*Tip #6 – tackling longer written tasks*

Today’s top exam tip focuses on the key requirements for the *extended response task on paper 1* and the *directed writing task on paper 2*.

There are some important differences between the extended response task on paper 1 and the directed writing task on paper 2 which I have covered in detail in my free Exam Clinic webinar (if you would like me to send you a link for the recording, send me a PM 🙂 ) I’ve summed up the key features of each of the longer writing tasks below.

*Paper 1 – Extended response task* (25 marks)

• May be asked to write a letter, report, journal, speech, interview or article.
• Based on one passage
• Need to identify five pieces of information related to each of the three bullet points specified in the question, paraphrasing explicit and implicit ideas, for the 15 content marks
• Include some detail and development of ideas
• Quality of writing marks also available (10 marks)

*Paper 2 – Directed writing task* (40 marks = 25% of grade)

• Candidates use, develop and evaluate the information in the text(s) to create a *discursive/argumentative/ persuasive speech, letter or article.*
• Based on two passages which present differing or alternative perspectives on a topic
• Need to identify and select ideas from both passages that can be evaluated, strengths and weaknesses considered and alternative viewpoints explored
• Eg one of the past paper tasks I looked at in the exam clinic webinar focused on writing a

speech based on two texts which presented various arguments for and against the introduction of a study exchange programme in school

• Students are expected to identify and discuss a range of ideas presented in both passages,

*evaluate (weigh up) and synthesise (blend or combine) them* eg

• a positive aspect is that study exchange visits offer a different kind of learning outside the classroom (idea from Text A) however, a potentially negative aspect to consider is that they take time away from classroom learning and the first responsibility of a school is to educate (idea mentioned in Text B)
• In this way, you can pick out and weigh up ideas presented in the texts against each other, pairing up and bouncing between the arguments and relevant counterarguments
• Crucially – and this is a key difference between the directed writing task on paper 2 and the extended response task on paper 1 – you should *evaluate ideas and consider points or arguments that the ideas in the passage might suggest but which aren’t explicitly stated*
• eg for the example above, an important aspect to consider when weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of study exchange programmes is whether we regard them as beneficial or detrimental to students’ learning depends to a large extent on *how we see the role of education* ie is the primary purpose of education to facilitate academic achievement (as the headteacher writing Text B argues) or to should education be defined more broadly and be about giving young people opportunities for self-development and experience of other cultures, nurturing empathy etc? (a view expressed in text A). Hence, we may see study exchange programmes as a good or bad thing depending on how we define education.
• this evaluative point is linked to ideas in both pages but not discussed in either
• *Be careful here*, the question states *give your own views*, but any views expressed must be *tethered to* – that is have a basis in – the ideas presented in the texts. You should NOT bring in random ideas which aren’t rooted in one or either of the passages. Sometimes students are thrown by this and interpret the wording of the question to imply that you can mention any general thoughts on the topic, but, I’ll reiterate, points made must derive from those ideas presented in the passages.

Image because *evaluation (weighing up) of ideas is important for the directed writing task* and because I like vintage scales. 😉