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

Paper 2 Question 5: Article 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: Article

In Question 5, you will be presented with a writing task based on a statement. The subject matter will be related to the reading topic 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 form. It is important you write in the correct format and use the conventions of this form, as the mark scheme mentions adapting your 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 article 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 article

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 an article, 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 an article the examiner would expect to see:

  • A catchy title:
    • Keep it short and specific
    • Consider using a strapline to provide further brief information or something to hook your reader
  • Subheadings
  • Addressing the audience directly
  • Evidence of cohesive paragraphs
  • Language and tone adapted to suit the topic and intended audience

Overview
  • Vary sentence and paragraph lengths to keep the style and tone of your article interesting
  • Avoid beginning with “I’m writing this because”
  • Use Standard English and sophisticated vocabulary 
  • Try to avoid contractions, e.g., for “don’t” write “do not”

Below is an example of the type of article you may be asked to write in Question 5. This is taken from the AQA GCSE English Language June 2018 exam paper:

aqa-english-language-paper-2-question-5-june-2018

GAP analysis (what/who/why):

Genre (what) A newspaper article
Audience (who) Newspaper readers (adults) interested in debate/points of view
Purpose (why) To explain your point of view

  • This task asks you to write a formal article as it is for publication in a newspaper:
    • While articles which appear in newspapers are formal, they are also engaging as they target the general public
    • This means you should use Standard English using sophisticated, more formal vocabulary, while building rapport with your readers by constructing a personal and emotive tone
  • 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 article layout

When considering the layout of your article, it is best to:

  • Not spend time drawing or making columns in the exam:
    •  This wastes valuable time and will not improve your mark
  • Avoid spending time thinking of the perfect headline:
    • Make sure you include one at the start of your writing so you do not forget
    • You can edit the headline at the end if you want to improve it

Here is an example of how you might lay out your response to the above article writing task, using a heading and strapline:

First place for corruption goes to sport

Fair, fun and accessible? In an ideal world maybe

Fair, fun and accessible. In an ideal world, sport would display these imperative qualities that would guide us to a healthier and happier nation. However, capitalism, corruption and greed seem to be the prevailing dark forces shaping and tainting the sport industry. I think we can all agree this needs to stop.

Sub-heading 1

Sub-heading 2

Sub-heading 3

Sub-heading 4

Sub-heading 5

Concluding arguments

Exam Tip

Rhetorical questions are commonly used as headings, but they can be too simplistic or too general, so consider how you can make your headline sophisticated and specific. You may choose to use a simple statement which can be very effective, using a play on words taken from the article topic.

Structuring your article

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 article 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 article

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

  1. Directly address the reader or audience:
    • Introduce your argument
    • 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 article with an emotive plea or solution to the issue:
    • Use emotive language to engage your reader
    • Ending your response on a single sentence, perhaps using a triplet, is an effective conclusion

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)
Fair, fun and accessible. In an ideal world sport would display these imperative qualities that would guide us to a healthier and happier nation. However, capitalism, corruption and greed seem to be the prevailing dark forces shaping and tainting the sport industry. I think we can all agree this needs to stop.

Key point AO5: Convincing and compelling communication, incorporating a range of complex ideas that are assuredly matched to purpose and audience
Language features and techniques



 Triplet Immediately offers the details of the argument
Three ideas placed together creates a compelling and earnest tone, e.g., “capitalism, corruption and greed”
Metaphor 

“Dark forces”, “tainting”
The problem is symbolised in order to highlight it as the enemy

Level 4 Response (19-24 marks)
Not naturally gifted – sport isn’t for you. Not wealthy – sport isn’t for you. With rising fees even to join a gym, let alone a competitive club, partaking in sport seems no less than impossible.

Key point AO5: sustained crafting and ambitious vocabulary
Structural features and techniques




 Direct address The use of the second-person pronoun “you” includes the reader
This helps to build rapport
Ambitious vocabulary


The register is sophisticated, e.g.,  “partaking”
The argument relates to the specific readers’ concerns, e.g., “rising fees”
Sophisticated vocabulary builds credibility with the audience

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)
When did “taking part is all that counts” be replaced with “second is the first loser”? As an ex-competitive gymnast, I can assure you with full confidence that at the vulnerable and impressionable age of eight I was conditioned as if I were a robot to aim for first place; second place was failure.

