Paper 1: Reading and Writing Non-Fiction
Structure and timings
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The paper is made up of 3 sections
o Section A (Reading) asks you to read an unseen text and answer questions on it.
o Section B (Reading and Writing) asks you to remind yourself of a text from the anthology, answer one
question on it and then complete a writing task based on the text.
o Section C (Writing) asks you to complete a longer writing task.
You have 2 hours 15 minutes for the exam
o You should therefore spend roughly 45 minutes on each section.
o Remember you have to leave time to check your work – you may want to spend 40 minutes on each
section and leave 15 minutes to check it all at the end, or you may want to check as you finish each
section.
o Try and stick to time – if you have been working on Section A for 45 minutes but haven’t finished, try
to finish off your sentence and move on – you need to make sure you have enough time to complete
all of the sections.
Section A
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Reading the questions and the text.
o You should aim to spend around 10 minutes reading the questions and the text before you begin.
o Before you do anything else, read the questions and underline/highlight the key words: what is the
question asking you to look for?
o Next, read the text through, underlining/highlighting as you go any words or phrases that you think
will help with the questions. If you have different colours, you could assign one colour to each
question, but if not then that is OK too.
o If you have time, do a quick GAP/SET/FIT for the passage – it will help you later!
Answering the questions
o There are 20 marks available in Section A. You should aim to spend 1 ½ minutes per mark on each
question, which will leave you 5 minutes checking time at the end. For example: if the question is
worth 3 marks, you should try to spend no more than 4 ½ minutes answering it.
o The questions will assess your ability to:
 Read and understand the text
 Interpret the writer’s ideas
 Understand how the writer achieves certain effects
o There will be two or three shorter questions, followed by a longer question.
o The first question(s) will ask you to identify certain words or phrases from the text, and sometimes
will ask a comprehension question about what happens.
 You can quote directly from the text
 Make sure you read which lines (if they are specified) you are supposed to use in order to
answer the question!
o The next question will ask you to describe an aspect of the text in your own words.
 You cannot quote directly from the text, but you can justify your own claims if you need to.
 Remember to look at the number of marks required – if the question is worth 5 marks, you
will probably need to say at least 5 things.
o The last question will be a little longer (usually 12 marks) and will ask you to demonstrate how the
writer achieves a certain effect.
 Use the bullet points to help you.
 Spend a couple of minutes making some bullet points/a mind map of what you would like to
say before you start.
 You can justify your answers using the text.
 Think about the language the writer is using – remember our LMNOP.
 If you can’t remember any of the names of the devices, don’t worry! You can still explain how
the author achieves something.
 Remember to PEE!
When you have finished
o Remember you need to spend 45 minutes maximum on this section.
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If you finish before that time is up, check your work and then move on.
Section B
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The structure of Section B
o There are two questions in Section B, each worth 10 marks. The first will assess your reading, and
the second will assess your writing.
o You have 45 minutes for this section. You should spend 10 minutes reading and annotating the text,
and 15 minutes on each question. This leaves you 5 minutes for checking.
Reading the question and the text
o Before you start this section, read the first question about the text, and highlight/underline the
important words. Then read the text through, annotating as you go.
Answering the first question
o The first question will ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the text and describe the way
in which the writer does something.
 Spend a couple of minutes planning your answer before you start writing.
 Think about the language and presentation of the text – remember FIT and LMNOP. How
does the writer use certain vocabulary, tone, or punctuation? What linguistic devices do they
use to help achieve certain effects?
 Remember to PEE and to justify your answers.
Answering the second question
o The second question is a writing question and will assess your ability to:
 Communicate clearly and appropriately depending on the GAP.
 Write coherently and organise your ideas well.
 Use a range of sentence structures, and use correct punctuation and spelling.
o Around 3-4 of the marks for this question will be awarded for accurate spelling, punctuation and
grammar.
o The question will ask you to write a passage of your own. Usually the theme or genre will be based on
the anthology passage.
 Remember to plan before you start!
 Think about the GAP – what are you writing, for whom, and why?
Section C
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The structure of Section C
o Section C contains just one question (worth 20 marks) to assess your writing.
o You have 45 minutes for this section. You should spend 10 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing,
and 5 minutes checking. It is really important that you plan your answer well.
Before you start
o Before you start, make sure you have read and understood the question – highlight/underline the
important words.
o Plan your answer using bullet points or a mind map
 Think about the GAP
 Are you writing to:
 Explore, imagine and entertain?
 Argue, persuade and advise?
 Inform, explain and describe?
 How are you going to structure your writing?
Answering the question
o Write your answer clearly and with a good structure, using an appropriate tone, style, and lexis.
o Remember that you get marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
o Make sure you conclude your answer – don’t leave it unfinished.
At the end of the exam
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Make sure you leave some time to check over your work and correct any silly spelling mistakes/punctuation
errors.
If you are struggling for time, remember to leave yourself enough time to answer all the questions.