The big idea: The guiding question is a suggested way IN to the text, not a rule. Use it to focus your analysis — but you may follow a different, well-argued line if you spot a stronger one.
The guiding question is a friendly nudge, not a cage — and knowing that changes how you use it.
Paper 1 gives you an unseen text and one guiding question, e.g. ‘How does the writer use language and structure to present the city?’ It points you at a focus so you don't wander. But the rubric is clear: you can answer it, adapt it, or argue your own focus — as long as your analysis stays focused and supported.
How to work it
Underline the focus
The question names a FOCUS (e.g. ‘the city’, ‘the relationship’, ‘tone’). That's your spine.
Turn it into a thesis
Answer it in one sentence — that becomes your introduction's claim.
Hunt choices that serve it
Annotate only choices that help you answer the focus — ignore the rest.
Adapt if you must
If a stronger focus jumps out, follow it — but stay focused and support every point.
The key move: Convert the guiding question into a one-sentence thesis, then let that thesis decide which choices you analyse. Focus beats coverage.
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Why it matters in the exam: Answering the guiding question isn't compulsory, but your analysis MUST be focused (Criterion C).
How to stay focused
- Using the question as your spine is the safest way to stay focused.
- Aim for a response that argues one clear line.
- Not a scattered tour of every device.
Turn this guiding question into a working thesis: “How does the writer use language to present the narrator's loneliness?” (text: an original diary extract about a first night in a new city)
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't just re-state the guiding question and then list every device you can find. Turn it into a thesis and let that thesis cut everything that doesn't serve your focus.