Paper 1: Reading - Overview - Section A
English Language: AQA GCSE, topic 3.1.1
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.
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).
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).
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.
Test yourself on Paper 1: Reading - Overview - Section A
How many questions are there in Paper 1, Section A (Reading)?
How long should you spend on the following questions in Paper 1, Section A (Reading)?
How long is your Paper 1, English Language exam?
How many marks is Paper 1 worth?
Which century or centuries will the text in Paper 1 be from?