Level 1 English: Fact, Opinion, and Structured Writing
Level 1 English tests reading comprehension of longer texts, including fact and opinion, purpose, and tone, and writing structured texts such as letters, emails, and articles. It also checks grammar, punctuation, and spelling accuracy.
Core rules and concepts
- Reading: identify fact versus opinion. A fact can be checked; an opinion expresses belief or judgement.
- Recognise purpose and tone; compare texts and spot how language targets an audience.
- Writing: plan, use paragraphs with topic sentences, and match register to audience (formal letter versus informal message).
- Grammar: keep tense consistent, make subjects and verbs agree, and use pronouns with clear reference.
- Punctuation: apostrophes for possession and contraction; commas after introductory phrases and in lists; speech marks for direct speech; a colon before a list.
- Direct speech: 'I'll be late,' said Tom. The comma goes inside the speech marks, and the first spoken word is capitalised.
- Formal letter conventions: 'Dear Sir/Madam' with 'Yours faithfully'; 'Dear Mr Smith' with 'Yours sincerely'.
- Spelling: learn common homophones (practice/practise, advice/advise) and common prefixes and suffixes.
Worked example
Punctuate: 'I'll be late said Tom' Reasoning: Direct speech needs speech marks around the spoken words. The reporting clause 'said Tom' follows; use a comma inside the closing speech mark, then lowercase 'said' because it continues the sentence. Correct: 'I'll be late,' said Tom. If the reporting clause came first: Tom said, 'I'll be late.' Note the capital I inside the speech marks.
Traps that cost marks
- Stating an opinion as fact: 'Everyone knows the service is bad.'
- Comma splice: 'I was tired, I went to bed.'
- Missing or misplaced speech marks.
- Mixing formal and informal register in one text.
- Apostrophe errors: 'The 1990's' (decades usually take no apostrophe) or confusing 'its' and 'it's'.
- Writing a narrative when the task asks for an argument or explanation.
- Forgetting to include all bullet points in a writing task.