GCSE English

Study Pack
Welcome to GCSE English

This pack has been put together with the intention of introducing you to AQA’s
GCSE English Language examination.

The GCSE course and exam is divided into two papers: Paper 1 (Explorations in
Creative Writing and Reading) and Paper 2 (Writers’ viewpoints and
perspectives).

This booklet will introduce you to the different skills and topics you’ll cover in
your GCSE course. It will also help you to prepare for the start of your course.

Contents:

The sections in this pack are:

Section 1: Tackling an unseen text

Section 2: Analysing words, phrases and language features
Section 3: Commenting on the structure of a text
Section 4: Synthesising and comparing texts
Section 5: Descriptive and narrative writing
Section 6: Writing to present your viewpoint

We hope you enjoy the ‘taster tasks’ and we look forward to welcoming you to
GCSE English at HCUC soon.
 Tackling an unseen text
This worksheet will support you in how to approach an unseen text in your exam.

1 Starting questions

When you first look at an unseen text, what do you think and what do you
NEED to think?
Perhaps you thought about some of these questions?
• What genre of text is it?
• Who is writing?
• Is it fiction or non-fiction?
• Will I be able to analyse it?
• Will I understand it?
The last of the bullet points above is the most common thought or concern for many
students; they see one word they do not know, and panic sets in.

\2 Vocabulary

In the following short extract, there could be unfamiliar vocabulary. Let’s see how you
could overcome this.

Taster task:

Look at the words in the grid and tick the ones you know, or think you know.
Try to guess the words you do not know/cannot guess.

Word: Your guess: Definition:

boring tone dull; boring; repetitive
monotonous

wallow

indulgent

primeval

versatile
ancestral
 subtle

municipal

bucolic

EXTRA QUESTION: Which of the words above is not an adjective?

___________________

Something to think about

Do you think you might use any of these words in your own
writing?
Could these new words help you when you are analysing texts?

3 Reading

‘The Magic of Water’ by Laurie Lee

I discovered water at the age of four, at the mouth of our cottage pump. I remember
it not as a thing for merely washing and scrubbing, but as a plaything with a brilliant
life of its own. One could pump it in pure gulps out of the ground, and it came out
sparkling like liquid sky. It broke or ran, or quivered in a jug, or weighted one’s
clothes with cold. I found you could drink it, draw with it, swim beetles across it, or fly
it in bubbles in the air. You could bury your head in it, and open your eyes, and see
the old bucket buckle, and hear your caught breath roar, and smell the sharp lime
from the ground. It was a plaything of magic, which you could confine or scatter but
never destroy.
Perhaps none of us loses that early passion for water, for we are bound to it by
ancestral cords. The sight and sound of it cures our minds, and most of our pleasure
seems to be ordered around it. When we wallow in our baths, is it just to get clean, I
wonder, or is the pleasure something deeper than that, an indulgent return to the
weightless peace of the womb, or to the warm shallow lapping of those primeval
seas where all life is said to have begun?
Water has a thousand pleasures and a thousand faces, and it is the most versatile of
all the elements. Fire is masculine, monotonous, blundering, crude; water is
feminine and far more subtle. It can offer the heaped-up power of a murdering
ocean, or the miniature frolic of a municipal fountain; the pitiless sledgehammer of
an annihilating flood, or the bucolic vacancy of a summer duckpond. Water is the
puddle just big enough for a small boy’s boot, the thundering curtains of Niagara
Falls, the star in a snowflake, the mist on a cobweb, the protective arm round an
ancient city. It is the sting on the lips from a hill-cold spring, the chisel that cut out the
shape of Britain, the singing spout of a kettle, the last cry of a man in the desert.
Water is all things to all men, and most of them good. Most of all it is a great healer
and pacifier. We do not go to the river to fight or make trouble, but to sit and gaze at
it, or splash about. Man makes a special noise when he gets near water-you hear it at
the seaside and in the bathroom- a kind of wordless, ageless, happy yell, the cry of a
child in the arms of its mother.
Water is the great innocence left on earth, something which no one so far has
spoiled. Our littered lands may stretch right to the coast, but no one has yet put a
scar on the sea.

