The Mr Salles Method for Language Papers 1A and 2A AQA
This post is about my Mr Salles Method for answering the reading questions on Paper 1 and 2.
If you’ve watched my videos, you’ll know I recommend.
Quote and explain.
Quote and explain.
Or add a further explanation to the same quote.
Write each one out as numbered points.
Write the same number of explanations as there are marks in the question.
This feels shocking, even though it is totally logical. You are still writing in sentences.
Numbering them means you can see when you have fully answered the question, and helps the examiners see that they have to give the marks (so long as your explanations are based on quotes, and answer the question).
Students who have taken my course on Paper 1A learned this method and made fantastic progress in their mocks.
Meet R. R started the course at grade 5. He worked really hard. This is what he wrote to me after his mocks in March:
“Language paper 1, I got 59/80 which translates to a grade 8.
Honestly, if I want a 9 next month and in June. This was extremely necessary for me to get at least an 8. A 9 was 64, so I wasn't far.
Your method of the number of explanations pretty much worked. I got 4/4 6/8 5/8 16/20 and 28/40 with I guess me only really under-performing on the structure question.
Now the feedback my teacher gave me was this: she really did not like me numbering my "paragraphs" even though I tried to tell her they were only sentences.
She said she knows, but this is strongly discouraged apparently by examiners, even though she gave me a total of 31/40 for the whole of section A which is one mark from a grade 9.
My story hands down came from Mr Everything English's concept of memorising a story plot of a priest and using CHATGPT to come up with some beautiful phrases and to tweak it...although I think a bit more can be done to nail grade 9 absolutely with the story, so I will action the feedback.
My Comments
I’m really pleased his teacher realised that numbering his points made it easy for her to work out the marks.
It is totally wrong that examiners discourage you from writing this way. They have made no comment on it at all in the examiner’s report. There is absolutely nothing in the mark scheme that tells you not to do it.
It actually helps the examiner give you the right mark. Just like R’s teacher.
The Priest story! I love to give Mr Everything English so much stick about this. Keep a look out for our next collab. Plagiarism? No. It is legit.
(Still, R did even better on Section A than on Q5, where he scored 28! More proof that the course works).
Question 4 Paper 1 Answer
This is an email from a student who has watched my videos, but not taken my course.
Hello Mr Salles,
I used your method for P1 Q4 and only got 11/20 marks. Obviously I didn’t do it perfectly which is why I’m hoping u could tell me what I did wrong based on the answer I give you.
Tilf.io did give this a level 3 and 11/20 just gets in the level 3
Here is my answer
2018 Paper 1
Student Answer With My Marking
I agree with the statement as Mr Fisher says that Tibbet "deserved a spark of attention". This implies that Tibbet’s homework hasn’t always been good and he finally has done a good piece of homework, showing that he was not expecting this.
The key words in the question are ’story is better than expected’ and ‘extreme’. You have only dealt with the first one, but replaced story with homework. So, this point doesn’t really answer the question yet. No marks.
We can also infer that Tibbet’s homework could be the best piece of homework he has done further showing that Mr Fisher didn’t expect this because Tibbet’s standard is never like this.
Yes, we could infer this if you showed us which quote this helps you do this. If it is the same quote as before, it doesn’t prove your point. No marks.
The verb "deserved" shows us that Mr Fisher is proud of Tibbet and wants to give him the credit he deserves for this piece of homework produced.
Same as above. No marks.
Mr Fisher is getting ready and preparing to look at Tibbet’s homework. "Mr Fisher took a deep breath and looked down at Tibbet’s exercise book." This perhaps could suggest that Mr Fisher has been astonished and isn’t ready to face the truth that Tibbet has perhaps proved his thoughts of Tibbet’s homework wrong.
The question is about Tibbet’s story, and his reaction to it. You can’t get marks for quoting stuff that is not about the story. No marks.
