OCR Component 02: Exploring Effects and Impact
The same skeleton as Component 01, but the language question is asked twice - once on each text - and the writing is your own.
Where these figures come from
Marks and structure read from OCR's specification-at-a-glance, the J351/02 sample assessment material and the J351/02 mark scheme. OCR's materials are linked, never copied. RCF English is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by OCR.
Component 02 at a glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paper code | J351/02 |
| Title | Exploring effects and impact |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Marks | 80 |
| Weighting | 50% of the GCSE |
| Texts | Two unseen prose or literary non-fiction texts, 20th and/or 21st century, in an Insert |
| Section A | Reading meaning and effects. About 1 hour, 40 marks. All questions compulsory. |
| Section B | Writing imaginatively and creatively. About 1 hour, 40 marks. One task from a choice of two. |
| Extended response | Questions marked with an asterisk (*) also assess quality of extended response |
The one structural difference from Component 01
Component 01 asks a synthesis question worth 6 marks and then one language question worth 12.
Component 02 asks the language question twice - 6 marks on Text 1 and 12 marks on Text 2. There is no synthesis question here.
That is why AO2 is worth 11.25% on this paper against 7.5% on Component 01. If a student struggles to write about how a writer achieves an effect, this is the paper where it costs most - eighteen of the forty reading marks depend on it.
Section A, question by question
The short answers: 2 marks + 2 marks
On Text 1, within stated line references - typically give two phrases that show... and explain two reasons why.... AO1.
Method. One mark per point. Give the number asked for, no more. For give, quote or paraphrase closely; for explain, add the reason. Never stray outside the line numbers - material from elsewhere in the text earns nothing.
Time: 5 minutes.
The six-mark question: language and structure in Text 1
AO2, on a stated section of Text 1, with subject terminology required.
Method. Two developed points, not six brief ones. Quotation, effect on the reader, then one step further. The mark scheme's bands move from commentary through explanation to analysis, and what separates them is depth on a small number of points rather than coverage of many.
Time: 10 minutes.
The twelve-mark question: language and structure in Text 2
The same skill, a different text, twice the marks - so roughly twice the material: three to four developed points.
Structure is half the objective and usually the neglected half. Where does the focus shift? What does the writer withhold, and until when? Why does the piece end where it does? Answers that only discuss word choice are working at half the assessment objective.
Time: 20 minutes.
The eighteen-mark question: comparison and critical evaluation
As on Component 01: marked out of 12 for AO4 and out of 6 for AO3, added together, using both texts.
Method. Evaluation carries twice the weight of comparison, so every paragraph should end with a judgement about which writer achieves more and why - not merely a statement that the two differ.
Use short quotations from both texts. The question requires textual reference for AO4, and long copied quotations eat the time you need for Section B.
Time: 25 minutes.
Section B: writing imaginatively and creatively
One task from a choice of two, worth 40 marks - 24 for AO5 and 16 for AO6 - in about an hour. OCR specifies that the task is connected to the reading theme, is supported by bullet points, and may be narrative, descriptive or autobiographical writing.
- Choose the task you can finish, not the one that sounds most interesting. A controlled description of a single scene will outscore an ambitious three-part story that runs out of time in the second part.
- Narrow the scope hard. Most high-scoring creative writing at GCSE covers minutes, not years, and one place rather than several. Small subject, close attention.
- Structure earns AO5 marks. Decide before you start where the piece turns and how it ends. An ending that simply stops is the commonest way to lose marks in the top band.
- Presentational features are not assessed on this paper either - so no titles in fancy lettering, no illustrations, no layout.
- Protect the 16 AO6 marks. Vary sentence length deliberately; check punctuation of dialogue if you use any; leave five minutes at the end. Accuracy is 40% of this task's marks.
A timing plan for Component 02
0-5 min read the Insert once for what happens and who is telling it.
5-10 min short answers (4 marks).
10-20 min six-mark language question on Text 1.
20-40 min twelve-mark language question on Text 2.
40-60 min eighteen-mark comparison and evaluation.
60-115 min Section B, including five minutes planning and five minutes checking.
115-120 min check the writing only.
The practice below is original RCF material
Written by RCF English, not by OCR. Not a past question and not sample assessment material. For official papers see the OCR papers page.
Original RCF practice: the skills this paper leans on
Next
Component 01
The non-fiction paper, with the 19th-century text.
OCR past papers
Official papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports.
OCR overview
Both components and the AO grid.