GCSEEnglish LanguageAQARevision NotesPaper 2Question 5Paper 2 Question 5: Letter Model Answer

Paper 2 Question 5: Letter Model Answer (AQA GCSE English Language)

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Sam Evans

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Sam Evans

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Paper 2 Question 5 Model Answer: Letter

In Question 5, you will be presented with a writing task based on a statement. The subject matter will be related to the reading in Section A. This means you can adapt some of the ideas in the texts you read and use them in your own writing. 

The question asks you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific format. It is important to use the correct conventions of the format and directly focus your writing to its purpose, as the mark scheme rewards adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. 

This means: 

  • The tone (sound of the writer’s ‘voice’) is appropriate and convincing 
  • The register (vocabulary and phrasing)  is appropriately formal or informal, and suitable for the purpose
  • The style of the writing (sentence structure and overall structure) is dynamic and effective 

Below you will find a detailed model letter in response to an example of Paper 2 Question 5, under the following sub-headings (click to go straight to that sub-heading):

Writing a GCSE English Language letter

Remember, Paper 2 Question 5 is worth 40 marks, broken down into two Assessment Objectives:

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

If the Question 5 task is to write a letter,then it is essential to keep the tone, style and register in mind, as well as the conventions of the form. 

These are the basic features of a letter the examiner would expect to see:

  • The use of addresses:
    • If the task specifies the letter is to a friend or family member, you do not need an address
  • A date
  • An appropriate mode of address:
    • an informal letter will name the recipient, e.g., “Dear Joe,”
    • a formal letter will address the recipient using the surname or appropriate address, e.g., “Dear Sir/Madam,” or “Dear Mr Jones,”
  • An appropriate mode of signing off:
    • Yours sincerely (for a named recipient)
    • Yours faithfully (for “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Editor”)
Overview
  • Vary sentence and paragraph lengths to keep the style and tone of your letter interesting
  • Avoid beginning with “I’m writing this because”
  • Use Standard English and sophisticated vocabulary 
  • If you are writing to a friend or family member, you can use personal references 
  • Try to avoid contractions, e.g., for “don’t” write “do not”

Below is an example of the type of letter you may be asked to write in Question 5. This is taken from the AQA GCSE English Language June 2019 exam paper:

aqa-english-language-paper-2-question-5-

Genre (what) A letter to the editor of a newspaper
Audience (who) Newspaper readers (adults) interested in debate/points of view
Purpose (why) To argue your point of view

  • This task asks you to write a formal letter as it is to the editor of a newspaper:
    • Letters will be formal if they are to people you do not know well
    • This means the register will be sophisticated
  • As the task asks you to argue your point of view, you will need to sound convincing:
    • It will be necessary to use persuasive techniques, but also to ensure you maintain a calm and controlled tone and a balanced argument

GCSE English Language letter layout

This example template shows the layout of a letter.

This letter template includes:

  • The address of the sender
  • The date and the address of the recipient:
    • You do not have to use your real address
    • Do not spend a long time trying to think of an address
    • The examiner just wants to see evidence that you know the conventions and layout of a letter
  • This letter is signed off using the appropriate sign-off for a letter to an unnamed recipient:
    • If you choose to start the letter with “Dear Mr Peters,” you could sign off with “Yours sincerely,” 

10 Edgware Road

London

SE12 4PR


4 June 2019


The Editor

The Stanley Times 

98 Waterside View

London 

SE1 7AD


Dear Editor,


Introduction


Main arguments


Concluding paragraph


Yours faithfully,


Kathryn Thornley 

Exam Tip

You should always start a letter with “Dear”, followed by their name or surname. If you do not know the name of the person, you should use “Sir/Madam” or you can address it to their job title, e.g., “Dear Editor”. To sign off your letter, end with “Yours sincerely” if you do know their name, and “Yours faithfully” when you do not know their name.

