Checkpoint 8 · Reading: understanding texts

Purpose, Fact and Opinion, and Viewpoint

The author’s purpose and its clues, fact versus opinion, first, second and third person, the writer’s attitude, and the PEE method for “give your opinion with two quotations” questions.

British & IGCSE › Checkpoint 8 English (Cambridge Lower Secondary 0861)

Every writer has a reason for writing (the purpose) and a way of seeing the subject (the viewpoint). Checkpoint 8 reading questions test both: what the writer is trying to do, which statements are facts and which are opinions, who is telling the story, how the writer feels about the subject, and — in the longer questions — what you think, backed up by quotations. This page teaches all of these with a clear method for each.

How this topic is tested

Purpose: “What is the main purpose of this text?” / “Why has the writer included paragraph 4?” / “Tick the purpose of the imperatives in lines 10-12.”
Fact and opinion: “Give one fact and one opinion from paragraph 2.” / “Tick the statement that is an opinion.”
Point of view and voice: “Which phrase shows this paragraph is told in the character’s own voice?” / “How do we know the narrator is a child?”
Writer’s attitude: “What is the writer’s attitude to the new shopping centre? Give a quotation to support your answer.”
Your own opinion: “Would you like to visit this place? Give your opinion and support it with two quotations, explaining each.” These are usually worth 2-4 marks.

1. The author’s purpose

The purpose is why the text was written. Most texts have one main purpose and sometimes a second one. For example, a museum leaflet mainly persuades you to visit, but it also informs you of opening times. Use the clues in the table to decide.

Purpose	What the writer is doing	Language clues	Typical texts
To inform	Giving facts so the reader knows something	Facts, dates, numbers, third person, neutral tone, sub-headings	News report, non-chronological report, encyclopaedia entry, information leaflet
To explain	Showing how or why something happens	Cause-and-effect connectives (because, so, as a result, therefore), present tense, technical words, steps in a process	Science article, explanation text, “How does…?” article
To persuade	Making the reader believe or do something	Emotive words, rhetorical questions, “you”, “we”, rule of three, exaggeration, call to action	Advert, charity appeal, campaign speech, persuasive letter
To argue	Proving a point of view with reasons and evidence	Clear position, “firstly… furthermore… therefore”, evidence, counter-argument answered	Opinion article, debate speech, letter to the editor
To entertain	Giving the reader enjoyment, excitement or amusement	Story structure, dialogue, humour, suspense, vivid description	Stories, novels, funny blogs, anecdotes
To describe	Creating a picture of a person, place or event in the reader’s mind	Adjectives, the five senses, similes and metaphors, detailed noun phrases	Travel writing, descriptive passages in stories, memoirs
To advise	Helping the reader to solve a problem or make a good choice	“You should…”, “Try to…”, “It may help to…”, reassuring tone, tips	Problem page, health leaflet, study-tips blog
To instruct	Telling the reader exactly how to do something	Imperative verbs, numbered steps, time connectives, precise measurements	Recipe, manual, rules, directions
To recount	Retelling events in the order they happened	Past tense, time connectives, first person, “who, what, when, where” opening	Diary, autobiography, trip report
To review	Judging the quality of something	Evaluative adjectives, comparisons, a verdict or rating	Film, book, product or restaurant review

Answering “Why has the writer included…?”

When the question asks about the purpose of one part (a paragraph, a quotation, a statistic, a list of imperatives), say what the part does for the text. Formula: The writer includes ___ to ___ (purpose verb) so that the reader ___. Example: “The writer includes the statistic that 70% of plastic in the river comes from bottles to inform the reader of the size of the problem, so that the call to use refillable bottles seems sensible.”

Worked examples: purpose

Extract: “Every summer, hundreds of stray kittens are left in the streets of our city. Just 50 pounds feeds one kitten for a month. Will you help us give them a future?”

Question: What is the main purpose of this text? Give one reason. Answer: To persuade the reader to donate money. It ends with a rhetorical question aimed at the reader, “Will you help us give them a future?”, which pushes the reader to act.

Extract: “When water in the soil freezes, it expands. This pushes against the rock, and over many winters the crack grows wider until the rock splits.”

Question: What is the purpose of this paragraph? Answer: To explain how rocks are broken down by freezing water. It describes a process in order and uses cause-and-effect language (“This pushes… until the rock splits”).

