How to Answer Paper 1 Question 4 Flashcards
All 12 cards in this deck
What does Paper 1 Question 4 ask, and how many marks is it worth?
15 marks, AO4. It states the writer's aim ('In this extract, there is an attempt to create tension') and asks you to evaluate how successfully this is achieved, with detailed reference to the text.
Which part of the text is Paper 1 Question 4 about?
The whole extract, from beginning to end. Examiners say the best answers consider the extract as a whole, while weaker ones stay with one small section.
How long should you spend on Paper 1 Question 4?
About 30–35 minutes. It's worth more than Questions 1–3 put together, so protect the time for it.
What are the five levels for Paper 1 Question 4?
They climb from description (1–3) to comment (4–6), explanation (7–9), analysis (10–12) and evaluation (13–15). At the top, your critical overview is sustained through the whole answer and your references are apt and well chosen.
When do comments on techniques earn marks in Paper 1 Question 4?
Only when they support your judgement of how successful the writer is. Above Level 1, a technique is credited only if you use it to explain why the aim is, or isn't, achieved.
What is the most common complaint about Paper 1 Question 4 answers?
Retelling the story instead of evaluating it. Every paragraph should judge how well the writer achieves the aim, and why, not report what happens next.
Why isn't it enough to write 'this is very effective' at the start and end?
Examiners notice evaluative words bolted on to an answer that is really analysis. Your judgement needs to run through every point, backed up by evidence and explanation.
Should you reuse your Question 3 quotations in Question 4?
Avoid it. Question 3 covers only a short section, and Question 4 rewards the whole extract. Fresh evidence from across the text shows a wider view.
What is a sensible plan for Paper 1 Question 4?
Underline the aim in the question. Pick four or five moments from the beginning, middle and end that achieve it, plus anything that works across the whole extract (the title, a recurring image, the ending). Judge how well each works, then give an overall verdict.
What can you write about besides language in Paper 1 Question 4?
Anything that helps the writer achieve the aim: ideas, events, themes and settings, structure, characterisation, the title, recurring images, the ending, and how the whole extract builds.
Which is evaluation? (a) 'The narrator hears a knock and runs downstairs.' (b) 'The knock at the door is a highly effective turning point, because after so much silence it makes the reader jump with the narrator.'
(b). It judges how successfully a choice achieves the aim and explains why. (a) only retells what happens.
Does Paper 1 Question 4 want you to criticise the writer?
Only where the evidence supports it. You're judging how successfully the aim is achieved, so you might decide one part is less convincing than another. A balanced, detached judgement is what the top level describes, not praise or criticism for its own sake.