Structuring your letter

This is a longer writing question, and you should allocate 45 minutes to complete it. Spend about 5 minutes planning your answer, 35 minutes writing and 5 minutes at the end to re-read to check for any obvious errors.

Once you are sure of the form you should write in, and you have considered your audience and the tone you wish to adopt in your writing, you should plan the content of your response. It is up to you whether you choose to argue for or against the statement, as long as you plan your argument, develop it thoroughly and sustain it throughout. 

To plan a range of points which will support your point of view, you can:

  • Mind-map or write a list of points and techniques to use:
    • It can also be helpful to number your ideas to structure your answer in a specific order
    • You can use the ideas you read in the texts in Section A, as well as your own experiences
    • The examiner is not grading you on how much you know about the given topic, as it is impossible to predict what subject matter will be on the paper. You are marked on your ability to construct a convincing argument 
  • Your letter should be structured into 5 or 6 paragraphs:
    • Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length
    • Better answers vary the lengths of their paragraphs for effect
    • Develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph 
    • But avoid repeating the same idea throughout your letter

Below is an example of how you might structure your letter:

  1. Directly address the reader or audience:
    • Introduce your argument - what you are writing about, why you are writing and what your opinion is
    • Consider your use of pronouns, e.g., “you” or “we” 
  2. Offer a fact or some research to support your opinion:
    • This will gain you credibility and prove you are knowledgeable about the topic
  3. Engage the reader on a personal level using a counter-argument:
    • This suggests you understand your reader and have already considered their concerns
  4. Provide an anecdote to offer an example which proves your argument:
    • This builds rapport with your reader by engaging with them on a personal level 
  5. Offer more research or studies:
    • This can be in the form of statistics, a witness statement, poll, or quote from an expert
  6. End your letter with an emotive plea or solution to the issue:
    • Use emotive language to engage your reader
    • Ending your letter on a single sentence, perhaps using a triplet, is an effective conclusion
  7. Sign off your letter in the correct way

Exam Tip

Always write with your intended audience in mind. Address them directly throughout your writing, mention their specific concerns and ensure you develop your points in a way which would convince your specific reader.

Rеmеmbеr that to produce an effective response, you should aim to develop your points carefully in each paragraph, using language features and techniques to highlight ideas and emphasise your points.

Here are some examples of how you might begin to employ the structural and language techniques assessed in the mark scheme to develop your ideas.  

AO5: Content and organisation

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

Level 4 Response (19-24 marks)

Why can you not publish articles about the triumphs of our local heroes? They are the real celebrities in my eyes; not some drug-riddled, entitled and idle pop star who’s had far too much lip filler.

Key point AO5: the student has employed convincing and compelling communication through a range of language techniques such as rhetorical questions and triplets
Language features and techniques

 Rhetorical question Directly challenges the reader
Triplet Three ideas placed together establishes a strong viewpoint

Level 4 Response (19-24 marks)

Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society.

Key point AO5: the answer’s tone, style and register are accurately matched to the purpose and audience of a letter
Structural features and techniques

 Anecdote

A personal example or story allows for a personal connection
It is therefore engaging and relatable
Formal register Use of vocabulary such as “assist” rather than “help”, and “witnessed” rather than “saw” adds authority and credibility

AO6: Technical accuracy

AO6 (16 marks)

Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation

Level 4 Response (13-16 marks)
You are taking advantage of people who believe that they have got a chance at “stardom” by replicating the lifestyle of their favourite celebrity. It is quite simply scandalous. I saw a recent survey that stated that 42% of teenagers aged 13-17 said that they would forgo a place at university in favour of going on Love Island.

Key point AO6: the student has employed varied structural techniques such as varied sentence structure
Structural features and techniques

Short sentence A short sentence next to a longer sentence draws attention to it and adds dramatic impact by changing tone

Level 4 Response (13-16 marks)

Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society.