2. Fact and opinion

	Fact	Opinion
Definition	Something that can be proved true or false by checking evidence	A belief, feeling or judgement that cannot be proved. People can disagree
Test question	Could I check this in a record, measure it or see it happen?	Could someone sensible disagree?
Signal words	Numbers, dates, measurements, names, “was built in”, “contains”, “according to the 2024 survey”	best, worst, beautiful, terrible, amazing, should, must, I think, I believe, in my view, clearly, obviously, undoubtedly, probably
Example	“The Cairo Tower is 187 metres tall.”	“The Cairo Tower has the most impressive view in Africa.”

Writers mix facts and opinions on purpose. Facts make a text seem reliable and trustworthy. Opinions show the writer’s attitude and try to make the reader agree. In persuasive texts, writers often place an opinion straight after a fact so that the opinion seems as true as the fact.

Tricky fact-and-opinion cases

Opinions dressed as facts: “Everyone knows that homework is useless.” The confident tone does not make it a fact. Ask: can it be proved?
Reported opinions: “Dr Amal Nour said the park is ‘the most important green space in the city.’” It is a fact that she said it, but what she said is an opinion. In the exam, the words inside the quotation are usually the opinion.
Mixed sentences: “The new bridge, which cost 2 million pounds, is an ugly waste of money.” Split it: “cost 2 million pounds” is a fact. “an ugly waste of money” is an opinion.
Predictions are not facts: “Prices will rise next year” cannot be checked yet, so it is not a fact.
A false statement is still “factual” in type: “The Nile is 200 km long” is wrong, but it is the kind of statement that can be checked, so it is a statement of fact (an incorrect one).

Worked example. “The sanctuary opened in 2015 and now cares for 120 donkeys. It is, without doubt, the kindest place in Giza.” Question: Give one fact and one opinion. Answer: Fact: “The sanctuary opened in 2015.” Opinion: “It is, without doubt, the kindest place in Giza.” (The phrase “without doubt” sounds certain, but “kindest” is a judgement.)

3. Point of view: who is telling it?

Point of view (POV) means who tells the text and how much they know. Check the pronouns and whose thoughts we are allowed to see.

Point of view	Pronouns	Whose thoughts we see	Effect on the reader
First person	I, me, my, we	Only the narrator’s	Close and personal. We feel what the narrator feels, but we only know what they know, and they may be biased.
Second person	you, your	“You” (the reader as the character)	Pulls the reader straight into the action. Common in adverts, advice and instructions, rare in stories.
Third person limited	he, she, they	One character’s only	We follow one character closely, while other characters stay a mystery.
Third person omniscient (all-knowing)	he, she, they	Many characters’, even secrets	A wide view. The reader may know more than the characters, which builds tension.
Third person objective	he, she, they	Nobody’s — only actions and speech	Like a camera. We must infer feelings from behaviour, which creates distance and mystery.

Narrator’s perspective. Also notice what kind of person is telling the story. A child narrator may misunderstand adult situations, so the reader understands more than the narrator does. A narrator looking back years later (“I didn’t know it then, but…”) can reflect and hint at what is coming. An angry narrator may describe another character unfairly.

Voice. Sometimes a third-person narrator slips into a character’s own way of thinking. Look for exclamations, questions, informal words or short fragments that sound like the character speaking in their head. Example: “Samir looked at the queue. Brilliant. Another hour of standing around.” The words “Brilliant.” and “standing around” are Samir’s sarcastic voice, not the neutral narrator’s. A question that asks “Which phrase shows this is in the character’s voice?” wants exactly this kind of phrase.

In non-fiction, first person usually means a personal text (autobiography, diary, blog, travel writing, review), and third person usually means an impersonal, objective text (report, biography, information text). Second person “you” often signals advice, instructions or persuasion.

4. The writer’s attitude and viewpoint

The writer’s attitude is how the writer feels about the subject. It is rarely stated directly, so you infer it from evidence:

Word choice: “the towering, ugly shopping centre” shows a negative attitude. “the bright new shopping centre” shows a positive one.
What is included and left out: a writer who only lists the problems of a new road is against it.
Tone: sarcasm, praise, worry, anger, admiration.
Where the text ends: the final paragraph often reveals the writer’s real view.
Direct statements: “I believe”, “Sadly”, “Thankfully”, “It is shocking that…”.