Taster task:

Read the first paragraph and think again about the questions from earlier:
• Genre: What genre of text is it?
• Narrator: Who is the narrator?
• Fiction/non-fiction: Is it fiction or non-fiction?
• Analysis: Will I be able to analyse it?
• Comprehension: Will I understand it?

Make notes here:

Reflection: How
confident do you
feel approaching an
unseen text?
 Analysing Language
This worksheet will support you to analyse a writer’s use of words, phrases and
language features by giving you clear steps of what you need to think about.

In the exam, you will face questions like the one below:

Look in detail at lines 1-13 of the source.

How does the writer use language to describe the woman’s thoughts and feelings?

Taster task: Read the text below. Think about the

1 Exploring the text woman’s thoughts. Underline any interesting
words/phrases you come across.

‘Lullaby’ by Elizabeth Berridge

She had never been quite sure about it, but he was convinced.

‘It’s a great idea, a marvellous idea’, he said, ‘but of course if you don’t want to come
out with me when I’m on leave, just say so.’

So she had given in. She always did. Life with him was precarious; always had been.
She had sudden terrible fears of him leaving her. Suddenly walking from the room,
out of the house, knowing he had gone on to some other life and needed no one. ‘It’s
being in the air so much, doing so much flying.’ she thought. ‘It must do something to
you.’ Hanging on to a cloud and never coming down – only of course you fell through
a cloud.

When they had the child it was better, for a time. Then the juggling began. She could
keep them both spinning equably, dexterously, for a time; father and son, son and
father, but then her hand would become tired, the trick fail. This was such a time, so
she said yes, and they went to a friend of his who had cashed in on the pre-war
vanity of people who wanted their voices recorded.

‘Only a few left,’ he said. Wistfully he looked over the wax discs. ‘Still, it was fun
while it lasted. Did I tell you the story of the man who was too nervous to propose on
the spot?’

‘Yes,’ he was told.

‘Oh.’ He was obviously disappointed, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’

It was explained.

‘Why, that’s wonderful’ he exclaimed. ‘That’s – come on, let’s hear you.’
2 Identifying key language

Now you’ve read the text, think about the impression which the writer is trying to
create of the woman’s thoughts and feelings.

Taster task: What words, phrases or language features in the extract did you find
surprising or effective?

Make notes here:

Taster task: How would you sum up the woman’s feelings in these paragraphs in just one
or two words?

Make notes here:

Taster task: Which parts of the extract show those thoughts and feelings most clearly?

Make notes here:

 Taster task: Now look again at the quotations you highlighted and circle any words or
phrases which show or suggest the woman’s feelings. Annotate your chosen words or
phrases to explain why you chose them.

Make notes here:

3 Thinking about the effect of language

When you think about an effect that the writer is using words, phrases or language
features to create, you first need to ask yourself: What is the writer’s intention in this
text? How are they trying to make me think or feel or react to their ideas?

Taster task: Look back at the words, phrases and quotes you’ve selected from the text.
What do you think the writer’s intention is? Why do you think has she used these words
and phrases?

Make notes here:

 4 Analysis

You can analyse the writer’s use of words, phrases and language features more
closely by thinking about the ideas and associations that the writer’s vocabulary
choices create in the reader’s mind. These are called connotations.

Taster task: Look back at the words, phrases and quotes you’ve selected from the text.
Choose a couple of them and make some notes about what connotations are attached to
these words.

Make notes here:

Taster task: Try and write a paragraph answering

5 Your turn! the above question. Use PEEZL to help you build
your answer.

Useful sentence starters:

Reflection: How
The writer describes how the narrator feels….. confident do you
feel with analysing
This suggests/This has connotations of/This language?
creates the impression of/ This encourages the
reader to feel….
 Commenting on Structure
This worksheet will help you comment on the whole structure of a text.

Here is an example of an exam style question that you could be asked to answer in
Paper 1, Question 3:

This extract is taken from the opening of a novel.

How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?

