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AQA English Language Paper 2 Revision

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Is it that time of year again? Worry not! Beyond is here

to provide stage-by-stage English Language Paper 2
revision, sharing a range of hints and tips that’ll see
students triumph in their exams. Our dedicated Paper
2 blog goes into great detail across each section of
the exam, including:

AQA English Language Paper 2 Breakdown

Reading source A and B
Answering question 1
Answering question 2
Answering question 3
Answering question 4
Answering question 5
Tips and tricks
AQA English Language Paper 2 revision resources

If you’re looking for even more hints and tips, some

free material on this exam can be found below:

AQA English Language Paper 2 Section A: Hints and

Tips DOWNLOAD

AQA English Language Paper 2 Section B: Hints and

Tips DOWNLOAD

AQA English Language

Paper 2 Breakdown
It’s always a good idea to ensure you have a proper
grasp of each aspect of the exam you’re revising for!
Getting a handle on the available marks and
suggested timings is a great way to make sure you
don’t pour all of your effort into the first question, run
out of time and end up 40 marks short overall!

Below is the AQA English Language Paper 2

breakdown, which highlights each section of the
exam, its corresponding marks and how long we
suggest you spend on it.

Task Marks Suggested timing

Reading Text 1 N/A 8 minutes

Reading Text 2 N/A 8 minutes

Question 1 4 marks 5 minutes

Question 2 8 marks 10 minutes

Question 3 12 marks 12 minutes

Question 4 16 mark 16 minutes

Question 5 40 marks 40 minutes

Checking your work N/A 6 minutes

Total 80 marks 1 hour 45 minutes

Reading Source A and B

Suggested time spent: 8 minutes per reading
source, 16 minutes overall

What do I need to do?

Read the non-fiction texts provided. You will need to

read, analyse and compare these texts in this exam.
These texst will be a 20th or 21st century piece of non-
fiction writing and can be any one of the following:

Biography
Autobiography
Newspaper article
Speech
Series of letters

Top tips

Don’t skim through the text first time round – make

sure you read it carefully.
If there are any words or phrases you don’t
understand, try to use their context in the writing to
work out their meaning.
Remember that you can write on the text as you go
through the questions. This is your exam paper!
Scribble until your heart’s content!

English Language Reading

Paper 2: Question 1
Worth: 4 marks
Suggested time spent: 5 minutes
Assessed via: AO1
Identify and interpret explicit and implicit
information and ideas. Select and synthesise
evidence from different texts

What do I need to do?

Look at Source A only. Choose four statements that

are true from a list of eight. The information you are
given may be surface meaning (such as a fact) or
implied meaning (such as a suggestion or hint). You
must choose a maximum of four statements.

Top tips

Read through the statements carefully and tick off

any you are certain of straightaway.
This is a four-mark question, so don’t spend a long
time on it.
Look carefully at the choices of statement. Which
can you rule out straight away? Read the text
carefully for implied meaning.
Use the line references to get to the appropriate
piece of text quickly.
Make sure you take your information from the text –
don’t attempt to answer from memory!

English Language Reading

Paper 2: Question 2
Worth: 8 marks
Suggested time spent: 10 minutes
Assessed via: AO1
Identify and interpret explicit and implicit
information and ideas. Select and synthesise
evidence from different texts

What do I need to do?

Look at both Source A and Source B. Using details

from each, write a summary about the similarities or
differences in the text.

Top tips

Read the question carefully – you will be asked to

summarise one thing in particular
This is a summary and so should be in your own
words
Make sure you talk about both texts
Sample question 2 answers can be found here

English Language Reading

Paper 2: Question 3
Worth: 12 marks
Suggested time spent: 12 minutes
Assessed via: AO2
Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use
language and structure to achieve effects and
influence readers, using relevant subject terminology
to support their views

What do I need to do?

Analyse how the writer uses words, phrases, language

features and sentence forms to create particular
effects, within the whole text. You will need to quote
from the text directly and you will need to explain how
the quotations you have chosen make your points.

Top tips

Make sure you refer to language in your answer –

you can’t get high marks if you don’t reference this
carefully
Highlight the text words or phrases you think you
may use in your answer
Remember to use short, precise quotations from
the text
It’s not enough to just identify the techniques being
used – you must explain how they are effective
Sample question 3 answers can be found here

Word Bank

The following phrases may be useful when writing

your answer:

The writer / narrator uses / refers to / employs…

The writer / narrator builds / creates / develops…
The writer / narrator creates a mood / atmosphere
/ sense / feeling of…
The use of simile / metaphor / personification /
short sentences / ellipsis creates a sense of…
The pace / rhythm of the text increases / decreases
here so that…

English Language Reading

Paper 2: Question 4
Worth: 16 marks
Suggested time spent: 16 minutes
Assessed via: AO3
Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well
as how these are conveyed, across two or more texts

What do I need to do?

