GCSE

How to get a 9 in GCSE English Language

8 min read · updated 2026-10-13

A 9 in AQA GCSE English Language needed 122 out of 160 in June 2026, about 76% (Edexcel's needed 132). That leaves room for a few imperfect answers, but the writing questions, worth half of each paper, must be excellent.

Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing (1h 45m, 80 marks)

✓ Q1 (4 marks): list four things from a set part of the extract; about 5 minutes
✓ Q2 (8 marks): how the writer uses language; about 10 minutes
✓ Q3 (8 marks): how the writer structures the text; about 10 minutes
✓ Q4 (20 marks): evaluate a statement about the text; about 25 minutes
✓ Q5 (40 marks: 24 content and organisation, 16 technical accuracy): descriptive or narrative writing; about 45 minutes

Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives (1h 45m, 80 marks)

✓ Q1 (4 marks): true or false statements about Source A
✓ Q2 (8 marks): summarise differences between the two sources
✓ Q3 (12 marks): how the writer uses language
✓ Q4 (16 marks): compare the writers' viewpoints and methods
✓ Q5 (40 marks): write your own viewpoint (article, letter, speech or essay)

What a top answer does

✓ Reading: precise, embedded quotations and analysis of effect, not feature-spotting
✓ Q4 on both papers: a clear, critical overview supported throughout
✓ Writing: a deliberately shaped structure, ambitious but controlled vocabulary and varied sentences
✓ Technical accuracy: 16 marks on each paper for spelling, punctuation and grammar; proofread for five minutes

A 10-week plan

✓ Weeks 1-3: one Q5 piece a week for each paper, redrafted after feedback
✓ Weeks 4-6: Q4 evaluation and comparison practice with unseen texts
✓ Weeks 7-10: full papers timed at 1h 45m, keeping to the timings above

Building a writing toolkit

Grade 9 writing feels natural because it is practised. Build a small toolkit you can use in any Question 5:

✓ Three ways to open: a striking image, a line of dialogue, a short rhetorical question
✓ A structure that shifts focus (zoom in, flash back, return to the opening image)
✓ A handful of precise verbs and nouns for common topics
✓ Punctuation for effect: the semicolon, the dash and the colon, used correctly

Reading for analysis

The analysis questions reward close reading: pick a short quotation, name what the writer does, and explain the effect on the reader in detail. Reading quality journalism and nineteenth-century non-fiction regularly makes Paper 2's sources feel familiar.