Success Guide for Paper 2

1. Manage your time well – you have to read quickly – make sure you underline/circle/mark the text as you read in a way that will save you time later. 

Suggested timings:

2. Read, identify KEY WORDS and THINK about the question before you read the texts. Highlight all the information for each bullet point in the text in a different colour and write good words to describe that point in the margin.

Q1 Writing a response to Passage A

• Correct form- letter/article/interview transcript

• Detailed and comprehensive content for 15 marks

• Inference/own ideas

• Impressive and advanced vocabulary

• Capture the appropriate tone – what would this character sound like? Is there a sense of mockery or exaggeration in the passage? Can you get this across in your answer?

Q2 Commenting on effective language from specified paragraphs in Passage A

• Language techniques

• Stay very close to the meaning – use synonyms, state what the word means and the associations/connotations that the word conjures up

• Suggests, connotes, gives the impression of, gives a sense of 

• Be concise and pack in as much detail as possible – make your analysis specific to the expressions in the passage. 

Q3 Summarising from Passage B

• Bullet point section: There will be about 20 possible content points – mention 15 and you will get 15 marks.  Make sure that each content point is distinct. 

• Write in a readable way – start your sentences in different ways, use paragraphs and connectives. 

• Do not stray from the passage – don’t include your own ideas!

• Use your own words, don’t copy massive phrases/chunks from the text