Word / phrase	Meaning / use
admiring	shows great respect and approval (“an extraordinary athlete”)
critical	points out faults (“a poorly planned scheme”)
enthusiastic	full of excitement and positive energy
sceptical	doubtful and not convinced (“so-called miracle cure”)
sympathetic	shows understanding and care for someone’s suffering
nostalgic	longing for the past (“back when the streets were quiet”)
concerned / anxious	worried about a problem
sarcastic / mocking	says the opposite of what is meant to make fun of something
neutral / objective	presents facts without showing feelings
indignant	angry because something seems unfair
humorous	light-hearted, trying to make the reader smile
ambivalent	has mixed feelings, partly positive and partly negative

Worked example. “The council promises the new car park will ‘transform’ the town. In reality, it has replaced the only playground for miles with grey concrete.” Question: What is the writer’s attitude to the car park? Support your answer with a quotation. Answer: The writer is critical of it. The phrase “In reality” suggests the council’s promise is not true, and “grey concrete” makes the car park sound dull and lifeless compared to the playground it replaced.

5. “Give your opinion and support it with two quotations”

These questions ask what you think: “Would you like to have lived in this house?”, “Do you think the writer’s trip was enjoyable?”, “Is the character a good friend?” They are usually worth 2-4 marks. There is no single right opinion. The marks are for a clear opinion that is supported by the text and explained.

The PEE method for opinion answers

P — Point: give your opinion clearly in the first sentence, answering the question in its own words (“Yes, I would like to visit the island because it seems peaceful.”).
E — Evidence: give a short, exact quotation in inverted commas. Two to eight words is ideal.
E — Explain: explain how that quotation supports your opinion. Use “This shows… / This suggests… / This makes me feel…”.
Then repeat E + E for the second quotation. Two different quotations, from different parts of the text if possible, each with its own explanation.
Stay consistent: if you say “yes”, both quotations must support “yes”. If the question allows “partly”, you may give one quotation for each side and say which side is stronger.

Giving your opinion

I would / would not like to… because…
In my opinion, the writer’s journey sounds…
I think the character is a loyal friend because…
Overall, I find the place appealing, mainly because…

Introducing evidence

The writer says that…
This is shown when the writer describes…
For example, the text states…
Later, the writer adds that…

Explaining

This suggests that…
This shows me that…
The word “…” makes me imagine…
This makes the place sound… so I would…
Because of this, I feel…

Model opinion answer (PEE with two quotations)94 words · 4/4 (opinion + two quotations, each explained)

Task: Read the text about a night spent at a desert camp near Siwa. Would you like to spend a night at this camp? Give your opinion and support it with two quotations from the text, explaining each one. (4 marks)

Yes, I would like to spend a night at this camp because it sounds peaceful and unforgettable.

The writer says the sky was “thick with stars, more than I had ever seen”. This suggests that, far from city lights, the view is breathtaking, and I would love to see a sky like that for myself.

Later, the writer describes how the guide served “sweet mint tea around a crackling fire”. This shows that the camp is welcoming and cosy even in the cold desert night, so I would feel comfortable and looked after there.

Why this gets the marks

Clear opinion that answers the question in sentence 1 → Point.
Two separate, short, exact quotations from different parts of the text, each in inverted commas → Evidence ×2.
Each quotation has its own explanation that links back to the opinion (“so I would…”) → Explain ×2.
Consistent: both pieces of evidence support “yes”. No retelling of the whole text.

Weak answer	Why it loses marks	Strong version
“Yes, because it is nice.”	No quotation and no explanation.	Add two quotations, each with “This suggests…”.
“Yes. ‘The sky was thick with stars, more than I had ever seen, and the guide served sweet mint tea around a crackling fire while we listened to stories.’”	One long copied chunk, not two quotations, and no explanation.	Split into two short quotations and explain each separately.
“Yes, because the sky was thick with stars. No, because it was cold.”	Mixed opinion with no final position.	Choose a side, or say which side is stronger and why.
“I would go because I like camping with my family.”	Based on personal life, not on the text.	Base every reason on words in the text.

سؤال الرأي: إزاي تاخد الدرجة كاملة

أول جملة: رأيك بوضوح (Yes / No) + السبب العام.
بعدين اقتباس قصير بين علامتي تنصيص، وبعده جملة تشرح: This suggests… / This shows…
كرر نفس الخطوة مع اقتباس تاني مختلف. اقتباسين = شرحين.
ما تنسخش فقرة كاملة، وما تجيبش أسباب من حياتك الشخصية، كل سبب لازم يكون من النص.

