Paper Strategy and Questions 1-6
Your first move should be reading the entire paper and highlighting key words during reading time. This gives you a roadmap before you even start writing. Then section off the line numbers for each question - this stops you wasting time hunting through the text later.
Questions 1-2 are straightforward identification tasks worth 2 marks each. Question 1 asks you to identify two things from specific lines, whilst Question 2 lets you use your own words or quotations. These changed in 2019, so don't panic if older past papers look different.
Question 3 is your big language and structure analysis (15 marks). Here's the secret - you don't need equal amounts on both! It's often easier to write more about language techniques than structure, so play to your strengths.
For Questions 4-5 (1 mark each), you're back to simple identification from specific lines. Then comes Question 6 - another 15-marker asking you to evaluate how successfully the writer achieves something. Read this question early and highlight relevant parts of the extract as you go.
Top Tip: Always read Question 6 before diving into the extract - it helps you spot relevant evidence as you read through the text.
