Paper 1: guided textual analysis

Learning objectives

Choose between the two unseen non-literary texts quickly, on the basis of which one you can say most about, and commit to the choice

Use the guiding question as the spine of the analysis, answering it directly while still covering the features that matter most in the text

Write a thesis that states a defensible reading of the text as a whole, then support it with an ordered sequence of analytical paragraphs

Analyse the text's type, audience and purpose alongside its language, structure and visual features, keeping every observation tied to effect

Manage the time available for one analysis at standard level, leaving room to plan before writing and to read the response back at the end

Avoid summarising the text or listing devices, and instead keep every paragraph working towards the interpretation announced at the start