Your papers
How you are examined — two written papers, worth 50% each. Reading is assessed
on AO1 (R1–R5) and writing on AO2 (W1–W5); across the qualification they are worth 50% each.
| Paper 1 — Reading | 2h · 80 marks · 50% · four compulsory questions of 20 marks on three texts |
| Paper 2 — Writing | 2h · 80 marks · 50% · Section A Directed Writing (40) + Section B Composition (40) |
Important: the 0500 syllabus was rewritten for first examination in 2027 —
which is your year. Paper 1 now has four equal 20-mark questions, the summary is capped at 120 words,
the language task is 200–250 words, word-meaning questions use bold rather than underlining,
and Paper 2 Question 1(a) tests R4 for the first time. Almost every revision guide and video online is
still on the old structure. Everything here follows the new one.
Guides
All four questions taken apart: comprehension, the 120-word summary, short answers and the language task, and the extended response in six text types · worked models · 48 practice questions
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Paper 2 — Directed Writing & Composition
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The new 1(a) analysis question, directed writing in speech / letter / article / report form, and both composition routes — descriptive and narrative · full model answers · 48 practice questions
How to write about effect instead of naming devices — imagery, connotation, word choice, sentence structure, tone and bias, plus vocabulary and reading stamina · 48 practice questions
Mock exams
The sea and the people who work on it · 2 hours · 80 marks · three texts, four questions, full mark scheme and model answers
Cities at night · 2 hours · 80 marks · entirely different texts and questions
Should the city centre close to cars? · 2 hours · 80 marks · directed writing plus four composition titles, with band descriptors to mark yourself against
Should schools ban phones entirely? · 2 hours · 80 marks · fresh texts and four new composition titles
Unit exams — article & report writing
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Unit Exam 1 — Magazine Article + Formal Report
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Built for the school Unit Assessment · 90 minutes · 50 marks · a magazine article weighing two viewpoints, then a formal report from survey data — marked against concrete criteria, with weak, middling and strong exemplars explained in the margin
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Unit Exam 2 — News Article + News Report
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Built for the school Unit Assessment · 90 minutes · 50 marks · the same story told two ways: a feature article with a human thread, and an inverted-pyramid news report — the difference between the two forms made explicit, with three exemplars each
How to use the mocks: write your answers before you press
“Finish & show mark scheme”. Your typing is saved as you go, so you can stop and come back.
When you mark yourself, be strict — a generous tick teaches you nothing. If you are unsure whether an
answer earned a mark, ask Claude in the panel on the right and paste in what you wrote.