6. Traps to avoid

Choosing “to inform” for every text. Many texts inform and persuade. Ask what the writer most wants the reader to do or feel at the end.
Saying a statistic is an opinion because it is used persuasively. A number that can be checked is a fact.
Confusing point of view (who narrates) with viewpoint (the writer’s opinion). Read the question carefully.
Calling a text “third person” because it mentions other people. If the narrator says “I”, it is first person, even if it talks about others.
In opinion questions, writing quotations without explanations, or explanations without quotations.

7. Practice questions

“Wash your hands for at least twenty seconds. Use soap and warm water. Dry them with a clean towel.” What is the purpose? Give one clue.
Show answer
To instruct the reader how to wash their hands properly. Clue: imperative verbs at the start of each sentence (“Wash”, “Use”, “Dry”).
“If you are finding it hard to make friends at a new school, try joining a club. People who share a hobby usually find it easy to talk.” Main purpose?
Show answer
To advise. It speaks to the reader directly (“If you are finding it hard…”) and offers a gentle suggestion (“try joining a club”).
“Coral reefs cover less than one per cent of the ocean floor, yet they are home to about a quarter of all sea creatures.” Inform or persuade? Explain.
Show answer
To inform. It gives facts and figures in a neutral tone, without telling the reader what to think or do.
Why might a travel writer include this sentence? “The ticket costs 30 pounds and boats leave every hour from the harbour.”
Show answer
To inform the reader of practical details, so that a reader who wants to visit knows the price and how often boats leave.
Fact or opinion? “The match was the most exciting final in the club’s history.”
Show answer
Opinion: “most exciting” is a judgement that people could disagree with.
Fact or opinion? “The stadium holds 75,000 spectators.”
Show answer
Fact: the capacity can be checked.
Split into fact and opinion: “The library, which opened in 1998, is a dreary, old-fashioned building.”
Show answer
Fact: “which opened in 1998”. Opinion: “a dreary, old-fashioned building”.
“The head teacher said the new timetable was ‘a huge improvement.’” Is “a huge improvement” a fact or an opinion? Explain.
Show answer
An opinion. It is a fact that the head teacher said it, but the words themselves are her judgement.
Which point of view? “I pressed my ear to the door. Were they talking about me?”
Show answer
First person: “I” and “my”, and we only see the narrator’s own thoughts (“Were they talking about me?”).
Which point of view? “Nadia believed her secret was safe. Across the hall, her brother had already read the letter.”
Show answer
Third person omniscient: the narrator knows what Nadia believes and also what her brother has done, which Nadia does not know.
Which point of view? “He sat down, looked at the clock and said nothing.” What is the effect?
Show answer
Third person objective. We see only actions, not thoughts, so the reader has to guess how he feels, which creates mystery.
“Yusuf stared at the maths test. Great. Just great. Fractions — his worst nightmare.” Which words show we are hearing Yusuf’s own voice?
Show answer
“Great. Just great.” and “his worst nightmare”: the sarcastic, informal fragments sound like Yusuf’s thoughts, not a neutral narrator.
“Once a busy fishing village, Abu Qir now seems to have forgotten its own harbour: the boats rot quietly, and nobody repairs them.” What is the writer’s attitude? Quote to support it.
Show answer
Sad and regretful about the village’s decline. “the boats rot quietly” and “nobody repairs them” show the writer is sorry the harbour has been neglected.
A student writes: “The writer is persuasive because she uses persuasive language.” Improve it.
Show answer
For example: “The writer is persuading readers to recycle. She uses the rhetorical question ‘Do we really want our beaches buried in plastic?’, which makes readers imagine the damage and feel responsible.”
Text: “The cottage had no electricity, but every window looked out on green hills. In the mornings, a farmer left warm bread on the doorstep.” Would you like to stay there? Answer using PEE with two quotations.
Show answer
Example: Yes, I would like to stay there because it sounds calm and friendly. The writer says “every window looked out on green hills”, which suggests a beautiful, peaceful view. Also, “a farmer left warm bread on the doorstep” shows the neighbours are kind and generous, so I would feel welcome. (A “no” answer is also fine if supported, e.g. “no electricity” suggests the evenings would be dark and life would be difficult.)
What two things must every quotation in an opinion answer have?
Show answer
It must be short and exact (copied in inverted commas), and it must be followed by your own explanation of how it supports your opinion.

All pages in this course

Start here: the exam

Reading: grammar & punctuation

Reading: understanding texts

Paper 1 writing: non-fiction

Paper 2 writing: fiction