You could write about:

-what the writer focuses your attention on at the beginning
-how and why the writer changes this focus at the extract develops
-any other structural features that interest you (8 marks)

Taster task: Read the text below. Look up any words

1 Making sense of the text you are unfamiliar with in the dictionary.

The Woman in Black: Chapter 1

The entire story is told from Arthur Kipp’s perspective, as seen here in the first
chapter.
It was nine-thirty on Christmas Eve. As I crossed the long entrance hall of Monk’s
Piece on my way from the dining room, where we had just enjoyed the first of the
happy, festive meals, toward the drawing room and the fire around which my family
were now assembled, I paused and then, as I often do in the course of an evening,
went to the front door, opened it and stepped outside.

I have always liked to take a breath of the evening, to smell the air, whether it is sweetly
scented and balmy with the flowers of midsummer, pungent with the bonfires and leaf-
mould of autumn, or crackling cold from frost and snow. I like to look about me at the
sky above my head, whether there are moon and stars or utter blackness, and into the
darkness ahead of me; I like to listen for the cries of nocturnal creatures and the
moaning rise and fall of the wind, or the pattering of rain in the orchard trees, I enjoy
the rush of air toward me up the hill from the flat pastures of the river valley.

Tonight, I smelled at once, and with a lightening heart, that there had been a change
in the weather. All the previous week, we had had rain, chilling rain and a mist that lay
low about the house and over the countryside. From the windows, the view stretched
no farther than a yard or two down the garden. It was wretched weather, never
seeming to come fully light, and raw, too. There had been no pleasure in walking, the
visibility was too poor for any shooting and the dogs were permanently morose and
muddy. Inside the house, the lamps were lit throughout the day and the walls of larder,
outhouse and cellar oozed damp and smelled sour, the fires sputtered and smoked,
burning dismally low.
 My spirits have for many years now been excessively affected by the ways of the
weather, and I confess that, had it not been for the air of cheerfulness and bustle that
prevailed in the rest of the house, I should have been quite cast down in gloom and
lethargy, unable to enjoy the flavour of life as I should like and irritated by my own
susceptibility. But Esmé is merely stung by inclement weather into a spirited defiance,
and so the preparations for our Christmas holiday had this year been more than
usually extensive and vigorous.

I took a step or two out from under the shadow of the house so that I could see around
me in the moonlight. Monk’s Piece stands at the summit of land that rises gently up
for some four hundred feet from where the little River Nee traces its winding way in a
north to south direction across this fertile, and sheltered, part of the country. Below us
are pastures, interspersed with small clumps of mixed, broadleaf woodland. But at our
backs for several square miles it is a quite different area of rough scrub and heathland,
a patch of wildness in the midst of well-farmed country. We are but two miles from a
good-sized village, seven from the principal market town, yet there is an air of
remoteness and isolation which makes us feel ourselves to be much further from
civilization.

2 Deciding the stage of the

story

What stage of the narrative arc are we looking at in this text?

 Unpicking the structure of
3 the text

The way writers structure their text is a deliberate method used to keep readers
interested.

Taster Task:

1. Refer to the source and write a couple of sentences about what happens during each section.

2. Write down any structural features you found in each section:

Section of text What structural features did you

find in each section?

Beginning

Middle

End

3. Pick one structural feature you identified and explain why it would interest the reader

_______________________________________________________________________________
 The writer’s intentions
4

Taster Task: Look at the list of quotes and writer’s intentions below. Draw a line
to match the quote with the correct intention of the writer.

Writer’s intention
Quote

“It was nine-thirty on Christmas Eve. To introduce a character

As I crossed the long entrance hall of who seems interesting
Monk’s Piece...where we had just enough to want to follow.
enjoyed the first of the happy, festive
meals…”

“My spirits have for many years now To fool the reader into a
been excessively affected by the ways false sense of security.
of the weather…”

“I have always liked to take a breath of To immerse the reader in

the evening, to smell the air, whether it the setting by inviting them
is sweetly scented and balmy with the on a sensory journey.
flowers of midsummer...”

