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Question 1 (AQA GCSE English Language): Exam Questions

Exam code: 8700

2 hours24 questions

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Question 1

14 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the Paper 1 Set A source), from lines 1 to 5.

As usual, Oliver Bacon strode through the shop without speaking, though the four men, the two old men, Marshall and Spencer, and the two young men, Hammond and Wicks, stood straight and looked at him, envying him. It was only with one finger of the amber-coloured glove, waggling, that he acknowledged their presence. And he went in and shut the door of his private room behind him.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. How does Oliver Bacon enter the shop?

  • Quietly and nervously ☐

  • Without speaking ☐

  • Pausing to talk to the assistants ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is the reaction of the four men when Oliver enters?

  • They stand straight and look at him ☐

  • They ignore him and carry on working ☐

  • They rush to open the door for him ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does Oliver acknowledge the others?

  • With a smile and a nod ☐

  • By shaking their hands ☐

  • By waggling one finger of his glove ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Oliver do after entering the shop?

  • Goes into a room on his own ☐

  • Sits and reads the newspaper ☐

  • Greets a customer at the counter ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

24 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the Paper 1 Set B source), from lines 1 to 10.

Ove is fifty-nine. He drives a Saab. He's the kind of man who points at people he doesn't like the look of, as if they were burglars and his fore-finger a policeman's flashlight. 

"So this is one of those O-Pads. is it?" he demands. 

The assistant, a young man with a single-digit body mass index, looks ill at ease. He visibly struggles to control his urge to snatch the box out of Ove's hands. 

“Yes exactly. An iPad. Do you think you could stop shaking it like that..?” 

Ove gives the box a skeptical glance, as if it's a highly dubious sort of box, a box that rides a scooter and wears tracksuit pants and just called Ove "my friend" before offering to sell him a watch.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. What kind of car does Ove drive?

  • A Volvo ☐

  • A Saab ☐

  • A BMW ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Ove do to people he doesn’t like the look of?

  • Ignores them ☐

  • Treats them like they are policemen ☐

  • Points at them ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does Ove treat the iPad box?

  • Carefully, with interest ☐

  • Sceptically, as if it’s suspicious ☐

  • Excitedly, like a new toy ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does the shop assistant respond to Ove?

  • He looks uncomfortable and tense ☐

  • He laughs and reassures Ove ☐

  • He offers Ove a discount ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

34 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the Paper 1 Set C source), from lines 1 to 7.

Mrs Palfrey first came to the Claremont Hotel on a Sunday afternoon in January. Rain had closed in over London, and her taxi sloshed along the almost deserted Cromwell Road, past one cavernous porch after another, the driver going slowly and poking his head out into the wet, for the hotel was not known to him. 

This discovery, that he did not know, had a little disconcerted Mrs Palfrey, for she did not know it either, and began to wonder what she was coming to. She tried to banish terror from her heart. She was alarmed at the threat of her own depression.  

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. When does Mrs Palfrey arrive at the Claremont Hotel?

  • A Friday evening in summer ☐

  • A Sunday evening in January ☐

  • A Sunday afternoon in January ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is the weather like as she travels?

  • Rainy and wet ☐

  • Bright and windy ☐

  • Foggy and cold ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does the taxi driver do during the journey?

  • Asks Mrs Palfrey for directions ☐

  • Pokes his head out of his window and drives slowly ☐

  • Talks on the radio ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does Mrs Palfrey feel about the hotel?

  • Curious and interested ☐

  • Excited to explore ☐

  • Anxious and afraid ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

44 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the Paper 1 Set D source), from lines 1 to 6.

In this particular band were two old women cared for by The People for many years. The older woman's name was Ch'idzigyaak, for she reminded her parents of a chickadee bird when she was born. The other woman's name was Sa', meaning ''star," because at the time of her birth her mother had been looking at the fall night sky, concentrating on the distant stars to take her mind away from the painful labour contractions.  

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. Who cared for the old women?

  • A band ☐

  • An older woman ☐

  • The People ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is the name of the older woman?

  • Sa’ ☐

  • Ch’idzigyaak ☐

  • Chickadee ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Why was Ch’idzigyaak given her name?

  • She was born during a snowstorm ☐

  • Her parents wanted her to be strong ☐

  • She reminded her parents of a particular bird ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What did Sa’’s mother do during labour?

