R7: Synthesis
Combining information from multiple sources to create a coherent summary.
📋 What is Synthesis?
Definition: Synthesis means combining information from different sources to create a summary. You draw together ideas from both texts to show common themes or differences.
Synthesis involves:
- Reading and understanding both texts
- Identifying relevant information from each
- Combining information into a coherent whole
- Using evidence from both sources
Key Difference:
Synthesis = What the texts SAY (content)
Comparison = How the texts CONVEY it (methods)
Synthesis = What the texts SAY (content)
Comparison = How the texts CONVEY it (methods)
📝 Types of Synthesis Questions
1. Summary Questions (AQA Paper 2 Q2)
Example Question
Write a summary of the differences between the two writers' experiences.
You should use details from both sources.
2. "What Do You Learn" Questions
Example Question
Using details from both sources, write a summary of what you learn about...
Key Points About Synthesis
- You're summarising CONTENT, not analysing methods
- Use your own words where possible
- Include short, relevant quotations
- Focus on what each text SAYS
- Don't analyse language or structure
🔍 How to Write a Synthesis
Step-by-Step Approach
Step 1: Read both texts and identify the key information
Step 2: Decide what each text says about the topic
Step 3: Find similarities and/or differences
Step 4: Write in your own words, using brief quotations
Step 5: Organise logically - group related points
Step 2: Decide what each text says about the topic
Step 3: Find similarities and/or differences
Step 4: Write in your own words, using brief quotations
Step 5: Organise logically - group related points
Synthesis Sentence Starters
| Purpose | Starters |
|---|---|
| Introducing similarities | Both texts suggest... / Similarly, both sources... / The texts agree that... |
| Introducing differences | While Source A... Source B... / In contrast... / The texts differ in that... |
| Combining information | Both sources indicate... / Together, these texts reveal... / The evidence from both suggests... |
Example Synthesis
Both texts describe experiences of childhood, but they present very different perspectives. Source A describes a carefree, happy childhood where the writer "ran wild through the fields" and felt "completely free." In contrast, Source B presents a more restricted experience, where the writer felt "trapped" by strict rules and describes a childhood of "constant supervision." While Source A's writer recalls "endless summers," Source B remembers feeling "watched constantly" and unable to escape adult scrutiny.
📊 Synthesis vs Comparison
| Aspect | Synthesis | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | WHAT texts say | HOW texts convey meaning |
| Skills | Summary, combining | Analysis of methods |
| Language analysis | No - focus on content | Yes - analyse techniques |
| Quotations | Brief, for evidence | For analysis |
| Own words | Yes - preferred | Embedded quotes |
Remember: In synthesis questions, don't analyse language devices. Focus on summarising what each text says about the topic.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Correction |
|---|---|
| Analysing language devices | Focus on content - what each text says |
| Writing about only one text | Use evidence from BOTH sources |
| Copying large chunks of text | Summarise in your own words |
| Not addressing the question focus | Check you're answering what's asked |
| Listing points without synthesis | Combine information from both texts |
📊 Mark Scheme Guidance
AQA Paper 2 Question 2 (8 marks)
- Level 4 (7-8 marks): Perceptive synthesis with relevant detail
- Level 3 (5-6 marks): Clear synthesis with clear detail
- Level 2 (3-4 marks): Some synthesis with some detail
- Level 1 (1-2 marks): Simple information with limited detail
Examiner's Tip: This is NOT a language analysis question. Focus on what each text SAYS - the content and ideas. Use your own words and keep quotations brief. Spend about 10 minutes on this question.
❓ Practice Questions
Q1: What is the main difference between synthesis and comparison?
Q2: Should you analyse language devices in a synthesis question?
Q3: How should you use quotations in synthesis?
Q4: What sentence starter would you use to show a difference between texts?
✅ Answers
- Synthesis focuses on WHAT texts say (content); comparison focuses on HOW they convey meaning (methods).
- No - synthesis is about summarising content, not analysing language.
- Keep them brief and use them as evidence to support your summary points.
- "While Source A... Source B..." or "In contrast..." or "Unlike Source A, Source B..."
🎯 Exam Tips
- Focus on content, not language analysis
- Use evidence from both texts equally
- Write in your own words where possible
- Use synthesis sentence starters
- Don't write too much - 8 marks needs a concise response
- Group related points logically
- Answer the specific question focus
📝 Exam Technique
Synthesis Exam Strategy: This is AQA Paper 2 Q2 (8 marks) - spend about 10 minutes. The critical distinction is: synthesis asks what the texts SAY, not HOW they say it. Do not analyse language devices - focus purely on content. Use your own words to summarise, with brief quotations for support. Weave both texts together in each sentence using comparative language. Examiners reward concise, accurate summaries that combine information from both sources.
Time management: Q2 = 10 minutes for 8 marks. Keep it concise - two well-structured paragraphs that synthesise both texts are better than a long, rambling response.
What examiners look for: Clear synthesis (not separate descriptions), accurate summary of content from both texts, own words preferred, brief supporting quotations, and a direct response to the question focus (e.g. differences, similarities, or what you learn).
⚠️ Common Errors
Watch Out!
Students often analyse language devices in a synthesis question, treating it like a comparison question. Wrong: "Source A uses a simile to describe the school as 'a prison,' suggesting the writer feels trapped." Correct: "Source A presents school as a restrictive experience where students feel 'trapped,' while Source B describes it as a place of freedom where children 'explored and discovered.'"
Students often write about each text separately instead of synthesising. Wrong: One paragraph entirely about Source A, then one paragraph entirely about Source B. Correct: Combining information in each point: "Both sources describe school meals, but whereas Source A recalls 'delicious home-cooked food,' Source B describes 'bland, mass-produced dishes.'"
Students often copy large chunks of text instead of summarising in their own words. Wrong: Copying long sentences directly from the source. Correct: Paraphrasing the key information and using only short, embedded quotations as evidence.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
8 marks: Use details from both sources to write a summary of the differences between the two writers' experiences of school.
The two writers present fundamentally different experiences of school. Source A describes a nurturing environment where the writer felt valued and inspired: the teachers are remembered as "kind" and "encouraging," and the writer speaks of "discovering a love of learning" that stayed with them. In contrast, Source B recalls a harsh, authoritarian school where fear dominated: the writer describes being "terrified of making mistakes" and feeling that school was "a daily ordeal." While Source A's writer remembers school as a place of intellectual growth, where lessons "opened doors" to new ideas, Source B's experience was one of suppression, where "questions were punished" and curiosity was actively discouraged. The difference extends to their social memories too: Source A describes "lifelong friendships" formed in the playground, whereas Source B remembers isolation, being "always alone at breaktime."
Mark scheme: Level 4 (7-8 marks) requires perceptive synthesis with relevant detail from both texts. Must combine information from both sources, use own words, include brief quotations, and directly address the question focus (differences).
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
AO1 for synthesis requires you to "identify and interpret explicit information and ideas" from multiple sources and combine them into a coherent summary. At grade 5, students identify relevant information from both texts but present it separately, or fail to make clear connections between what each text says. At grade 9, students weave both texts together seamlessly, making the synthesis feel organic rather than forced. They select the most relevant details, summarise precisely in their own words, and use comparative connectives naturally. The key difference is that grade 9 responses show the reader how the texts relate to each other, while grade 5 responses simply place information side by side without genuine synthesis.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
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