Question 7(a): Synthesising Similarities Flashcards
All 32 cards in this deck
What is an inference?
Working out something the writer suggests but doesn't state, using evidence from the text. It shows the examiner you understand what a detail reveals, not just what it says.
What is the difference between paraphrase and inference?
Paraphrase restates the text in other words ("the coat was too big"). Inference explains what it reveals ("the coat was probably handed down, which hints the family couldn't afford new clothes").
How do explicit and implicit information differ?
Explicit information is stated directly. Implicit information is suggested, and you have to infer it. In Question 7(a), the best similarities are often implicit ones you infer from both texts.
Which phrases signal an inference in your writing?
This suggests…, this implies…, this reveals…, we can infer that…, perhaps…. They tell the examiner you are going beyond the words on the page.
Why is tentative language (perhaps, might, could) useful when inferring?
Inferences are interpretations, not facts. Tentative language shows you know a detail could mean more than one thing, which helps you offer alternative or layered readings, a mark of perceptive answers.
What is over-inference, and why does it lose credibility?
Claiming more than the evidence supports, e.g. reading "she checked the lock twice" as "she was a criminal on the run". Every inference must be anchored to a detail you can quote.
What makes an inference perceptive rather than just clear?
A clear inference states the obvious meaning. A perceptive one goes further, e.g. to what a detail reveals about a whole way of life, a period or a hidden reason, and may build several inferences from one detail.
In "She counted the coins twice before handing them over", what can you infer?
Money is tight and every coin matters to her. Perhaps she can't afford a mistake, or doesn't trust the person she's paying. The repeated checking hints at worry, not just carefulness.
In "Every chair in the waiting room had a different stain", what can you infer?
The place is heavily used and poorly looked after. There is no money or care to replace the furniture, which may suggest the people who wait there are not treated as a priority.
How can you infer something from what a text doesn't mention?
Absences are evidence too. If a long description of a journey never mentions food, warmth or rest, you can infer the travellers went without them, or that comfort simply wasn't expected.
Why should you use short, embedded quotations when inferring?
A word or two ("threadbare", "unopened letters") lets you zoom in on exactly what triggers the inference. Long quotations waste time and hide what you are actually reading into.
What does "like for like" mean when you find similarities in Question 7(a)?
Matching the same aspect in both texts, e.g. how crowded each writer's train is. A similarity only counts if both halves are about the same thing, and about the focus the question names.
"Text 1's hotel has a pool, and Text 2's hotel is also in a city." What is wrong with this similarity?
It isn't like for like: a facility is set against a location, so nothing is actually shared. Match facility with facility (both hotels lack basic comforts) or location with location (both are in noisy city centres).
In Question 7(a), how do you join the two texts in one similarity?
Link a detail from Text 1 with one from Text 2 using both, similarly, likewise or in the same way: 'Both journeys are uncomfortable: Text 1's carriage is "packed to the doors", and similarly Text 2's bus is "standing room only".'
How can you quickly find similarities to write about in Question 7(a)?
Run through aspects of the focus the question names: appearance, purpose, comfort, cost, behaviour, how others react, what it reveals about the time. For each aspect, note a detail from each text that the two share.
What does it mean to synthesise evidence in Question 7(a)?
To bring details from both texts together into one point, e.g. "Both guides refuse to give up on their client". Synthesis is what 7(a) rewards, and the mark scheme gives nothing to an answer that uses only one text.
Why is writing all about Text 1 and then all about Text 2 weaker in Question 7(a)?
It turns into two separate summaries and leaves the examiner to find the similarities. Joining the texts in each sentence makes every similarity explicit, which is what synthesis means.
Text 1: "the fare was a week's wages". Text 2: "we saved for months to buy the tickets". How would you turn these into a 7(a) similarity?
Match the aspect (cost) and infer from both: In both texts the journey is expensive enough to need sacrifice: the fare is "a week's wages" in Text 1, and in Text 2 the family "saved for months", which suggests travel is a rare treat for both.
How is Question 7(a) different from Question 7(b) on Paper 2?
7(a) is 6 marks of AO1: similarities only, in what both texts show about the focus named in the question (the two journeys, the two people). 7(b) is 14 marks of AO3: comparing the writers' ideas and perspectives, and the way each writer conveys them, with similarities and differences. Don't reuse 7(a) points in 7(b).
What does Paper 2 Question 7(a) ask, and how many marks is it worth?
6 marks, AO1 (synthesis). It names something both texts show ('The two texts show picnics') and asks what similarities it shares in the two extracts, using evidence from both texts.
What happens if a Question 7(a) answer uses only one text?
It scores nothing: you must draw on both texts to access any marks.
Should you include differences in Question 7(a)?
No. It asks only for similarities. Differences earn nothing in 7(a); save them for 7(b).
What are the three levels for Question 7(a)?
Level 1 (1–2): limited understanding of similarities and synthesis. Level 2 (3–4): sound understanding and clear synthesis, perhaps unbalanced. Level 3 (5–6): detailed understanding and synthesis, with appropriate, relevant evidence.
What is examiners' most persistent complaint about Question 7(a)?
Writing about similarities between the texts ('both writers use similes') instead of similarities in the thing the question names (the picnics, the weather events). Methods earn nothing here.
How long should you spend on Question 7(a)?
About 8 minutes. It's 6 marks: three or four well-supported similarities are plenty, and examiners say many students write too much.
What does a strong Question 7(a) point look like?
One shared idea about the focus, supported from both texts in the same sentence: 'Both journeys are uncomfortable: Text 1's carriage is "packed to the doors" and Text 2's bus is "standing room only".'
Why is listing details from each text not enough in 7(a)?
Listing leaves the examiner to find the link. Synthesis means you say what the details have in common, then back it up from both texts.
The question asks 'What similarities do the two journeys share?' Is 'Both texts are written in the first person' a good point?
No. It's about the texts, not the journeys, so it earns nothing. A good point is about the journeys themselves, such as 'both journeys take much longer than planned'.
How is Question 7 laid out on the paper?
As one question with two parts on both texts: 7(a) (6 marks) and 7(b) (14 marks), printed as 20 marks for Question 7 in total.
The question asks what similarities two markets share. Which point would score? (a) 'Both writers use lists.' (b) 'Both markets are crowded and noisy.'
(b). It's a similarity in the markets, the focus the question names. (a) is about the writers' methods, which 7(a) doesn't reward.
How many similarities should a Question 7(a) answer give?
Three or four, each supported from both texts. Detailed, well-synthesised similarities score better than a long list.
Why shouldn't you mention differences in Question 7(a)?
The question asks only for similarities, so differences earn nothing and use up time. Keep them for 7(b), where comparing similarities and differences is the task.