  • Looked at the night sky ☐

  • Not think about the pain ☐

  • Concentrated on what she was doing ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

54 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the Paper 1 Set E source), from lines 1 to 11.

For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in town. If a damp spring arrived, if cows in the pasture gave milk that was runny with blood, if a colt died of colic or a baby was born with a red birthmark stamped onto its cheek, everyone believed that fate must have been twisted, at least a little, by those women over on Magnolia Street. It didn't matter what the problem was — lightning, or locusts, or a death by drowning. It didn't matter if the situation could be explained by logic, or science, or plain bad luck. As soon as there was a hint of trouble or the slightest misfortune, people began pointing their fingers and placing blame. Before long they'd convinced themselves that it wasn't safe to walk past the Owens house after dark, and only the most foolish neighbours would dare to peer over the black wrought-iron fence that circled the yard like a snake.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. How long have the Owens women been blamed for bad events?

  • Since World War I ☐

  • About fifty years ☐

  • More than two hundred years ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Which of the following is an example of something that has gone wrong in the town?

  • A colt dying of colic ☐

  • Cows dying in the pasture ☐

  • A baby being born prematurely ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How do people behave near the Owens house?

  • They go inside to ask for help ☐

  • They leave gifts at the fence ☐

  • They avoid it ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is the fence around the Owens house compared to?

  • A wall of thorns ☐

  • A snake ☐

  • A maze ☐

    [1 mark]

How did you do?

64 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the June 2023 source insert), from lines 1 to 9.

It was the hyena that worried me. I had not forgotten Father’s words. Hyenas attack in packs whatever animal can be run down. They go for zebras, gnus and water buffaloes, and not only the old or the infirm in a herd but full-grown members too. They are hardy attackers, rising up from buttings and kickings immediately, never giving up for simple lack of will. And they are clever; anything that can be distracted from its mother is good.

I could hear the hyena whining. I clung to the hope that a zebra, a familiar prey, and an orang-utan, an unfamiliar one, would distract it from thoughts of me. I kept one eye on the horizon, one eye on the other end of the lifeboat.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. What worries Pi about the hyena?

  • Its appearance ☐

  • Remembering what his father told him about hyenas ☐

  • The noise it is making ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How do hyenas usually attack?

  • On their own ☐

  • In a pair ☐

  • As a group ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What sort of attackers are hyenas?

  • Tough ☐

  • Vulnerable ☐

  • Reluctant ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Pi hope will distract the hyena away from him?

  • Its mother ☐

  • The other animals on the boat ☐

  • The horizon ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

74 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the June 2021 source insert), from lines 1 to 4.

Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas, talked to himself in his office, did not always return greetings, and had too much hair. Ugwu’s aunty said this in a low voice as they walked on the path. ‘But he is a good man,’ she added. ‘And as long as you work well, you will eat well. You will even eat meat every day.’

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. What is one way Master is described in the extract?

  • He often forgets things he reads ☐

  • He has been influenced by foreign ideas ☐

  • He talks to himself in his office ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Master sometimes forget to do?

  • Return greetings ☐

  • Lock his door ☐

  • Eat his meals ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does Ugwu’s aunty describe Master’s character?

  • A strict man ☐

  • A good man ☐

  • A quiet man ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Ugwu’s aunty say about the food Ugwu will get?

  • He will have to cook his own meals ☐

  • He will eat well ☐

  • He will eat after everyone else ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

84 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the June 2020 source insert), from lines 1 to 4.

It was on their first day at the house that Rosie saw the stranger child. Standing at the sink, her hands deep in suds, Rosie was overwhelmed by the tasks that lay ahead of her. Tired after the long drive from London the evening before, she gazed vaguely at the sunlit, overgrown garden where Sam and Cara were playing.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. Where is Rosie when she sees the stranger child?

  • In the garden ☐

  • At the front door ☐

  • At the sink ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is Rosie doing with her hands?

  • Washing dishes ☐

  • Pulling weeds ☐

  • Holding a towel ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How is Rosie feeling as she looks outside?

  • Calm and hopeful ☐

  • Overwhelmed and tired ☐

  • Energetic and focused ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What are Sam and Cara doing?

  • Unpacking boxes ☐

  • Sitting in the kitchen ☐

  • Playing in the garden ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

94 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the November 2019 source insert), from lines 1 to 5.

