Summary
Highlights
This video introduces the AQA English Language Paper 2 exam, emphasizing its difficulty due to the range of skills assessed. The speaker outlines the video's focus on timings, recommended order for tackling the exam, and question types. It's noted that this is the final English language exam.
English Language Paper 2 is a 1 hour and 45 minute exam (unless extra time is allotted). The speaker strongly recommends starting with Question 5, which is worth 40 marks and should be allocated 45 minutes. Question 5 involves writing a speech, letter, or article. The speaker advises against saving Question 5 for last based on a common misconception about using the insert, as it constitutes 50% of the exam's marks.
The second round of the exam involves reading and planning, with AQA recommending 15 minutes. This section is critical, despite being worth zero marks, as it lays the groundwork for the rest of the paper. Unlike Paper 1, Paper 2 has two sources (Source A and Source B). The speaker advises against reading both sources entirely first, suggesting instead to read each question and then go to the extract with a purpose to find relevant information and quotes. This planning time is broken down: 2 minutes for Q1, 4 minutes for Q2, 4 minutes for Q3, and 5 minutes for Q4.
The final 45 minutes are dedicated to answering Questions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Question 1 (4 marks) should take 5 minutes. Question 2 (8 marks), a summary focusing on inference, should take 10 minutes (aim for two paragraphs). Question 3 (12 marks), a language question, should take 13 minutes (aim for two and a half to three paragraphs). Question 4 (16 marks), a comparison question (the only one in English Language Paper 2), should take 17 minutes (aim for three comparative paragraphs). The video stresses the importance of completing all questions, as consistent decent attempts across all sections lead to higher grades.