English Language Paper 1 2026: Reading Question 1 New format saved time Assumptions made rather than directly referencing text Question 2 Lengthy references dont help Focus on character rather than house - question focus key References
"English Language Paper 1 2026: Reading Question 1" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to
download and print the materials on this website for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it
on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright
notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this
agreement.
Presentation Transcript
01
English Language Paper 1 2026: Reading Question 1
New format saved time
Assumptions made rather than directly referencing text Question 2
Lengthy references don’t help
Focus on character rather than house - question focus key
References without understanding context or doing anything with lang analysis
Synonyms but no development of why these are important
Not focusing on ind word choices effectively
Sentence comments spurious
Unproductive quotes and what they connote Question 3
General comments on threat rather than focus on structure
Sentence focused comments without contextualising why they were used then and the effect
Too many structural techniques embedded stopped students discussing question focus
Confusion using she/character name Question 4
Inferences must match context of source
Some mis inferences of phrases
Over critical comments meant the evaluation wasn’t focused on the extract
Must begin ideas with the focus of both parts of the statement<br>
02
English Language Paper 1 2026: Teaching lessons Question 1
Remind to closely read the source and not make assumptions Question 2
Short snappy quotes work
Single word analysis in context
Explore why effect is created
Always analyse in context of the text
Avoid sentence focused comments
Choose best references and not just focus on ‘connotes’ Question 3
Comment on structure with reference to the key focus of the question
Teach students to use why this? Why now? When commenting on the structure
Don’t over use structure methods
Be specific about the character or focus of question Question 4
Contextualise all analysis
Get students to check their inference make sense
Don’t be over critical and focus on both sides of evaluation
Use statement stems to make points about both sides of statement<br>
03
Question 5: What went well?
Gothic atmosphere worked
Strong responses has clear structure, control of language, varied sentence
structures and technical accuracy
Students who drew on literature study and used vocabulary, figurative language and language techniques were successful
Structure and building towards something happening in the story worked well
Less contrived vocabulary choices being used English Language Paper 1 2026: Writing<br>
04
Question 5: What to improve on?
List of three adjectives to begin often not matched to focus
Pre planned openings didn’t work well
Unexplained contrasts - if juxtaposing atmosphere or details they need explained
Rewriting the extract but changing details doesn’t work
Horror as a genre didn’t work as well
Students lost their direction - plan the beginning and the end before writing so the story maintains direction
Word processed answers without paragraphs lost the meaning of the story
Poor handwriting continues to be a challenge
Punctuation range was limited - broader range supports higher levels English Language Paper 1 2026: Writing Teaching Lessons<br>