Key point AO6: Paragraphs are fluently linked, with integrated discourse markers
Structural features and techniques


Discourse markers

“Lastly”
The markers develop the argument fluently and cohesively

Question 5 Level 4 model letter

Below is an example of a full-mark Level 4 model answer.

Level 4 Response (AO5 - 22-24 marks/AO6 - 13-16 marks)

10 Edgware Road

London

SE12 4PR

4 June 2019

The Editor

The Stanley Times 

98 Waterside View

London 

SE1 7AD

Dear Editor,

I write in response to your most recent article: “10 top hotspots to go celebrity spotting”. It is the opinion of this reader that it is people who have extraordinary skill, courage and determination who deserve to be famous, rather than those who have good looks, money or behave badly. The celebrities you mentioned in that article have very little to offer our society, as I’m sure you are already aware. One of these so-called “hotspots” you mentioned was actually outside a court, so that us humble townsfolk might catch a glimpse of whatever celebrity has been arrested for a DUI this week. These people do not deserve to be famous or our adoration, so why are we glorifying them? 

Your paper appears to endorse this obsession with celebrity culture; putting them on a ridiculous pedestal just because they are a bit more attractive or have a bit more money than the rest of us. Our society is saturated with these people who do not deserve their fame. You churn out article after article promoting their fad diets and pseudo beauty treatments. To be frank, I think you should be ashamed of yourself. Celebrity culture is, to my mind, the root of many ills.

Firstly, think of the people out there who are desperate to achieve the unattainable beauty standard championed by celebrities. I am sure I would look good too if I had a personal trainer, a dietician and a masseuse at my house every other day, but the fact of the matter is that this is not reality. You are taking advantage of people who believe that they have got a chance at “stardom” by replicating the lifestyle of their favourite celebrity. It is quite simply scandalous. I saw a recent survey that stated that 42% of teenagers aged 13-17 said that they would forgo a place at university in favour of going on Love Island. We have to put a stop to this and free ourselves from the tight grasp of our celebrity obsession. 

Furthermore, celebrity worship culture causes the idolisation of some rather questionable individuals. For example, the growing population of Jack Tipton, who garners attention due to his content purporting to share “hacks to make millions online”, is especially problematic. His social media pages make no reference to the fact he has bowed out due to bankruptcy multiple times. Evidently, he is in no position to be imparting financial know-how to our teenagers. However, he is still willingly worshipped by his naive army of fans, when in actual fact it would be possible to debunk his advice with a flourish of bankruptcy papers. 

Lastly, here is a case study for you. I recently witnessed a lady collapsing in the road. A doctor who happened to be passing by ran over, and began to assist her immediately. But guess what? Despite his bravery, determination and skill, he’s nameless and faceless in our current society. Why can you not publish articles about the triumphs of our local heroes? They are the real celebrities in my eyes; not some drug-riddled, entitled and idle pop star who’s had far too much lip filler.

I am asking you to change the content you publish, not for my benefit, but for the benefit of society itself. You have got a great opportunity to turn the tide of this ill-founded obsession. Your newspaper reaches thousands across the country, and millions more around the world. You could be a force for positive action, promoting better role models and inspiring future generations to become firefighters, NHS doctors and nurses and those who overcome adversity to achieve great things in their lives. People who demonstrate extraordinary skill, courage and determination should be those who are hero-worshipped, not those who base their careers on what they look like, their money or their behaviour.

Yours faithfully, 

Kathryn Thornley

Why would this letter achieve top marks?

  • Convincing and compelling communication through a range of language techniques such as rhetorical questions, triplets and emotive language
  • The answer’s tone, style and register are accurately matched to the purpose and audience of the letter
  • The use of anecdote is engaging and the register is formal
  • An argument is established and sustained successfully throughout
  • The student has included the main features of a letter, with appropriate salutation and sign off
  • Varied structural techniques are used, such as varied sentence structure
  • Paragraphs are fluently linked, with integrated discourse markers

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    Sam Evans

    Author: Sam Evans

    Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.