5 Great Short Stories to Read for AQA Language Paper 1
As you read these stories, you should also start to develop your own thoughts and opinions on the topics they explore. This will help you with your own writing and analysis on Language Paper 1.
If you’re looking for full support with AQA GCSE English Language, take a look at our Complete Revision Pack here - it contains everything you need to get top marks on the exams, including tons of example answers, question breakdowns, stories to read, practice questions + more!
The Great Automatic Grammatizer by Roald Dahl - a story about a machine that has been built to create art (interesting exploration of AI)
https://gwern.net/doc/fiction/science-fiction/1953-dahl-thegreatautomaticgrammatizator.pdf
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut - a futuristic story about trying to make everyone equal
https://www.tnellen.com/westside/harrison.pdf
Bliss by Katherine Manfield - a party where the main character is overcome with too much happiness
https://web.stanford.edu/~jsabol/existentialism/materials/mansfield-bliss.pdf
The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe - a dark gothic tale
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_black_cat.pdf
A Perfect Day for Bananafish by JD Salinger - a haunting dark and comic story about a war survivor
Thanks for reading!
Try our complete AQA GCSE English Language Papers 1 + 2 course!
This course includes:
Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives
Section A Breakdown (Analysis of Perspectives)
Section B Breakdown (Nonfiction Writing)
How to Write Comparative Analysis + Summaries
Planning Support for Persuasive + Informative Writing
Example Student Responses, L5-L9
Example Full Mark Answers by a Tutor
Practice Papers Written by an AQA Examiner
Nonfiction Writing Practice Questions
Grade Boundaries Explained
Mark Scheme Breakdown
BONUS MATERIAL: How to write great speeches, letters, diary entries + articles
Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing
Section A Breakdown (Creative Reading)
Section B Breakdown (Creative Writing)
How to Analyse Language Features + Structural Devices
Planning Support for Creative Writing
Example Student Responses, L5-L9
Example Full Mark Answers by a Tutor
Practice Papers Written by an AQA Examiner
Creative Writing Practice Questions
Grade Boundaries Explained
Mark Scheme Breakdown
BONUS MATERIAL: Reading Support + Recommended Short Stories
