AQA GCSE English Language Past Papers
This section includes recent GCSE English Language past papers (9-1) (8700) from AQA. You can download each of the AQA GCSE English Language past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below. Scroll down for papers from previous years.
June 2023 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
June 2023: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2023: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2022 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
November 2022: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2022: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2022 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
June 2022: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2022: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2021 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers (Labelled as June 2021)
November 2021: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2021: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2020 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers (Labelled as June 2020)
November 2020: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2020: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2019 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
June 2019: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2019: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2018 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
November 2018: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2018: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - D ownload Mark Scheme
June 2018 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
June 2018: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2018: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2017 AQA GCSE English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
November 2017: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
November 2017: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2017 AQA GCSE English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers
June 2017: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
June 2017: Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives (8700/2) Download Insert - Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme
For more GCSE English Language past papers from other exam boards click here .
Paper 1 Question 5: Creative Writing Model Answer ( AQA GCSE English Language )
Revision note.
Paper 1 Question 5: Creative Writing Model Answer
In Paper 1 Question 5 you will be presented with a choice of two writing tasks and a stimulus image. One task will ask you to write descriptively, most likely based on the image, and the other question will ask you to write a story, based on a statement or title.
The task requires you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific form. It is important you write in the correct format and use the conventions of this form, as the mark scheme mentions adapting your tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.
This means:
- The tone (sound of the narrator’s ‘voice’) is appropriate and convincing
- The register (vocabulary and phrasing) is suitable for the purpose
- The style of the writing (sentence structure and overall structure) is dynamic and engaging
Below you will find a detailed creative writing model in response to an example of Paper 1 Question 5, under the following sub-headings (click to go straight to that sub-heading):
Writing a GCSE English Language story
Structuring your story, ao5: content and organisation, ao6: technical accuracy, question 5 level 4 model story, why would this story achieve top marks.
Remember, Paper 1 Question 5 is worth 40 marks, broken down into two Assessment Objectives:
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Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts |
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Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation |
When planning your response, it is a good idea to keep the tone, style and register in mind, as well as the conventions of the form. Here, we will consider how you can produce an effective story with these devices in mind:
Story writing should develop a sense of character as well as mood. This means you should consider how your narrator or characters would behave and sound.
In order to craft a tone which builds characterisation and mood, consider:
- The perspective from which your story will be told:
- First-person characterisation can include monologues which express the narrator’s thoughts and feelings
- Third-person characterisation will generally include a description of the character’s appearance and movements
- Choose verbs and adverbs carefully to ‘show’ the character’s reactions
- If you use a third-person omniscient narrator , you can advise the reader of the character’s thoughts and feelings
- Consider how you can use sentence lengths and types in monologue and dialogue, as well as description of setting:
- Short sentences reflect tension and unease, e.g. ‘No sound could be heard’
- Longer sentences and listing can create a sense of being overwhelmed, or of abundance, e.g. ‘The table was laden with apples, grapes, oranges, loaves of bread, chunks of cheese and an array of colourful vegetables’
- Rhetorical questions can suggest confusion, e.g. ‘Would I ever get it right?’
Style and register
The style of your story writing is closely related to the language you use. For example, in a creative writing response, the best answers show evidence of careful word choice and linguistic techniques.
Creative writing helps the reader to visualise the person, place, or situation being described with word choice and linguistic techniques, as well as being taken on a journey.
The best way to do this is to:
- Use vocabulary which is useful to the reader:
- For example, describing something as ‘great’ or ‘amazing’ is telling rather than showing
- Use sensory language to bring the scene to life:
- For example, a deserted park at night requires a completely different description from a busy park during the daytime
- Emphasise key ideas or impressions using language techniques and imagery:
- For example, you could use a simile to create associations about size or colour
- Personification is a useful technique when describing weather or objects
- Ensure you describe the important details:
- For example, you do not need to describe every inch of a person or scene bit by bit, but instead focus on key, interesting features that develops the story or the sense of character
Creative story writing develops an idea to a conclusion. This means your story should have cohesion by planning an ending with a resolution (you should plan whether your story will end happily or not). In the exam, it is best not to plan a complex story which takes place over a long period of time, employs multiple characters and has more than one setting or plot twist.
In order to adhere to the conventions of story writing, it is best to:
- Plan your writing in an order which takes your character (and reader) on a clear journey:
- The best way to do this is to plan one main event
- Consider employing structural techniques such as a flashback:
- This can give background information to the reader and provide context
- Ensure you use past-tense verbs for this
- Develop your characters:
- Consider essential narrative characterisations, such as villain, victim, hero etc.
