how should i approach english language paper 1 (year 10 mock)

kind of already asked this, but got no replies
is doing the paper in this order: q1,q5,q4,q3,q2 effective?
i would really like to know because my english lang paper 1 mock is on monday (i also really struggle with timings)
thank you!

Reply 1

user01906002

Original post by ctrlm.

i'm y11 and just done lang paper so here's my advice. it depends what your strengths are. if you find Q5 easier or think you'll get more marks on it then do it first. if you're better at Q1-4 do them first. but i wouldn't do it in the order you're thinking. this is because Q1-4 (section a) are about the source you're given. Q5 (section b) is separate. therefore it makes no sense to do Q1 then Q5, because you'll read the source, do Q1, then forget everything you read after doing Q5. this will make Q2-4 a lot harder unless you reread the source, but you won't have time for that.

also do Q2-4 in order. don't do Q4 first. although it's worth more marks, Q2 and 3 help you to understand the language and structure in the text, which then aid your understanding of the source and help a lot with Q4.

therefore my recommended order is as follows, either:
option 1 - Q5, read source, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
option 2 - read source, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5

for timings i reccommend:
reading - 15 mins (before you do this look at what Q1-4 are about so you know what to think about as you read. also what i did was write a short summary next to each paragraph of what they were about as this will help with Q3 and 4)
Q1 - 4 mins
Q2 - 8-10 mins
Q3 - 8-10 mins
Q4 - 20-25 mins
Q5 - 45 mins (5 mins planning)
if you run out of time on a question move on and go back to it at the end if you have time. one of the biggest mistakes you can make is spending too much time on Q2 and 3 and then not being able to write enough for Q4. if you still find timing difficult say mid y11, i recommend asking your school to see if you can get extra time. they did this for me and it helped hugely.

also here are some of the revision strategies i used which definitely helped:
- youtube videos (probably the best thing you can use in my opinion) - mr salles teaches english, mr bruff and mr everything english are the best ones i used, lots of good explanations on how to answer and revise for each question. also good for english literature (especially mr salles)
- look at mark schemes and assessment objectives, make sure you understand what skills are being assessed in each question
- look at model answers
- follow a paragraph structure, eg PEEL
- timed practise and lots of past papers (however there are a limited number of past papers so i'd leave more of these for nearer the real thing if i were you, see if you can find a practise book or revision guide instead atm). get some of your answers marked by your teacher if you can, they are there to help you

overall though do NOT stress about your mocks at all. english language timings are literal evil, i had a really hard time with it too. best thing you can do is just lots of practice, remember you have loads of time before your real exams to improve so don't fret at all if it goes horribly wrong. all your mocks are are an indication of where you are with each subject and what you need to do next. literally just think of them as like regular class tests, except they're just being done under exam conditions so you know what the real thing will be like - because that's literally what they are. these results do not matter at all, literally this time next year i doubt you'll even remember what you got (i cannot remember most of my y10 mocks). at this point, all it's about is just experimenting and establishing which revision and exam techniques work best for you. if you have the determination to do well then you will, just keep working hard and it will pay off. best of luck and feel free to ask if you have any other questions : )