18 minutes; 1 question; 18 marks; 11.25% of GCSE

<aside> 🤔

About

• Question 4 is worth 18 marks and you have around 18 minutes to complete this section.
• Question 4 will always examine both Text 1 and Text 2. This question is worth the most marks, is allocated the longest time, and requires the longest response.
• The question assesses your ability to evaluate texts critically. You will be presented with a statement and asked, “How far do you agree with this statement?” </aside>

<aside> 👁️

Example

• Imagine the two texts were linked by the theme of poverty. You might be given the statement, “Poverty has nevertheless provided opportunities” and asked, “How far do you agree with this statement?” </aside>

<aside> 👁️

Example

• “I agree that poverty has provided the speakers in both stories with opportunities. Text 1 begins by describing the speaker’s home with the unpleasant adjective ‘grotty’. However, the reader’s initial expectations are subverted when the speaker goes on to say that…” </aside>

<aside> 📐

Guidelines

• Address the statement in your opening paragraph.
  • Your answer should begin by directly addressing the statement with an evaluative phrase, then go on to analyse language and structure as you did in Question 3.
  • Think about your own reading of the texts — would you agree, disagree, or to some extent agree/disagree with the statement? Why?
  • Write in the first person — “I” — when stating your thoughts or opinions.
  • Ensure you supply an answer to the particular question being asked.
• Write in short paragraphs.
• Make multiple points and write at length — you should have several paragraphs about each text.
  • It might be useful to structure your answer by systematically addressing the bullet points in the question, making reference to both Text 1 and Text 2.
  • An alternative approach would be to choose three or so ideas from Text 1 (description of a character’s feelings, for example), and compare these similar ideas in Text 2. </aside>

<aside> 💯

AO3

AO3

• AO3 is assessed through:
  • Component 1a Question 4
  • Component 2a Question 4
• The skills and techniques required are identical for both questions. </aside>

<aside> 💯

AO4

AO4

• AO4 is assessed through:
  • Component 1a Question 4
  • Component 2a Question 4
• The skills and techniques required are identical for both questions. </aside>