KS4AQA English Language 8700/1Year 10Lesson
Lesson: Introduction to Paper 1
AQA GCSE English Language, Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing. About 70 minutes. Keep Source A (the insert, from Life of Pi) open next to this page. Your answers save on this device as you type.
Choose your pathway
Everyone answers the same questions on the same paper. Your pathway changes how much help you see and the extra challenges. You can switch at any time.
This lesson
Learning objectives
- Know the structure, marks and timings of Paper 1, including what is new in 2026.
- Read a fiction source closely and track how tension changes.
- Understand how Question 2 (language) is marked, and write a clear analytical paragraph.
Success criteria
- I can explain what each question asks for and how many marks it is worth.
- I can find evidence in the text to answer a question.
- I can name a language method and explain its effect.
| Stage | What we do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do Now: what do you already know? | 5 min |
| 2 | Know the paper | 8 min |
| 3 | Read the source and track the tension | 10 min |
| 4 | Question 1: multiple choice | 5 min |
| 5–6 | Question 2: decode it and see how it is marked | 10 min |
| 7–9 | Language toolkit, build a paragraph, learn from a model | 15 min |
| 10 | Write your own paragraph | 10 min |
| 11 | Review | 5 min |
Stage 1 · Do Now · 5 minutes
What do you already know?
Choose true or false, then answer the question below.
Stage 2 · Know the paper · 8 minutes
What is on Paper 1?
Paper 1 is 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 80 marks (50% of your GCSE). It uses one fiction source. Plan for about 15 minutes reading and planning, 45 minutes on Section A (reading) and 45 minutes on Section B (writing).
Match each question to its marks and skill. Use the pull-down menus.
What is new in the 2026 papers? (open this)
- First exam June 2026. These are the new sample materials.
- Question 1 is four multiple-choice questions on the first part of the source: shade one box for each. If you change your mind, cross out the whole box.
- Question 3 asks how the writer structures the source as a whole to create an effect, including how tension increases or decreases.
- The 2026 mark scheme names structural features such as pivotal point, juxtaposition, anti-climax, foreshadowing and motifs. Use the right word.
- The mark scheme says a reference to the writer’s methods can be implicit in Question 4, and it credits “they/them” and other pronouns.
Teacher note: these points come from the 2026 sample question paper and mark scheme. Compare them with AQA’s own summary of changes before you rely on them.
Stage 3 · Read the source · 10 minutes
Read Source A, then track the tension
Before you start. This extract is from the middle of a novel written in 2001. The narrator, Pi, is a teenage boy alone in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with several animals, including a zebra, an orang-utan and a hyena.
Read it twice
- First read: just follow what happens. Do not stop.
- Second read: use the guide below. After each paragraph, rate the tension.
The guide is my summary in my own words, so you still need the real text open. Line numbers match the insert.
Your tension graph
0 = calm, 10 = terrifying. Fill in all eight ratings.
Support: use “The tension starts … then … until … at the end it suddenly …”.
Stage 4 · Question 1 · 5 minutes
Multiple choice: lines 1 to 9
Read lines 1 to 9 again. Choose one answer for each question. Find the evidence in the text, not from memory.
Support: for each question, put your finger on the line in the insert first, then read the three options.
Stretch: write down which wrong option is the trap in each question, and why it is tempting.
Stage 5 · Question 2 · 5 minutes
Decode the question
“How does the writer use language here to describe the hyena’s appearance?”
Click the five key words or phrases that tell you exactly what to do.
Where do I look?
The question says lines 10 to 19. If you write only about language outside those lines, the mark scheme limits you to Level 1 or 2.
Stage 6 · How is Question 2 marked? · 5 minutes
The four levels in plain English
This is my summary. The official wording is in the AQA mark scheme.
Be the examiner
Here are four short answers I wrote about lines 10 to 19. Choose the level each one reaches.
Stage 7 · Language toolkit · 5 minutes
Name it, then explain it
Each phrase comes from lines 10 to 19. Choose the method. Then choose the best effect.
Support: adjective = describes a noun · adverb = describes a verb or adjective · simile = compares using “like” or “as” · contrast = opposite ideas side by side.
Stage 8 · Build a paragraph · 5 minutes
Put the sentences in order
These six sentences make one strong paragraph about the hyena’s short sentences. Use the ↑ and ↓ buttons to put them in the best order.
Stage 9 · Learn from a model · 5 minutes
Read the example answer
This example answer comes from your teacher’s slides.
The writer uses highly negative and vivid language to emphasise the unattractive appearance of the hyena. The phrase “ugly beyond redemption” immediately conveys a strong judgment, suggesting that there is no hope for the animal’s looks. This extreme description sets a harsh tone and positions the reader to share the writer’s disdain.
The writer also uses imagery and similes to highlight specific features. For example, the head is described as “like that of a bear, but suffering from a receding hairline”, which creates a humorous yet unflattering image. The comparison to a bear suggests strength, but the mention of a receding hairline undermines this, making the hyena appear awkward and unattractive. Similarly, the ears are said to look “ridiculously mouse-like”, which contrasts with the animal’s size and adds to the sense of absurdity.
Furthermore, the writer employs lists and cumulative detail to build a sense of overwhelming ugliness: “The mouth is forever open and panting. The nostrils are too big. The tail is scraggly and unwagging.” The repetition of short, blunt sentences creates a rhythm that reinforces the idea that every part of the hyena is flawed. The final comment, “like no dog anyone would want as a pet,” uses comparison to something familiar (a dog) to underline the unattractiveness, making the description relatable and persuasive.
Overall, the writer’s use of strong evaluative language, vivid comparisons, and cumulative detail effectively conveys the idea that the hyena’s appearance is unpleasant and undesirable.
Tick what you can find
Stretch: look at “suffering” and “bungled”. Could the reader feel sympathy as well as disgust?
The structure on your teacher’s slide: focus on the writer’s intention → short embedded quotations → named techniques → effect on the reader → general impression, then specific examples, then overall effect.
Stage 10 · Your turn · 10 minutes
Write one paragraph (lines 10 to 19)
Task: How does the writer use language to describe the hyena’s appearance? Write one paragraph about one or two methods. Choose a technique that the example did not cover, for example the verb “bungled” or the contrast with a leopard.
- The writer uses the [adjective / verb / simile] “…” to describe …
- This suggests that the hyena is …
- The word “…” makes the reader feel …
- This is effective because …
- The writer’s use of … is effective because …
- The [term] “…” suggests / implies / conveys …
- This makes the reader …
- Overall, the language creates …
Self-check
Ticks show roughly where you are. They are a guide, not a mark. Your teacher decides the level using the AQA mark scheme.
Stage 11 · Review · 5 minutes
How confident are you now?
All done?
Download your answers, print them, or send them to your teacher.