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Assessment objectives and exam strategy

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you read OCR command words and question types so you do exactly what each question asks?

Reading OCR command words and recognising question types so each answer does exactly what is asked, distinguishing identify, summarise, analyse, compare and evaluate and matching each to its assessment objective.
How to read OCR command words and question types in GCSE English Language: distinguishing identify, summarise, analyse, compare and evaluate, matching each to its assessment objective, and decoding a question's focus, scope and tariff before answering.
8 min answer →

How do you manage time across both OCR components so that every question gets time proportional to its marks?

Managing time across both OCR components by weighting effort to the mark tariffs, planning the two-hour papers so the high-tariff reading questions and the 40-mark writing task each get proportional time.
How to manage time in OCR GCSE English Language: weighting effort to the mark tariffs across both two-hour components, splitting time evenly between the 40-mark reading and 40-mark writing sections, and keeping the short questions brief so the high-tariff questions get their share.
8 min answer →

What do the four reading assessment objectives (AO1 to AO4) reward, and which questions on each OCR component test them?

Understanding the four reading assessment objectives AO1 to AO4 and how they map to the reading questions on both OCR components, knowing what each objective rewards so every reading answer targets the right skill.
What the four reading assessment objectives (AO1 to AO4) reward in OCR GCSE English Language and how they map to the reading questions on both components: retrieval and synthesis (AO1), language and structure analysis (AO2), comparison (AO3) and critical evaluation (AO4).
8 min answer →

What do the two writing assessment objectives (AO5 and AO6) reward, and how do their marks split on each writing task?

Understanding the two writing assessment objectives AO5 and AO6 and how their marks split on each Section B task, knowing that AO5 rewards content and organisation and AO6 rewards technical accuracy so every writing choice targets both.
What the two writing assessment objectives (AO5 and AO6) reward in OCR GCSE English Language and how their marks split on each Section B task: AO5 for communication, content and organisation (24 marks) and AO6 for technical accuracy (16 marks, a fixed and guaranteed share).
8 min answer →