Skills (8702): Revision Notes

Section 3.3 of the AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification lists the skills you develop through every set text: reading comprehension and critical reading (comprehension, critical reading, evaluating writers’ choices, comparing texts) and writing (clear, coherent text and accurate Standard English). These skills are what the four assessment objectives reward on both closed-book papers. For the full explanation, use the Skills study guide.

Where the skills are assessed

Paper	Content	Time / marks / weighting
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel	Extract plus whole-text question on each	1 hour 45 minutes, 64 marks, 40%
Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry	Modern prose or drama essay; anthology comparison; unseen poetry	2 hours 15 minutes, 96 marks, 60%

All assessments are closed book; any stimulus material is printed on the paper.

The 3.3 skills in one table

Strand (8702, 3.3)	What the specification lists	Example of the skill
Literal and inferential comprehension	Understanding words and phrases in context; plot, characterisation, events, settings; explicit versus implied meaning; motivation, sequence, relationships between events	“Scrooge refuses to give to charity” (explicit) → “he values money above people” (inferred)
Critical reading	Identifying and distinguishing themes; supporting a view with evidence; recognising and evaluating different responses; using social, historical and cultural context to inform evaluation; an informed personal response from analysis	“Some readers see Mr Birling as comic, but his confidence is chilling once we know what the audience knows”
Evaluating a writer’s choices	How language, structure, form and presentation contribute to quality and impact; using linguistic and literary terminology	Naming a technique and judging its effect
Comparing texts	Comparing and contrasting texts by theme, characterisation, context (where known), style and literary quality; comparing two texts critically	Anthology and unseen poetry comparisons on Paper 2
Producing clear and coherent text	Writing to describe, explain, summarise, argue, analyse and evaluate; maintaining a point of view; selecting key points; relevant quotation and detailed references	A sustained argument with embedded quotation
Accurate Standard English	Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar	AO4 marks

The four assessment objectives

AO	Wording (summarised)	Overall weighting	Paper 1	Paper 2
AO1	Read, understand and respond: maintain a critical style, develop an informed personal response, use references and quotations	37.5%	15%	22.5%
AO2	Analyse language, form and structure, using subject terminology where appropriate	42.5%	15%	27.5%
AO3	Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written	15%	7.5%	7.5%
AO4	Range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation	5%	2.5%	2.5%

AO2 is the largest single objective, so analysis of methods earns more than knowledge of plot. In AQA’s mark schemes the AO4 marks are attached to the Shakespeare question on Paper 1 and the modern-text question on Paper 2, so accuracy matters most there.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Explicit	Stated directly in the text
Implicit / inferred	Suggested; worked out from evidence
Theme	A central idea the text explores, such as guilt or social class
Critical style	Formal, analytical writing that argues rather than retells
Informed personal response	Your own interpretation, supported by evidence and analysis
Form	The type of text (play, novella, sonnet, dramatic monologue) and its conventions
Structure	How the text is ordered and shaped: openings, endings, shifts, repetition
Context	Social, historical and cultural circumstances that inform a reading

Worked example: from comprehension to evaluation

Extract (Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave One): Scrooge is “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!”

1. Literal: Scrooge is mean.
2. Inferential: his meanness is active and physical, not passive.
3. Analysis (AO2): the list of present participles builds a relentless rhythm, each verb a different way of taking, so greed seems to fill his whole being; “sinner” adds a moral and religious judgement.
4. Context (AO3): Dickens wrote in 1843, when debates about the Poor Law and the treatment of the poor were current; Scrooge’s attitudes echo views the novella sets out to challenge.
5. Evaluation and personal response (AO1): the exaggeration makes Scrooge almost comic, which allows readers to enjoy disliking him and makes his later change believable as a story of redemption.

Using context well

• Use it to explain a writer’s choice, not as a separate history paragraph.
• The specification asks you to use understanding of social, historical and cultural contexts to inform evaluation.
• Context should be accurate. If you are unsure of a date or fact, describe the context in general terms.

Comparing texts: a quick frame

Step	Question to ask
Theme	What idea do both texts explore?
Perspective	How does each speaker or narrator view it?
Methods	Which choices of language, form and structure differ?
Effect	How does the reader’s response differ?
Judgement	Which text presents it more powerfully, and why?

Use comparative connectives: whereas, similarly, in contrast, both poets.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Retelling the story instead of analysing it (weak AO1 and AO2).
• Feature-spotting: naming a technique without explaining its effect.
• Bolt-on context: a paragraph of history unconnected to the text.
• Ignoring other readings: the specification includes “recognising the possibility of and evaluating different responses to a text”.
• Long quotations in a closed-book exam; short, precise ones are more useful.
• Careless accuracy on the questions that carry AO4 marks.
• Comparing only at the end of a comparison answer instead of throughout.

Frequently asked questions

What does “informed personal response” mean in GCSE English Literature? It means your own interpretation of the text, supported by evidence and analysis. It is not simply saying whether you liked the text.

How much does spelling and punctuation count? AO4 is 5% of the 8702 GCSE, 2.5% on each paper. It rewards a range of vocabulary and sentence structures as well as accuracy.

Do I need to quote in a closed-book exam? Yes, where possible. AO1 asks for textual references, including quotations. Short quotations and precise references to moments both count.

Is context needed in every answer? AO3 is assessed across both papers (15% overall), but not equally in every question. Use context where it helps explain the writer’s choices.

Syllabus coverage

AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification, 3.3 Skills: reading comprehension and reading critically (literal and inferential comprehension; critical reading; evaluation of a writer’s choice of vocabulary, grammatical and structural features; comparing texts) and writing (producing clear and coherent text; accurate Standard English); 4.2 assessment objectives AO1–AO4 and their weightings.

Self-test

1. Which AO carries the largest weighting? (AO2, 42.5%.)
2. What is the difference between explicit and implicit meaning? (Stated directly versus suggested.)
3. Name the two headings of 3.3 Skills. (Reading comprehension and reading critically; writing.)
4. What percentage of the GCSE is AO4? (5%.)
5. Which skill involves “recognising the possibility of and evaluating different responses”? (Critical reading.)

Related pages

• Skills study guide
• Skills practice questions
• Shakespeare and the 19th-Century Novel revision notes
• Paper 2 Modern Texts and Poetry revision notes

Official specification

AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) specification — aqa.org.uk.