Paper 1 Question Types » Paper 1 Question (a): What Impression Does the Author Give?
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Assessment objectives
- What the Paper 1 (a) question asks and why it is worth 6 marks
- How to spot an author's language, tone and choices
- A simple three-part method: impression, quotation, how
- Why you do not need your own knowledge for this question
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Unlock This CourseWhat question (a) asks
Every Paper 1 question starts with part (a). It is the shortest part: 6 marks, all for AO4, which is about interpretations. The question always looks like this:
The question
What impression does the author give about [an event, person or policy]? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6 marks]
The extract is a short piece of writing by a modern author. It is not a source from the time. The practice extracts in this lesson were written for this lesson, not taken from any real book.
Key terms:
- Impression: the overall picture of something that the author wants you to get, such as "a success" or "a disaster".
- Tone: the feeling in the writing, such as admiring, critical, angry or calm.
- Selection: what the author chooses to include, and what they leave out.
Two things matter most. First, you are not asked whether the author is right. Second, you are not asked to say what happened. You are asked what picture the author paints, and how.
Where the impression comes from
Authors do not just list facts. They shape how you feel about them. Look for three things.
💬 Language
Strong or emotional words. "Astonishing skill" paints a different picture from "reasonable skill". Look at verbs and adjectives first.
🎭 Tone
Is the author full of praise, sneering, sad or neutral? Tone is the mood of the whole extract.
✂️ Selection
What does the author stress? What is missing? If an extract mentions only good news, the picture is one-sided.
Weak answers copy out the extract. Strong answers say what the words suggest. "Humiliating defeat" is not just a phrase: it tells you the author wants you to see the loser as shamed.
The method: impression, quotation, how
- Impression. Start with one clear sentence: "The author gives the impression that ..."
- Quotation. Pick two or three short quotations, the loaded words, not whole sentences.
- How. For each one, explain how it creates the impression. Then comment on what the author stresses and what they leave out.
Aim for one tidy paragraph. It should take about 9 minutes. That timing is our guide, not an official rule.
In simple terms, examiners reward three steps. A very short comment, or a retelling of the extract, earns the lowest marks. Saying what the impression is, and backing it up from the extract, reaches the middle. Explaining how the author's choice of words and material creates the impression reaches the top.
Worked example: the Berlin Airlift
This is only an example. You do not have to study this period. We use it because anyone can follow it. Here is a short fact file.
Fact file: the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, 1948-49
- After the Second World War, Germany was split into four zones, run by the USA, Britain, France and the Soviet Union.
- Berlin lay deep inside the Soviet zone, but was also split into four sectors.
- In June 1948 the Western powers brought a new currency into their zones.
- On 24 June 1948 the Soviet Union closed the road, rail and canal routes into West Berlin.
- About two million people lived in West Berlin.
- The Western powers flew in supplies such as food and coal. This was the Berlin Airlift.
- The Soviet Union lifted the blockade on 12 May 1949.
The exam gives you no fact file, and you need no own knowledge. We print it only so that you can follow the answer.
Question
What impression does the author give about the Berlin Airlift? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6 marks]
Extract A (a practice extract written for this lesson)
Day and night the aircraft came, one after another, over the rooftops of a city that the Soviet Union had tried to starve into surrender. Pilots flew in all weathers, delivering coal and flour to the people below. The Western powers had promised not to abandon Berlin, and they kept that promise with astonishing skill. Within months the Soviet plan lay in ruins, and in May 1949 the blockade was lifted, a humiliating defeat.
Strong answer
The author gives the impression that the Berlin Airlift was a triumph for the Western powers and a disaster for the Soviet Union. The phrase "tried to starve into surrender" makes the Soviet Union sound cruel, and suggests that Berliners were innocent victims. In contrast, "astonishing skill" and "kept that promise" make the Western pilots sound brave, reliable and impressive. The author stresses constant effort, "day and night" and "in all weathers", which builds a heroic picture. The ending, "lay in ruins" and "humiliating defeat", is strongly one-sided: it shows only a Soviet failure and says nothing about any problems or costs for the West.
Weaker answer
The author says planes brought coal and flour to Berlin and the blockade was lifted in May 1949. The author thinks the Airlift worked.
What lifts it: the weaker answer retells the extract. The strong answer names the impression, quotes short loaded phrases, explains what each suggests and comments on what is left out.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes
- Retelling the extract. Say what the words suggest, not what the extract says.
- Adding your own knowledge. No marks are given for it. Spend the time on the extract.
- Deciding if the author is right. That is a different question. Here, only the impression matters.
- Quoting too much. Short quotations of a few words are best.
- Making only one point. Make at least two or three points about how the impression is created.
Weighing an interpretation against other evidence is a later skill, in Paper 2 Section A Question (c): Judging an Interpretation. Explaining consequences is in Paper 1 Question (b): Explain Two Effects.
Exam-style question
Same context, new extract, different slant. Write one paragraph using the three steps. Use the fact file above if you need it.
What impression does the author give about the Berlin Airlift? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6 marks]
Extract A (a new practice extract written for this lesson)
The Airlift was a costly gamble, not a glorious victory. Through a bitter winter Berliners lived on small rations, with little coal and long, dark evenings. For almost a year they were cut off from the world and dependent on foreign pilots, never sure how long the supplies would last. The blockade ended in May 1949, but only after almost a year of hardship, and the city remained divided.
Model answer
The author gives the impression that the Airlift was a hard and uncertain struggle, not a triumph. The phrase "costly gamble" suggests a risky and expensive decision that might have failed, while "not a glorious victory" openly rejects the heroic story. The author stresses suffering: "bitter winter", "small rations" and "long, dark evenings" create a gloomy, pitiful picture of the people of Berlin. "Never sure how long the supplies would last" adds a sense of fear. The author also ends on "only after almost a year of hardship" and "remained divided", which suggests that even the end brought no clear victory. The extract leaves out the pilots' achievements, so the impression is deliberately sober and critical.
Exam tip
Read the extract once for its overall feeling, then underline three loaded words or phrases. Ask what is missing: what the author leaves out is often part of the impression.