AQA English Language Paper 1: questions, marks and how to prepare

Key takeaways

• →Paper 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 80 marks and makes up 50% of the GCSE. Reading and writing carry 40 marks each.
• →Question 4 (20 marks) and the creative writing task, Question 5 (40 marks), are worth 60 of the 80 marks, so they deserve most of the practice time.
• →AQA suggests about 15 minutes reading, then 45 minutes on the reading questions and 45 on the writing task, including time to plan and to check.
• →The exam is on Monday 24 May 2027, in the morning. Every text is unseen, so practise with AQA’s past papers and read widely.

1. What Paper 1 is, and when it is

AQA GCSE English Language (8700) has two papers. Paper 1 is called Explorations in creative reading and writing. It is a written exam of 1 hour 45 minutes, worth 80 marks, and it counts for 50% of the GCSE.^[1]

It has two sections. Section A is reading: students read one literature fiction text and answer four questions. Section B is writing: one creative task, either descriptive or narrative. Each section is worth 40 marks, so reading and writing count equally.^[1]

The reading text is prose fiction from the 20th or 21st century.^[2]

All texts in the exam are unseen, so students meet the extract for the first time on the day.^[3]

The source comes in a separate insert booklet. AQA’s paper tells students they must not use a dictionary.^[5]

In 2027, AQA’s timetable puts Paper 1 on Monday 24 May, in the morning. Paper 2 is on Tuesday 8 June.^[12]

Students must stay available until the contingency day, Wednesday 23 June 2027, in case an exam has to be moved. Check the timetable your child’s school gives them.^[12]

2. The five questions, with marks and timing

AQA’s question papers advise about 15 minutes reading through the source and all the questions, about 45 minutes on Section A and about 45 minutes on Section B. They also tell students to plan Question 5 and to leave time to check.^[5]

AQA also publishes a one-page set of exam timing ideas. The times in the table come from it. They are suggestions, not rules, and they add up to the full 105 minutes.^[9]

The marks match AQA’s June 2025 mark scheme, where Question 5 offered a choice between a description and a story.^[6]

3. What each question rewards

AQA marks Paper 1 against assessment objectives, or AOs. These are the skills the exam rewards. The table shows which question tests which, following AQA’s specimen mark scheme. AO3 is only used on Paper 2.^[4]

4. How the marks are given

Question 1 gives one mark for each correct point from the part of the text you are told to use.^[4]

Questions 2 and 3 are marked in four levels, from simple comments up to detailed, perceptive analysis of the writer’s choices.^[8]

Question 4 is also marked in four levels. It rewards your own impressions of the text, how you show the writer creates them, and references to the text that support what you say.^[4]

In Question 5, the 24 content marks reward writing that suits the audience and purpose, ambitious vocabulary and techniques, and a clear structure with well-organised paragraphs. The 16 technical accuracy marks reward secure sentences, a range of punctuation, varied sentence forms, Standard English and accurate spelling.^[4]

5. Common mistakes and how to avoid them

These come from AQA’s own reports on the June 2025 and June 2023 exams, which describe what examiners saw. Question 1: using details from outside the lines you were given. Check the line numbers in the question and stay inside them.^[10]

Questions 2 and 3: naming techniques without explaining their effect, quoting long passages, or writing about language when the question asks about structure. Use short quotations, then say what each choice makes the reader think or feel. For Question 3, write about the order and focus of the text, not a retelling of the plot.^[10]

Question 4: arguing without evidence, or writing about the wrong part of the text. Stay in the section the question names, use several short quotations, and give clear reasons for agreeing or disagreeing.^[10]

AQA’s 2023 report adds that weaker Question 4 answers did not use the skills from Questions 2 and 3.^[11]

Question 5: trying to fit in a whole story, or copying the reading extract. AQA’s examiners said that describing one episode produced more detailed work than a whole narrative, and that stronger answers showed planning.^[10]

Across the paper: handwriting examiners found hard to read, and a narrow range of punctuation.^[10]

Describe one moment well, rather than a whole story badly.

Plan before you write: Five minutes is enough. Jot down the setting, the one moment you will describe or tell, and three details to include. It stops the story rushing and keeps you on the task.

6. What has changed recently

AQA has updated its Paper 1 materials for exams from summer 2026. It says it made small changes to the wording of some questions and added guidance to mark schemes, including an extra column of typical features for Question 5.^[15]

In AQA’s updated sample paper, Question 1 is multiple choice. It has four parts, each with three options, and one mark for each correct answer. The marks for each question are the same as before.^[7]

AQA releases past papers on its website about a year after each series, so the summer 2026 papers are due on 9 July 2027. Until then, the updated sample paper is the best guide to the current style.^[13]

From summer 2027, AQA says it will change the layout and style of question papers in all subjects except modern foreign languages, with sources in one left-aligned column and less bold, italic and underlined text. It does not say marks or timings change, and it does not name English Language, so check with your child’s school.^[14]

7. How to practise

Start with AQA’s own materials. AQA’s specification page points to past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports for this course, plus exemplar student answers with examiner commentary.^[16]

Past papers and their mark schemes stay on AQA’s website for about three years. Schools can get the newest papers earlier through AQA’s centre portal, so ask your child’s teacher what is available for mocks.^[13]

For marked examples, AQA’s answers and commentaries for the updated Paper 1 show sample answers at each level, with examiner comments. A senior examiner wrote them for teaching, so they are not real exam scripts.^[8]

Practise to time. Use the timings in the table, mark each paper against the mark scheme, and note which question lost the most marks. Our How to use mark schemes like an examiner lesson and our How to time a paper lesson show you how.

Plan every writing task, even in practice.

Read widely. The texts are unseen and come from 20th and 21st-century prose fiction, so a range of novels and short stories builds vocabulary and confidence. Ask of any extract: what does the writer want me to feel, and which words do that?^[2]

Our GCSE English Language guide covers the whole course, and a companion guide covers Paper 2.

8. How Brainhub can help

Our GCSE students typically improve by 2 grades over 12 weeks of weekly lessons (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research.

We teach one-to-one, live online across the UK, with online GCSE lessons from £30 an hour. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment, so we can see whether reading or writing needs the most work first.

1. 1. How many marks is AQA English Language Paper 1 worth, and what share of the GCSE is it?

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2. 2. How are the 40 marks for Question 5 split?

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3. 3. When is Paper 1 in 2027?

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Your next steps

• Print a recent AQA Paper 1 and its mark scheme, and sit it in 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Mark it against the mark scheme and note which question lost the most marks.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see whether reading or writing needs the most work.

Subject guides to go with this

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