Open the app
  1. Home
  2. Lessons
  3. GCSE & IGCSE English Language
  4. Synthesis: Paper 2 Question 7(a)

Synthesis: Paper 2 Question 7(a)

Question 7(a) asks what similarities there are between the two texts on a named topic. This is synthesis: drawing information together from both texts.

What it asks

A typical form: 'The two texts show picnics. What similarities do the picnics share?'
It is AO1, 6 marks, marked in three levels (1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6).
Write about similarities only, and about the topic named (the places, the people, the events), not about the writers' styles.

Doing it well

Make several clear points of similarity.
Back each one with brief evidence from both texts.
Keep it concise. Examiner reports warn against discussing differences or methods here: that belongs in Question 7(b).

Practice texts

The topic: Saltby as a seaside place.
Worked example

Write one similarity between Saltby in Text 1 and Text 2.

  1. Find a shared idea: food.
  2. Text 1: chips eaten from newspaper.
  3. Text 2: a weekend food market on the pier.

Answer: In both texts Saltby is a place to enjoy food by the sea: chips from newspaper in Text 1 and the pier's food market in Text 2.

Key idea

Question 7(a): AO1, 6 marks. Similarities only, on the topic named in the question, with brief evidence from both texts. Save differences and methods for 7(b).

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

Check you have got it

Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.