AO1 — Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. Select and synthesise evidence from different texts.
(Verbatim spec text private side only — © AQA)
Tests canonical
Where assessed
Both papers, Section A. Paper 1: a single literary fiction source. Paper 2: two non-fiction sources (one 19th-century, one 20th/21st), with the synthesis element drawing on both.
Cross-overlay equivalents
- Edexcel IGCSE 4EA1 AO1 (close equivalent; Edexcel does not require synthesis across two texts)
- FS English L2 Reading (functional-comprehension equivalent)
Awarding-body notes
The synthesis element (selecting and combining evidence from two texts) is what distinguishes AO1 from a simpler comprehension AO. Heavily tested on Paper 2.