5 Commenting on the whole text structure

Below is a paragraph of a sample answer. Look at the boxes below and draw a line
where the candidate has included them.
6 Your turn!

Write your own paragraph below:

Reflection: How
confident do you
feel with writing
about structure?
 Synthesising and comparing
This worksheet will support you in synthesising information and ideas from two texts
and compare them.

The skills developed in this worksheet will help you identify explicit differences in two
texts.

In the exam, you will be asked to tackle a question such as the one below:

Top Tips

• Read through the text closely

and highlight any key or main
ideas
• Look at topic sentences as
these may help summarise the
information within a paragraph
• Look at the highlighted words
and phrases and see if any of
these are duplicated or can be
Thinking about comparing linked together
1 • Try to combine the highlighted
and contrasting
words/phrases into your own
words
Taster task: Look at these crisp packets. How are they • Do not add any additional
similar? How are they different? Write down your ideas information/ideas or opinions.

One difference between the two

crisps packets is the logo.
Packet A has a smaller logo with
‘TESCO’ written on it in beige
letters and looks quite simple.
Packet B has a larger logo with
‘WALKERS’ written in white
across a vibrant red banner that
is wrapped around a golden
sphere. The difference between
the logos is that Packet A has a
much simpler logo than Packet
B, which stands out more to grab
your attention.
 When answering question 2, you are summarising the differences.
How to use your own words When summarising, you must use your own words to explain the
2 differences or quotes you’ve selected.

Taster task: Read the extract. Summarise
the boy’s actions in your own words.

Write here:

How do I structure my
3
answer?

This question is about:

• Statement
• Quotation
• Inference

Inference means what the quotation is telling the

reader or suggesting. You are not analysing the writing
or mentioning techniques.

4 Process for writing

1. Skim read all of both sources for information in response to the question
2. Find points of similarity / difference, depending upon the question’s demands.
3. Using quotations to support you, explain what you think can be inferred from the
similarities / differences.
5 Your turn!

Taster Task:

1. Read the two texts:

Text A is an extract from a cookery book published in 1855, Soyer’s Shilling Cookery for the
People. The writer, Alexis Soyer describes a visit to a house in St Giles, a poor area of
London.

Text B is an extract from a restaurant review written in 2016.

Question:

2. Compare how the two writers convey their attitudes towards food and the people they are
visiting. Use SQI to structure your answer.

Extract A:
Having but little confidence in what they would provide, I bought a quarter of a pound
of ground coffee, intending giving them a lesson in how to make coffee. On my
arrival, I was received like a princess in a fairy land. The little parlour was not only
clean, but ornamented, at a cost of a few pence, with wall flowers from the
neighbouring garden (the best in the world, Covent Garden), generously dispensing
their perfume over pyramids of muffins and crumpets. Having cordially shaken hands
with my host, I set cheerfully to work, and got hold of an old pitcher, but clean; in it I
put the coffee and placed it close before the fire, begging the old lady to keep turning
it round, and stirring it til the powder was hot. I then poured three quarts of boiling
water, allowed it to stand for ten minutes, and then poured it out into the cups, with
the best milk that could be got, and sugar.

Soyer’s Shilling Cookery for the People, Alexis Soyer

Extract B:
I reserved our table three months ago. This might seem extreme. But if you’re going
to eat at a restaurant where the food is hand-picked from its very own walled-garden,
I’ve discovered that a window seat is essential. I like to see precisely where my food
has come from. And I’m convinced it makes the flavours more intense.

Besides, [restaurant name] has developed such a reputation for quality that if you
don’t get your booking in quick, you won’t get a table at all.

It’s the first time my dining companion has been here. She is suitably wowed by the
winding lanes we walk down to reach the restaurant. (It seems too ironic to drive to
an establishment where the food miles are practically zero.) And she’s impressed by
the view of the Mendips that greets us at the gate.
 Before we go indoors, we wander through the walled-garden, admiring rows of
velvety Cavolo Nero, feathered plumes of carrots, earthy globes of beets. This really
is food at its freshest.

