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Language Paper 2, question by question

Two non-fiction sources, one from the 19th century and one modern, four reading questions and your own point of view, in 1 hour 45 minutes. AQA reworded Questions 2 and 4 from summer 2026, and this page uses the new wording.

Quick guide for students · 4 minute read

Paper 2 is called Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and is worth 80 marks, the other half of your English Language GCSE. Section A (reading, 40 marks) has two sources on a linked subject: one from the 19th century, and one from the 20th or 21st century. Both are non-fiction, which means writing about real people, places and events. Section B (writing, 40 marks) asks for your own point of view.

From summer 2026, AQA reworded Questions 2 and 4. The number of questions and the marks stayed the same.

How long to spend

As on Paper 1, AQA’s papers advise about 15 minutes reading the sources and the questions, then about 45 minutes on each section. We suggest:

  • Reading both sources and the questions: 15 minutes.
  • Question 1 (4 marks): 5 minutes.
  • Question 2 (8 marks): 8 minutes.
  • Question 3 (12 marks): 12 minutes.
  • Question 4 (16 marks): 20 minutes.
  • Question 5 (40 marks): 45 minutes.

Question 1: true statements

Question 1 points you to a few lines of Source A and gives you eight statements about them. You choose the four that are true, and no more than four. It is worth 4 marks.

Check each statement against the lines, one at a time. Watch for statements that are nearly right: one wrong word, or a detail from outside the lines. Mark your choices exactly as the paper tells you. AQA has said that from summer 2027 its multiple-choice questions will all use a tick-box format.

Question 2: what you can infer

Question 2 asks about something that appears in both sources, and what you can work out about the differences. In AQA’s updated example, the question asks what you can infer, which means work out from clues: “What can you infer about the differences between the two trains?” It is worth 8 marks.

Make a point about Source A, back it with a short quotation and say what it suggests. Then do the same for Source B and say how the two differ. Keep to the thing the question names. In 2023 the examiners found that many students wrote about the writers’ feelings, when the question asked about the trains themselves.

Save language analysis for Question 3. This question is about what you can work out.

Question 3: language

Question 3 asks how the writer of one source uses language to describe something, in a part of that source. It is worth 12 marks, so it gets more time than Question 2.

It works like Question 2 on Paper 1. Choose short quotations, say what they suggest and zoom in on one word. Explain what the writer wants the reader to feel or think. In 2023 the examiners warned against comments that only state the obvious, such as saying that a frightening phrase shows the writer was scared.

Question 4: comparing perspectives

Question 4 asks you to compare the writers’ perspectives: their views and feelings, and where those come from. AQA’s updated example reads: “Compare how the writers convey their different feelings and perspectives about their experiences of travelling on a train.” It is worth 16 marks, the most in Section A.

The bullet points ask you to “compare their different feelings and perspectives”, to “comment on the methods the writers use to convey their different feelings and perspectives” and to support your answer with references to both texts. So write about how each writer gets their view across, as well as what the view is.

Compare in every paragraph: one idea, both writers, linked with a word such as whereas or in contrast. Name each attitude with a precise word, such as scornful, amazed or uneasy.

Question 5: your point of view

Question 5 gives you a statement and asks for your point of view in a set form, for a set audience. In June 2023 the task was to “Write a speech to be given at a meeting of your local council in which you argue your point of view on this statement.” It is worth 40 marks: 24 for content and organisation (AO5) and 16 for technical accuracy (AO6).

Decide whether you agree, disagree or partly agree before you start. Keep your form and your audience in mind in every paragraph. Plan for 5 minutes, write for 35 and check for 5. Planning your writing for Section B shows a five-minute plan for an argument.

Keep to the order

Answer the questions in order, and start Question 5 when there are 45 minutes left, wherever you have reached in Section A.

Sources

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