Exam Strategy and Timing for Both Papers

Each paper gives you 1 hour 45 minutes for 80 marks. That is not generous, and running out of time is the most common way strong readers lose marks. A plan for the clock is as important as knowing the content.

AQA's own advice on the front of each paper sets the shape of the hour and three-quarters:

• Spend about 15 minutes reading through the source (Paper 1) or both sources (Paper 2) and all the questions.
• Then work through the paper, aiming for roughly 45 minutes on Section A (reading) and 45 minutes on Section B (writing).
• Plan your answer to Question 5 before you start writing it.
• Leave enough time at the end to check your work.

The single most valuable habit is protecting the writing section. Writing is 40 of the 80 marks, so arriving at Question 5 with ten minutes left throws away half the paper.

The fairest way to divide your time is by the marks each question carries. A rough guide is about one minute per mark, adjusted so the big questions get their share.

Here is that rule applied to Paper 1:

Question	Marks	Rough time
Q1	4	3–4 minutes
Q2	8	10 minutes
Q3	8	10 minutes
Q4	20	20–25 minutes
Q5	40	~45 minutes

A 4-mark question does not deserve a beautifully crafted paragraph — it deserves a few minutes and a move on. The danger is the reverse: spending fifteen minutes perfecting an 8-mark answer and then rushing the 40-mark writing task.

Paper 2 divides its reading marks differently (4, 8, 12, 16), but the principle is identical: give each question time in proportion to what it is worth, and guard the 45 minutes for Question 5.

Because every source is unseen, the 15 minutes of reading time at the start is not wasted time — it is where your reading marks are earned. Rushing it leads to answers built on a misreading.

A reliable reading routine:

1. Read the whole source once for the overall meaning: what is happening, who is involved, what mood is created.
2. Read the questions so you know what you are looking for on the second pass.
3. Read again and annotate: underline striking words, techniques and turning points, and jot a one-word note in the margin (for example "metaphor", "shift", "tension").

On Paper 2 you read two sources, so use the reading time to notice not just each source on its own but the differences between them — the writers' attitudes, tones and situations. Those differences feed directly into the summary and comparison questions.

Several questions tell you exactly where to read — for example, "Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 9," or "focus on the second part of the source, from line 20 to the end." These line references are a gift: they point you straight to the relevant text.

• On the short questions (Paper 1 Q1, Paper 2 Q1), answering only within the named lines keeps you fast and accurate.
• On the analysis questions (Paper 1 Q2, Paper 2 Q3), the named extract is the only place your evidence should come from; quoting outside it wastes words.
• On the structure question (Paper 1 Q3) and the comparison (Paper 2 Q4), you work with the whole source(s), so here you range more widely.

A frequent, avoidable error is analysing the wrong part of the text. Check the line reference before you start each reading question and stay inside it when it names one.

Section B is worth 40 marks and rewards organisation as much as ideas (AO5). AQA advises planning Question 5 before you write, and a short plan pays for itself.

A five-minute plan for the writing task might capture:

• Purpose and form: on Paper 2, is it a speech, an article, a letter? Who is the audience? This fixes your tone and register.
• A shape: three or four paragraphs with a clear beginning and a deliberate ending. Note one idea per paragraph.
• An opening line worth writing well, because a strong opening sets the tone the examiner reads first.
• A few ambitious words or techniques you intend to use, so vocabulary and craft are chosen, not accidental.

Then write for around 35 minutes and leave roughly five minutes to check. Proofreading protects AO6: it catches missing full stops, slips in spelling, and sentences that ran away from you — the very things that cost technical-accuracy marks.

You do not have to answer strictly in order, but a sensible default keeps the paper under control.

Stage	Roughly	What you are doing
Reading	0–15 min	Read and annotate the source(s); read all the questions
Section A	15–60 min	Work the reading questions in mark order, watching time
Plan Section B	60–65 min	Sketch a plan for Question 5
Write Section B	65–100 min	Write the extended piece
Check	100–105 min	Proofread the writing for accuracy (AO6)

The exact minutes flex with the paper, but two anchors should not move: finish Section A near the hour mark, and never start the writing with under 40 minutes left. If a reading question is eating time, cut your losses, note a final point, and move on — a missing sentence on an 8-mark question costs less than a rushed 40-mark essay.

1. Over-writing the short questions

The 4-mark opener needs only the correct choices, and an 8-mark answer needs a focused paragraph or two, not an essay. Time spent polishing these is stolen from Question 5.

2. Skipping the reading time

Diving into Question 1 without reading the whole source leads to answers built on half an understanding. The 15 minutes of reading is where accuracy starts.

3. Not planning the writing task

An unplanned piece tends to wander, repeat itself and end weakly — all of which cost AO5 marks for organisation. A short plan is faster overall than rewriting a tangle.

4. Leaving no time to check

Technical accuracy (AO6) is 16 of the 40 writing marks. Answers that are never proofread carry avoidable errors, so ring-fence a few minutes at the end for a careful read-through.

5. Ignoring the line references

Questions that name specific lines expect you to work inside them. Analysing the wrong section, or the whole text when only a few lines were set, loses focus and burns time you needed elsewhere.