5.2.3

Answering Question 2

Test yourself

Section A: Reading - Question 2

In Section A of Paper 2, you will analyse the language of one non-fiction text and compare the viewpoints of the writers of two non-fiction texts.

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Question 2

  • Question 2 is worth eight marks.
  • In this question, you will be asked to read both sources. You will be asked to write a summary of the similarities or differences between the two texts – make sure you read the question carefully and check whether you should be writing about similarities or differences.
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Tips for answering Question 2

  • Summarise only - do not analyse the writer's language. You should still support your points with quotations from the text, but do NOT analyse the words.
  • Make inferences - to achieve the highest marks, you need to offer a perceptive interpretation of both texts. So don't just paraphrase everything you have read. Read between the lines and draw conclusions.
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Reaching the top marks

  • To gain the top marks for this question, you need to:
    • Demonstrate a good understanding of either similarities or differences.
    • Interpret both sources perceptively.
    • Use information from both sources.
    • Use a variety of quotations from each source.

The SQI Structure for Question 2

You don't have to stick to this structure, exactly, but it helps you to remember including everything you need to get the most marks.

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Statement

  • Write your idea or argument and link it to the question.
  • Here are some example sentence starters:
    • In the text, the writer suggests that the man is ____.
    • The writer draws our attention to _.
    • Throughout the text, the writer ____.
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Quotation

  • Select a quotation from the text which proves the point you have made.
  • Here are some example sentence starters:
    • In paragraph three, the author says, “__”.
    • The author describes the sky as “_”.
    • The description “____” is stated at the start of the text.
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Inference

  • Ask yourself, what does the language suggest here?
  • Draw your own conclusions, focusing on the meanings behind the language.
  • Here are some example sentence starters:
    • The quotation suggests that ___.
    • From the language used, we can infer that ___.
    • The writer is suggesting that __.
    • The evidence implies that ____.

Jump to other topics

1Key Terms

2Language Techniques

3Paper 1: Reading

4Paper 1: Writing

5Paper 2: Reading

6Paper 2: Writing

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