One precise answer, not several guesses
Question 1(a)-(e) rewards precision, not coverage: each sub-question wants ONE specific piece of information stated in the text. Decide your single best answer, then commit to it. If two options tempt you, pick the one that most directly answers the exact wording. A list of alternatives ("the cost, or the distance") reads as guessing and wastes time for later questions. The examiner checks whether you found the right detail, not how many you name.
Match the number of points to the marks
The mark allocation tells you how many separate points to find: 1 mark = one stated fact; 2 marks = two genuinely DIFFERENT points; 3 marks = three distinct points, each from its own piece of evidence. Before moving on, ask: are these really different ideas, or have I reworded one? Two sentences that both restate a single fact ("it cost a lot" then "it was pricey") score as ONE point, because the second adds no new information.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Several guesses, not one answer
A recurring pattern is writing several possible answers hoping one is right - naming two or three reasons when the question wants the ONE reason given. Hedged or contradictory responses earn no credit, and they waste time needed for higher-value questions later. The fix: re-read the exact wording, find the specific stated detail, and commit to that one answer.
Digest s1.1, June 2023 (s23) Paper 1 Q1(a)-(e): candidates offer several alternative guesses instead of one precise answer, diluting the evidence of understanding.
Too few distinct points for the marks
On 2-3 mark sub-questions, candidates give only one point when two or three are required, or write several sentences describing the SAME fact. Restating is not a second point: "it cost a lot" then "it was pricey" is one idea twice. The second mark needs separate evidence, so count your points against the marks and check each comes from a different part of the text.
Digest s1.1, June 2023 (s23) Paper 1 Q1(c), Q1(d), Q1(e): candidates give too few distinct points, or restate the same point in different words, instead of the separate ideas the marks require.
Answering from the wrong paragraph
The question often signposts which section to re-read ("in the second paragraph", "when the writer first arrives"). Evidence taken from elsewhere earns nothing, however accurate it sounds, because it does not answer the point asked. Go back to the exact part of the text the question names before choosing your answer, rather than relying on your memory of a first read-through.
Digest s1.1, June 2023 (s23) Paper 1 Q1(c)-(e): answers drawn from the wrong paragraph earn nothing.
Too vague to earn the mark
Even from the right paragraph, an answer can be too general to credit. The mark is for the SPECIFIC detail the text gives, not the topic area it falls under: "location" when the text names a particular decision, or "cost" without the qualifying "high". Name the exact detail ("the fee was described as high"), not the broad subject it belongs to.
Digest s1.1, June 2023 (s23) Paper 1 Q1(d)(i), Q1(e): vague/generalised answers lose the mark even when broadly right - e.g. "location" for a specific decision, or "cost" without "high".
Copying the whole sentence around the point
When a question asks for one detail, copying the whole sentence it sits in adds no credit - it can bury the correct answer inside irrelevant material, making it harder for the examiner to see you found the right point. If the question asks "why", give the reason only; if "what", the fact only. Lift the minimum needed, not the surrounding clause.
(general exam technique)
Writing more is safer
Many think adding information "just in case" protects the mark - extra guesses to a one-point question, or a whole sentence copied when a short phrase is wanted. But the examiner credits the SPECIFIC detail, not volume: contradictory guesses can lose the mark, and copying buries the right point. Do the opposite of "more" - find the precise detail and write only that.
Digest s1.1, June 2023 (s23) Paper 1 Q1(a)-(e): candidates offer several alternative guesses instead of one precise answer.
Commit to one answer; do not hedge
Never offer two or three possibilities to a single-point question. If unsure, choose the answer that best fits the exact wording and write only that. A single answer shows located understanding; a hedged list signals guessing and scores nothing if the options contradict.
Locate using the question signpost
Identify the signpost - a named paragraph, a stage in the story, a specific event - that tells you WHERE to look. Re-read that exact section rather than trusting your memory of the first read-through. Wrong-section evidence scores nothing, so pin down the right place first.
Count the marks, count the points
Before writing, read the mark allocation and treat it as the number of DISTINCT points to find: one mark, one point; two marks, two different points; three marks, three. Checking first prevents both under-answering and wasting time restating one idea.
Answer precisely, lift the minimum
Write only the words needed to answer. If the question asks "why", give the reason; if "what", give the fact. Paraphrase or quote the smallest unit that answers it, not the whole sentence around it - a short precise phrase is safer than a long copied one.
This is Reading objective R1: locating and retrieving explicit information - the most foundational reading skill, and the one tested first, on Paper 1 Question 1(a)-(e). Each sub-question asks you to find a specific fact, reason, detail or piece of information that is stated directly in Text A or Text B. There is no "hidden meaning" to work out here - the answer is on the page - but you still need to find exactly the right piece of it, and give exactly the right number of separate points.
Why might an answer earn zero marks even if it is factually true?
