Home > Subjects > English > English level 3 > 3.5 Unfamiliar texts > Subject content > Understanding a question
- Subject: English
- AS: 90724
- Level: 3
- Credits: 3
- External
3.5 Read and respond critically to unfamiliar prose and poetry texts
Understanding a question
The questions you will answer in the examination are designed to allow three levels of response: achievement, merit, and excellence. Your grade will depend on your understanding and critical response to the texts, your understanding of the question, and your ability to convey this understanding. Questions will be set on each text and there will also be questions comparing both texts. The questions will be organised in increasing degrees of difficulty for each text.
Questions are made up of instructions such as 'read lines 5–10' or 'in your own words' and thinking skills such as 'explain why' or 'compare'. It is vital that you identify these keywords in each question so you can work out what you have to do and where you can locate the information.
Here is an example of a possible question:
The central section of the poem consists of two contrasting parts (lines 4–9 and lines 10–18) (instruction). Describe (thinking skill) the nature of the contrast (focus of the question) and discuss the techniques (thinking skill) used to establish it.
Your answer would be expected to cover these aspects:
- An Achieved answer could describe the change in tone.
- A Merit answer could be as achieved plus discuss the language techniques used.
- An Excellence answer could be as merit plus a detailed and specific discussion of language techniques.