At the door we are welcomed by the most cheerful waiter I’ve ever met. His broad
smile and enthusiastic discussion of the menu suggest that this is someone entirely
suited to his work. I trust him immediately. In fact he makes me want to throw caution
to the wind and I find myself forgoing choice completely and entrusting him to
recommend a starter and a main.

‘Are you feeling OK?’ asks my companion.

‘Don’t worry,’ I say. ‘I’ll choose my own dessert.’

Restaurant review, 2016

Write here:
 Taster Task: Look at the model answer
6 How did you do? below. Why do you think makes this a
good answer?

Both of these pieces depict a writer’s first hand experience of visiting an establishment
where food is served. In the cookery book extract from the 19th century, Soyer visits a
house in a poor area of town. He has not been there before and admits early on that he has
‘little confidence’ in the quality of food he might be served. His initial attitude to his hosts is
patronising; he intends ‘giving them a lesson’ in how to prepare coffee. In contrast, the
reviewer visiting the restaurant books her table ‘three months’ in advance to ensure she gets
‘a table at all’. Unlike Soyer, the reviewer expects high quality.

Both writers describe their surroundings with a sense of wonder and delight. Soyer tells us of
a ‘little parlour’ that is clean and ‘ornamented…with wall flowers from the neighbouring
garden’. The reviewer is similarly impressed by the restaurant’s ‘very own walled-garden’
where the food for the restaurant is grown. She claims this proximity of garden to restaurant
‘makes the flavours more intense’. Her use of positive adjectives amplifies the sense of her
enjoyment. Soyer is also impressed by the produce of the neighbouring garden (Covent
Garden) and is delighted with the way the wall flowers are ‘generously dispensing their
perfume’.

Whereas Soyer visits the house in St Giles alone, the reviewer brings a companion and
shows us her friend’s reactions to her first visit to the restaurant. This use of a second
person validates the reviewer’s opinions, confirming that the restaurant and its surroundings
are pleasing. The companion is ‘wowed’ and ‘impressed’ by the views. These verbs
reinforce the reviewer’s positive attitude to the place. Likewise Soyer is received
‘generously’, ‘cordially’ and he works ‘cheerfully’. These adverbs reveal his amicable attitude
to the people he meets.

In terms of the food, Soyer is delighted to be met by ‘pyramids of muffins and crumpets’.
Care has been taken in arranging the food and we feel that he is pleased by this. The
reviewer is also pleased by the spectacle of food growing in the walled-garden. She is
‘admiring’ of the vegetables and uses lush language to describe them. The Cavolo Nero is
‘velvety’, the carrots are ‘feathered’ the beetroots are ‘earthy globes’. This visual language
creates a positive and enticing image and reveals a positive attitude to the food and the
restaurant where it grows.

This answer is great because:

• The answer moves smoothly from one

text to another throughout using Reflection: How
comparative linking words and phrases
such as ‘both’, ‘whereas’ and ‘in
confident do you
contrast’ feel with summary
• It considers the attitudes of the writers, writing?
as well as the language employed
• It shows both the similarities and the
differences between the texts
• It uses plenty of quotations, which are
embedded into sentences, includes
points about the text that are Sources:
developed and linked to other point
• It structures the answer using SQI. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zppr9qt/revision/4
 Narrative and descriptive writing
This worksheet will support you in structuring ideas for your narrative and descriptive
writing question. The taster tasks below will cover how to plan a story, how to create
an engaging opening and ending.

In the exam, you will be asked to tackle writing tasks such as the one below:
Top Tips

• You are rewarded for

engaging and careful
work. So write in an
exciting manner and
with accurate SPaG.

• Use a range of literary

techniques for effect.

• Planning will ensure
your work makes sense;
checking will ensure you
don’t make mistakes.
So use your time well.

Engaging your reader from the very start of your descriptive piece is important.
1 Descriptive writing: plan
So how do you plan an exciting description? Look at your picture carefully

Box planning:
This approach encourages Senses: Using senses in your writing is a useful way of
you to think about how to focus your zooming in on details. Imagine you are in the picture
description on specific details within the yourself. Focus on the visual aspects of a scene, include
image, zooming in on different details. sounds, smells, feelings and where appropriate, tastes,
you can really bring your writing to life.


