Revise
Writing: Understanding the Questions
Writing: Understanding the Questions Revision
Understanding the Questions
Now that you have a good understanding of the AO points that you are being assessed on in writing questions, let’s take a look at how you can meet them by applying a range of different skills.
To get full marks, having a good idea of what the question is asking you is very important. This means that you need to read the question carefully, picking out key words and ensuring that you fully understand each part of the question.
Practicing is the best way to get better at this. If you practice reading and understanding a wide variety of writing questions, you will be able to pick out exactly what they want from you! Past papers and mock exams are therefore an incredibly important resource when you are revising.
The First Glance…
Before you jump into planning and writing, take a deep breath and read the question through carefully. Twice.
This will ensure you don’t misunderstand the question and waste time in the exam.
Circle or underline some key words, focusing on what the question is asking you to do.
- Are you being asked to take a particular aim with your work? Use a particular tone or emotion?
The wording might be specific and tell you exactly what format to use in your writing…
- Think about what features are associated with the format. For example, an article would need a heading and a report would use formal language.
Annotating can be a useful way to note your thoughts after reading through the question – check out our annotation page for more info!
Key Words in the Question
Here are some examples of formats you may be asked to use in the writing section…
Article:
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- Headline
- Subheading
- Columns
- Author attribution
- Date
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Read the question carefully to work out what tone to use in your writing.
Who is the article for? A student newspaper? Church bulletin? Personal blog?
A Letter:
You can give your opinion more freely here and use persuasive techniques to convince the reader of your point depending on the topic.
- Emotive language, either positive or negative, can be used if the aim is to persuade.
- You can use personal pronouns, either giving your opinion: ‘I thought the play was mind-numbing’, or talking directly to the reader: ‘Don’t waste your hard earned money on this’.
- If the audience is not known, you will need to adapt your formality to suit the purpose.
- Remember to include a sender and recipient address and an appropriate greeting and sign-off.
What is the Question Asking You?
The question might focus on a particular emotion or feeling, like the feeling of being free or finding a new place.
Or, it might focus on a specific format, for example asking you to write an article for the local newspaper, or a letter to your local MP.
Marks For Each Question
The writing section is 40 marks for each paper, and both AO points are assessed within it.
- In Paper 1, Question 5 is 40 marks, with 24 marks for AO5, content and organisation and 16 marks for AO6, technical accuracy. You have a choice of two questions – you only have to answer one though!
- In Paper 2, Question 5 is 40 marks, with 24 marks for AO5, content and organisation and 16 marks for AO6, technical accuracy. You do not pick a format.
