How to MASTER GCSE English Language Fiction Reading (Paper 1A - EDUQAS)

Summary

This video tutorial focuses on mastering the English Language GCSE Section 1a Fiction Reading, using the Eduqas exam board. It advises on managing the one-hour exam with 40 marks spread across five questions. The presenter suggests strategies like ruling off sections, using bullet points for question one, and tracking phrases for others. They emphasize the importance of time management, especially for the final evaluative question worth 10 marks. The video uses a 2017 paper featuring Ruby Lennox for practice, guiding viewers through each question type, from listing details to analyzing language techniques and writer's intent, aiming for a comprehensive understanding of the text.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is focused on helping viewers master the English language GCSE section 1a fiction reading on the Eduqas exam board.
• 📢 Engage with the channel by liking, sharing, and subscribing for more content on books, beards, and beyond.
• 🔔 Make sure to hit the bell icon to receive notifications for more videos.
• 📝 Take notes and pause the video to maximize learning from the content.
• 🕒 The GCSE paper has a one-hour time limit and is worth 40 marks, with five questions varying in type and scoring.
• 📑 For question one, list five things about Ruby Lennox from the given lines without writing full sentences.
• 🎯 Use tracking phrases like 'at the start of the extract' or 'towards the end' to guide your answers for questions two through five.
• ⏱️ Allocate time for each question based on the marks it's worth, ensuring you leave enough time for the final evaluative question.
• 🔍 Search for the 2017 paper featuring Ruby Lennox on the Eduqas GCSE English language website for practice.
• 📈 Rule off each portion of the extract before answering to stay focused on the relevant lines.
• 📝 For question two, provide impressions of the Lennox family using full sentences and textual evidence from the specified lines.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to provide guidance on mastering the English language GCSE section 1a fiction reading, specifically for the Eduqas exam board.

What are some of the recommendations given for approaching the GCSE paper?

Some recommendations include taking notes, pausing the video to test oneself, repeating the video for better understanding, and ruling off each portion of the extract before answering questions.

How long is the time limit for the paper discussed in the video?

The time limit for the paper is one hour.

What is the total mark awarded for the paper and how many questions are there?

The total mark awarded for the paper is 40, and there are five questions.

What is the structure of the marks distribution for the paper?

The first question is worth 5 marks, the second is also worth 5 marks, questions three and four are each out of ten, and the final question is worth 10 marks.

Why is it advised not to write in full sentences for question one?

Writing in full sentences for question one should be avoided to save time and to make it easier to achieve maximum marks later in the paper.

What is the significance of using tracking phrases in questions two through five?

Using tracking phrases such as 'at the start of the extract' or 'towards the end' helps to signpost the response and provides a chronological perspective, which is considered a best practice.

How should students approach the timing for each question?

Students should treat each question as one mark per minute, meaning a five-mark question should not take more than five or six minutes to answer.

What is the importance of leaving enough time for the final question?

It's important to leave enough time for the final question because it carries the most marks and requires thorough analysis, which can be challenging if time is not managed well.

What is the 'Ruby Lennox paper' mentioned in the video?

The 'Ruby Lennox paper' is a practice paper from 2017 that the video uses to illustrate how to approach the GCSE fiction reading section.

What is the advice for answering question one regarding Ruby Lennox?

For question one, students should list five things they learn about Ruby Lennox from the given lines, using bullet points and referring to the text with brief statements or quotes.

How should students approach question two, which is about impressions of the Lennox family?

For question two, students should write in full sentences about the impressions created of the Lennox family, using textual evidence and relevant subject terminology.

What is the strategy for answering the 10-mark 'how' questions like question three?

For the 10-mark 'how' questions, students should aim for a detailed analysis with a minimum of seven to eight quotes, using tracking phrases and writer's techniques to support their response.

What advice is given for the final evaluative question worth 10 marks?

For the final question, students should provide a persuasive evaluation supported by well-selected examples, exploring the writer's techniques and their effects on the reader, while also including personal thoughts and feelings.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Mastering English Language GCSE

The script begins with a welcome to a video tutorial focused on mastering the English Language GCSE, specifically Section 1a Fiction Reading from the Educat exam board. The speaker encourages viewers to engage with the content by liking, sharing, and subscribing for more educational content on books, beards, and beyond. They also invite viewers to check the channel on various social media platforms using the username 'wig lit'. The speaker outlines the structure of the GCSE paper, which includes a one-hour time limit, 40 marks, and five questions varying in type and value. The advice given includes taking notes, pausing the video for self-testing, and using tracking phrases when answering questions. The importance of time management and focusing on the final evaluative question is emphasized.

