What Paper 2 asks of you

Section A gives you two unseen non-fiction texts on a similar theme — one 19th century, one 20th or 21st century — so you can compare views over time. Four reading questions, 40 marks:

• Q1 — True/false selection (4 marks) — pick the statements that are true about one text (AO1).
• Q2 — Summary of differences (8 marks) — synthesise and infer across both texts (AO1).
• Q3 — Language (12 marks) — analyse how one writer uses language for effect (AO2).
• Q4 — Comparison (16 marks) — compare the writers' viewpoints and methods (AO3).

Section B — Writing (40 marks): write to present a viewpoint (argue/persuade) in a given form on a given topic. Assessed on content & organisation (AO5, 24) and technical accuracy (AO6, 16).

The big difference from Paper 1: Paper 2 adds comparison (AO3) — you must hold both texts in mind and weigh their views and methods against each other.

Which is the compare question?

Summarising differences (Q2)

Q2 asks you to write a summary of the differences between the two texts (e.g. two different experiences of school). This tests inference and synthesis, not analysis of language:

• Find matching points — one detail in Text A that contrasts with one in Text B.
• Infer — read between the lines: what does the detail suggest?
• Support with brief evidence from both texts.

Don't analyse language in Q2. Save "the writer uses a metaphor" for Q3. Q2 is about what is different and what it shows, not how it's written.

Language techniques & their effects

Q3 (12 marks) analyses one writer's language. Naming a device earns almost nothing — the marks are in the effect on the reader.

• Emotive language — targets the reader's feelings (pity, anger, fear).
• Rhetorical question — pulls the reader in; makes them agree.
• Statistics / facts — sound authoritative; feel like proof.
• Metaphor / imagery — make an abstract idea vivid.
• Tone — sarcasm, outrage or warmth shaping how we read.
• Direct address ("you") — makes the argument feel personal.

The golden rule: device → quotation → effect on the reader. Miss the effect and you're only "feature-spotting".

Name the technique

Comment on the effect, not the label

Compare two comments on the same line:

Misconception: the marks are not for spotting the simile — they're for explaining why it works and what it does to the reader.

Pick the best comment

Viewpoint, perspective & tone

Comparison starts with reading what each writer thinks and feels, and how they show it:

• Viewpoint — the writer's opinion or attitude to the topic.
• Perspective — where they stand (an eyewitness? an outsider? a campaigner?).
• Tone — angry, nostalgic, ironic, hopeful — set by word choice.
• Purpose — to persuade, to warn, to reflect, to entertain.

Texts from different eras often share a topic but differ in attitude — that gap is exactly what Q4 wants you to explore.

How to structure a comparison

Q4 (16 marks) compares viewpoints AND methods. Use comparative connectives and, for each point, cover both texts:

Use connectives: "whereas", "similarly", "in contrast", "unlike Text A…". They keep the comparison explicit and score AO3.

What's the weakness?

Technique → effect

Tap the effect that best matches each technique.

Writing to present a viewpoint

Section B asks you to argue or persuade — to put across a point of view on a topic (often linked to Section A's theme). Decode the task first:

• Form — a letter, an article, a speech, an essay, a blog.
• Purpose — argue a case or persuade the reader to agree.
• Audience — a newspaper's readers, an MP, fellow students.
• Your line — take a clear stance and stick to it.

Match the register to the audience. A formal article for a broadsheet differs from a speech to your peers. Getting the register wrong costs AO5 marks even if your ideas are good.

Match the register

The DAFOREST toolkit

For a persuasive viewpoint, DAFOREST is a checklist of moves that win readers over. Weave several in — don't just tick boxes.

Some teachers use the related acronym AFOREST instead (Alliteration, Facts, Opinion, Rhetorical question, Emotive language, Statistics, Triples) — either checklist covers the same ground. The point is the techniques, not the acronym.

Match tone word → attitude

Tap a tone word on the left, then the attitude it signals on the right.

DAFOREST in action

A short model opening for an article arguing for cheaper bus fares, techniques labelled:

Each device does a job — pulling the reader in, stirring feeling, then driving them to agree. It isn't just a list of tricks.

Spot the comparison

AO6 — spelling, punctuation, grammar & vocabulary

16 of the 40 Section B marks are for technical accuracy and ambitious vocabulary — nearly a quarter. Easy to gain, easy to throw away.

• Vary your sentences — mix short and long for control and effect.
• Punctuate accurately — full stops, commas, and the occasional colon, semicolon or dash used correctly.
• Reach for precise vocabulary — "unsustainable" not "bad"; "compelling" not "good".
• Proofread — leave 3–4 minutes to catch slips.

Ambition with control beats safety with errors. Only use words you can spell and punctuate correctly.

Spot the AO

Sort: reading skill or writing skill?

Tap a task, then the box for whether it belongs to Section A (reading) or Section B (writing).

Working the paper for marks

• Read both texts first and note each writer's viewpoint before you start.
• Watch the mark tariff — Q1 (4) is quick; Q4 (16) and Section B (40) need the most time.
• Q2: compare ideas, don't analyse language. Q3: analyse one text's language. Q4: compare methods across both.
• In Section B, plan first — 5 minutes on stance, form and paragraphs saves the answer.
• Save time to proofread for AO6.

Split your time by marks: Section A and Section B are worth 40 marks each — give each roughly half the paper.

Reading the right thing

Where do the marks come from?

The skills to take into the exam

You've trained every core skill AQA 8700 Paper 2 tests. Press Finish to see your score.