Flashcards · 9270 · Topic 1

Literary non-fiction and composition flashcards

11 cards on Topic 1, subtopics 3.1.1 to 3.1.2. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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How is OxfordAQA 9270 Paper 1 set out?: 2 hours, 60% of the qualification: Section A Literary non-fiction (40 marks, reading) and Section B Composition (40 marks, writing). Paper 2 or the NEA makes up the other 40%.
What is literary non-fiction?: Factual writing that uses the techniques of imaginative writing, such as travel writing, memoir, biography, essays, speeches, opinion journalism and reportage.
What does Paper 1 Section A require?: Close study of a single unseen literary non-fiction text, divided into sections with questions; at least one question addresses the whole text. There is no comparison on this paper.
What is the three-part formula for an analytical point?: Identify the feature with correct terminology, quote it briefly, and explain its effect on the reader in relation to the writer's purpose. The third step is where the mark is.
What can a minor sentence do?: A sentence without a main verb ("Silence.") gives sudden emphasis to a single idea or image and can mimic speech or thought.
What is tone, and why track it?: The writer's attitude to the subject (admiring, wry, critical, nostalgic). A shift in tone often marks a turning point in the writer's argument or feelings.

What does Paper 1 Section B (Composition) require?: One piece of writing from a choice of tasks including descriptive, imaginative, and argumentative or discursive writing. No named audience is set.
What lifts a descriptive composition?: Rendering one moment fully through the senses rather than a whole day thinly, with varied sentence lengths and a closing image that suggests rather than states.
What lifts an imaginative composition?: Deciding the ending before you start and keeping the characters few, so the plot stays controlled.
What lifts an argumentative or discursive composition?: A clear line of argument with two or three developed points and a genuine counter-argument that is answered.
Which technical accuracy points are directly credited?: Sentence demarcation (no comma splices), consistent tense, subject–verb agreement, apostrophes for possession not plurals, and paragraphing that signals shifts.