05:01

📝 Navigating the GCSE Paper Structure and Question Types

The speaker provides a detailed walkthrough of the GCSE paper, starting with the basics such as the time limit and marking scheme. They explain the types of questions, including a list question, mini questions, and evaluative questions, each with specific instructions on how to approach them. The advice includes ruling off each portion of the extract to guide answers, using bullet points for the first question, and tracking phrases for subsequent questions. The speaker also suggests treating each question as one mark per minute spent and leaving enough time for the final question, which often gets neglected by students.

10:03

🔍 Deep Dive into Question One: Listing Key Points

The focus shifts to Question One, which requires listing five things learned about a character named Ruby Lennox from the provided lines of text. The speaker stresses the importance of writing responses in list form, being concise, and using brief statements or quotes. They also suggest that students can list more than five points, but the maximum score remains five. The speaker provides a detailed breakdown of possible answers, including the character's caring nature, her aspiration to follow in her father's footsteps, and her surname.

15:04

🎨 Analyzing Impression and Language Use in Questions Two and Three

The script continues with an analysis of Question Two, which asks for impressions of the Lennox family using specific lines from the text. The speaker advises using full sentences, tracking phrases, and providing textual evidence with quotes. They also discuss the importance of using subject terminology and providing a detailed analysis of language use. Moving to Question Three, the speaker explains how to show the fire spreading and becoming serious through the writer's language, again emphasizing the use of quotes and subject terminology to demonstrate understanding of the writer's techniques.

🔥 Excitement and Drama in Question Four

Question Four requires an analysis of how the writer makes certain lines exciting or dramatic. The speaker suggests looking at the writer's use of language and structure and their effects on the reader. They recommend providing a range of quotes, tracking through the text, and understanding the writer's techniques, such as word choice and imagery. The speaker provides an example of how to structure a response, including tracking and quoting to build excitement and drama.

🏆 Evaluating Patricia's Heroism in the Final Question

The final part of the script addresses the evaluative overall question, which asks for the viewer's thoughts and feelings on how Patricia is presented as a heroine in the last part of the passage. The speaker advises starting with an overview that addresses the question partially, then providing a balanced view with evidence from the text. They emphasize the importance of a persuasive evaluation supported by well-selected examples and a subjective tone. The speaker provides a template for a top-scoring response, highlighting the need for a range of quotes and a balanced argument.

👋 Conclusion and Call to Action

The script concludes with a summary of the tutorial's content and a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more content. The speaker expresses gratitude for the viewers' support and invites them to leave questions in the comments. They sign off with well wishes until the next video.

Keywords

💡GCSE

GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education, which is a key qualification for students in the UK. In the video, the presenter is focusing on how to master the English language portion of the GCSE exam, specifically the section on fiction reading.

💡Educat Exam Board

The Educat Exam Board is likely a fictional or generic term used in the script to refer to the organization that sets and administers the GCSE exams. The script mentions finding exam papers on the Educat Exam Board's website, indicating it as a source of official exam materials.

💡Fiction Reading

Fiction Reading is a section of the GCSE English exam that assesses students' comprehension and analytical skills in relation to fictional texts. The video is dedicated to providing strategies for excelling in this section.

💡Section 1a

Section 1a refers to a specific part of the GCSE English exam that focuses on fiction reading. The video aims to help students master this section, which includes various types of questions about a given text.

💡List Question

A List Question is a type of question in the GCSE English exam where students are asked to list specific details or characteristics from a given text. In the script, the presenter advises on how to approach and answer such questions effectively.

💡Impressions Questions

Impressions Questions ask students to discuss the feelings or impressions that the text or specific parts of it create. The script provides guidance on how to answer these questions by analyzing the language used in the text.

💡Evaluative Question

An Evaluative Question requires students to form and support an opinion about a topic presented in the text. The video script provides advice on how to tackle this type of question, including the importance of balancing viewpoints.

💡Ruby Lennox

Ruby Lennox is a character from the text extract used in the exam paper discussed in the video. The presenter uses this character to illustrate how to answer the list question in the GCSE English exam.

💡Tracking Phrases

Tracking Phrases are terms used to guide the reader through the progression of an argument or analysis. The script emphasizes their importance in organizing responses to the exam questions effectively.

💡Chronological Perspective

A Chronological Perspective involves analyzing a text in the order that events or ideas are presented. The presenter suggests applying this approach to answer questions about the text, moving from the beginning to the end.

💡Time Management

Time Management is crucial during the exam, as emphasized in the script. The presenter advises allocating time for each question based on the marks it's worth to ensure all questions can be answered thoroughly.