- Decide on how your characters fit this description
- When describing people, focus on relevant details only:
- You could focus on their body language or movements
- If using dialogue, how your characters speak can reveal more about them than what they say, e.g. “shrieked”, “mumbled”, “whispered”
- It is effective to repeat ideas related to colour
- You can repeat ideas for emphasis, for example, black and grey or green and blue
Below is an example of the type of creative writing you may be asked to write in Question 5. This is taken from Language Paper 1 June 2019:
This task asks you to write a story with the title ‘Abandoned’. This means you are required to construct a story based around this idea. The mark scheme rewards original ideas, but the most successful answers are those which develop an idea effectively and engage the reader in a compelling story.
Examiner Tip
Crafting a story plot which conveys a complex and original idea does not need to include multiple characters or take place over a long period of time. Consider the short story as a ‘scene’ in a film. It is not necessary to know everything about your characters, but better to immerse the reader with vivid ‘showing’ techniques, such as sensory imagery, movements and dialogue.
As this is a longer writing question, you can spend about 5 minutes planning your answer.
Once you are sure of the form you will write in and you have considered how best to convey the mood and character development to your reader, you can begin to think about how you will order your ideas.
Creative writing responses should be structured in five or six paragraphs. We have suggested basing your narrative structure on Freytag’s Pyramid:
Remember, each paragraph does not have to be the same length. In fact, better answers vary the lengths of their paragraphs for effect. What is important is to develop separate ideas or points in each paragraph, and avoid repeating the same descriptions throughout your response.
Keep using sensory language throughout, but adjust the focus and perspective as your paragraphs develop. Make sure you include description of movement and description of sound to effectively craft a mood.
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Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts |
| | | Introducing a memory creates a personal and emotive tone |
| Introduces complex ideas regarding family history | ||
| The story builds characterisation with a first-person monologue | ||
| | | The use of “epitome” is a sophisticated without being overly complicated |
| The phrase “a shadow if its former glory” uses vocabulary successfully to develop the description | ||
| | The image of the lively house is contrasted with the word ‘dead’ to add emphasis | |
| The focus on time adverbials emphasise the change e.g. “now”, “no longer” and “once” | ||
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Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation |
| | | The separation of the clauses using a semi-colon in this long sentence is effective as the second phrase directly builds on the first |
Below is an example of a full-mark Level 4 model story:
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Author: Sam Evans
Sam is a graduate in English Language and Literature, specialising in journalism and the history and varieties of English. Before teaching, Sam had a career in tourism in South Africa and Europe. After training to become a teacher, Sam taught English Language and Literature and Communication and Culture in three outstanding secondary schools across England. Her teaching experience began in nursery schools, where she achieved a qualification in Early Years Foundation education. Sam went on to train in the SEN department of a secondary school, working closely with visually impaired students. From there, she went on to manage KS3 and GCSE English language and literature, as well as leading the Sixth Form curriculum. During this time, Sam trained as an examiner in AQA and iGCSE and has marked GCSE English examinations across a range of specifications. She went on to tutor Business English, English as a Second Language and international GCSE English to students around the world, as well as tutoring A level, GCSE and KS3 students for educational provisions in England. Sam freelances as a ghostwriter on novels, business articles and reports, academic resources and non-fiction books.
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You can download each of the AQA GCSE English Language past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below. Scroll down for papers from previous years. June 2023 AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language (8700) Past Exam Papers. June 2023: Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing (8700/1)
Find past papers and mark schemes to help you prepare for exams. Prepare for your exams with the help of AQA Past Papers as revision aids and teachings resources.
Browse all AQA Past Papers. English Language revision tutorials: Critical Reading Tools. Designed by teachers for the AQA GCSE English Language (8700) syllabus.
How does the writer use language here to describe the garden? You could include the writer’s choice of: • words and phrases • language features and techniques • sentence forms. [8 marks]
You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A. You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Paper 1 Explorations in creative reading and writing. Mark scheme. June 2021. Version: 1.0 Final. *JUN218700/1/MS* Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers.
Paper 1 Question 5: Creative Writing Model Answer. In Paper 1 Question 5 you will be presented with a choice of two writing tasks and a stimulus image. One task will ask you to write descriptively, most likely based on the image, and the other question will ask you to write a story, based on a statement or title.
AQA GCSE English Language Past Papers, Mark Schemes and Specimen Papers for the New 2015 9-1 course as well as English Revision Materials.
GCSE. ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Paper 1 Explorations in creative reading and writing. Monday 4 November 2019 Morning Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes. Materials. For this paper you must have: • Source A – provided as a separate insert. Instructions. Answer all questions. Use black ink or black ball-point pen. Fill in the boxes at the top of this page.
• Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views.