How to Answer Paper 1 Questions 1 and 2 Flashcards
All 11 cards in this deck
What do Paper 1 Questions 1 and 2 ask you to do, and how many marks are they worth?
Both test AO1: finding explicit and implicit information. Question 1 (1 mark) asks you to identify a word or phrase from a few given lines. Question 2 (2 marks) reprints a short extract and asks you to give two ways or two things it shows.
How long should you spend on Paper 1 Questions 1 and 2?
Only a few minutes for both: they are worth 3 of Section A's 24 marks. Section A has about an hour, and Question 4 alone is worth more than Questions 1–3 added together, so bank these quickly and move on.
Where must your answer to Paper 1 Question 1 come from?
Only from the lines it names, such as lines 1–4. A detail from line 6 scores nothing, even if it's true. Draw a box round the given lines before you start.
How much should you write for Paper 1 Question 1 ('identify a word or phrase')?
A single word or a short phrase that answers the question. Copying out the whole of the given lines doesn't show you've selected anything, so it scores nothing.
In Paper 1 Question 2, can you use your own words?
Yes. The question says you may use your own words or quotations. A short quotation or a clear paraphrase both score, as long as each point answers the question's focus.
How do you get both marks in Paper 1 Question 2?
Give two different ways or things, one in each numbered space. Two quotations that make the same point only count once, so check that your second answer adds something new.
Why does Paper 1 Question 2 say 'Read this extract'?
The question paper now reprints the lines Question 2 is about, so you don't have to hunt for them in the insert. Your answer must come from that reprinted extract.
Why does the focus of the question matter in a 1- or 2-mark question?
The question asks what shows something specific (that a place is dangerous, how much the narrator loves someone). Choose evidence for that focus. An accurate detail about something else scores nothing.
How should you use the italic introduction above the extract?
Read it first: it tells you who the characters are, where you are and what has happened. Examiners report students getting relationships between characters wrong because they skipped it. It isn't part of the text, though, so don't quote it as an answer.
Do you need to analyse language in Paper 1 Questions 1 and 2?
No. They reward finding information, not explaining techniques. Save analysis for Question 3, where it earns marks.
The question says 'From lines 1–4, identify a word or phrase which shows that the night is cold.' A student writes out lines 1–4 in full. What will they score?
0. Copying the whole section shows no selection. The answer needs to pick out the word or phrase that shows the cold, such as 'frost on the glass'.