Example:
city lights
people laughing
and yawning fresh mint
chewing gum

Taster task: using your senses, can you

add any more to this list?
condensation on
windows

someone’s
perfume

Structuring your When you have explored your picture, it is important to think about what
2 description you’ll write in each paragraph of your description:

Paragraph 1 focus: Paragraph 2 focus: Paragraph 3 focus: Paragraph 4 focus:

E.g. E.g. describe inside E.g. describe outside E.g. Choose a
atmosphere/emotions the bus the window person to describe

Bus ride through

central London after a
long day at work.

Taster task: can you think of any ideas of what to include in the
paragraph planning boxes?

Starting to write (mindful Now you’ve got some ideas and though about the structure of your answer,
2 of techniques and SPaG)
you can begin writing. Remember to try and use language techniques to
pull your reader in. Remember to proofread your work.

Taster task: the example answer below is about a girl who returns to the city through the power of her
imagination, views a journey by bus as something magical…until reality hits.

(1) Can you identify any language techniques? Highlight them on the text.

(2) Can you identify and correct the 6 SPaG mistakes? Correct them on the text.

(3) Reflect on the text. Think about these questions: what do you like about the text? what
techniques has the writer used? are they effective? why?
 Through the haze of the window the city burned before her in a cacophony of neon
lasser lights, blazing across the world of darkness like stars across a night sky.

Upon the Great stone and metal monoliths, the stars danced and flashed, swirled
and sparkled in proud shades of red, green, yellow, blue; every colour that could be
imagined was roaring in the silent symphoney. These lights played and twinkled in
her wide eyes. The city rose within her; a feeling long forgotten: one of wonder,
beauty, adventure, one subdued by the monotony of life, one that had been sorely
missed.

Sharing the will of those terrific, persistant stars, she tore her eyes away from the
scene to look back, to reflect how she had ever come to live without this.

Around her she saw the same tired people, heads down, dead still, as if shackled by
some unhappy master, but now she saw so much more. Their lives and dreams and
meaning were unveiled through the eye of her vivid imagination. With this new found,
childlike wonder, she saw movie stars, murderers secret aliens, as if gazing at them
through a kaleidoscope. Herself, she saw as an astronaut, gliding past the bright,
fiery suns in her spaceship.

Now you’ve learnt how to approach and explore your picture and have
3 Your turn! seen how to plan, try these steps with the picture below.

Reminder:
Language techniques
checklist:
o Metaphor

o Onomatopoeia
o Simile
o Senses
o Alliteration
o Personification

Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 focus: Paragraph 3 focus: Paragraph 4 focus:
focus: E.g. E.g. Hands/soldier E.g.
E.g. Keys/Piano Music/atmosphere Soldier/surroundings

Reminder:
1 Narrative writing
Write a story about two people from very different

backgrounds

When writing a narrative, it is important to think about:

• the way this story begins, develops and ends (sequence/structure)

• the characters
and how they develop.

so that a reader can follow your ideas. A strong structure will help keep
your reader engaged.

One way to plot a narrative is to follow the story mountain.

Plan
2 The outline of the mountain reflects the rise and fall in a story.
This structure uses an opening that hooks the reader and sets the

scene, followed by an introduction to the character’s thoughts and
feelings, a development of the storyline, a turning point and finally,
a resolution.

Taster task: Think back to the last book

you read- did the story
follow a similar structure to the story mountain?

Taster task: Read the beginning of story below. It is about two

Example
3 people from different backgrounds, whilst creating a setting and
characters that are original.

He walked closer to the .line, tousled thick hair flowing down her shoulders like a
mane, golden eyes blinking owlishly as her head tilted in contemplation. Ebony skin
littered with thick raised scars, shaped in whorls that danced over her shoulders and
spilled onto her back whilst slowly creeping up her neck and face, glistened dimly in
the scorching heat of the day. She shuffled a step closer, tattered furs that were used
as clothes softly flapping against her skin as she moved. Her head tilted in the
opposite direction: who are you? Her eyes – there was wildfire floating in her eyes –
widened slightly. Curiosity? Or perhaps apprehension.

