AQA GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE — COMPLETE REVISION PACK
📝 How the exams work
Paper 1 — Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing
1 hour 45 minutes
• Section A: Reading — 40 marks
• Section B: Creative writing — 40 marks
Paper 2 — Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives
1 hour 45 minutes
• Section A: Reading — 40 marks
• Section B: Writing — 40 marks
⸻
🟦 PAPER 1 — READING
Question 1 — List 4 things
What you do: Find four pieces of information directly from the specified lines.
Best approach
Read the exact lines carefully and pick four separate points.
Don’t explain them.
Example
List four things we learn about the house.
Answer:
• It is large.
• It is old.
• It has broken windows.
• It is surrounded by trees.
Remember:
Q1 = find it, don’t explain it.
⸻
🟦 Question 2 — Language
Usually worth 8 marks.
You’ll be given a short section of the extract and asked how the writer uses
language.
What does “language” mean?
Look for:
, 🔹 Word choices
Individual words and their meanings.
🔹 Adjectives
Words describing nouns.
“The ancient house”
🔹 Verbs
Action words.
“He stumbled through the doorway.”
🔹 Adverbs
Describe how an action happens.
“She walked nervously.”
🔹 Nouns
People, places, objects or things.
“The forest”
⸻
🧠 Language techniques
Simile
Compares using like or as.
“The clouds were like mountains.”
Effect: Creates a clear image for the reader.
⸻
Metaphor
Says something is something else.
“The classroom was a prison.”
Effect: Creates an association between the classroom and imprisonment.
⸻
Personification
Gives human qualities to something non-human.
“The wind whispered.”
Effect: Makes the wind seem alive.
📝 How the exams work
Paper 1 — Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing
1 hour 45 minutes
• Section A: Reading — 40 marks
• Section B: Creative writing — 40 marks
Paper 2 — Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives
1 hour 45 minutes
• Section A: Reading — 40 marks
• Section B: Writing — 40 marks
⸻
🟦 PAPER 1 — READING
Question 1 — List 4 things
What you do: Find four pieces of information directly from the specified lines.
Best approach
Read the exact lines carefully and pick four separate points.
Don’t explain them.
Example
List four things we learn about the house.
Answer:
• It is large.
• It is old.
• It has broken windows.
• It is surrounded by trees.
Remember:
Q1 = find it, don’t explain it.
⸻
🟦 Question 2 — Language
Usually worth 8 marks.
You’ll be given a short section of the extract and asked how the writer uses
language.
What does “language” mean?
Look for:
, 🔹 Word choices
Individual words and their meanings.
🔹 Adjectives
Words describing nouns.
“The ancient house”
🔹 Verbs
Action words.
“He stumbled through the doorway.”
🔹 Adverbs
Describe how an action happens.
“She walked nervously.”
🔹 Nouns
People, places, objects or things.
“The forest”
⸻
🧠 Language techniques
Simile
Compares using like or as.
“The clouds were like mountains.”
Effect: Creates a clear image for the reader.
⸻
Metaphor
Says something is something else.
“The classroom was a prison.”
Effect: Creates an association between the classroom and imprisonment.
⸻
Personification
Gives human qualities to something non-human.
“The wind whispered.”
Effect: Makes the wind seem alive.
