Mr Bruff's GCSE English Revision Guide - Sample - English Language Exam Section B (Foundation & Higher Tier)

Sep 5, 2026

Revision guide sample for GCSE English Language exam Section B (Foundation and Higher Tier), focusing on the writing task with two long answers. It explains section structure consistency across tiers, recommended timing for questions 5 and 6, and how marks reward spelling, punctuation and grammar. The chapter details the main writing purposes and introduces DAFOREST as a set of linguistic devices—direct address, alliteration, fact, opinion, rhetorical question, emotive language, statistics, and (rule of) three—with an example argument to show how these techniques target top mark bands.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose

Common writing purposes

DAFOREST linguistic devices

Using DAFOREST to reach the highest bands

Example responses

Applying the techniques in practice

SAMPLE ENGLISH/ ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAM SECTION B (FOUNDATION& HIGHER TIER) Section B follows the same format no matter which tier paper you are taking. Whether you are aiming for a C grade or an A* you should aim to do everything I cover in this chapter in your section B answer. Section B is the writing section of the exam, requiring you to write two long answers. You are recommended to spend around 25 minutes on question 5 and 35 minutes on question 6. Around 1/3 of the marks available in this section are awarded for spelling, punctuation and grammar, so it is not just about what you write but how you write it. I shall divide this chapter into 4 parts: purpose, audience, format and technical skills. PURPOSE The section B questions are based on a number of purposes: writing to argue, persuade, inform, explain and describe are the most common ones. However, there is one great set of linguistic devices which applies to all of these: DAFOREST. Here are some typical questions you might see in Section B of the exam: Write a letter to your head teacher arguing that you should be able to wear what you want to school. Write an article for your school website which persuades prospective parents to send their children to your school. Write a letter to your parents in which you persuade them to let you go on holiday with a friend this summer. Write the text for a speech in which you argue for or against compulsory PE lessons. All of these questions would suit the DAFOREST linguistic devices. CO PY R IG HT © 2 0 1 3 , A N D R EW B R U F F . A L L R IG HTS R ES E RV E D . /1 LINGUISTIC DEVICES: USING DAFOREST TECHNIQUE DEFINITION EXAMPLE WHY WE USE IT | Direct address | Referring to the reader directly using the pronouns‘we’ or ‘you’. | ‘You need to give up smoking’ | Engages the reader to read on as they feel that, by being addressed directly, the text is relevant to them. | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Alliteration | A group of words beginning with the same letter or sound. | ‘Smoking sucks’ | Makes the text catchy – it sticks in the reader’s head. | | Fact | Something which can be proven to be true. | ‘60% of teens have tried smoking’ | Make the text seem authoritative, accurate and therefore believable. | | Opinion | A belief which cannot be proven to be true. | ‘Everyone hates people who smoke’ | Sway the reader towards the writer’s viewpoint. | | Rhetorical question | Any question in a piece of writing which does not require an answer. | ‘Do you want to die young?’ | Engages the reader to read on as they feel that, by being addressed directly, the text is relevant to them. | | Emotive
language | Words which elicit a powerful emotional response. | ‘Smoking is
barbaric and torturous’ | Makes the topic of the text seem overly good or bad, depending on the purpose of the text. | | statistics | Numerical facts and data. | ‘8/10 smokers want to quit’ | Make the text seem authoritative, accurate and therefore believable. | | (rule of) three | Lists of three things in a sentence. | ‘smoking is expensive, harmful and antisocial’. | Makes the text catchy – it sticks in the reader’s head. | When you use DAFOREST in your writing, it automatically hits the highest bands in the mark scheme for both section B questions. Below is an example of just how you can do that. This article argues that the elderly are to blame for today’s problems (it’s an old exam question I tried to answer) . As you will see, you can use DAFOREST to make up the majority of your CO PY R IG HT © 2 0 1 3 , A N D R EW B R U F F . A L L R IG HTS R ES E RV E D . /2 answer. Everything that is highlighted is an example of DAFOREST – can you work out which bit is which technique? PENSIONERS POLLUTE As current surveys show 75% of old people hold young people responsible for today's problems , Andrew Bruff suggests today's youth are not the key offenders ; the elderly had the planet ruined before they even arrived. Look around y

FAQs

What is the purpose of Section B in the GCSE English Language exam?

Section B is the writing section that requires learners to write two long answers based on common purposes such as to argue, persuade, inform, explain, and describe.

How should exam time be planned for the two long questions?

Spend around 25 minutes on question 5 and 35 minutes on question 6.

What does DAFOREST stand for and why is it important?

DAFOREST is a set of linguistic devices—direct address, alliteration, fact, opinion, rhetorical question, emotive language, statistics, and (rule of) three—used to strengthen writing and help achieve the highest bands in the mark scheme.

Sep 5, 2026

Upload by Lucas Martin