EXAM MASTERCLASS • BOTH PAPERS
Exam Strategy: Pacing Both Papers
The final lesson. Everything you've learned applies inside the exam — this is how to deliver it. How to spend each minute, what to do when things go wrong, and what to commit to memory before the hall.
Both Papers At A Glance
Same shape, different content: short reading questions, one high-tariff reading question, one high-tariff writing question. 105 minutes · 80 marks · 50% each.
Paper 1 — Fiction
Q1 — list 4 things4
Q2 — language8
Q3 — structure8
Q4 — evaluation20
Q5 — desc/narrative40
Paper 2 — Non-fiction
Q1 — true statements4
Q2 — summary8
Q3 — language12
Q4 — compare16
Q5 — viewpoint40
On both: reading = 40 marks, writing = 40 marks. Writing is half the grade.
The Time Map
The papers print no timing instructions — but the structure points to one clear plan, identical on both:
15
Read source(s)
45
Reading section (Q1–Q4)
45
Writing (Q5)
The Non-Negotiable
The first 15 minutes of reading is the foundation — the reading marks live or die on how well you've read the source. Don't start writing answers until you've read properly.
Inside The Reading 45
Spend time in proportion to marks and reasoning load — Q4 gets the most because it's the highest-tariff thinking question:
QuestionPaper 1Paper 2
Q13 min3 min
Q210 min8 min
Q310 min12 min
Q422 min22 min
Total45 min45 min
If a short question is taking longer than its slot, move on. The marks aren't there to be won by overstaying.
The First 15 Minutes
Paper 1
Read the single source twice. First read for the story — what happens, who, where, what changes. Second read to mark up: quotable phrases, the Q4 section, any time/perspective shifts.
Paper 2
Read both sources twice each. After the second read, write one margin phrase per source capturing its position or tone — e.g. "comic, self-deprecating, exhausted." These phrases are the foundation of Q4.
Why The Tag Matters
On Paper 2, Q4 compares the writers' perspectives. Without a perspective phrase for each source, Q4 starts cold — and Q4 is 16 marks.
Marking Up The Source
ActionWhat for
UnderlinePhrases you might quote · well-chosen words · phrases you don't fully understand
BracketThe line range Q2 / Q3 / Q4 will ask about (the questions state these — find them first)
AnnotateTwo-word margin labels: "time shift", "dialogue starts", "tonal shift" — your Q3 structural beats
Don't Paraphrase
"Mary is hot" in the margin tells you nothing. "Semantic field of violence: beat, struck, militarised" is a usable analytical note. Mark up to think, not to summarise.
Order Of Attack
Do the questions in order, Q1 through Q5.
Why In Order Works
Banks early marks. Q1 is quick and secure — get it in the bag before the hard questions.
Builds confidence. You warm up on the source before the high-tariff Q4.
Rising difficulty. The five questions are ordered roughly by difficulty and tariff, so working in order matches your effort to the climb.
The only exception: if you finish an early question with time to spare, bank it for Q4 or Q5 — don't pad a question to fill its slot. But never skip ahead to Q5 — returning to half-finished reading questions in the final minutes costs more than finishing them in order.
The Q5 Five-Line Plan
Five minutes, five lines. This is the single highest-value time investment in either paper:
1
Position — your line on the statement (or the mood/angle for description)
2
Form moves — what the form needs (article: headline, direct address; speech: salutation, peroration)
3
Opening sentence — write it in full; a strong hook is worth the 30 seconds
4
Five paragraph beats — one phrase each, so you never stall mid-piece
5
Closing image — decide the last line now, so the piece lands
Worked Example — A Five-Line Plan
Original Prompt
"Homework does more harm than good." Write an article for your school magazine arguing for or against.
1
Against — the problem is bad homework, not homework itself
2
Article — headline, direct address, anecdotal opening, concession-and-rebuttal
3
"At 11pm last Tuesday, my brother was still gluing cotton wool onto a papier-mâché volcano."
4
hook anecdote → state position → concede (overload is real) → rebut (the fix is better-designed tasks) → peroration
5
return to the volcano: "…but the essay he wrote the week before, he still talks about."
Q5 Pacing & Warning Signs
The Q5 internal clock: 5 plan · 35 write · 5 check. While writing, watch for these in-flight signals:
At this point…It means
20 min in, still on paragraph 1Too long — end the paragraph in the next sentence
Reached your close with 20 min leftToo tight — add a middle paragraph
30 min in, at the perorationOn track — five minutes to check
40 min in, still mid-paragraphStop — write one closing sentence; lose the polish
The 5-minute check is non-negotiable. Skipping it to write a longer piece is a bad trade.
When Things Go Wrong
ProblemRecovery
Misread the line range on Q2/Q3Stop, rule a line, restart from the correct lines — the examiner marks only the second attempt
Ran over on Q4, only 35 min for Q5Cut planning to 2 min; drop one middle paragraph; keep the peroration
Blanked on a quotationRe-read the source — the line range is right there. Don't guess; a wrong paraphrase counts as a wrong-source quote
Finished with 10 min spareRe-read Q5 first (most recoverable marks), then Q4. Don't change answers unless confident
Common End-Of-Exam Mistakes
MistakeWhy it costs
Leaving a question blankA blank scores zero; three sentences can score a Level 1 mark or two. Always write something.
Last-minute answer changesUsually wrong. Trust your first answer unless you're certain.
Candidate number / signatureWon't lose marks but creates admin trouble — do it in the first 30 seconds.
Skipping the checkThe 5-minute check is the highest-value five minutes of the writing section.
Commit These Six Facts
You should be able to state these without looking:
1. Each paper: 105 min, 80 marks, 50% of the grade
2. AO5 + AO6 = 50% — writing is half the grade
3. AO6 alone = 20% — technical accuracy matters
4. P1 Q5 = a choice; P2 Q5 = no choice
5. Q5 plan-write-check: 5–35–5
6. The 15-min source read is non-negotiable
One Habit For Every Question
Read the question twice before you start — and on the second read, check the line range, the source label, and the focus.
The Principle
Carry This In
Writing is half the grade.
Plan it. Write it. Check it.
Every reading technique in this course wins marks on 40 of the 80. Every writing and technical-accuracy habit wins the other 40. A plan you've practised turns all of it into marks on the day.
Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
State a complete time plan for either paper (15 / 45 / 45 and the sub-splits)
Mark up a source productively — underline, bracket, annotate
Produce a five-line Q5 plan in five minutes
Recover from the common exam emergencies
Recite the six memory facts
Course Complete
This is the final lesson. Practise the plan until it's automatic — on the day, the strategy should take no thought, leaving all your thinking for the source and the writing.
Next: Both Papers At A Glance