GCSE · English Language · AQA · Spec 8700

Maintaining a consistent point of view across a text

A piece can be full of good points and still leave you unsure what the writer thinks. Usually, somewhere in the middle, they quietly changed sides.

Find the evidence

Catch the writer changing sides

An illustrative student draft, written for this lesson: a newspaper article responding to the statement 'Libraries are a waste of money now that everything is online.'

Every Saturday morning, a small queue forms outside our town library before the doors open. Nobody in that queue is there because their Wi-Fi has stopped working. The council now plans to close the building to save money, arguing that everything people need is online. Closing it would be a mistake, and our town would feel the loss for years.

It is true that a huge amount of information can be found online. But information is not the same thing as a place. A phone cannot give a thirteen-year-old a warm, quiet table to do homework at when home is crowded and noisy. The library can, and it does it for free.

Look again at that Saturday queue. In it are pensioners who come in to read the newspapers, parents bringing toddlers to story time, and students who need a printer. Every one of them is using something no website can offer: a shared space that belongs to everyone.

Then again, maybe the council has a point. Most people my age never set foot in the library, and paying staff to look after shelves of books is hard to justify when money is tight. Perhaps the money really would be better spent elsewhere.

Libraries are worth every penny, and closing ours would be a mistake. Next Saturday, join the queue and see for yourself.

Question 1 of 4

The writer doesn't announce their view in the first sentence. Find the sentence that first hints at it, and the sentence where it is firmly settled.

Tap the words in the passage that prove your answer.

What do you think?

Is the balanced answer the stronger one?

You've been asked to give your view on a statement, such as 'Libraries are a waste of money now that everything is online.'

Which is closest to what you think makes the strongest piece?
How sure are you?
UK note

AQA Paper 2: in the viewpoint writing task you are free to support or oppose the statement you are given.

AQA examiners report that responses which keep switching between supporting and opposing the statement often end up making an unclear argument.

In June 2023, AQA examiners described some of the strongest viewpoint responses as developing an original voice while taking a moderate view that recognised how complex the arguments were.

One phrase, two meanings

In viewpoint writingvsIn narrative writing

So far, point of view has meant the side you take. In stories it means something else as well.

Focus

What point of view means

In viewpoint writing

The side you take: your opinion or stance on the topic.

In narrative writing

Where the story is seen from: the position you place the narrator in.

The insight

Same phrase, two jobs. Both are about where the writer stands.

What has to stay consistent

In viewpoint writing

Your side, from the opening all the way to the conclusion.

In narrative writing

The narrator's voice, from the first line to the last.

What breaks it

In viewpoint writing

Switching between agreeing and disagreeing, or weighing both sides equally.

In narrative writing

The narrator's voice suddenly changing character partway through.

How to plan for it

In viewpoint writing

Decide your view before you write, so it can be hinted at early and settled by the end of the opening.

In narrative writing

First choose where to place your narrator, then plan a full profile of the narrating character.

Narrative voice

Spot the moment the narrator changes

In a story, point of view is where the narrator stands, and their voice has to hold steady too.

Mum says I'm dead lazy. I reckon I'm just saving my energy for the stuff that matters, like the bus. The 8:14 is basically a legend round here: late every single day, and still rammed. So when it turned up bang on time on Monday, I nearly fell over. I got on, grabbed the back seat and stared out of the window like I was in a music video. Then the rain started, obviously. The droplets descended with a delicate, melancholy grace, and I found myself contemplating the quiet dignity of the slumbering town. Anyway. Kev got on at the next stop, soaking wet, and plonked himself right next to me like we were best mates. We weren't.
An illustrative story opening, written for this lesson.

Tap each highlighted phrase. One of them doesn't sound like the others.

Reading “Mum says I'm dead lazy. I reckon I'm just saving my energy”

Slang, used on purpose

What to notice

From the first line, this narrator sounds like a real, slightly cheeky teenager: 'dead lazy', 'I reckon'. The slang tells you who is talking.

Effect

Because it is chosen deliberately, kept up, and the grammar stays secure, the slang becomes part of the narrator's voice rather than a slip.

