Stream English - GCSE English Language and Literature

Summary of Mrs Wear’s Teaching

Mrs Wear tackles the myth that Paper 2 Question 1 is “easy” and shows why students often lose marks on it. She gives her Top 5 things to know so students can secure the full 4 marks every time.

1. What the question asks:

Shade the four true statements from a set of options.
Only use the specific line range given.

2. Marks and timing:

Worth 4 marks.
Should take about 5 minutes, but she suggests doing it in 2–3 minutes during the 15 minutes of reading time so you gain more time for later questions.

3. Skill tested:

Basic comprehension — the ability to spot explicit (clear) and implicit (implied) meaning.
This is a foundation skill needed across all English questions.

4. The line range trick:

Always box off the lines in the exam to avoid looking outside the allowed section.
Even if something is “true” elsewhere in the passage, it does not count if it’s outside the line range.

5. Strategy to answer:

Work through each statement in order, checking true/false by carefully reading context.
Use process of elimination until you’ve got four true ones.
Do not use general knowledge — only the text.
Watch for sneaky wording differences (e.g., “most people in Britain” vs. “most people who ride a bike”).

6. Common traps and mistakes:

Keyword matching (thinking “happy” = “pleased” without checking meaning in context).
Misreading long, complex sentences and losing the meaning by the end.
Assuming the last remaining statements must be the correct ones instead of checking carefully.

7. Final advice:

Even when you think you’ve found four true statements, check every single one to avoid silly mistakes.
Balance speed and accuracy — fast enough to save time, careful enough to avoid traps.

Why it matters:
It looks like an easy 4 marks, but rushing or relying on guesswork can cost students. Mrs Wear shows that by boxing off, checking context, and reading carefully, you can guarantee those “easy” marks and give yourself a stronger start in the exam.

Timestamp

0:00 Introduction
0:31 What do you need to do for paper 2 question 1 of the AQA English language GCSE?
0:49 How many marks is paper 2 question 1 worth and how much time should you spend on it?
1:48 What skill is paper 2 question 1 testing?
2:43 Boxing off the line range
3:32 Look for implicit and explicit information - the strategy to answering paper 2 question 1
10:10 Summarising the strategy to answering paper 2 question 1