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SavannahYear 8
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EnglishTwo texts, two viewpoints30 min★★★ difficulty

Comparing two writers' viewpoints

The hardest GCSE reading question gives you two texts and asks how the writers' attitudes differ. This lesson gives you a method that works even when the texts are centuries apart.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts

Key learning points

  • • Two short original texts
  • • Nail the viewpoint before the methods
  • • The comparison paragraph
  • • Comparing method as well as opinion

This lesson at a glance

  • 30 minutes
  • 18 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

contrasttreatmentthemesviewpointsacross

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 18 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 18

Watch first

Comparing two writers' viewpoints

An English teaching video on this topic from BBC Bitesize - GCSE Revision Support. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Compare and contrast the treatment of themes and viewpoints across two or more texts

2

What you already know

Part 2 of 18

Before we start

What you already know

You should be able to say what a writer thinks about their subject, in one sentence.

Recap: Sentence and text structure as a deliberate choice
3

Key words

Part 3 of 18

Key words

Words you'll need today

Viewpoint
What the writer thinks and feels about the subject.
Attitude
The stance a writer takes: approving, critical, amused, alarmed.
Comparative connective
Words like whereas, similarly, by contrast, that hold two texts together.
Tone
The voice of the writing: formal, warm, sarcastic, urgent.
Method
How the viewpoint is delivered: word choice, structure, anecdote, statistics.
4

Learning cycle

Part 4 of 18

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Finding the two viewpoints

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

5

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 18

Learn

Two short original texts

Text A, a Victorian-style report: 'The visitor to the mill will observe children of nine and ten at the frames, and will observe, too, that the master considers this a service rendered to their families.' Text B, a modern column: 'We congratulate ourselves for banning child labour at home while wearing it on our feet.' Both are about children working. A observes and quietly condemns; B accuses everyone, including the reader.

6

Explore the idea

Part 6 of 18

Learn

Nail the viewpoint before the methods

Write one sentence for each writer: A believes the mill owner's self-justification is hollow. B believes modern shoppers are hypocrites. Now the comparison has something to compare. Students who jump straight to techniques end up listing features side by side, which is the classic mid-band answer.

7

Quick check

Part 7 of 18

Quick check

Text A's attitude to the mill owner is best described as...

8

Reset break

Part 8 of 18

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
9

Quick check

Part 9 of 18

Quick check

Why does Text B use 'we'?

10

Learning cycle

Part 10 of 18

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Writing a comparison

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

11

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 18

Learn

The comparison paragraph

Start with the shared subject, state the difference, then evidence from both with a comparative connective. 'Both writers condemn children's labour, but A does it by letting the master's own logic look absurd, describing it as 'a service rendered', whereas B turns the accusation on the reader directly with 'we congratulate ourselves', refusing us any distance.' One paragraph, both texts, one clear point.

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 18

Learn

Comparing method as well as opinion

Also compare how they persuade. A uses the flat voice of a report, which makes the horror feel routine. B uses the collective 'we' and a short, stinging final image. Same subject, opposite tactics: restraint versus confrontation. Noting that difference in method is what lifts the answer into the top band.

13

Quick check

Part 13 of 18

Quick check

Which sentence is genuine comparison?

14

Quick check

Part 14 of 18

Quick check

The best place to start a comparison paragraph is...

15

Common mix-ups

Part 15 of 18

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

  • Two paragraphs, one per text, is not comparison - the comparison must happen inside the paragraph.
  • 'They are similar because they are both about children' is subject, not viewpoint.
  • Comparing which text is better wastes time; compare what they think and how they say it.
  • Old-fashioned language does not automatically mean the writer approves of what they describe.
16

Challenge round

Part 16 of 18

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

17

Mastery quiz

Part 17 of 18

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Comparing two writers' viewpoints

6 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Viewpoint means...

  2. 2. Which is a comparative connective?

  3. 3. A restrained, report-like tone can still be critical because...

  4. 4. The weakest comparison structure is...

  5. 5. Comparing methods means comparing...

  6. 6. 'Both writers condemn X, but A does so by... whereas B...' is a good opening because...

18

Lesson round-up

Part 18 of 18

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

The last bus

The bus shelter smelled of wet coats. Mira pressed her timetable flat against the glass, as though staring at the numbers might make the 9:42 appear. Rain tapped the roof in small, impatient fingers. Somewhere behind her, a shop shutter came down with a sound like a full stop.

She had been brave all day. She had been brave in the corridor, brave at lunch, brave when the register reached her name and nobody looked up. Being brave, she decided, was mostly a matter of keeping your face still.

Headlights swung around the corner and lit the puddles gold. Mira picked up her bag. Tomorrow she would say something. Tonight she would simply go home.

Original extract written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. Find two words or phrases that show how Mira is feeling, and explain what each one suggests.
  2. How does the writer use the weather and the sounds to build the mood? Use a short quotation.
  3. Write the next paragraph in the same style, keeping the writer's short sentences at the moments that matter.

  • Reading response

    Reading

    Read the extract again, then write about how the writer makes you feel that way. Use a short quotation and explain your choice of words.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Write your piece in full, then redraft the opening so it hooks the reader.

    250–350 words

  • Reading log

    Reading

    Note the book, the pages you read and one thing you noticed about the writing.

    20 minutes' reading

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Part 1 of 18 · Watch & discover

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