3.1.1

Overview - Section A

Test yourself

Paper 1, Section A: Creative Reading

In Section A of Paper 1, you will be given a 40-50 line extract from a 20th or 21st-century text. Unless you are very lucky and have already read the text, this extract will be unseen.

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Questions in Section A

  • Section A focuses on how writers use description and literary techniques to hook readers.
  • You should bear this overall focus in mind whenever you are answering questions from Section A of Paper 1.
  • Section A contains four questions:
    • Question 1 (4 marks).
    • Question 2 (8 marks).
    • Question 3 (8 marks).
    • Question 4 (20 marks).
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Timings for Section A

  • The exam is 1 hour, 45 minutes and worth 80 marks in total.
    • Allow around 10 minutes for reading at the start.
    • This gives you 1 hour, 35 minutes (or 95 minutes) for answering questions.
    • Based on this, you should dedicate 1-1.5 minutes per mark.
  • So in Section A, you should spend approximately:
    • 4-5 minutes on Question 1 (4 marks).
    • 8-10 minutes on Question 2 (8 marks).
    • 8-10 minutes on Question 3 (8 marks).
    • 16-24 minutes on Question 4 (20 marks).
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Texts in Section A

  • The text on Paper 1 will be fictional – it includes extracts from novels and short stories.
  • Questions will involve looking at openings, endings, points of view, characters, atmosphere, settings, etc.

Jump to other topics

1Key Terms

2Language Techniques

3Paper 1: Reading

4Paper 1: Writing

5Paper 2: Reading

6Paper 2: Writing

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