Cambridge AS & A Level English Language 9093/12 is the May/June 2026 Paper 1 (Reading), variant 2, an AS Level component. It lasts 2 hours 15 minutes, is worth 50 marks and you answer both questions: a two-part directed response worth 25 marks and a 25-mark text analysis. There is no choice, so the challenge is pacing: Question 2 is the single biggest task, and the 15-mark comparison in Question 1(b) is worth more than the advertisement you write for it. This guide covers every part and explains how the official mark scheme’s assessment objective (AO) grids give marks. The paper and its mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of all four 9093 papers from this series, see A Level English Language 9093 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

9093/12 at a glance

Rubric: answer all questions. Dictionaries are not allowed.

Question	Section	Text and task	AOs	Marks
1(a)	A: Directed response	Using an online newspaper article on sustainable jewellery, write a 150 to 200-word magazine advertisement for a craft fair	AO1 5, AO2 5	10
1(b)	A: Directed response	Compare your advertisement with the article: form, structure and language	AO1 5, AO3 10	15
2	B: Text analysis	Sections of a food website article on pastel de nata: analyse form, structure and language	AO1 5, AO3 20	25
		Total		50

Question-by-question walkthrough

How every question is marked

Each part has its own grid with one column per AO. The examiner places your answer in a level (5 down to 1, plus 0) for each AO separately and adds the marks.

• AO1 (understanding) rewards accurate understanding of the text’s meaning, context and audience and reference to its characteristic features. Where comparison is needed, it rewards spotting similarities and differences, not analysing them.
• AO2 (writing) is judged equally on expression (range and accuracy) and development (organisation and relevance to task and audience).
• AO3 (analysis) is judged equally on analysing form, structure and language and on how the writer’s stylistic choices relate to audience and shape meaning.
• Best fit. Within a level, each bullet point counts equally, and the descriptors are guidance rather than hurdles. The notes for each question are illustrative, and other valid points are credited.

Question 1(a): the craft fair advertisement (10 marks)

The source is an online newspaper article about startups and designers turning waste such as old electronics and recycled leather into jewellery that people buy for its look as well as its sustainability. You write the text of an advertisement for a local magazine promoting an upcoming craft fair featuring sustainable jewellery, in 150 to 200 words.

• Marks: AO1 and AO2, 5 marks each. Each level is worth one mark, from 1 (basic) to 5 (sophisticated).
• What the scheme expects: form, audience, purpose, conventions, language and structure adapted to an advertisement. Content might include craft company names, facts and details about the event, the materials used and descriptive detail, with tone used to make an impact on the reader.
• Moving up: AO1 rises from minimal to insightful reference to the article’s characteristic features, so use what the article tells you about the materials and designers. AO2 rises from frequent errors and little development to sophisticated, accurate expression with ideas developed throughout.
• The word limit: there is no direct penalty, but staying within 150 to 200 words counts towards relevance to purpose in the AO2 column.

Question 1(b): comparing your advertisement with the article (15 marks)

• Marks: AO1 5 (one mark per level) and AO3 10 (Level 5 is 9 to 10, Level 4 is 7 to 8, Level 3 is 5 to 6, Level 2 is 3 to 4, Level 1 is 1 to 2).
• Form points in the scheme: the conventions of each text, how their different purposes shape content and style, and how each appeals to its audience, for example through register.
• Structure points: how paragraphs or sections are used, changes in sentence type or function, the openings and endings, the part direct speech plays in the article, and chronological order.
• Language points: third-person narration giving an objective, authoritative stance; direct address in your advertisement to involve and persuade; facts, named designers and companies, and a statistic about Gen Z luxury buyers preferring sustainable brands, adding credibility to the article; low-frequency words such as aesthetics and arcane making the topic and experts sound serious; repetition of terms like sustainability, discarded and e-mining; and luxury vocabulary such as opulent, gold, antique and diamond, which suggests recycled jewellery is as special as new.
• Moving up: the top three AO3 levels all describe comparative analysis. Level 2 and Level 1 say comparison is limited or minimal. Writing about each text in turn, without linking them, keeps you low in both columns. You may organise by form, structure and language or any other way.

Question 2: pastel de nata (25 marks)

The text is a series of sections from a food website article about pastel de nata, the traditional Portuguese egg custard tart: where it came from, how it is made and advice on baking it, including a tip on getting its characteristic blackened spots.

