The question
- Paper 1 Question 4 (20 marks) gives a statement about part of the text, such as 'In this part of the story, the writer makes the setting seem frightening', and asks how far you agree.
- It tests evaluation: giving your own judgement and explaining how the writer's methods create the effect, with evidence.
How to answer
- Start with a clear view on how far you agree. Then show how the writer's methods (language and structure) create the effect, using short, embedded quotations.
- Explain the effect on the reader, and consider other interpretations. You can partly disagree, as long as you explain why.
- Keep referring back to the key words in the statement, and use evaluative language, such as 'the writer effectively creates…' or 'this convincingly shows…'.
Timing
- Spend about 20 minutes on it: it is the biggest reading question on Paper 1.
Other boards
- Edexcel: Paper 1 Question 4 and Paper 2 Question 6 (15 marks each) name an effect, such as creating tension, and ask you to evaluate how successfully it is achieved.
- OCR and Eduqas also have evaluation questions. The approach is the same: give a clear judgement, and support it with short quotations and explanations of the writer's methods.
Key terms
- Evaluate
- To judge how well something is done, and explain why.
- Critical
- Showing careful, thoughtful judgement.
- Interpretation
- A way of understanding a text.
- Writer's methods
- The language and structural choices a writer makes.
- Reader response
- How a text makes the reader think or feel.
- Embedded quotation
- A short quotation built into your own sentence.