AQA English Language Paper 2 Question 5: writing a viewpoint
Same tariff as the creative task on Paper 1, and the same split between content and accuracy, but here you are given a form, an audience and a position to argue.
The essentials
| Board | AQA |
| Paper | Language Paper 2, Section B |
| Marks | 40 |
| Suggested time | about 45 minutes, including planning |
Mark totals here are read from real past papers ingested into Marked, not from a revision site: 40 marks on all 12 AQA Paper 2s in our corpus. Timings are our own guidance rather than anything the board specifies.
What the question asks
A statement to respond to, and a named form: a letter, an article, a speech, an essay. You write in that form, for the audience the question specifies.
The opinion itself is not marked. How well you construct and sustain it is.
What it assesses
| Objective | What it means here |
|---|---|
| AO5: content and organisation | Twenty-four of the forty marks, including whether the register matches the form and audience. |
| AO6: technical accuracy | Sixteen of the forty marks. |
What costs marks
- Ignoring the form. A speech that reads as an essay has thrown away marks that had nothing to do with the argument.
- Ignoring the audience. Writing to a headteacher and writing to a national newspaper are different registers, and the question names which.
- Piling up rhetorical devices. A rule of three every paragraph reads as a checklist rather than persuasion.
- Arguing what you think you should think. A position you can actually develop beats a worthier one you cannot.
How to practise it
Plan the three strongest points before the first sentence. Viewpoint answers fail on drift more than on weak argument.
Practise the forms you would avoid. Most students have a comfortable one and get handed another.
Write to the word count you can actually reach in the time, then work on quality inside it.
More on English Language, on AQA, or see all question guides.
Next, on the same paper or the same board: AQA Paper 1 Question 5: creative writing, AQA Paper 1 Question 3: structure.
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