💡Rule Off

Ruling off refers to the technique of physically dividing the exam paper according to the sections or lines relevant to each question. The script explains that this helps in organizing thoughts and staying focused on the relevant parts of the text.

Highlights

Introduction to mastering English language GCSE section 1a fiction reading

Importance of engaging with the educat exam board materials

Encouragement to interact with the video by liking, sharing, and subscribing

Advice on taking notes and pausing the video for effective learning

Details of the GCSE paper structure: time limit, marks, and question types

Explanation of the scoring system for the list question

Recommendation to use bullet points for question one

Instruction to use tracking phrases for questions two through five

Suggestion to treat each question as one mark per minute

Emphasis on leaving enough time to answer the final evaluative question

Introduction to the 2017 paper featuring Ruby Lennox

Guidance on ruling off each portion of the extract before answering

How to approach the list question for Ruby Lennox's character

Advice on writing responses concisely for the list question

Explanation of the 'how impressions' mini question for the Lennox family

Importance of using full sentences and tracking phrases for question two

How to analyze the writer's techniques in showing the fire's spread

Guidance on writing about what makes lines exciting or dramatic

Approach to the evaluative question on Patricia's heroism

Recommendation to provide a balanced view in the evaluative question

Advice on using subjective tone and providing texture evidence

Conclusion and call to action for viewer engagement

Transcripts

hello everybody and welcome back to

another episode here

from gwiglet thank you as always for all

of your support for the channel

today we are going to be looking at how

to master the english language gcse

section 1a fiction reading that's on the

educat exam board

and if you haven't already give this

video a thumbs up be sure to share it

with all your friends and family

and hit the bell icon for more videos on

books beards and beyond

if you haven't checked out the channel

already check us out across all the

different social media platforms that's

twitter instagram

and tick tock you can find us quite

easily

through the wig lit username so today

we're going through an important gcse

paper

feel free to write along in the comments

below and i'll happily answer every

single comment i receive

so what you can do with today's video

well there's a number of things i would

recommend taking notes pausing the video

as you go take notes as we would go

along

to really maximize the amount you gain

from it

as well as that pause the video you can

find this examination

that i'm going through today very easily

on the educat exam board

test yourself as you go it's a really

really useful

and vital way of doing that and repeat

repeat repeat watch the video through

many times it will give you

an easy way to access and understand

this this paper so today we're going to

be going through first of all the basics

of this paper what you absolutely need

to know

in order to fully access and gain

success

on it there is a one-hour time limit on

this paper

40 marks are awarded there are five

questions first question is a list

question it's worth five marks

the second question is a how impressions

mini question as i like to call it which

is again worth five marks

questions three and four are how or

impressions questions where we're

looking at

a piece of fiction and you have to gain

an understanding of how the writer

creates it or what impressions you get

of what is presented both of those are

out of ten

and the paper culminates on a fifth

question which is an evaluative

overall question again worth 10 marks

so the extract is also provided and you

can find this on educas's

exam website free of charge

so my best advice and having taught this

for many years now is the following

first thing you want to do is rule off

each portion of the extract before you

start

answering the questions are deliberately

guided and tailored towards

a very specific set of lines within the

paper

itself you'll see in the following part

of the video how i do this

as well as this you must list for

question one

do not under any circumstances write in

full sentences you only check away at

the time you have

and it makes it very hard to get maximum

marks

later on in the paper so absolutely

bullet point list for question one

i also recommend using tracking phrases

for questions two through five

such phrases as at the start of the

extract later on in the extract or text

towards the end of the extracts or text

to really signpost where you're going

the best responses i've ever seen on

this apply a kind of chronological

perspective

so they go from the top work their way

down towards the end

really really vital you do that

also treat each question as one mark per

minute so it's a five mark question you

shouldn't really be spending more than

five

possibly six minutes in attempting that

really important point and leave enough

time to properly cover question five in

my experience i've noticed a number of

students who have attempted this paper

they often don't get enough time to

focus on that final

10 mark question really really important

one

so give yourself enough time to get full

coverage of the paper to get the

greatest level of success

so our practice questions i'm going to

look through today are on a 2017

paper it's the ruby lennox paper and if

you do a very quick search on the

edgercast

gcse english language website you will

be able to find it with relative ease

so it looks like this you're presented

with the questions as you clearly see

here

and you're presented with the extract

which you see to the right

now before you so much as answer the

very first question what you want to do

is

look carefully for the lines so question

one is read lines one to seven

and we roll off one to seven put

question one next to it

same for question two question three

question four

and question five your exam paper

should look just like that does it's

