SPEC 3.1.1 • PAPER 2 SECTION A: READING
Paper 2 Question 1:
Choosing True Statements
The Paper 2 opener — four quick marks before the higher-tariff questions begin. The mechanics, the five distractor patterns AQA reuses, and a method that turns this into a reliable four out of four.
Lesson 3.01 | AQA 8700 | AO1 · 4 marks · ~3 minutes
Welcome to Paper 2
Paper 2 — Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives — works differently from Paper 1. Same 80 marks, same 1 hour 45 minutes, but the texts and skills change:
The texts
Two linked non-fiction sources — one 19th-century, one modern — on a shared theme. No fiction, no image.
The skills
AO3 appears here (comparing perspectives across texts) — it's Paper 2 only. AO1 and AO2 carry over.
Where Q1 sits
Question 1 is the low-tariff opener on Source A — 4 marks in about 3 minutes, one of the best mark-per-minute returns on either paper. Bank it quickly and move on.
The Question
Unlike Paper 1 Q1, this isn't free-response. You read a specified part of Source A and shade the four true statements out of eight.
Explicit information
Stated directly in the text — you can point to the words.
Implicit information
Implied — a fair inference the words clearly support.
What it tests
AO1, first bullet — identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. 4 marks, about 3 minutes, no level descriptors.
The Stem and the Mechanics
The stem is identical on every paper:
Stem Pattern Read again the first part of Source A from lines [X] to [Y].
Choose four statements below which are true.
Shade the circles in the boxes of the ones you think are true.
Choose a maximum of four statements.
If you make an error, cross out the whole box.
If you change your mind, draw a circle around the box to bring it back. [4 marks]
The mechanics matter
The crossing-out rule means you can change your mind. To undo a shading, cross out the whole box — don't scratch out a single circle, because examiners can't read that. To restore it, circle the box.
How the Marks Work
One mark per correctly shaded true statement. No level descriptors. A hard cap at four shadings.
⚠️ THE CAP RULE. If you shade five, only the first four are marked — you're handing the examiner the right to ignore one of your correct answers. If you shade three, you can only score three.
Always shade exactly four
Even if you're guessing the last one. A guess has a one-in-two chance of being right; a blank has none. Never leave this question with fewer than four shadings.
Where Marks Are Won and Lost
Some statements are obviously true; some obviously false. The marks turn on the four to six in the middle that look plausible but contain a subtle problem.
Distractor
A false statement engineered to look true — by inverting the source, overstating it, adding an unsupported detail, or drawing on the wrong part of the text.
The core skill
Treat each statement as a hypothesis to be checked against the text — not a claim to be judged for plausibility. A statement is true if it's explicitly stated, or a fair inference the lines clearly support. "It sounds reasonable" is not enough; "Line three supports this" is.
The Five Distractor Patterns
AQA reuses five. Recognising them is the whole skill of this question.
1Wrong section — the detail is real but sits outside the specified lines.
2Inverted statement — reverses what the source says, often by a single opposite word.
3Half-truth — part supported, part not; usually an inserted absolute (only, always, never, all, none).
4Unsupported elaboration — a plausible leap beyond what the text actually addresses.
5Plausible inference — a sensible real-world conclusion the source never actually states.
Distractors 1 & 2 in Detail
1. Wrong section
The fact may be true elsewhere in the source — but if the supporting detail isn't in the specified lines, it scores zero. Always check where the evidence sits.
Distractor
"She looked forward to the early walk to work." — true, but stated after the specified lines.
Check
Is the evidence inside lines X–Y? If not, don't shade.
2. Inverted statement
The statement says the opposite of the source — sometimes flipped by one adjective.
Distractor
"He found the work simple from the start." — source says he found it hard at once.
Check
Does the text confirm this, or contradict it?
Distractors 3, 4 & 5 in Detail
3. Half-truth (the absolute-word trap)
An inserted absolute — only, always, never, all, none — turns a partly-true statement false. Whenever you see one, double-check.
"The traders shouted prices and always helped him." — they shouted prices (true), but "always helped" overstates what the text supports.
4. Unsupported elaboration
A plausible-sounding leap the text doesn't actually make.
"He decided to quit after the difficult first day." — the source never says this.
5. Plausible inference
A sensible real-world guess with no textual support. It might be true in life — but if the source doesn't say it, you can't shade it.
