The gist: This is the whole unit under exam conditions: choose the question your two works fit, plan a by-point comparison, and write a complete comparative essay with a conclusion — in 1 hour 45 minutes.
You've learned every comparative move; the timed mock is where they become automatic.
Set a real 1h45. Choose the question your two works genuinely fit, turn it into a comparative thesis, plan a by-point grid, and write woven comparative paragraphs — then finish with a conclusion that lands the comparison. The goal isn't a perfect essay; it's a complete, focused, genuinely comparative one, in the time you'll actually have.
The exam-day routine
Choose & plan (~10 min)
Pick the fitting question; comparative thesis + by-point grid (both works per row).
Write (~90 min)
Intro (both works + thesis) → woven comparative paragraphs.
Conclude & check (~5 min)
Draw the comparison together; land a payoff; fix slips.
Weave and balance
Every paragraph covers both works; give them equal weight.
The key move: Run the whole routine to time: choose the fitting question → thesis + by-point plan → woven comparative paragraphs → conclusion, in 1h45. Practise until the shape is automatic.
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Why it matters in the exam: Timed practice trains the two things Paper 2 most demands: choosing well and sustaining a genuine comparison. It rehearses every criterion (A, B, C, D) at once and turns the method into a reliable habit.
A worked plan under time pressure. QUESTION chosen: ‘Compare how the two works present belonging.’ Two works: Work A (a novel about an immigrant who never feels at home); Work B (a poem about someone who belongs to a place that is disappearing).
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Under time pressure, the temptation is to grab the first question and start writing. Don't. The ~10-minute choose-and-plan is what makes the essay fit, flow, and finish — and it's the first thing panic skips.