Compare how the writers of Source A and Source B

explore or address a particular idea or theme. You will
need to look at surface meaning (such as a fact) and
implied meaning (such as a suggestion or hint) within
the texts. You will need to use evidence (quotations)
from both texts. You need to make detailed
comparisons between the two.

Top tips

Make sure your answer refers specifically to the

question – you will be given a particular aspect of the
pieces to look at
You must use specific quotations from both texts
Your comparison must give equal weight to both
texts – don’t focus on one more than another
You must look at the language, structure and
themes in both texts
Don’t just give quotations and facts – analyse how
the writers both achieve particular effects
As well as specific facts, you may need to look at
the overall tone or impressions of the texts

Word Bank

The following phrases may be useful when making

links between the texts:

Similarities Differences

Likewise However

Similarly On the other hand

As well In contrast

In the same way In comparison

Just as… so… Conversely

English Language Reading

Paper 2: Question 5
Worth: 40 marks
Suggested time spent: 45 minutes
Assessed via: AO5 and AO6
AO5 (24 marks)
Communicate clearly, effectively and
imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and
register for different forms, purposes and audiences.
Organise information and ideas, using structural and
grammatical features to support coherence and
cohesion of texts.
AO6 (16 marks)
Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures
for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling
and punctuation.

What do I need to do?

Complete the non-fiction writing task you are given. It

will require you to write an engaging non-fiction
piece. It should be appropriate to the purpose,
audience and form stated in the question. The task
will be on a similar theme to the texts supplied in
Section A of the exam.

Top tips

Make sure your piece is carefully structured – take

two minutes to plan it first
Use a wide range of vocabulary, sentence
structures and literary devices – this is your
opportunity to show off
Make sure you have read the question carefully –
it’s important that your writing fits the task given
Think very carefully about the tone of your piece – it
must be appropriate to the purpose, audience and
format specified
Take great care with spelling, punctuation and
grammar – 16 marks are available for technical
accuracy
Print out our Section B support guide

Word Bank

Try using some of the following discourse markers in

your writing:

Above all
Additionally
Although
Consequently
Firstly
Furthermore
However
In conclusion
Nevertheless
On the other hand
Therefore
Whereas

Try using some of the following literary devices in your

writing:

Alliteration
Anecdote
Direct address
Emotive language
Hyperbole
Irony
Metaphor
Personification
Repetition
Rhetorical question
Rule of three
Simile

AQA English Language

Paper 2 Revision Final Tips
When you know the time of your exam, work out what
the timings for each question will be.

e.g. Exam starts at 1.30pm:

Reading Source A: 1.30pm

Reading Source B: 1.38pm

Question 1: 1.46pm

Question 2: 1.51pm

Question 3: 2:01pm

Question 4: 2.13pm

Question 5: 2.29pm

Checking your work: 3.09pm

End of exam: 3.15pm

If you miss your timings, don’t panic. Move to the next

question quickly – you can always return to the
previous one if you have time at the end.

Read the text provided carefully. If you’re unsure of

what some of the words mean, try to work out their
meanings by looking at their context in the sentence.

Remember to read for implied meaning, as well as

surface meaning.

Read the questions very carefully. If need be,

underline key words so you are sure what you are
being asked.

Look at the marks available and adapt your response

accordingly. There is no point writing two pages for a
six mark question and half a page for a 15 mark
question.

Write on your copy of the text if you want to. This is

your exam paper – annotate and highlight as you
need.

Keep quotations short – a few words at most.

Try to integrate quotations into your sentences.

Never criticise a writer. You can evaluate their work,

using evidence from the text, but do not make
sweeping statements about whether you personally
like or dislike the text.

Plan your written task – a spider diagram, list or flow

chart will help you to create cohesion in your writing.

Pay attention to your spelling, punctuation and

grammar. This is worth 16 marks in Section B of the
exam. Don’t make silly mistakes, such as forgetting to
use capital letters correctly.

Check your work carefully when you have finished.

Use every minute you have.

Finally: believe in yourself. You are prepared and YOU

CAN DO THIS!

AQA English Language

Paper 2 revision resources
All of the suggestions on this page are taken from the
revision booklet, which includes additional tasks and
exercises and can be downloaded in full with a
 subscription.

You can also download free revision material, right

here!

Consolidate foundational skills with our intervention

lesson series, the first pack is FREE!

Practice the exam with one of our specimen papers.

Print out a English Language Paper 2 Revision Section

A support guide.

So, there you have it! Definitive AQA English Language

Paper 2 revision, all in one place. You can find our
Paper 1 blog here and for any other English GCSE
revision needs, simply click here. Good luck!

You can also subscribe to Beyond from as little as £5

per month, giving you access to a range of resources.
That’s £5 for as many resources as you can download
with no limit! A bargain and a time-saver all in one! If
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free resources.

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