DSE English | Paper 1 matching headings and True/False/Not Stated | Three-step method, evidence rules, four common errors

2026-11-06

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary English

Students match headings by which one looks right and decide T/F/NS by synonym spotting, so Not Stated is always written as False. Both item types share one action: split the stem into subject plus qualifier, then look for the same idea in the text, not the same word.

Objectives — Students can: (1) match six headings using read the heading, locate the topic sentence, match the paraphrase, and explain why a second heading looks plausible but is wrong; (2) judge T/F/NS by splitting subject and qualifier, answering Not Stated whenever the text is silent or only partly supports it; (3) finish 14 items in 25 minutes (107 seconds per item) and quote evidence instead of paraphrasing it.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Topic sentences	Where does a paragraph usually state its main idea?	In the first or second sentence, sometimes in a closing line
Paraphrase	If the question says reduce, what might the text use?	Cut down, lower, lessen and similar phrases
Qualifiers	What do all, only and most do to an answer?	They narrow the scope, so True can become Not Stated

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	One wrong demo	Show a looks-right match failing and count the cost of two wrong answers	Name the step that failed
6-18 min	Three-step matching	Same paragraph three times: heading, topic sentence, paraphrase	Match two paragraphs
18-30 min	Three states	Change one qualifier and watch T become NS	Write one example per state
30-42 min	Evidence in long answers	Quote the line unchanged and label the line number	Write one item in that form
42-56 min	Timed set of 14	25 minutes, then 4 minutes marking	Finish in time and self-mark
56-60 min	Exit check	Collect three items, mark at once, name the error type	Work alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Match by topic sentence, not by shared words

A paragraph mentions climate, so students pick “The climate of the region”, but the paragraph is about farming adapting to climate and the answer is “Farming in a changing climate”. Word matching is the single biggest source of lost marks here. Fix three steps: read only the six headings and circle the key noun plus relation (causes of, ways to, problems of); read the first two sentences of the paragraph; rewrite the topic sentence in under ten words, then compare.
Deliberately build one paragraph that fits two headings and make the student argue which one the whole paragraph is about. That argument is the skill.

Ask the student to write a ten-word summary for two paragraphs, match each, and say why the other heading fails.

Scene 2: T/F/NS is decided by the qualifier, not the synonym

Students treat any related content as True and any silence as False, so Not Stated collapses. Judgement rests on two things only: is the subject the same object, and does the text support the qualifier? The stem “All students must register online” against “Most students register online” is Not Stated, because all is unsupported; it becomes False only if the text says students may register by post instead.
In class, change one qualifier three times (all, most, some) and let students watch the answer move. Three examples beat ten definitions.

Ask the student to judge three versions of the same stem and mark the supporting line number each time.

Scene 3: Fourteen items in 25 minutes is a pace, not a slogan

Students reach item nine with five minutes left and guess the rest. Give numbers instead: 14 items, 25 minutes, 107 seconds each; matching items capped at 90 seconds, long items get 3 minutes for evidence. Run it in class with a timer: 9 minutes for the six headings, 12 minutes for the eight T/F/NS items, 4 minutes to return to anything skipped.
The timer is not pressure, it is proof that one stuck item costs three finished ones, which is what makes students willing to skip.

Ask the student to time a set of 14, write the seconds beside each item, and find any item over 120 seconds.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Matching headings	Match paragraphs to headings	Circle relation words, read first two sentences, write a ten-word summary	Must explain why the other heading fails
True/False/Not Stated	Judge a statement against the text	Split subject and qualifier, locate the idea, apply three states	NS requires showing silence or partial support
Evidence items	Answer using the text	Quote the key line and label the line number, do not paraphrase	Answer must be findable word for word
Word meaning	Infer an unfamiliar word	Read the cause and contrast signals around it	Must use context, not just the root

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: the lesson teaches exactly two moves, shrinking a paragraph to ten words and splitting a stem into subject plus qualifier; no answer counts without a line number; the demo must include a shared-word failure and an all-versus-most failure so students abandon guessing; the timed stage must actually be timed or the pace training is worthless.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Six headings	Match three paragraphs and write ten-word summaries	Check for word matching instead of idea matching
Qualifier rewrite	Judge the same stem with all, most, some	Check whether NS is still answered as False
Timed set of 14	Finish in 25 minutes, log seconds per item	Check for any item over 120 seconds

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Matching on a shared word	The paragraph says climate, so pick The climate of the region	That paragraph is about farming adapting, not the climate itself. Your heading is mentioned, not what the paragraph is about.
Not Stated answered as False	No mention in the text, so mark False	False means the text says the opposite. Did you find an opposite line, or nothing at all?
Paraphrasing evidence	Rewriting the source line in your own words	The marker needs the original words; once you rewrite, I cannot verify it and the mark goes.
Never skipping	Four minutes on one item	One stuck item costs three others. At 90 seconds you move on and come back with four minutes left.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary English index — All chapters for this subject
Prep guide hub — Same-format guides for other subjects
Redo this chapter — Redo Practice Set A: Q1-Q6 headings, Q7-Q14 T/F/NS, with a line number per item

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Three steps	Read heading, find topic sentence, match paraphrase	Cannot name step three means replay act two
Three states	True supports, False contradicts, NS is silent or partial	Calling NS False means replay act two
Pace	14 items, 25 minutes, 107 seconds each	No skip limit means replay act three

09 Tutor FAQ

Do students need a long synonym list?

No. The skill is expecting the same idea in different words; one example per paragraph is enough.

How do I explain NS in one line?

False is the opposite, Not Stated is silence or half-support.

Can we practise only one part?

In class yes, but stay consistent within one paper and say why the choice was made.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.