Eduqas GCSE English Language · C700
How to answer every question
Component 1 is worth 40% and Component 2 is worth 60%. Each is marked out of 80, half for reading and half for writing. The 10-mark questions are where most marks are won.
Component 1: 20th Century Literature Reading and Creative Prose Writing
1 hour 45 minutes · 80 marks · one unseen 20th-century prose extract, then one creative writing task
A1: list five things
5 marks · about 5 min
List five things you learn about a person or place in the named lines.
- Use only the lines given.
- Write five separate points, in order. You can use bullet points.
For top marks: Short quotations or your own words both count. Don’t explain.
A2: language or impressions
5 marks · about 10 min
How does the writer use language, or what impressions are created, in the named lines?
- Two or three short points.
- A short quotation with a comment on what it suggests.
For top marks: Use subject terms and zoom in on words, but keep it short: this is only 5 marks.
A3: language or impressions
10 marks · about 15 min
A longer language or impressions question on another section, such as “What impressions does the writer create of this character?”.
- Answer directly: what’s your impression?
- Three or four points from across the lines.
- Explain how the words create it.
For top marks: Offer more than one impression, and move through the whole section.
A4: how the writer creates an effect
10 marks · about 15 min
How does the writer create an effect, such as tension, or an impression of a character or place, in the named lines?
- Track how the effect builds through the lines.
- Use short quotations and comment on word choices and sentences.
For top marks: Say how the effect changes as the section goes on, not just that it’s there.
A5: evaluate
10 marks · about 15 min
A statement about the end of the extract or the whole, such as “The writer makes this seem…”. To what extent do you agree?
- Give a clear view at the start.
- Use evidence and explain your judgement.
- Keep coming back to the statement.
For top marks: Offer a personal, critical view. “Partly” with reasons usually scores better than “I agree” three times.
Section B: creative prose writing
40 marks (24 and 16) · about 45 min
Choose one of four titles, and write a narrative or recount.
- This must be a story or recount: purely descriptive writing can’t reach the top marks, and neither can poems or plays.
- Plan for 5 minutes.
- Check for 5 to 10 minutes.
For top marks: Choose the title that gives you a simple story with a shape: a clear start, a turning point and an ending that’s been earned.
Component 2: 19th and 21st Century Non-Fiction Reading and Transactional/Persuasive Writing
2 hours · 80 marks · two unseen non-fiction texts, then two compulsory writing tasks
A1: find details (21st-century text)
3 marks · about 4 min
Three short questions with one-line answers.
- Use short phrases.
- Only use the named lines if there are any.
For top marks: Be quick and exact.
A2: how the writer persuades or interests
10 marks · about 15 min
How does the writer try to do something, such as persuade us or show what a person is like?
- Three or four points, moving through the text.
- A short quotation and how it works, with terms if you can.
For top marks: Comment on a good range of details and how they influence the reader, with perceptive thoughts about why.
A3: find details (19th-century text)
3 marks · about 4 min
Short questions on the older text.
- Read closely: the older language may hide the answer.
- Short answers.
For top marks: Don’t let an unfamiliar word throw you: use the rest of the sentence.
A4: what you think and feel
10 marks · about 15 min
What do you think and feel about the writer’s views or experience? Comment on what is said and how it’s said.
- Give your response to the writer, then the reasons.
- Cover both what is said and how it’s said.
- Use evidence from across the text.
For top marks: Be critical: don’t just describe. Say what works, what doesn’t and how it affects you as a reader.
A5: bring the texts together
4 marks · about 6 min
According to these two writers, what is true of something they both discuss?
- Choose points from each text.
- Bring them together in your own words.
For top marks: It’s about what you can pick out and combine, so don’t comment on language.
A6: compare
10 marks · about 15 min
Both texts are about something. Compare what they say and how they say it, using evidence.
- Three short paragraphs, with both texts in each.
- Compare the views, then how they’re shown.
For top marks: Keep comparing throughout, and cover both the ideas and the writers’ methods.
B1 and B2: two writing tasks
20 marks each (40 in total) · about 60 min
Two compulsory tasks, each in a form such as a letter, article, review or speech.
- Spend the same time on each: about 30 minutes.
- Plan briefly and use the right layout and tone for the form.
- Keep 5 minutes to check each one.
For top marks: Change your voice between the two tasks to show control, and don’t let the second one be rushed: it’s worth just as much.
Questions people ask
- Is Eduqas Component 1 creative writing a story?
- Yes. You choose one of four titles and write a narrative or recount. Purely descriptive writing can’t reach the top of the mark range.
- How many writing tasks are in Eduqas Component 2?
- Two, and you must do both. Each is worth 20 marks, so share your time equally.