Paper 2

Section A: Reading

Section B: Writing

Assessed

Questions

Reading (40 marks) (25%) – two linked texts

Writing (40 marks) (25%)

1 extended writing question (24 marks for content, 16 marks for technical accuracy)

Exam Paper 2 - Reading section

Using Problem-Based Scenarios to Teach Writing (e-Journal) by Nancy Hicks, James Melton and Karl Smart
eJournal article explaining the importance of adapting your writing to target audience. Don't be put off if the article seems complex in places, the 3 examples of letters to a teenager are great.
Work Smarter with Speed Reading by Tina Konstant
Including chapters on 'speed reading', 'developing your vocabulary' and a speed reading 'practice test', these are all vital skills for your exam success under a strict time limit.

Speed reading skills will also help you at work and improve your reading ability in your day-to-day-life. What are you waiting for?

19th century non-fiction

Night Walks by Charles Dickens
Dickens writes about his experiences of life in 19th century London.
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton
An extensive guide to running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton and first published as a book in 1861.

20th century non-fiction

Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Notes from a Small Island is a funny piece of travel writing about Great Britain. It was first published in 1995.
The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell
Orwell wrote this autobiography to highlight the poor living conditions of the working class in industrial England before the Second World War.

21st century non-fiction

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
This 21st century autobiography tells the story of "the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban".
Memories of a Massacre by Katrina Navickas
This article was published in History Today (Volume 69, Issue 8, August 2019). The article commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester and asks how the events of that day have been remembered.

BBC Bitesize Revision
Select the exam board you will be sitting your 2019 or onward exams with. If unsure, check with your tutor.
Oxford Living Dictionaries
Basic grammatical terms - needed to succeed in English, are usefully explained here, so check out the grammar glossary and get a head start in familiarising with their names.

How do I improve my grades in GCSE writing? by Amanda Jones and Sally Jones
A clear, snappy revision guide written by an English tutor. This book teaches students how to write using different purposes - to inform, explain, argue, advise, describe, persuade, review and how to make the tone and register of writing suitable for the audience.

Essential GCSE English for mature students by Diana Wallsgrove
Revise key skills in writing for success in GCSE English, whether resitting recent, or long past exams in this qualification.

The Oatmeal - Grammar and Punctuation
The Oatmeal is a fun, comic-style illustrated site of online literature - with an area offering guidance with grammar and punctuation. Lucky you!
Grammar Flip
Overview of how sentence structures work in English: check out the 'simple, compound and complex sentence' sections to succeed in GCSE. FREE ACCESS IS LIMITED, but useful.
YourDictionary.com
Use this glossary of rhetorical techniques to help your writing pack persuasive punch. Persuasive argument skills are needed to succeed in exam paper 2.