Topic 4.4: Exam skills & practice Questions

A quick starter — common Paper 2 mistakes

Ease in — sitting a full timed Paper 2

Quick check to start — what a grade-7 comparison looks like

Warm up first — managing time in Paper 2

Answer on the grade-7 model. (Exam-style practice.)

One step at a time — diagnosing and fixing Paper 2 mistakes

Piece it together, step by step — choosing, planning, and starting a timed comparison

Take it step by step — choosing the right question and planning the time

Answer on Paper 2 timing. (Exam-style practice.)

Diagnose the mistakes. (Exam-style practice.)

Work through it in small steps — reading a grade-7 comparison and applying its method

Answer on timed Paper 2 technique. (Exam-style practice.)

Write a comparative essay in response to the following question, consciously avoiding the big four mistakes (two mini-essays, plot summary, off-question drift, uneven works). QUESTION: ‘Compare how the two works present the gap between how a family appears and how it really is.’ Use the two short original works below as if you had studied them (in the exam, use your own two works, closed book).

FULL TIMED PAPER 2 MOCK. Set a timer for 1 hour 45 minutes and write a complete comparative essay, start to finish. QUESTION: ‘Compare how the two works present the relationship between a person and the work they do.’ Use the two short original works below as if you had studied them (in the exam, use your own two works, closed book). Choose your focus, plan a by-point comparison, and FINISH with a conclusion.

Practise under timed conditions: give yourself 1 hour 45 minutes (≈10 choose & plan / 90 write / 5 check) and write a COMPLETE comparative essay, conclusion included. QUESTION: ‘Compare how the two works present a moment of decision.’ Use the two short original works below as if you had studied them (in the exam, use your own two works, closed book). Choose your focus, plan a by-point comparison, and finish.

Now write your OWN full grade-7 comparative essay in response to the following question, using the exemplar's method. QUESTION: ‘Compare how the two works present the relationship between silence and communication.’ Use the two short original works below as if you had studied them (in the exam, use your own two works, closed book).