WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language Paper 1 and 2: every question explained
All 14 questions on the two WJEC Eduqas papers: what each one asks, the marks, how long to spend, what the best answers do, the usual mistakes and a way to tackle it. WJEC Eduqas calls them Component 1 and Component 2.
Written in our own words from the board’s published papers and examiners’ reports. Show Working is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by WJEC Eduqas.
02 / Component 11 hour 45 minutes · 80 marks · 40% of the GCSE
Component 1: 20th century literature reading and creative prose writing
One extract of 60 to 100 lines from 20th-century prose, often a whole short story or a complete episode. About 10 minutes reading and 50 minutes answering, then 10 minutes planning and 35 minutes writing.
A1 / Finding information (AO1)5 marks · about 5 minutes
Component 1 A1: finding information
Short answers
Five things you learn about someone or something from a few named lines.
What the best answers do
Five separate, accurate points from inside the lines, short and clear.
The usual mistakes
Taking an answer from outside the lines the question names. It earns nothing, however true it is.
Using the introduction printed above the text. Answers must come from the text itself.
Copying out long chunks. Keep it brief and exact.
Repeating a point in different words.
How to tackle it
Read the named lines.
Write five short points, one per line.
A2 / Language (AO2)5 marks · about 6 minutes
Component 1 A2: language
Written answer
The impressions the writer creates of a person or place in a short section, with comments on the language.
What the best answers do
Several clear impressions, each with a short quotation.
Comments on what particular words suggest.
The usual mistakes
Listing quotations without impressions.
Going outside the lines.
How to tackle it
Find three or four impressions.
For each: the impression, a short quotation, what a word in it suggests.
A3 / Language (AO2, AO1)10 marks · about 12 minutes
Component 1 A3: language
Written answer
How the writer shows a character’s thoughts and feelings, or a situation, in a section: what is said and how it is written.
What the best answers do
Covers a wide range of well-chosen details from across the section.
Comments on both what happens and how the language shows it.
Subtle grasp of how feelings change.
The usual mistakes
Retelling without analysis.
Only looking at the start of the section.
How to tackle it
Track how the feelings change through the section.
Pick details from the start, middle and end, and comment on the language of each.
A4 / Language and structure (AO2)10 marks · about 12 minutes
Component 1 A4: language and structure
Written answer
The impressions of a character or place in a section, and how the writer creates them through language and structure.
What the best answers do
A range of impressions, supported by apt references.
Accurate, perceptive comments on language and structure.
The usual mistakes
Impressions without evidence.
Ignoring structure (order, shifts, how the section ends).
How to tackle it
Note three or four impressions and where they come from.
For each: evidence, the method, the effect.
A5 / Evaluation (AO4)10 marks · about 15 minutes
Component 1 A5: evaluation
Written answer
A view about the last part of the extract and the passage as a whole (for example about how it ends, or a character). You say how far you agree.
What the best answers do
A persuasive, critical evaluation of the view.
Covers the last part and the whole passage, with well-chosen references.
The usual mistakes
Only writing about the last part.
Agreeing without testing the view against the text.
How to tackle it
Decide how far you agree.
Three points: two from the last part, one from earlier, each with evidence and a judgement.
Section B / Writing40 marks · about 45 minutes
Component 1 Section B: writing
40 marks: 24 for content and organisation, 16 for technical accuracy. In the exam you choose one of four titles. It must be a story or a true account: purely descriptive writing cannot reach the top marks. Aim for about 450 to 600 words.
03 / Component 22 hours · 80 marks · 60% of the GCSE
Component 2: 19th and 21st century non-fiction reading and transactional writing
Two non-fiction texts, one from the 19th century and one from the 21st, about 900 to 1,200 words together. About 10 minutes reading and 50 minutes answering, then about 30 minutes on each of the two writing tasks.
A1 / Finding information (AO1)3 marks · about 3 minutes
Component 2 A1: finding information
Multiple choice
Three short questions, (a), (b) and (c), on the 21st-century text. Each has one right answer from the text.
What the best answers do
Three exact answers from the text.
The usual mistakes
Taking an answer from outside the lines the question names. It earns nothing, however true it is.
Using the introduction printed above the text. Answers must come from the text itself.
Copying out long chunks. Keep it brief and exact.
How to tackle it
Find the sentence each part is about and read it again before answering.