really important you make sure

that you rule off and you track so

you've already chunked up the paper

to what the demands are so you don't get

lost you don't spill over the lines

and you make sure that everything you

comment on is on the point

that the question paper states can't

stress the importance of that that must

be the first thing you do before

you answer the questions

so answer the questions themselves first

of all we have question one this is the

list

question as i mentioned earlier the

question here is

read lines one to seven list five things

you learn about ruby lennox in these

lines

if you want to find this paper pause and

work along with myself

as i go through the paper leave a

comment below let me know how you know

how you do

or if you have any questions leave a

comment and i'll happily answer every

single one which is the quick lit

promise

so the extract is here and the important

things to do

write your response as a list i can't

state the importance of that enough

now remember you can list more than five

points

you could write seven even eight points

they will all still be

marked all that will happen is you just

max out at five out of five

don't think you only have five shots or

five opportunities

you have more you can write as many as

you wish all of them will be considered

by the examiner

in addition keep your response short and

specific

just brief statements brief quotes will

do

so possible answers pause here if you

wish to

attempt this question you see it in

front of you the answers will be up

shortly

now the question as you say it's five

things you learn about ruby lennox

no one else just ruby lennox in these

lines

and as a little side point the lines

start from one to seven you won't get

anything

for the part you see in italics that is

a summary statement so don't

ever use that first of all she gives the

pets a lot of attention or

pets received a lot of attention she

talks to the parrot eye

and then you can chunk you can you can

chop off bits even use that little

ellipses the three dots i

attempted a conversation with the parrot

she's decided to follow in her father's

footsteps and run a pet shop

she thinks it is her destiny or clear

where my

rubies destiny lay so it makes it clear

who we're talking about there the little

closed brackets is a really

effective little tip i would recommend

she thinks that this is her future the

quote here was my future

ironically she's not allowed to have a

pet quote there is i was not allowed to

have pets of my own

she dreams of one day having all the

pets all the pets would be mine one day

she's caring or likes pets her dad owns

the pet shop

and her surname is lennox i'm surprised

that last one was given to be honest

because it seems so obvious

however as stated on the examination

board's website it was a valid mark so

put as many as you can down here

this is every valid mark awarded by the

exam board

so on to question two the impressions or

how mini question

now this one is out of five what

impressions does the writer create of

the lenox family in these lines

you must refer to the language used in

the text to support your answer and

that's strictly speaking those 15 lines

there

using relevant subject terminology where

appropriate

now here is the extract itself if you

wish to write along and test yourself

and

as i said before leave a comment below

if you have any questions

so the first question that requires a

little development to it we don't write

it in a list

now we want to write it in full

sentences read the question carefully

it's about the lennox

family at this point not ruby or

patricia but the family as a whole

now you can pick out individuals that's

entirely fine but it is

covering every family member just

remember that the response should be

written in full sentences that's really

really important

make sure you apply tracking phrases as

you go as i mentioned before at the

start later on towards the end

and so on and provide an adequate range

of textual evidence or quotes

for a strong mark you're looking at at

least four quotes i would suggest

five six would be too much five as a

maximum but four

as a minimum so here we are

here's what the recommendation for the

exam board is to give five marks those

who make accurate and perceptive

comments about the

lennox family and detailed analysis of

how language is used to achieve effects

and influence the reader

well considered accurate use of relevant

subject terminology supports comments

effectively so if you wish to again

pause here

have a go i will then in a moment put up

my version of the answer with an

explanation as to where the marks

would be achieved so

here you'll see the highlights where i

tracked at the start later on towards

the end

and the points in bold are the quotes

now it's peppered with quotes there are

a range

there with the odd aspect of what i call

a mini dig so you'll be picking out for

example

while the cooking from ruby's mother

with the quote sausages and eggs

starting notes i put the clothes

brackets there to make sure the tense is

effective and what i'm saying for added

comprehension

to go back to go black sorry in the

frying pan the adjective black hinting

that she is overwhelmed

she's overcooked the food that there

would achieve a five out of five not

only for the fact that it has on the

enough quotes it has a little bit of the

digging um in the

either the phrase double dose or um the

adjective black

we pick out enough of a range from the

piece itself

so now we move on to question three

which is the first 10 mark impressions

or how question it could be phrased as

impressions or how but it will test the

same skill

this question is how does the writer

show the fire spreading and becoming

very serious

in these lines again referring to the

language used in the text

using relevant subject terminology here

is the extract if you wish to test

yourself as we go along

this is the first 10 mark questions so

obviously by sheer common logic you'll

have to provide

more you want to aim for a roughly seven

to eight quotes as a minimum

i would recommend tracking through the

question as always that's a very