This could also imply that Mr Fisher is perhaps panicking and his body cannot handle the level of shock he is receiving.
My method is: quote and explain. 1 mark. But this has to be answering the question. You haven’t quoted to prove he is in shock. No marks.
Mr Fisher perhaps doesn’t trust his thoughts about Tibbet’s homework and wants himself to believe that it isn’t as good as he thinks it is. This is shown when Mr Fisher is "trying not to think of the snow outside and the five o’clock bus he was now almost certain to miss." This implies that Mr Fisher is focusing hard to make sure how good Tibbet’s homework really is and cannot believe his own thoughts.
This is a quote and explanation. But it is not correct. Line 31 tells us that Mr Fisher has clearly not even looked at the story yet. So you are not yet answering the question. No marks.
This implies that Mr Fisher is trying to deceive his thoughts unable to believe himself.
As above. No marks.
The fact that he is willing to miss his 5 0’clock bus shows how determined he is to find out how good Tibbet’s homework really is, once again showing he doesn’t even trust his own thoughts.
Yes, this is his reaction to the story. You don’t quote, but this is a reference to the text, and your explanation works. 1 mark.
Mr Fisher "began to sweat" as he was reading Tibbet’s homework. This implies that he is working very hard to check how good Tibbet’s homework is.
Yes! 1 mark.
Mr Fisher doesn’t stop reading his homework " And when he reached the end of the story, Mr Fisher put down his red pen and went back to the beginning, re-reading every word very slowly and with meticulous care". This implies that he is still unsure of what to think about Tibbet’s homework and can’t trust his senses.
Yes! 1 mark.
Perhaps Mr Fisher is bewildered: "He read it again, critically this time, marking off the paragraphs with notes in red". He is just so surprised that he doesn’t know what to think even after reading it already.
1 mark.
He is spending as much time as possible to perhaps prove to his students that there is hope for his class. If someone else can do it, so can they, is perhaps the message he wants to put out to his students.
This is a fine extra explanation for an extra mark. It would be better if you used the key word of the question – does this show his reaction is reasonable or ‘extreme’? Because you don’t, this is only a possible mark. 1 mark.
Mr Fisher really likes Tibbet’s homework: "He found himself beginning to smile." This shows that Mr Fisher is enjoying Tibbet’s homework and really likes it,
1 mark
showing that he thinks it is good and certainly was unexpected.
This is the first time you have dealt with the key word ‘expected’! 1 mark.
"There were themes he recognised, elements of plot which were vaguely familiar: an adventure – a quest, a child, a man." This shows that Mr Fisher is used to seeing books and stories written just like Tibbet’s, so this means that Tibbet has wrote a story that Mr Fisher would willingly read.
1 mark.
“But to explain Tibbet’s story in these terms was as meaningless as trying to describe a loved one’s face in terms of nose, eyes, mouth". This shows that Mr Fisher has no words to describe Tibbet’s homework and is unable to, which implies how good Tibbet’s homework is.
The examiner can infer that you mean his reaction is not extreme. Possible mark.
and how he was certainly up for a surprise and did not expect this.
1 mark – you are explaining, using the key word!
"This was something new. Something entirely original". This shows that Mr Fisher has never seen this type of work from his school, which shows how great Tibbet’s homework is and how it is one of a kind, and perhaps Mr Fishers best ever homework.
You don’t use an of the key words. It is a possible mark because the examiner can infer that you mean his reaction is not extreme. Possible mark.
My Comments
Your problem is not with numbering your explanations. It is with not always answering the question.
As you can see from the explanations which score you marks, you are able to use this method well.
But you can also see what your main problem is: you are not using the key words from the question in each explanation.
And that means you often don’t answer the question.
My marking agrees with your teacher and, I am delighted to say, Tilf.io agrees with your teacher.
In my course, it takes two ‘possible mark’s to make one mark, so I would score your answer at 10/20. But I would be happy to give it 11 as well.