• Marks: AO1 5 (one mark per level) and AO3 20 (Level 5 is 17 to 20, Level 4 is 13 to 16, Level 3 is 9 to 12, Level 2 is 5 to 8, Level 1 is 1 to 4).
• Form: conventions of the text type, how its purpose shapes content and style, and how tone and register appeal to its audience.
• Structure: the title and successive subheadings, such as Cooking tips and Baking, which organise the material; an opening paragraph that establishes the topic; discourse markers and anaphoric references for cohesion; and a final paragraph that gives a sense of resolution as the baking is finished.
• Language: historical facts presented early (made before the 18th century by monks and nuns in Lisbon); the lexical field of baking and lists of ingredients; the Portuguese name adding authenticity; positive vocabulary that makes the tarts appealing even within instructions; repeated should, showing how special the tarts are and how carefully they must be made; imperatives guiding the reader; differing opinions from chefs about sweetness, flavourings and baking methods, suggesting fussiness and disagreement; and precise details such as baking temperatures.
• Moving up: Level 4 needs detailed, coherent, effectively structured analysis with an effective selection of features. Level 5 needs sophisticated, insightful selection and precise language linking each piece of evidence to a comment. Awareness of how style relates to audience and meaning appears in every level from 3 up.

Where the marks are on 9093/12

Assessment objective	Q1(a)	Q1(b)	Q2	Total
AO1 Understanding	5	5	5	15
AO2 Writing	5	–	–	5
AO3 Analysis	–	10	20	30
Total	10	15	25	50

• Analysis is 60% of the paper. Your own writing earns only 5 marks, so a polished advertisement cannot make up for a thin comparison or analysis.
• AO1 is 5 marks in every part. It is the same grid each time: understanding of meaning, context and audience, and reference to characteristic features.
• Question 2 is twice the analysis of Question 1(b). Give it the most time.

How to self-mark 9093/12 with the mark scheme

1. Count your advertisement. Check it sits within 150 to 200 words before you mark it; this feeds the AO2 relevance bullet.
2. Mark each AO separately. For every part, place the answer in a level for each column, then add. Do not average across columns.
3. Test 1(b) for comparison. Highlight each paragraph that covers both texts. If most cover only one, the Level 2 wording (“limited comparison”) probably fits.
4. Check your evidence-to-comment link in Question 2. For each feature, ask whether you said what it does for the reader. Naming features without effect points to Level 2 or 1.
5. Compare with the scheme’s notes, but do not treat them as a checklist. Credit valid points the notes do not list, such as other structural or language features.
6. Choose the mark within the level by best fit. Weigh each bullet equally, then pick the top or bottom of the band.

Sit 9093/12 as a timed mock

The paper allows 135 minutes for 50 marks.

Block	Marks	Time
Read the jewellery article and plan the advertisement	–	10 minutes
Write the advertisement (1(a))	10	20 minutes
Plan and write the comparison (1(b))	15	35 minutes
Read the pastel de nata text and plan	–	15 minutes
Write the analysis (Question 2)	25	50 minutes
Check word count, links between evidence and comment	–	5 minutes

Other May/June 2026 9093 papers

• 9093 Paper 22 (Writing)
• 9093 Paper 32 (Language Analysis)
• 9093 Paper 42 (Language Topics)

Practise and download

• Download 9093/12 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 9093 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free A Level English Language quiz

Need help with a 9093 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an A Level English Language tutor →

Frequently asked questions

How long is 9093 Paper 12 May/June 2026 and how many marks is it worth? +

It lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and is worth 50 marks. You answer both questions: Question 1 has two parts worth 10 and 15 marks, and Question 2 is worth 25 marks.

What texts were set on 9093/12 in 2026? +

Question 1 used an online newspaper article about designers making jewellery from waste materials such as old electronics and recycled leather. Question 2 used sections of a food website article on pastel de nata, the Portuguese custard tart.

Is there a penalty for going over 200 words in 9093/12 Question 1(a)? +

There is no direct penalty. The mark scheme treats keeping to 150 to 200 words as part of relevance to purpose, which is assessed in the AO2 writing column, so a response well outside the limit can lose marks there.

How is the 9093/12 comparison question marked? +

Question 1(b) gives 5 marks for AO1, recognising similarities and differences between your advertisement and the article, and 10 marks for AO3, analysing form, structure and language comparatively. The lower levels describe comparison as limited or minimal.

Which assessment objective matters most on 9093/12? +

AO3 analysis. It carries 30 of the 50 marks: 10 in Question 1(b) and 20 in Question 2. AO1 understanding carries 15 marks and AO2 writing only 5.

Where can I download 9093/12 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

Both are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge AS & A Level English Language 9093 past papers page.

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