The other side of the line, a boy. Alabaster skin, milk hair – a strange sight in the
Wildlands. He was ice, cold, unmoving, his eyes twitching ever so slightly as he
drank in the girl in front of him. He held some sort of tablet in his hand, casting red
rays of light that flickered across the ground. A black box was attached to a wide strip
of material at his waist, occasionally letting out an eerie beep. The girl’s eyes darted
to it every time it did so, curiosity etching itself into every pore of her skin.

He took a step closer.

Taster task: Reflect. What do you think of the opening? What
techniques do you see?



Taster task: Use the story mountain below to plan your own story
4 Your turn!
about two people from different backgrounds.

Taster Task: Using your plan, write the opening of your story. You
need to introduce
your two characters and introduce the setting of
the scene.

Reflection: How
confident do you feel
with descriptive and
narrative writing?

Sources:

GCSE English Language Hub schools network meeting booklet

https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-GCSE-ENG-LANG-HUB-SPR-18-BOOKLET.PDF

Story mountain template:: http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/pdfs/StoryMountain_TL.pdf

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/aqa-language-paper-1-section-b-question-5-planning-sheet-12000826
 Structuring your ideas – writing to
present a viewpoint
This worksheet will help you plan and sequence your ideas when tackling Paper 2
Question 5. This question is all about presenting your point of view, so being able to
produce well-structured pieces of writing is really important.

You may get a question like the one below:

The Principal of Uxbridge College is considering putting CCTV cameras in all

classrooms. This is thought to improve student behaviour and help to monitor the
quality of the lessons they have.

Write a persuasive letter to the Principal sharing your views for OR against this
proposal.
(24 marks for content and organisation 16 marks for technical accuracy) [40 marks]

What is your point of view To get started, you need to decide whether you agree or
1 (P.O.V)?
disagree with the statement. From there, you might start
to think about the points you will make to support your
viewpoint.

Taster task: Write here whether you agree or

disagree with the above statement:

……………………………………………………..

Genre
2 Identifying the GAP Audience
Purpose

Genre refers to the type of text you have been asked to write. It will be either a letter, article,
leaflet, speech or essay.

Audience refers to the sorts of people who are reading your text. When writing for a
particular audience, think carefully about their age, profession and your relation to them.

Purpose refers to what your text is trying to do. I might be to: explain, instruct/advise, argue
or persuade.
 Once you have a clear idea of what type of text you will be writing, who you are writing for,
and what your text is trying to do, you can begin to start getting your ideas together.

Write here:
Taster task: - identify the GAP for the
question above: Genre -

Audience -

3 5 point plan Purpose -

Now that we’ve figured out the GAP, you now need to think about 5 points you want to
cover.

Taster task: - complete one of the plans

below
 When writing to express your viewpoint, using
4 DAFOREST DAFOREST techniques will help you to put together
a really persuasive argument:

Direct address
Alliteration or anecdote
Facts or flattery
Opinions or opposing arguments
Repetition or rhetorical questions
Exaggeration or emotive language
Statistics
Three (rule of three)

Taster task: - Use your points from task 3 and attempt to use a technique from DAFOREST. An
example has been given to help you.

Technique Example

Would you not feel on edge knowing that Rhetorical question

everything you say and do is being watched
and listened to by someone you can’t see?
5 Your turn!

Using the advice in this worksheet, have a go at the question below:

“Public sector workers such as nurses and teachers deserve higher wages, not underworked and
selfish footballers”. Write a letter to your local MP in which you persuade them to agree with your
opinions on this statement.

(24 marks for content and organisation 16 marks for technical accuracy) [40 marks]

Remember to follow these steps:

1. Decide whether you agree or disagree with the statement

2. Find the GAP in the question
3. Produce a five-point plan
4. Begin to write your answer
5. Remember to use DAFOREST techniques.

Plan here:

Reflection: How
confident do you
feel writing to
present your POV?
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