful of his actions and what he puts his wife through, the writer points out that he set off with “no satellite phone, no GPS device and no companion”, and places himself and the Daily Mail as Benedict’s saviour, otherwise he “might still be there now”. Benedict is grateful for the efforts made to rescue him, but does not rule out another adventure, although the inclusion of the final word “alone” suggests that he is indeed alone in thinking this.
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Summary
Remember to read the question carefully and highlight:
The instructions (what you have to do)
The focus of the question (what specifically you are being asked to compare)
Make a brief plan before you start to write
Select evidence that you are able to explore and comment upon:
Do not just “feature spot”
If there is more than one piece of evidence you can use to support a point you make per text, then use all of the evidence
Use connectives to structure your response
Ensure you use evidence from both of the texts, and consider both language and structural features
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