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Paper 2 Section A is the Modern Texts question. It is worth 34 marks (30 for the response plus 4 for SPaG) — the same total as the Shakespeare question, and the second and final place in the entire exam where SPaG marks are awarded. But one feature makes this question genuinely different from every other question on both papers: there is no extract. You must write the entire essay from memory. This lesson explains how to handle the no-extract challenge, how to pick between the two questions you will be offered, how to integrate modern-text context (which differs from Victorian and Jacobean context), and how to secure those 4 SPaG marks.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paper / Section | Paper 2, Section A |
| Marks | 30 marks for response + 4 marks for SPaG = 34 marks total |
| Number of questions | TWO questions on your text — you choose ONE |
| Extract | NONE — you write entirely from memory |
| Assessment Objectives | AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 (SPaG) |
| Closed book | Yes |
| Suggested time | Approximately 45 minutes (of Paper 2's 135 minutes) |
For plays (An Inspector Calls, Blood Brothers, DNA, A Taste of Honey, The History Boys):
How does [Playwright] use [character] to explore ideas about [theme] in [title]?
OR
How does [Playwright] present [theme] in [title]?
For novels (Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Never Let Me Go, Pigeon English):
How does [Author] present [theme/character] in [title]?
OR (sometimes focused on a character):
How does [Author] use [character] to explore ideas about [theme]?
This is the defining feature of Paper 2 Section A. You have:
You are working entirely from memory. This means quotation learning is more important for your modern text than for any other text in the specification.
For Paper 1 (Shakespeare and 19th-century novel), you can lean on the printed extract. For Paper 2 Section A, you cannot. The numbers reflect this:
| Text type | Recommended quotation bank |
|---|---|
| Shakespeare play | 15–20 |
| 19th-century novel | 15–20 |
| Modern text | 20–25 |
| Anthology poem (each) | 3–5 |
The best structure is by theme and by character — not by scene order.
| Theme / Character | Example quotation clusters (An Inspector Calls) |
|---|---|
| Responsibility | "We are members of one body", "fire and blood and anguish" (Inspector); "public men...have responsibilities as well as privileges" |
| Class | "hard-headed, practical man of business" (Birling); "We don't live alone" (Inspector) |
| Gender | "Girls of that class..." (Mrs Birling); "you and I aren't the same people who sat down to dinner here" (Sheila) |
| Mr Birling | "hard-headed", "the titanic...unsinkable", "a man has to mind his own business" |
| Sheila Birling | "pretty", "half serious, half playful", "these girls aren't cheap labour — they're people" |
Unlike Paper 1 (no choice), Paper 2 Section A gives you a choice between two questions on your text. The choice matters.
flowchart TD
A[Read both questions] --> B[Underline keywords]
B --> C[Q1: Brainstorm 3 points]
B --> D[Q2: Brainstorm 3 points]
C --> E[Q1: Check quotation coverage]
D --> F[Q2: Check quotation coverage]
E --> G{"Which has stronger<br/>quotation support?"}
F --> G
G --> H[Commit to that question]
H --> I[Plan thesis and paragraphs]
Students often pick the question that sounds more familiar, only to find that when they try to write, they do not have the quotations. Always check quotation coverage before committing.
Some students write a paragraph, realise they have run out of material, and switch to the other question. This almost always produces a rushed, incoherent essay. Commit after planning, and stick with your choice.
Same as Paper 1: clear response, quotation/paraphrase support, analytical style.
Modern texts require a slightly different AO2 toolkit:
| Area | For plays | For novels |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Dialogue, register, dialect, stage directions | Narrative voice, dialogue, imagery |
| Form | Three-act structure, well-made play, allegorical structure, dystopian satire | Dystopia, allegory, first-person narrative, magical realism |
| Structure | Scene placement, dramatic irony, curtain lines, stagecraft | Chapter structure, narrative pacing, perspective shifts |
Modern-text context is quite different from Shakespeare or Victorian context. More on this in the next section.
Context for modern texts is often politically and culturally specific. A strong AO3 response connects the text to the ideas and events that shaped it.
Context should explain why the writer made these choices at that historical moment. The writer is responding to their world — make that response visible in your analysis.
SPaG is assessed on this question and Paper 1 Section A only. The mark scheme is the same.
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