It was snowing again. Gentle six-pointed flakes from a picture book were settling on her jacket sleeve. The mountain air prickled with ice and the smell of pine resin. Several hundred metres below lay the dark outline of Saint-Bernard-en-Haut, their Pyrenean resort village; across to the west, the irregular peaks of the mountain range.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. What kind of snow is falling?

  • Thick and heavy ☐

  • Gentle and delicate ☐

  • Slushy and wet ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Where are the snowflakes landing?

  • On her hand ☐

  • On the windows of the chalet ☐

  • On her jacket sleeve ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Which scent is mentioned in the air?

  • Woodsmoke ☐

  • Cooking ☐

  • Pine resin ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What can be seen below?

  • A village ☐

  • A mountain range ☐

  • A frozen river ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

104 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the November 2018 source insert), from lines 1 to 9.

The jungle was high and the jungle was broad. Sounds like music and flying tents filled the sky, and those were pterodactyls soaring with huge grey wings.

‘I’ve hunted tiger, wild boar, buffalo, elephant, but now, this is it,’ said Eckels. ‘I’m shaking like a kid.’

‘Ah,’ said Travis.

Everyone stopped.

Travis raised his hand. ‘Ahead,’ he whispered, ‘in the mist. There he is. There’s his Royal Majesty now.’

The jungle was wide and full of twitterings, rustlings, murmurs, and sighs.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. How is the jungle described?

  • Small ☐

  • High ☐

  • Silent ☐

    [1 mark]

  1. What has Eckels hunted before?

  • Crocodile ☐

  • Tiger and elephant ☐

  • Rhino and gazelle ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How is Eckels feeling?

  • He is calm and confident ☐

  • He is bored and impatient ☐

  • He is nervous and worried ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Which of these are sounds that the writer says fill the jungle?

  • Murmurs and sighs ☐

  • Drums and bangs ☐

  • Soaring and broad ☐

    [1 mark]

How did you do?

114 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the June 2018 source insert), from lines 1 to 8.

Mr Fisher lived alone in a small terraced house in the centre of town. He did not own a car, and therefore preferred to do as much as he could of his weekend marking in the form room after school. Even so, there were usually two or three stacks of books and papers to take home on the bus.


It had been a disappointing term at St Oswald’s. For most of the boys in 3F, creative writing was on a par with country dancing and food technology. Oh, he’d tried to engage their interest. But books just didn’t seem to kindle the same enthusiasm as they had in the old days.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. Where does Mr Fisher live?

  • In a flat above the school ☐

  • In a terraced house in town ☐

  • At St Oswald’s ☐

[1 mark]

  1. Why does Mr Fisher mark work at school?

  • He doesn’t want to carry books and papers home on the bus ☐

  • He enjoys staying late at school ☐

  • He likes doing his marking on the weekend ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What is Mr Fisher’s opinion of the current term?

  • It has been disappointing ☐

  • It has been rewarding ☐

  • It has gone quickly ☐

[1 mark]

  1. How does class 3F feel about creative writing?

  • They are enthusiastic about it ☐

  • They are nervous about it ☐

  • They are uninterested in it ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?

124 marks

Read again the first part of the source (as found in the June 2017 source insert), from lines 1 to 5.

At the corner of Oxford Circus, Rosabel bought a bunch of violets, and that was practically the reason why she had so little tea — for a scone and a boiled egg and a cup of cocoa are not sufficient after a hard day’s work in a hat shop. As she swung onto the step of the bus, grabbed her skirt with one hand and clung to the railing with the other, Rosabel thought she would have sacrificed her soul for a good dinner, something hot and strong and filling.

Answer all parts of this question.

Tick (✓) one box for each question.

  1. What did Rosabel buy at Oxford Circus?

  • A hat ☐

  • A scone and cocoa ☐

  • A bunch of violets ☐

    [1 mark]

  1. Why did Rosabel have so little tea?

  • She was in too much of a hurry ☐

  • She lost her money on the bus ☐

  • She had spent her money on flowers ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What kind of day had Rosabel experienced?

  • A quiet day at home ☐

  • A hard day working in a hat shop ☐

  • A relaxing day shopping ☐

[1 mark]

  1. What does Rosabel long for as she gets on the bus?

  • A hot and satisfying dinner ☐

  • A place to sit down ☐

  • A warm bath and rest ☐

[1 mark]

How did you do?