AQA English Language Unit One

Understanding and Producing Non-Fiction Texts

QUESTION 5

Main menu: overview of question five understanding the question planning the shorter task Q5 i,ii useful language devices Q5 iii Spelling, punctuation and grammar question 5 exemplar skills checklist mini-assessment

Overview

Question 5 is the shorter of the two writing tasks. It will focus on tasks that are informative/explanative or descriptive and may take a variety of different forms, such as letters, articles or scripts. One planned and effective side of writing, shaped, structured and paragraphed is sufficient to do well

You are being assessed on your ability to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively in well organised paragraphs with largely accurate spelling, punctuation and interesting word choices.

Key information

write about 3-4 paragraphs (about one side of A4)

a total of 16 marks; you need to score a minimum of 12 marks:

- 8 out of 10 for communication and organisation (i,ii)

- 4 out of 6 for spelling, punctuation and grammar (iii)

spend about 20-25mins on this question, including planning

focus on developing a few ideas in detail rather than a wide range

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Understanding the question

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5. A place can appear to be very different if you visit it at different times of the year.

Choose a place that you know well and describe it at two different times of year for a travel website.

Remember to: write about a placewrite to describe. (16 marks)

The following text is taken from the June 2011 Foundation Level exam.

Look at how the question guides you to what to write about.

Main focus

Useful guidance

The Purpose

The Task

Things to focus on

The Audience

Planning the shorter task

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Once you understand what you need to do, quickly plan out three main ideas with very brief notes on how to develop them in each paragraph.

Quickly decide upon your approach: a lot about a little!

Describe a place e.g. theme park, local attraction, holiday resort, etc

Two different times of the year e.g. busy/empty; day/night; winter/summer

Aimed at a travel website e.g. family holiday, adventure seekers, retired, etc

Brighton seafront in winter and summer for Travel UK

1. a winter morning

-icy cold; waves

-empty beach huts

-couples walking

2. summer (people)

-busy cafes and bars

-children playing

-music; bathers

3. summer (scene)

-cloudless sky and scorching sun

- describe pier

Q5 i,ii Useful language devices

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The following are some useful devices that you may wish to use in your writing to make your response more interesting to read.

Inform and explain: Discourse markers to link ideas e.g. firstly, furthermore, in addition to Third person to remain neutral e.g. he, she, they Topic sentence to show paragraph focus e.g. Summer is the ideal time. Factual details and information e.g.

Describe: Range of senses to evoke atmosphere e.g. sight, sound, smell, touch Metaphors and similes to provide images e.g. the clouds like balls of hay Interesting verbs and adjectives to show detail e.g. crashing waves, azure sky Poetic techniques to engage e.g. alliteration, repetition, personification

Always: Clear paragraphs or other evidence of structure e.g. sections of a script Develop point with examples or lots of details Varied and interesting word choices

Q5 iii Spelling, punctuation and grammar

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Here are some guidance notes on how to make your writing more accurate. Remember there are 6 marks available for this section.

Spelling Make sure you spell commonly used words correctly and allow time to check Remember there are lots of complex words already spelt correctly for you in the Reading Section, so use some of them in your answer

Punctuation Make sure each sentence has a subject and a verb Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop Use a comma before the word ‘but’* Use apostrophes for possession or omission (be aware of its and it’s) Start a new sentence when using ‘moreover’, ‘however’ and ‘furthermore’* Avoid overuse of exclamation marks and question marks (once or twice)

Grammar Use a range of simple, complex and compound sentences

Question 5 exemplar

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Look to see how you develop notes into a clear and effective paragraph.Focus - A winter morningThings to include - icy cold; waves; empty beach huts; couples walking

Brighton seafront is probably not the ideal destination to visit in the winter. The mornings are cold and icy. When the angry waves smash against the rocks, owners walking their dogs nearby get soaked. However, there are always some crazy people who brave the weather. Often it is couples enjoying the fresh sea air, or men fetching papers before breakfast. Most of the beach is isolated. All of the huts are empty. Locked up until the summer.

Topic sentence

Word choice

Word choices

Full stops and capitals

Complex sentence

Compound sentence Simple

sentence

Poetic methods

Activity: Write one of the other points into a developed paragraph

Skills Checklist

What you need to do:

plan out 3 main points with some ideas

develop writing with examples and details

write for a specific audience

include some relevant language devices

make interesting and varied word choices

use capitals, full stops and commas

vary your use of sentence types

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January 2012Time Allowed 25mins

A new TV series ‘Dream Jobs’ is giving people the chance to work in their dream job for a day. Write a letter to the producers explaining what your dream job would be and why you would love to try it.

Remember to: write a letter use language to explain.

Try to write approximately one page in your answer booklet. (16 marks)

Assessment practice

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