1. AQA English Language Unit One
Understanding and Producing Non-Fiction Texts
QUESTION 5
Main menu:
 overview of question five
 understanding the question
 planning the shorter task
 Q5 i,ii useful language devices
 Q5 iii Spelling, punctuation and grammar
 question 5 exemplar
 skills checklist
 mini-assessment

2. Overview
Question 5 is the shorter of the two writing tasks. It will focus on tasks that
are informative/explanative or descriptive and may take a variety of different
forms, such as letters, articles or scripts. One planned and effective side of
writing, shaped, structured and paragraphed is sufficient to do well
You are being assessed on your ability to communicate your ideas
clearly and effectively in well organised paragraphs with largely
accurate spelling, punctuation and interesting word choices.
Key information
 write about 3-4 paragraphs (about one side of A4)
 a total of 16 marks; you need to score a minimum of 12 marks:
- 8 out of 10 for communication and organisation (i,ii)
- 4 out of 6 for spelling, punctuation and grammar (iii)
 spend about 20-25mins on this question, including planning
 focus on developing a few ideas in detail rather than a wide range
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3. Understanding the question
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5. A place can appear to be very different if you visit it at different times
of the year.
Choose a place that you know well and describe it at two different times
of year for a travel website.
Remember to:
write about a place
write to describe. (16 marks)
The following text is taken from the June 2011 Foundation Level exam.
Look at how the question guides you to what to write about.
Main
focus
Useful
guidance
The
Purpose
The
Task
Things to
focus on
The
Audience

4. Planning the shorter task
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Once you understand what you need to do, quickly plan out three main
ideas with very brief notes on how to develop them in each paragraph.
Quickly decide upon your approach: a lot about a little!
Describe a place e.g. theme park, local attraction, holiday resort, etc
Two different times of the year e.g. busy/empty; day/night; winter/summer
Aimed at a travel website e.g. family holiday, adventure seekers, retired, etc
Brighton seafront in winter and summer for Travel UK
1. a winter morning
-icy cold; waves
-empty beach huts
-couples walking
2. summer (people)
-busy cafes and bars
-children playing
-music; bathers
3. summer (scene)
-cloudless sky and
scorching sun
- describe pier

5. Q5 i,ii Useful language devices
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The following are some useful devices that you may wish to use in
your writing to make your response more interesting to read.
Inform and explain:
 Discourse markers to link ideas e.g. firstly, furthermore, in addition to
 Third person to remain neutral e.g. he, she, they
 Topic sentence to show paragraph focus e.g. Summer is the ideal time.
 Factual details and information e.g.
Describe:
 Range of senses to evoke atmosphere e.g. sight, sound, smell, touch
 Metaphors and similes to provide images e.g. the clouds like balls of hay
 Interesting verbs and adjectives to show detail e.g. crashing waves, azure sky
 Poetic techniques to engage e.g. alliteration, repetition, personification
Always:
 Clear paragraphs or other evidence of structure e.g. sections of a script
 Develop point with examples or lots of details
 Varied and interesting word choices

6. Q5 iii Spelling, punctuation and grammar
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Here are some guidance notes on how to make your writing more
accurate. Remember there are 6 marks available for this section.
Spelling
 Make sure you spell commonly used words correctly and allow time to check
 Remember there are lots of complex words already spelt correctly for you in the
Reading Section, so use some of them in your answer
Punctuation
 Make sure each sentence has a subject and a verb
 Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop
 Use a comma before the word ‘but’*
 Use apostrophes for possession or omission (be aware of its and it’s)
 Start a new sentence when using ‘moreover’, ‘however’ and ‘furthermore’*
 Avoid overuse of exclamation marks and question marks (once or twice)
Grammar
 Use a range of simple, complex and compound sentences

7. Question 5 exemplar
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Look to see how you develop notes into a clear and effective paragraph.
Focus - A winter morning
Things to include - icy cold; waves; empty beach huts; couples walking
Brighton seafront is probably not the ideal destination to visit in
the winter. The mornings are cold and icy. When the angry
waves smash against the rocks, owners walking their dogs
nearby get soaked. However, there are always some crazy
people who brave the weather. Often it is couples enjoying the
fresh sea air, or men fetching papers before breakfast. Most of
the beach is isolated. All of the huts are empty. Locked up until
the summer.
Topic
sentence
Word
choice
Word
choices
Full
stops
and
capitals
Complex
sentence
Compound
sentence Simple
sentence
Poetic
methods
Activity: Write one of the other points into a developed paragraph

8. Skills Checklist
What you need to do:
 plan out 3 main points with some ideas
 develop writing with examples and details
 write for a specific audience
 include some relevant language devices
 make interesting and varied word choices
 use capitals, full stops and commas
 vary your use of sentence types
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9. January 2012
Time Allowed 25mins
A new TV series ‘Dream Jobs’ is giving people the chance to work in
their dream job for a day. Write a letter to the producers explaining
what your dream job would be and why you would love to try it.
Remember to:
 write a letter
 use language to explain.
Try to write approximately one page in your answer booklet. (16 marks)
Assessment practice
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10. January 2012
Time Allowed 25mins
A new TV series ‘Dream Jobs’ is giving people the chance to work in
their dream job for a day. Write a letter to the producers explaining
what your dream job would be and why you would love to try it.
Remember to:
 write a letter
 use language to explain.
Try to write approximately one page in your answer booklet. (16 marks)
Assessment practice
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