"He grew up near the market." — reasonable, but unstated.
The Method
Five steps, about three minutes:
Worked Example
An original Source A (literary non-fiction). Read again lines 1 to 9. Which four statements are true?
Source A — a first job at the market1The first morning at the market, I arrived before the sun did. 2My uncle had warned me it would be cold. 3By six o'clock the other traders were already shouting prices across the aisles. 4I had imagined the work would be simple, and I was wrong almost at once. 5Every crate had to be stacked in an order no one explained. 6When I stacked them wrongly, an older woman named Sal rearranged them without a word. 7I learned more from her raised eyebrow than from anything said aloud. 8The cold never quite left my fingers. 9At noon the crowds thinned. 10By the end of the week I looked forward to the dawn walk to work.
A. The narrator arrived before sunrise.E. He found the work simple as soon as he started.
B. The traders shouted prices and always helped him.F. Sal rearranged the crates without speaking.
C. Traders were calling out prices by six o'clock.G. He decided to quit after the first day.
D. By the end of the week he looked forward to the walk.H. At noon the crowds became thinner.
Worked Example — The Answer
The four true statements are A, C, F and H. The four false ones each use a distractor pattern:
StatementWhy
A. Arrived before sunriseTRUELine 1, explicit
B. Traders "always helped him"FALSEHalf-truth — absolute "always" unsupported
C. Prices called by sixTRUELine 3, explicit
D. Looked forward to the walkFALSEWrong section — line 10, outside 1–9
E. Work simple from the startFALSEInverted — line 4 says the opposite
F. Sal rearranged without a wordTRUELine 6, explicit
G. Decided to quitFALSEUnsupported elaboration — not in the text
H. Crowds thinned at noonTRUELine 9, explicit
What Loses Marks Here
Two things, one mechanical and one about reading:
⚠️ THE MECHANICAL ERROR. The rubric is explicit: shade more than four and only the first four count. This is the single most avoidable way to lose a banked mark — and it costs students every series.
⚠️ THE READING ERROR. Across Paper 2, examiners report that students retrieve information but struggle to interpret it — offering paraphrase rather than inference. On Q1 this surfaces as shading by surface-plausibility instead of checking what the specified lines actually support.
Fix
Every shading needs support inside the line range — either explicit words or a fair inference those words clearly carry. If the lines neither state nor genuinely imply it, it's a "?", not a "T".
Four Errors That Cost Marks
ErrorConsequenceThe fix
Plausibility shadingShading what "sounds right" loses the trap statementsAnchor every shading to specific words
Fewer than four shadingsYou forfeit guessable marksAlways commit four, even on a guess
More than four shadingsOnly the first four are markedCount before you move on
Trusting the orderStatements are not in source orderRead each as a fresh check against the text
Practice Question
Source A — Grandma's kitchen (read lines 1 to 5)1Grandma's kitchen always smelled of cinnamon, even in summer. 2She kept the radio on a station that only played songs older than she was. 3I was nine the first time she let me roll the pastry myself. 4My hands shook and the dough tore, but she said nothing about the mess. 5She simply tore off a fresh piece and showed me again, more slowly.
Choose the four true statements.
A. The kitchen smelled of cinnamon even in summer. B. The narrator rolled the pastry confidently, without difficulty. C. The narrator never baked again afterwards. D. The narrator was nine at the first attempt. E. The radio played songs older than Grandma. F. The narrator visited her grandmother every weekend. G. Grandma showed her again, more slowly. H. Grandma always played pop music.
TRUE
A (line 1), D (line 3), E (line 2), G (line 5).
B
Inverted — her hands shook and the dough tore.
C
Unsupported elaboration — the text never says this.
F
Plausible inference — sensible, but unstated.
H
Half-truth — "always" plus the wrong genre; the songs were old, not pop.
Summary
Key Points
4 marks · ~3 minutes · AO1 · one mark per correct shading, hard cap at four .
Always shade exactly four — a guess beats a blank.
Check each statement against the specified lines , not for plausibility.
Know the five distractor patterns : wrong section, inverted, half-truth, unsupported elaboration, plausible inference.
Biggest trap
The inserted absolute (only, always, never). See one — double-check it.
Avoid
Shading more than four, and trusting the statement order.
Exam Tip
Tag all eight T/F/? before you shade anything. Three minutes for four marks — bank them and move on to Q2.
Next: Welcome to Paper 2