Paper 2 Section B: Writing Checklist (Q5)

Before you hand in your writing, check you have:

Content & Organisation (AO5 – 24 marks)

• A clear form (article, letter, speech, leaflet, essay) – have you followed the instructions?
• A clear purpose (to persuade, argue, inform, explain).
• An appropriate audience (formal/informal tone as required).
• A strong opening that grabs the reader's attention.
• Ideas organised in clear paragraphs (one idea per paragraph).
• Logical sequence/flow – does each paragraph lead naturally to the next?
• A clear ending/conclusion that leaves an impact.
• Use of persuasive/engaging techniques where appropriate (e.g. rhetorical questions, direct address, statistics, anecdotes, repetition).

Technical Accuracy (AO6 – 16 marks)

• Correct spelling of common and ambitious words.
• Accurate punctuation (commas, apostrophes, sentence boundaries, question marks, exclamation marks where needed).
• A range of sentence structures (short for impact, longer for detail).
• Varied vocabulary – avoid repeating simple words.
• Proper capital letters for names, places, titles.
• Proofread quickly to fix any small mistakes.