Question 6: Evaluating Non-Fiction Flashcards
All 21 cards in this deck
What does Paper 2 Question 6 ask, and how many marks is it worth?
15 marks, AO4, on the whole of Text 2. It states what the writer attempts (for example, 'the writer attempts to share his memories of a childhood holiday') and asks you to evaluate how successfully this is achieved.
How is Paper 2 Question 6 marked?
With the same five-level AO4 ladder as Paper 1 Question 4: description, comment, explanation, analysis, evaluation. Techniques count above Level 1 only when they support your judgement.
How long should you spend on Paper 2 Question 6?
About 15–20 minutes: it's worth 15 marks, the same as Question 3.
What is the first thing to do in Paper 2 Question 6?
Underline exactly what the writer attempts to do. Every point you make should judge how well the text achieves that, not just what the text is about.
How is evaluating non-fiction different from evaluating fiction?
Think about the writer's purpose and audience: a memoir shares experience, a report informs, a column persuades. Judge how well the choices suit that purpose, for example whether personal detail makes a memory vivid and believable.
What do examiners criticise in Paper 2 Question 6 answers?
Summarising what the writer says, covering only part of the text, and listing techniques without judging them. The best answers sweep across the whole extract with a clear, developed judgement.
What is a sensible plan for Paper 2 Question 6?
Take four or five points from across Text 2: the opening, key moments, the ending and anything that runs throughout. For each: what the writer does, a short quotation, and how successfully it achieves the stated aim, with a reason.
Which text is Paper 2 Question 6 about?
Text 2 only. Questions 4, 5 and 6 are on Text 2. Writing about Text 1 here earns nothing.
Question 6 says 'the writer attempts to show how frightening the storm was'. Is 'The writer describes the storm and the damage it caused' a good opening sentence?
No: it only summarises. Better: 'The writer is highly successful in showing how frightening the storm was, because she shows it through the eyes of people who lost everything, so the reader feels its impact personally.'
Can you write about structure in Paper 2 Question 6?
Yes, when it helps your judgement: how the text opens, how it builds, where the writer places a key moment and how it ends can all show how successfully the aim is achieved.
Where do you find the writer's aim in Paper 2 Question 6?
In the question itself: 'the writer attempts to…' share her memories, demonstrate determination, create strong feelings. Underline it: your whole answer judges how well the text achieves it.
What does it mean to evaluate a non-fiction text?
To judge how successfully the writer achieves their aim, and why, with evidence. It goes beyond explaining what the writer does to weighing how well it works for the reader.
Which words help you express a judgement in Question 6?
Scales of success: highly / very / largely / partly / less successful or effective; convincing, memorable, vivid. Use them with a reason every time, never on their own.
How can personal detail make a memory successful?
Specific sensory details, names and small moments make a memory feel real and shared, so the reader can step into it. A judgement might be: 'The precise detail of the cracked teapot makes the memory vivid and believable.'
How can facts help a writer achieve an aim such as creating strong feelings?
Stark numbers or plain facts can shock the reader and show the scale of an event, while personal stories make it feel human. Judging how well the writer balances the two is strong evaluation.
How can the opening and ending help you judge the writer's success?
The opening shows how the writer draws the reader in; the ending shows what impression they leave. Judging both lets you evaluate the text as a whole, which the top levels reward.
Can you say part of a text is less successful?
Yes, with a reason: 'The middle section is less effective, because the list of dates slows the memory down.' A measured judgement shows a critical overview.
How is an aim like "to demonstrate determination" achieved in non-fiction?
Usually through the structure of the struggle (setbacks then progress), verbs of effort, the person's own words, and moments of choice. Judge how well these make the reader believe in the determination.
Turn this into evaluation: 'The writer remembers her grandmother's kitchen.'
For example: 'The writer shares her memory very successfully: the smells she lists, "cardamom and wet coats", let the reader step into her grandmother's kitchen, so the memory feels warm and real.'
Question 6 says 'the writer attempts to show the excitement of the day'. Which point evaluates? (a) 'The writer uses exclamation marks.' (b) 'The exclamations in the first paragraph capture her excitement convincingly, because they sound like her voice on the day.'
(b). It links the method to the aim and judges how well it works. (a) is feature spotting.
How do you keep a Question 6 answer evaluative from start to finish?
Open with an overall judgement, then make every paragraph answer how successfully? about one part of the text, and finish with a brief verdict on the whole. Don't drift into describing what happens.