How to Answer Paper 1 Question 3 Flashcards
All 11 cards in this deck
What does Paper 1 Question 3 ask, and how many marks is it worth?
6 marks, AO2. It reprints part of the extract and asks 'How does the writer use language and structure to show…?', naming a focus, for example what a character experiences. You support your views with reference to the text.
What happens if your Paper 1 Question 3 answer covers only language, or only structure?
It can't go above the top of Level 1, which is 2 marks, however good it is. The two needn't be balanced, but both must be there.
What are the three levels for Paper 1 Question 3?
Level 1 (1–2): comments on language and/or structure. Level 2 (3–4): explains how both are used, with relevant references. Level 3 (5–6): analyses how both are used, with well-chosen references that sharpen each point.
How long should you spend on Paper 1 Question 3?
About 10 minutes. It is worth 6 marks, and examiners report students writing far too much here and running short of time for Question 4, which is worth 15.
What counts as a structure point in Paper 1 Question 3?
Anything about how the extract is organised or ordered: where it starts and ends, shifts in focus, time or tense, how sentences are built (long multi-clause sentences, short ones, colons and dashes), and what the reader learns when. Pearson's own mark schemes list sentence structure and punctuation under structure.
What does a good Paper 1 Question 3 answer look like?
Three or four short, developed points, at least one about structure. Each one gives a short quotation, names the method precisely, and explains its effect on the reader linked to the focus in the question.
Why should every point in Paper 1 Question 3 link back to the question's focus?
The question names what the writer is showing, such as the narrator's fear. Effects that could fit any extract ('it makes the reader want to read on') don't answer it. Say how this choice shows that focus.
Should you write about the whole extract in Paper 1 Question 3?
No. Use only the reprinted lines. Question 4 is the one about the whole extract, so keep your other material for it.
How do you turn a comment into analysis in Paper 1 Question 3?
Zoom in on a precise word or structural choice, explore what it suggests (more than one meaning if it has one), and explain why the writer placed it there. Naming a technique and saying it 'creates tension' is only a comment.
A student's Paper 1 Question 3 answer analyses three images in detail but never mentions structure. What is the most it can score?
2 marks, the top of Level 1. Adding even one developed structure point, such as the shift from the quiet room to the knock at the door, would let it reach Level 2 or 3.
How should you start a Paper 1 Question 3 answer?
Go straight into your first point. There's no need for an introduction on a 6-mark question: begin with a method, a quotation and its effect on the focus.