Paper 2 Question 2: Mark Scheme (AQA GCSE English Language) : Revision Note
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The Question 2 mark scheme
If you want to achieve a Grade 9, you should be aiming for a Level 4 response for Question 2. Below is a simplified version of the AQA mark scheme for this question.
Student-friendly mark scheme
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Basic awareness of ideas and the ability to give simple references and differences between the texts | Some effort to pick out specific evidence and infer meaning. Differences between the text are highlighted | Clear and supported inferences that highlight distinct differences between the texts | Detailed, insightful and well-supported inferences from both texts. Offers own interpretations on differences between ideas in both texts |
To demonstrate a deep understanding of the writers’ ideas, you should remember to:
Explore deeper meanings of both texts:
What meanings are conveyed between the lines?
Use evidence (quotes or textual references)
Give your own interpretations of what each writer means
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examiners don’t have a set list of “correct interpretations” of Source A and Source B. What they want to see is students uncovering possible meanings based on what the authors have written.
This means that you should always try to give your personal interpretations and back these up with strong evidence from the texts.
How to get full marks on Paper 2 Question 2
To get the highest marks for the inference question, it’s really important to understand what examiners are looking for.
Examiner tips for a Grade 9
Make fewer, more developed points:
You get marks for the quality of your inferences, not how many points you can make about each text
Go into detail about what possible meanings a piece of evidence could have
Cover both texts:
If you don’t, you can’t get more than half marks
Think about subtle differences — or similarities — as well as just what makes each text very different
You must offer your own interpretations:
Explore nuances and try to offer original insights
Levelling up your Question 2 answer
Understanding the different levels: analysis versus explanation
To get a Grade 9, you will have to reach Level 4 for Question 2, which means your response should show “perceptive, detailed analysis” rather than just “clear relevant explanation”. The image below shows what an examiner would expect to see in a Level 3 versus a Level 4 response:
Moving from a Level 3 to a Level 4 response
Below is an example of a paragraph for a Level 3 response, and one for a Level 4. It is based on the June 2019 AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2 past paper. It is useful to read through this extract and the wording of Question 2 before exploring the model responses below.
We’ve included annotations to show why each would be awarded each level.
Level 3 response (5–6 marks) | Level 4 response (7–8 marks) |
|---|---|
The boat in Source A is only a small rowing boat, which suggests that it is vulnerable in the stormy conditions and could easily be swamped by the huge waves, which are “towering over our tiny boat”. The boat in Source B is a much bigger “steamship”, which suggests it is more likely to withstand the dangers at sea than the tiny rowing boat because the waves would not swamp a large ship so easily. However, the writer says the boat in Source B is “ancient and much damaged” which suggests that the boat has been harmed over the years by the rough seas and is in poor physical shape, so it may not be as reliable as it used to be. | The boat in Source A is only small, but the ability to right itself when it capsizes shows it is designed for safety; the technology ensures that although the tiny boat cannot withstand the waves which are “towering over” it, after the disaster, it springs “upright” again. It is ironic that, while the rowing boat is designed to right itself after capsizing, the far bigger and heavier steamship is more likely to “turn over once and for all” and sink permanently below the waves, showing that design is more important than size when it comes to safety at sea. The boat in Source B is described as “ancient and much damaged”, which implies the ship has taken a severe battering from previous storms, but this might suggest that the ship is actually more likely to survive this storm, as its old age proves how resilient and reliable it is. |
Learn more and test yourself
For more great tips and tricks, check out our dedicated revision notes on how to answer Paper 2 Question 2 and our fully annotated Paper 2 Question 2 model answer.
You can also test yourself on Paper 2 Question 2 with expert-created Save My Exams quiz and exam questions. Try our Paper 2 Question 2 multiple choice questions and answer full questions and get them marked by Smart Mark, our AI model created by English Language experts.
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