A2 / Language and structure (AO2)10 marks · about 10 minutes
Component 2 A2: language and structure
Written answer
How the writer of the 21st-century text tries to interest, persuade or show something: what is said, the language, the tone and the structure.
What the best answers do
Accurate, perceptive comments on a wide range of well-chosen details.
Covers what is said and how: language, tone and structure.
Apt terms.
The usual mistakes
Only the opening of the text.
Devices without effects.
How to tackle it
Take the text in order, picking four or five moments.
For each: what is said, how, and the effect on the reader.
A3 / Finding information (AO1)3 marks · about 3 minutes
Component 2 A3: finding information
Multiple choice
Three short questions, (a), (b) and (c), on the 19th-century text.
What the best answers do
Three exact answers from the text.
The usual mistakes
Taking an answer from outside the lines the question names. It earns nothing, however true it is.
Using the introduction printed above the text. Answers must come from the text itself.
Copying out long chunks. Keep it brief and exact.
Misreading old-fashioned words. Read the whole sentence around them.
How to tackle it
Find the sentence each part is about and read it again before answering.
A4 / Evaluation (AO4)10 marks · about 12 minutes
Component 2 A4: evaluation
Written answer
A statement about the 19th-century text. You say to what extent you agree, looking at what is said and how.
What the best answers do
A persuasive, detailed, critical evaluation of the statement.
Covers the whole of the required section with well-chosen references.
The usual mistakes
Agreeing without testing the statement.
Only part of the text.
How to tackle it
Decide how far you agree.
Three points from across the text, each with evidence, method and judgement.
A5 / Synthesis (AO1)4 marks · about 6 minutes
Component 2 A5: synthesis
Written answer
What the two texts together tell you about one thing, using details from both.
What the best answers do
A range of relevant details from both texts, brought together clearly.
The usual mistakes
Writing about methods.
Only one text.
How to tackle it
Two or three points, each drawing on both texts.
A6 / Comparison (AO3)10 marks · about 16 minutes
Component 2 A6: comparison
Written answer
A comparison of the two texts: what each writer says about the theme and how they make it clear, saying which text each point comes from.
What the best answers do
Detailed, perceptive comparison of both what is said and how.
Clear about which text each point comes from.
Balanced across both texts.
The usual mistakes
Writing about one text, then the other, with no comparison.
Comparing content but not methods, or the other way round.
How to tackle it
Three points of comparison.
For each: text 1’s idea and how, then text 2’s, with a comparative word.
B1 / Writing20 marks · about 30 minutes
Component 2 B1: writing
20 marks: 12 for content and organisation, 8 for technical accuracy. In the exam there is no choice: you write both B1 and B2, about 30 minutes each (5 planning, 25 writing).
20 marks: 12 for content and organisation, 8 for technical accuracy. In the exam there is no choice: you write both B1 and B2, about 30 minutes each (5 planning, 25 writing).
English Language is built for the Show Working app, but it isn’t on phones yet: it will arrive in an update, and we won’t give a date until it’s ready. When it comes, WJEC Eduqas pupils get:
4 practice sets laid out like the WJEC Eduqas papers, with our own texts and classic passages, 22 questions, a timer, model answers and a tick-yourself checklist. The first set of Component 1 is free.
6 writing tasks, each with a plan, a model answer and a checklist.
525 skill questions on 14 topics, from language techniques to apostrophes.
No mark or grade, ever. Nothing you write is marked by an AI. You compare your answer with ours and tick what you did.
How long are the WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language papers?
Component 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and is worth 80 marks, 40% of the GCSE. About 10 minutes reading and 50 minutes answering, then 10 minutes planning and 35 minutes writing. Component 2 lasts 2 hours and is worth 80 marks, 60% of the GCSE. About 10 minutes reading and 50 minutes answering, then about 30 minutes on each of the two writing tasks.
What texts are on WJEC Eduqas English Language Paper 1 and 2?
Component 1: one extract of 60 to 100 lines from 20th-century prose, often a whole short story or a complete episode. Component 2: two non-fiction texts, one from the 19th century and one from the 21st, about 900 to 1,200 words together.
Which reading question is worth the most marks on the WJEC Eduqas papers?
On Component 1: A3, A4 and A5, at 10 marks each. On Component 2: A2, A4 and A6, at 10 marks each. On both papers the writing is worth more than any single reading question.
Our own questions and words. Show Working is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by WJEC Eduqas. Always check the details of your own exam with your teacher.
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