AQA English Language Paper 2: what each question asks and how to prepare

Key takeaways

• →Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 80 marks and counts for 50% of the GCSE. In 2027 it is on Tuesday 8 June, in the morning.
• →Section A is reading, worth 40 marks, on two linked unseen texts from different centuries. Section B is one 40-mark task where you present your own viewpoint.
• →The reading questions are worth 4, 8, 12 and 16 marks. The writing task is worth as much as all four put together, so plan your time around the marks.
• →AQA publishes past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports. Practise with a clock, mark each paper properly and redo the questions where marks were lost.

1. Paper 2 at a glance

Paper 2 is called “Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives”. It is one of the two exams in AQA GCSE English Language (8700). It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 80 marks and counts for 50% of the GCSE. All the texts are unseen, so nothing can be learned in advance.^[1]

Section A is reading, worth 40 marks, on two linked texts: one non-fiction text and one literary non-fiction text. AQA says the genres include journalism, articles, essays, travel writing, letters and diaries. In plain words, it is real writing, not stories.^[2]

The texts come from different centuries: one from the 19th century, the other from the 20th or 21st. This shows how views change over time.^[2]

Section B is writing, also worth 40 marks. There is one task: to present your own viewpoint on the reading theme, for a set audience, purpose and form.^[2]

The form can change. AQA’s sample paper for exams from 2026 asks for a speech.^[3]

AQA reworded some questions, such as question 2, for exams from 2026 to make it clearer how to gain marks. Older papers are still useful but may read a little differently.^[7]

AQA has also said that from summer 2027 all its question papers, apart from modern languages, get small layout changes, such as one consistent layout for source texts with line numbers on the left and fewer question formats. It says updated sample papers for some subjects follow later in autumn 2026, so check with your child’s teacher.^[11]

2. Question by question: marks and timings

AQA’s advice, printed on the paper, is about 15 minutes reading the sources and all five questions, about 45 minutes on Section A and about 45 minutes on Section B. That adds up to 105 minutes, or 1 hour 45 minutes.^[3]

The June 2023 paper has the same timing advice and the same marks for each question.^[5]

The marks come from AQA’s sample mark scheme for exams from 2026. Reading adds up to 40 marks and writing to 40, so the writing task is worth as much as all four reading questions put together.^[4]

AQA gives times for sections, not questions. Our split is a suggestion: a little over a minute a mark for questions 1 to 4, and for question 5 five minutes to plan, 35 to write and five to check.

The writing task is worth as much as all four reading questions put together.

3. What each question rewards

AQA marks Paper 2 against assessment objectives, or AOs: the skills each question tests. Question 1 is marked right or wrong. Questions 2 to 5 are marked in levels, where examiners pick the level an answer fits best, then a mark within it.^[4]

AO4, critical evaluation, is not used on this paper.^[2]

4. How Paper 2 differs from Paper 1

Both papers last 1 hour 45 minutes, are worth 80 marks and count for 50% of the GCSE. What you read and write is different.^[1]

Paper 1 uses one piece of fiction and ends with descriptive or narrative writing. Paper 2 uses two real texts, so you must compare them, and the writing is a viewpoint: in practice, arguing or persuading.^[1]

So Paper 2 rewards following an argument, noticing how writers persuade, and building a case of your own. A companion guide covers Paper 1.

5. Common mistakes and how to avoid them

AQA’s examiner report for June 2023 shows where students lost marks that year. This table turns its points into plain advice. Question 3 was the weakest that year and question 4 the most successful.^[6]

AQA’s sample mark scheme also caps the 24 content marks for question 5 at 12 if the answer does not directly address the task. Write about the statement you are given, not a topic you prepared earlier.^[4]

Check the form before you plan: Underline the audience, purpose and form in question 5. A speech, an article and a letter each need a different voice.

6. How to practise

AQA publishes past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports on its website, with a finder you can search by subject and exam series. It says most stay online for about three years.^[9]

Teachers see the newest papers first: AQA lists the summer 2026 papers for its public website from 9 July 2027. Ask your child’s teacher which papers to practise on and which the school is saving for mocks.^[10]

AQA also publishes example answers with examiner comments for questions 2, 4 and 5. A senior examiner wrote them for illustration, so they are guides, not real students’ work.^[7]

Do whole papers in one sitting with a clock: 15 minutes reading, 45 on Section A, 45 on Section B. Mark each against the mark scheme and redo questions where you lost marks. Our lessons on reading the mark scheme like an examiner and on timing a paper show how.^[3]

Plan question 5 before you write, as AQA’s paper advises: your view in one sentence, three or four reasons, a fact or example for each, and your opening and closing lines. Five minutes is a good target.^[3]

Read widely. AQA’s report recommends reading a range of non-fiction and writing on topics you know and care about. Try columns, speeches and opinion articles.^[6]

Include some 19th-century writing, as one Paper 2 text always comes from that century. Our GCSE English Language guide covers both papers and the marks needed for each grade.^[2]

7. When is Paper 2 in 2027?

AQA’s 2027 GCSE timetable has English Language Paper 2 on Tuesday 8 June 2027, in the morning. Paper 1 is earlier, on Monday 24 May 2027.^[8]

AQA updates its timetables, so check your child’s personal timetable from school.^[8]

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 which Paper 2 questions your child needs to work on first.

1. 1. How long is AQA English Language Paper 2, and how many marks is it worth?

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2. 2. Which question is worth the most marks, and how many?

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3. 3. How are the two texts in Section A chosen?

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Your next steps

• Find a Paper 2 past paper and its mark scheme on AQA’s website, or ask school for one, and do it in one sitting with a clock.
• Plan a question 5 answer in five minutes: your view, three or four reasons and a closing line.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which Paper 2 questions to work on first.

Subject guides to go with this

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