Key point AO6: Full range of appropriate sentence forms with demarcation consistently secure and consistently accurate
Structural features and techniques




 Rhetorical question A question directed to the reader challenges them
It varies the rhythm and creates a more interactive style of article
Semi-colon


The register is sophisticated, e.g.,  “partaking”
A semi-colon adds information to the initial sentence
Here, the writer has added the phrase “second place was failure” after a semi-colon to highlight the clause and the point

Question 5 Level 4 model article

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

First place for corruption goes to sport

Fair, fun and accessible? In an ideal world maybe 

Fair, fun and accessible. In an ideal world sport would display these imperative qualities that would guide us to a healthier and happier nation. However, capitalism, corruption and greed seem to be the prevailing dark forces shaping and tainting the sport industry. I think we can all agree this needs to stop.

Money and greed

It is outrageous how sport is now centred around income. Why does a footballer earn more than a midwife? I would like to see Messi free-kick his way into safely delivering a newborn baby at the end of a 12-hour shift. It is simply unacceptable how sport now seems to be centred around fame and money, with top athletes and sports “stars” making millions out of lucrative sponsorship and advertising deals rather than concentrating on what is important and being good role models to young people. Increasingly, sport seems to be for those whose primary aim is to get rich, making it exclusive and elitist.

A two-tier system

What message are we sending our increasingly obese population if we continue to support these sports personalities pumped with money, greed and corruption? It is undeniable that the increasing commercialisation of sport is responsible for more at-home, arm-chair viewing. While the fat deposits itself in your arteries, far fewer people are actually partaking in the sport, preferring to watch rather than get active.

But who can blame them? These armchair viewers really have it all figured. No one wants to partake in sport with its current greedy nature. Not naturally gifted? Sport isn’t for you. Not wealthy? Sport isn’t for you. With rising fees even to join a gym, let alone a competitive club, taking part in sport at any level seems no less than impossible.

A new attitude

I realise I may be seemingly degrading sport entirely. However, this is not my intention. I merely believe sport should adapt a new, welcoming attitude to make it easy, fun and accessible. Still don’t agree? Listen to the facts: in a survey in 2016, it was found that only 20% of girls over 16 partake in sport. Even the recent success of the Lionesses, while inspirational, seems overshadowed by corruption and misogyny at the highest levels, and of course, let us not forget how much money the television channels have made from the increased popularity of women’s football, as well as the spin-off and sponsorship deals that will inevitably follow. The sports industry needs to be changed. It needs to be changed now.

First place or no place

When did “taking part is all that counts” be replaced with “second is the first loser”? As an ex-competitive gymnast, I can assure you with full confidence that at the vulnerable and impressionable age of eight I was conditioned as if I were a robot to aim for first place; second place was failure. Second was me choking back sobs as the tears stained my pillow. What did the aggressively competitive attitude I had been conditioned to embody cause? Me to win? No; it caused me to quit the sport and feel an unnerving wave of nausea when I so much as see gymnastics on TV.

I am not alone. Sport’s vile and toxic competitive turn for the worse can only be described as the death of enjoyable sport, with the sporting leaders and officials dressing its corpse; decorating it as if it is something we should be celebrating. It is time we stopped being ignorant and saw sport for the over commercialised, corrupt and greedy villain it is, and not the daydream of fair play and accessibility. It does indeed seem that these days sport is more about money, corruption and winning at any cost.

Why would this article achieve top marks?

  • Convincing and compelling communication
  • A range of complex ideas assuredly matched to purpose and audience
  • Sustained crafting and ambitious vocabulary
  • Full range of appropriate sentence forms with demarcation consistently secure and consistently accurate
  • Varied and inventive use of structural features
  • Writing is compelling and paragraphs are fluently linked

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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.