very effective tool make sure to do a

mini dig as i did before with the

adjective on black for example at least

once

and a question how requires an

understanding of writer's techniques

that's also really really important

it can be developed as key terms um can

also be as simple as picking out the

word or phrase the use of the word the

use of the adjective

all of them demonstrate you are being

selective and evaluating in your

response

so same process as before you're more

than welcome to

have a go through nine to 10 marks are

given for accurate and perceptive

comments that provide

detailed analysis of how language is

used with well-considered accurate use

of relevant

subject terminology very important

points there

so pause again if you wish to have a go

at this my version of a strong answer

would be up shortly that would achieve

that examination

so notice again i've used the

tracking i've used the at the start the

narrator then as the extract progresses

obviously it's 10 marks you're going to

write almost double what you did for a

five marker

towards the end of the extract and the

extracts final words we're gonna have a

range of quotes going through

i noticed the repetition of hotter for

example verbs like sizzle and burn

um the exclamation marks in ruby ruby

all of those

give a sense of uh the fire spreading

and becoming very serious but there is a

real range of quotes again which would

more than meet

that band of the question

so now we're on to question four again

this would be the second of the

impressions or how questions in the

paper

the question here is read lines 36 to 49

how does the writer make these lines

exciting or dramatic you should write

about what happens in these lines to

build excitement and drama

the writer's use of language and

structure and the effects on the reader

with text to support your answer with

relevant sermons subject to terminology

where appropriate

here is the extract it goes over two

pages hence the little block there

my hints are exactly the same seven to

eight quotes is a minimum tracking

through

many digging at least once that use of

how requires an understanding of

writer's techniques which can be

as simple as by using the word or phrase

if you feel less confident or the

adjective adverb

metaphor imagery tone or work

as well so

my answer will be up shortly again pause

if you wish to write along

and as always leave a comment below if

you have any questions

my extract is here so my in my response

this is the one i

made earlier the extract begins with

then continues further on notice it's

constant sense of tracking

there are also a good range of quotes in

here some are smaller some are larger

than the six to eight words i'd

generally like however it goes through

in a methodical sense

with the quotes picking them out and

also this idea of imagery of prayer at

the end

the adverb immediately start to choke

i've already picked out

a few phrases on a greater level

now we meet the final question the

evaluate or overall

question now the question here is read

lines 50 to the end

in the last 20 or so lines of this

passage patricia becomes a real heroine

how far do you agree with this view you

should write about your own thoughts and

feelings about how patricia is presented

here and in the passage as a whole

how the writer has created these

thoughts and feelings refer to the text

as always here now a little piece of

advice

here is the extract i would recommend

first of all

the question can focus on either the

last part

so as it says here read lines 50 to the

end

but it can also be the whole extract so

watch out notice that first bullet point

says present patricia is presented here

and in the passage as a whole

so you can refer to both i would

recommend starting with these lines then

going around the piece

but that's really important in addition

it may ask for your personal view so

right in the first person

as it does here okay that's really

important

is how far if it says how far is not

asking for an entirely one-sided

response

so not i would i really really recommend

to stay

stray away from i entirely agree or i

entirely disagree

okay try and look for at least a part of

the other side of

the response it's encouraged to start

with a brief

basic overview that addresses this i

can't stress how important that is

uh for example i mostly agree or to a

great extent i agree now

i've created a portion of a response

here that would meet the top band

requirements you'd need to obviously

write a little more

but it has the recommended information

and also make sure to provide enough

texture evidence again seven to eight

quotes

should do with a few examples of digging

so pause again if you wish to have a go

at this and let me know how you get on

or if you have any questions

and here would be my response followed

with the

way to achieve the top marks so notice

again with the tracking i start with an

overview statement this time so i mostly

agree with the view presented

on patricia she does a number of heroic

acts in the passage

however her heroism only extends so far

in the passage

now at the start of the extract later on

ruby however so we've got some

tracking we've got the pronoun al for

example we've got a range of quotes

i would need to write more but i didn't

want to compromise the

uh font and the size so it could be very

legible as you see at the top there is

nine to ten marks to give a persuasive

evaluation of the text and its effects

supported by convincing well selected

examples so keeping those quotes short

and specific is really important

exploring how the writer has created

thoughts and feelings within

within that and i've also noticed i

started i mostly agree so there's a very

specific subjective tone to this which

is really important

overall so that has been how to master

english language paper 1a fiction

reading on the edgecast example thank

you as always

please like share and subscribe as

always your support is hugely

appreciated means the absolute world to

me

if you have any questions leave them in

the comments below and until next time

take care all the very best and bye bye