Paper 2 Question 5: Writing to Present a Viewpoint

Question 5 is the whole of Section B and worth 40 marks, exactly half the paper. You write your own non-fiction piece presenting a viewpoint on the same theme as the two reading sources. In the 2026 sample the task is: "'Cars are convenient, comfortable and save time. However, we need to use them less...' Write a speech to be given at a meeting of your local council in which you argue your point of view on this statement."

The 40 marks split into two Assessment Objectives:

Objective	What it rewards	Marks
AO5	Content and organisation: a convincing argument, matched to form and audience, well structured	24
AO6	Technical accuracy: accurate spelling and punctuation, a range of sentence forms and vocabulary	16

Because AO6 is 16 of the 40 marks, technical accuracy is 20% of the whole paper — the required SPaG share on every AQA English Language exam. That is marks for how you write, available to any student who proofreads, regardless of their ideas.

Spend about 45 minutes here, including 5 minutes to plan and a few minutes at the end to check. This one task is worth as much as all four reading questions combined.

Before you plan a single point, decode the three things the task fixes. These are the details AO5 marks you against, and this per-question lesson is where they matter; the writing-non-fiction-forms and persuasive-techniques craft lessons drill each form and device in depth.

Element	The question you ask	In the 2026 sample
Form	What am I writing?	A speech
Audience	Who is it for?	A local council meeting
Purpose	Why am I writing?	To argue a point of view

Each choice changes your writing. A speech needs direct address, rhetorical questions and a memorable close; a letter needs an address to a named recipient; an article needs a headline and a hook. The audience sets your register (the level of formality): a council meeting is formal and public, so slang would cost AO5 marks.

The mark scheme sets a hard cap: "If a candidate does not directly address the focus of the task, their communication cannot be clear or convincing and therefore the mark for AO5 is capped at the top of Level 2 — 12 marks." Answer the actual statement, in the actual form, for the actual audience.

AO5 (24 marks) has two strands the mark scheme names separately: content and organisation.

Content is the argument itself: how convincing, focused and developed it is, and how well the tone and register match the audience. The top level asks for "convincing and compelling" communication with "extensive and ambitious vocabulary" and "deliberate crafting of language and use of rhetorical devices."

Organisation is the shape: an engaging opening, paragraphs in a logical order, discourse markers linking them, and a strong ending. The top level asks for "varied and inventive use of structural features" and "fluently linked paragraphs with seamlessly integrated discourse markers."

Level	Marks	What the argument looks like
4	19–24	Compelling, convincing; assured register; crafted devices; fluent structure
3	13–18	Consistent, clear; matched register; effective devices; coherent paragraphs
2	7–12	Some success; some register match; some devices; some paragraphing
1	1–6	Simple, limited; simple register; simple devices; random paragraphing

(Level descriptors paraphrased from the AQA 8700/2 sample mark scheme, first exam 2026.)

Discourse markers are the linking words (however, furthermore, in contrast, as a result) that guide the reader between ideas and lift a piece from Level 2 to Level 3.

AO6 (16 marks) is marked separately and is easy to under-serve. It rewards accuracy and ambition.

The top level (13–16 marks) asks for:

• Sentence demarcation that is consistently secure and accurate (full stops and capitals in the right places).
• A wide range of punctuation used accurately, including commas, colons, dashes and rhetorical commas.
• A full range of sentence forms used for effect, from short punchy sentences to longer complex ones.
• High accuracy in spelling, including ambitious vocabulary.

The marked Level 4 sample answer earns AO6 through "emphatic one-liners" and "varied punctuation... including colons, dashes and rhetorical commas," with ambitious words like "viable," "infrastructure" and "necessity" spelled correctly.

Sentence variety is the fastest AO6 win. A deliberate short sentence after a long one ("We need it now.") shows control and reads with impact. Reserve five minutes to proofread for the slips that pull AO6 down.

The technical-accuracy toolkit covers spelling, punctuation and sentence types in full; here the point is that they are worth 40% of the task and must not be an afterthought.

A convincing viewpoint piece is planned, not improvised. Aim for a clear line of argument and three or four developed points, each its own paragraph.

Stage	What to do
Opening	Hook the audience and state your viewpoint clearly
Point 1–3	One reason each, developed with an example, and a rhetorical device
Counter	Acknowledge the other side, then dismantle it
Ending	A memorable, decisive close that returns to your opening idea

Rhetorical devices make the argument land: a rhetorical question, a tricolon (the rule of three), direct address, an anecdote, a statistic (you may invent a plausible one under exam conditions), or repetition for emphasis. The persuasive-and-rhetorical-techniques lesson defines and models each; on this question you deploy them to serve the argument.

A strong structural move is to return at the end to an image or phrase from your opening. The Level 4 sample answer frames its whole speech around "we stand at a crossroads" and returns to it in the final lines, giving the piece a satisfying, deliberate shape.

1. Ignoring the form, audience or purpose

A speech written like an essay, or an argument pitched at the wrong audience, loses AO5 marks and can cap the whole answer at 12. Signal the form (a speech opens by addressing the room) and hold the register the audience needs.

2. Neglecting the 16 AO6 marks

Technical accuracy is 40% of this task. Careless sentence demarcation, thin punctuation and repetitive sentence lengths throw away marks that need no extra ideas. Vary your sentences and proofread.

3. Not planning

Unplanned pieces drift, repeat themselves and stop mid-thought. Five minutes of planning buys a clear line of argument and a strong ending, both of which the higher levels reward.

4. Listing points without developing them

Three shallow reasons score below one or two developed ones. Take each point and expand it with an example, a consequence and a device, rather than moving on too quickly.

5. A weak or missing ending

Running out of time and stopping abruptly wastes the chance to be "compelling." Leave time for a decisive final paragraph that lands your viewpoint, ideally echoing your opening.

For the 2026 sample task (a speech to a local council arguing about car use and public transport), a Level 4-style opening might run:

Ladies and gentlemen, we stand at a crossroads. Down one road lies the future we have always chosen: more cars, more concrete, more congestion choking the streets we call home. Down the other lies something better — cleaner air, quieter roads, and a public transport system that finally serves the people who pay for it. The question before this council tonight is not whether we should change direction. It is whether we have the courage to do it now.

That opening addresses the audience directly ("Ladies and gentlemen"), states a clear viewpoint, uses a tricolon ("more cars, more concrete, more congestion"), a controlling metaphor ("a crossroads") it can return to at the end, and varied, accurately punctuated sentences ending on a short, emphatic idea. Sustain that craft and that argument across the whole speech, proofread for AO6, and the answer reaches the compelling, convincing communication the top level rewards.