OCR GCSE English Language core writing skills overview quiz quiz

20 for AO5 (content and organisation) and 20 for AO6 (technical accuracy), split evenly

16 for AO5 (content and organisation) and 24 for AO6 (technical accuracy)

All 40 marks for AO6 technical accuracy, with no separate AO5 content mark at all

24 for AO5 (content and organisation) and 16 for AO6 (technical accuracy)

It secures the AO5 organisation marks and prevents drift, repetition and an abrupt ending

It earns its own separate band of marks on the mark scheme, awarded before any writing is read

It replaces the need to write the piece, because markers credit the plan instead of the response

It is a compulsory rule of the exam, and leaving it blank means the whole answer is disqualified

Short sentences are banned outright by the AO6 mark scheme in every band

AO6 rewards a range of sentence structures, so variety is required

Short sentences are always wrong and lose a mark every time they appear

AO6 ignores sentence structure entirely and looks only at spelling

Using full stops to end every sentence instead of varying the punctuation

Using capital letters at the start of each new sentence in the response

The comma splice: joining two complete sentences with only a comma

Using question marks at the end of a direct question to the reader

Rare words are forbidden by AO6, which only ever credits common everyday vocabulary in writing

Precise words are always physically longer, and AO6 simply rewards whichever word happens to have more letters

Rare words cost marks automatically the moment a marker spots one in the response

AO6 rewards vocabulary chosen for precision and effect; a misused rare word signals a lack of control

Using a word for its impressiveness rather than its fit, often causing a wrong meaning or spelling error

Choosing the simplest possible word every time so the meaning is never unclear to the reader

Writing far too much and going well over the suggested length for the transactional task

Using far too much punctuation within a single sentence, so that the writing becomes cluttered and very hard to follow

They are always the longest parts of the piece, and AO5 simply credits length above all else

Markers read the opening first and the ending last, so both shape the overall impression

They are marked under a completely separate assessment objective from the middle of the piece

They are the only places where ambitious vocabulary is allowed to earn AO5 credit

Explaining all of the background and setting in careful detail first, before any action begins

Ending the piece with a sudden twist that the reader could not possibly have predicted

Opening in the middle of action or a moment, dropping the reader straight into the scene

Writing a formal salutation and address, as you would at the top of a business letter

Length, font and a title

Tone, mood and register

Spelling, punctuation, grammar

Form, purpose and audience

It caps the AO5 mark, because the piece does not fit the named form

It actually improves the AO5 mark, because markers reward strong essay writing whatever the form

It has no effect at all on the AO5 mark, since form is not assessed in the writing section

It is marked under AO6 instead, where the named form has no bearing on the band awarded

There would be no difference in register at all, since both are written for the very same kind of reader

The speech can be lively with direct address; the report needs a formal, measured, objective register

Both must use heavy slang and casual phrasing to keep the reader interested from start to finish

Both must be written in an identical formal register, with no allowance made for the audience

Writing as much as you possibly can, on the basis that more words always means more AO6 marks

Using only long, complex sentences throughout, since AO6 rewards complexity over any variety

Leaving five minutes to proofread for comma splices, missing full stops and spelling errors

Avoiding all punctuation entirely so that no punctuation error can ever be made in the piece