Paper 1

How to answer paper 1 part A questions.

Text One: Unseen

Text Two: Seen

1) Find words or phrases to describe x

  • Select the best 2 words or phrases

  • Copy exactly

  • Do not write full sentences

Example

From lines 1 - 3, select two words or phrases that describe Bhutan.

1) Switzerland-Sized

2) On top of the world

Marks: 2 ✅

Minutes: 2

Text: One

2) Describe what happens in your own words

  • Highlight 4 things (as different as possible)

    • If in doubt, include a few extra small things.

  • Rewrite them as short sentences

  • Do not use quotes

Example

In your own words, describe what the writer does in Bhutan. (25 - 42)

During her trip to Bhutan, the writer participates in a range of activities. She explores towns and learns about their unchanging cultures and traditions whilst visiting temples. She explores nature and hikes through forests and rice fields. Whilst outdoors, she stops to watch native cows roaming and eating grass in a field. She also buys spiritual jewelry from a local vendor.

Marks: 4 ✅

Minutes: 5

Text: One

3) Explain x from the unseen text

  • Highlight 5 ideas (as different as possible)

  • Write 5 sentences including quotations to support your ideas.

  • Quotes can be embedded or in brackets

Example

Explain what we learn about hotels. (43 - 52)

From this text, we can infer that the writer, Grainger, had a very pleasant experience whilst staying at various hotels in Bhutan. She mentions that she stayed in a total of “5, tiny boutique hotels” which allowed her to experience as much culture as possible during her trip. She mentions an authentic atmosphere, saying that the design was very much inspired by “local dzongs” and “wooden beamed farmhouses”, which suggests that the hotels taught her about Bhutan’s traditional living spaces. She also describes the excellent service and care she was given, even writing that she was being “treated like royalty”. Grainger was also very impressed by the food she ate, ranging from “Tender Australian rib-eye steaks” to “Bhutanese feasts” suggesting the restaurants had a diverse menu. Lastly, she praises the hotel’s high standards across all areas, saying that they were on the same level as hotels in very central and developed cities (“Tokyo and Venice”).

Marks: 5 ✅

Minutes: 8

Text: One

4) Non - Fiction Essay: In what way does author x use language and structure to convey x in text x?

Write a maximum 1 sentence introduction. No conclusion needed.

Evidence

6 pieces

  • 2 from the start

  • 2 from the middle

  • 2 from the end

As varied as possible! Remember to analyse both language and structure.

Paragraphs

3x PEAEA

Point

  • Start with a clear idea (not a technique)

Evidence (and then technique)

  • Prove it with a quote.

    • Keep quotes as short as possible (2-4 words)

  • Attach to a technique

Analysis

  • What was the purpose of this word?

  • How does it illustrate your idea?

  • What effect does it have on the reader?

    It makes the reader…

    • Think/realise/understand/reflect

    • Feel emotionally/empathise/sympathise

    • Picture/visualise/imagine/hear/see

  • Link back to the main idea to indicate your understanding

  • Use a microscope to analyse; pick very short quotes (2-5 words) and analyse the writer’s intentions in depth. Analyse the use of one or two ‘interesting’ words in your analysis.

  • Structure = Harder to analyse than language techniques. Impress the examiner by providing some in depth analysis of a structural technique.

    • e.g - the hunter “gently” picks up his harpoon → gentleness is juxtaposed with killing → further juxtaposition as the beauty of the animal is juxtaposed with the ruthlessness of it’s killing.

Marks: 12

Minutes: 20

Text: Two

5) Compare and Contrast: Compare how the writers present x and x about x

Aim to write 5 paragraphs, 1 paragraph per comparison.

  • You can start by pointing out a similarity, and then finding a difference within what they have in common.

    • e.g → Both texts describe an trip to Bhutan, however the tone used in each text is different. Text A is clearly written in the style of a travellogue, where as Text B is a recount of the writer’s experiences…if

Paragraph structure

  • Point/Comparison

  • Evidence and examples

  • Explain the difference and the effect

Types of comparisons

Theme

Style

  • The texts may be different in the style of writing, such as:

    • Travelogue → About a trip

    • Recount/Reflective → Reflecting on an experience

    • Informational → Factual and aims to inform

    • Persuasive → Gives a clear perspective of a topic and aims to persuade the reader

    • Narrative → Tells a story

Tone

  • The writing in which the text is written may create a different feeling by the tone used

    • Conversational

    • Formal

    • Persuasive

    • Mood and Attitude

Ways of engaging the leader

  • Even if the texts are on different topics, they may show their different perspectives through the mood created.

    • Suprised

    • Impressed

    • Confused

    • Positive

    • Unsure

  • Highlight ways that the writers make the reader feel a sense of immediacy. These can include:

    • Sensory Language

    • Similies

    • Metaphors

    • Rhetorical questions

    • Juxtaposition

How the texts start and end

  • Climax at start

  • Climax at end

Paragraphs and structure

  • Variety of short/long paragraphs to effect pace and structure

  • Consistent paragraph structure throughout

Marks: 22

Minutes: 35

Text: One and Two

🌟 GOOD LUCK 🌟