AQA GCSE English Language

Practice Paper Questions

Practice Paper 1B

14 marks

Read this part of the source again:

Ove is fifty-nine. He drives a Saab. He’s the kind of man who points at people he doesn’t like the look of, as if they were burglars and his fore­finger a policeman’s flashlight.

“So this is one of those O-Pads. is it?” he demands.

The assistant, a young man with a single-digit body mass index, looks ill at ease. He visibly struggles to control his urge to snatch the box out of Ove’s hands.

List four things about Ove Lindahl from this part of the source.

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28 marks

Look in detail at this extract from the source:

Ove looks at the sales assistant as if he has just spoken backwards, before shaking the box again.

“But is it good, this thing?”

The assistant nods confusedly. “Yes. Or … How do you mean?”

Ove sighs and starts talking slowly, articulating his words as if the only problem here is his adversary’s impaired hearing.

“Is. It. Goooood? ls it a good computer?”

The assistant scratches his chin.

“I mean … yeah … it’s really good … but it depends what sort of computer you want.”

Ove glares at him.

“I want a computer! A normal bloody computer!”

How does the writer use language here to convey Ove’s views of technology and his treatment of the sales assistant?You could include the writer’s choice of:

  • words and phrases
  • language features and techniques
  • sentence forms.

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38 marks

You now need to think about the whole of the source.This text is from the beginning of a novel.How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?You could write about:

  • what the writer focuses your attention on at the beginning of the source
  • how and why the writer changes this focus as the source develops
  • any other structural features that interest you.

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420 marks

Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source, from the line ‘Ove does something with his eyebrows.’, to the end.A student said, ‘This part of the story, where Ove gets frustrated with the sales assistants, shows his difficulty communicating with young people. It’s funny how the modern world is so alien to him, and even though he’s rude, it’s easy to feel sorry for him.”To what extent do you agree? In your response, you could:

  • consider your own impressions of Ove’s treatment of the sales assistants
  • evaluate how the writer conveys Ove’s frustration and misunderstanding
  • support your response with references to the text.

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540 marks

You have decided to enter a creative writing competition.EitherDescribe a young salesman, as suggested by this picture:ORWrite a story about a difficult person.

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