Focused phrase “Mum says I'm dead lazy. I reckon I'm just saving my energy”. technique Slang, used on purpose. From the first line, this narrator sounds like a real, slightly cheeky teenager: 'dead lazy', 'I reckon'. The slang tells you who is talking.. effect: Because it is chosen deliberately, kept up, and the grammar stays secure, the slang becomes part of the narrator's voice rather than a slip.

Watch out: Slang isn't the problem in this extract. The problem is the narrator suddenly becoming somebody else.

Your turn

Open with a settled view

Write the opening paragraph of an article for your school website giving your view on this statement: 'Every student should learn to cook before they leave school.' You can agree or disagree; the choice is yours. Include one point from the other side, and answer it. Aim for four to six sentences. [5 marks]

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

UK note

AQA Paper 2 Section B: the writing task tells you the audience, the purpose and the form, and asks for your own perspective on the theme introduced earlier in the paper. You may support or oppose the statement.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Pick your position, carry it to the last line, and write the whole piece in one voice.

What you need to know

  • Point of view means two things: the side you take in viewpoint writing, and the position a story is seen from.
  • Hint at your view early and have it firmly settled by the end of your opening paragraph.
  • You can raise the other side's argument, but answer it and reject it. Never adopt it.
  • The whole piece should read as if one person wrote it, and a narrator's voice should stay the same throughout.

The big picture

A consistent point of view means one position and one voice from the first line to the last. In viewpoint writing, you settle your side early, carry it to the conclusion, and answer any opposing argument rather than adopting it. In narrative writing, you choose where to place your narrator and keep their voice steady throughout.

Key points

1Committing to one side and carrying it to the conclusion is more effective than weighing both sides equally.
2Switching between agreeing and disagreeing breaks consistency. An opposing point that is answered and rejected does not.
3Your view doesn't have to be in the first sentence, but it should be hinted at early and settled by the end of the opening paragraph.
4A motif you keep returning to can engage the reader and give extra weight to your viewpoint.
5In a story, a narrator whose voice suddenly changes character unsettles the reader's sense of who is narrating.
6Slang or idioms can be part of a narrator's voice when they are used deliberately and consistently, with secure grammar and control.

Worked example

Problem

This paragraph responds to the statement 'Students should be paid for getting good exam results.' It has a consistency problem. Find it and fix it. 'Paying students for good results is a bad idea. It teaches young people that learning only matters when there is money attached. On the other hand, some students really do need a reason to revise, and money might be exactly what gets them started. Maybe paying them would work after all.'

⚠ Watch out

Treating 'On the other hand…' as the end of the job. Raising the other side is fine, but if the next sentence doesn't answer it, you've quietly switched sides.

🧠

Memory hook

Mention it, answer it, move on, but never move over.

✓

Check yourself

Take the last argument you wrote. Underline where your view is settled and circle each sentence that raises the other side. Is every circled sentence answered straight after? Does your conclusion match the underline?

Flashcards

(12)
What are the two meanings of 'point of view' in your own writing?
The side or stance you take, and the position a scene is seen from (where the narrator is placed).
When planning a scene in a story, what is the first choice to make?
Where to place the narrator.
In viewpoint writing, what does a consistent point of view mean?
Committing to one side and carrying it all the way to the conclusion.
Balanced viewpoint or one committed viewpoint: which is more effective?
Deciding on a viewpoint and sticking to it is more effective than creating a balanced one.
Can you mention an opposing argument and still be consistent?
Yes, provided you answer and reject it so your own position stays in control.
What is the difference between an answered concession and a switch?
A concession raises the other side and then rejects it. A switch raises it and then agrees with it.
Does your viewpoint have to be in your first sentence?
No. Hint at it early, and have it firmly settled by the end of the opening paragraph or section.
What can a motif do for a viewpoint piece?
Returned to across the piece, it can engage the reader and give extra weight to your viewpoint.
What does consistency mean for the voice of a piece?
It should read as if one person wrote all of it. Writing that sounds like two different people is unconvincing.
What happens when a narrator's voice suddenly changes character partway through?
The reader's sense of who that narrator is becomes unsettled.
What planning step helps keep a narrator's voice steady?
Planning a full profile of the narrating character before you write.
When can slang or idioms belong to a narrative voice?
When they are used deliberately and consistently, with secure grammar and control of the whole piece.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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