Writing Tasks - Piece Layout

1.
Read the Question! It will reveal three key things for you:
PURPOSE - Inf/Exp/Des or Arg/Pers/Adv or Ana/Rev/Comm
AUDIENCE - Peers, teachers, parents, public, readers (you'd write very differently if it was your friends than if it was a group of teachers!)
FORMAT - What style are you writing in? Speech, Plain Writing (where it doesn't give you a format), Letter, Article, Talk.

2.
Now plan!
Plan at least FOUR points you will cover - these will be your descriptive paragraphs.
E.g. - "The moon is made of green cheese" Write the words of a speech defending your point of view.
Plan
- Look of the moon
- Cheese chunks falling to earth
- Americans on moon - cheese secrets
- Preserved in space

3.
Introduction
This is where you grab your audience. Try one of these techniques
- Short one/two word sentences (Moon. Cheese. Moon Cheese. These fit together)
- An alternative idea (The moon is just a piece of rock. This might be what you first think but ...)
- Addressing Audience (You may think ...)
- Exaggerated Start (Everyone everywhere eats moon cheese)
- Anecdote (I first had moon cheese when I was ...)

4.
Writing main
Each paragraph should be:
- Descriptive
- Start in an interesting way
- USE A VARIETY OF SENTENCE LENGTHS.
- Have a wide range of punctuation.

5.
Ending
Some techniques to try
- Summarise your points
- Reiterate your point from the introduction
- Moral of the story ... (i.e. what have you learned)
- What you want your audience to do/take away.

6.
CHECK
- Remember you can always:
- Add punctuation
- Alter paragraphs
- Add in extra words/take out useless ones
- Correct spellings
- Re order sentences
(Unfortunately this does mean re-reading your work but that one extra semi-colon/paragraph/descriptive word could make all the difference)

Non-Fiction and Media Paper Advice

Non-Fiction and Media Paper
1 hour 45 minutes

3 questions (=35 mins per question)

Question 1: putting aspects of a text into your own words

1. Read the question and underline the aspects they’re asking you to focus on (e.g. pleasant aspects, unpleasant aspects)
2. Number these aspects (1= pleasant aspects, 2=unpleasant aspects)
3. Read the passage and underline relevant parts and put a number in the margin saying which of the aspects it’s relevant to
4. Start writing. Go through all the 1s then all the 2s etc.
5. DO NOT QUOTE; USE YOUR OWN WORDS; LINK RELATED POINTS

Question 2: analysing a text

1. Read the question and underline the key aspects they’re asking you to focus on (e.g. language, detail and humour).
2. Number these aspects (1=language, 2=detail, 3=humour)
6. Read the passage and underline relevant parts and put a number in the margin saying which of the aspects it’s relevant to
3. Start writing. Go through all the 1s then all the 2s etc.
4. Use POINT-QUOTE-COMMENT e.g. The writer uses language to give a negative impression of other people who ‘patronised’ him [point]. He refers to one as a ‘crone’ [quote], which contrasts with his earlier description of her as ‘a well-meaning soul’ and is a result of this ‘crone’ appearing frightening to Susie [analysis].

Question 3: writing to inform, explain, describe

1. Read the question carefully. What is the purpose and who is the audience?
2. Plan your answer carefully: what are your main points, what examples are you going to use, what order are you going to put these points, how are you going to start, how are you going to finish.
3. Start writing very carefully. Remember the following:
Paragraphs
Sentence variety (a mixture of simple, compound, complex)
Imaginative vocabulary
A range of punctuation (including semi-colons)
4. Watch your time. Allow enough time at the end to finish and check through your work for mistakes. It’s better to correct what you’ve written than to write more.

Poetry Analysis Phrases

The poem is not anti-war as the second half suggests that young men may gain from the experience – if they face it honestly.
The repetition of the word “few” emphasises exactly how many have been lost in the war and creates a melancholy end to the poem.
Using the phrase “fat civilians” emphasises not only their lack of health but “civilians” implies that they will never fight.
The use of the words “so brave” makes us feel sympathy and pity for the woman as the audience know she is being lied to.
The young men’s innocence is emphasised by comparing their send-off to going to a wedding.
This makes the soldier sound isolated by the use of “a place apart” and almost distances him from the rest of his soldiers.
Describing the boys as “smooth-cheeked and golden” is completely contrasted by “food for shells and guns” which makes the use of the word “golden" seem almost ironic
“And all because his brother had gone west”. The use of the phase “all because” makes the death sound like an everyday occurrence and the euphemism “gone west” adds to this.
The use of the adjective “still” makes the audience realise that the man are dying without cause just as the leaves are falling without a breeze.
The use of “a-happening” makes it sound like the poet is talking to you in a conversational tone, which makes you feel sympathetic towards his feelings.
This line is ironic as it shows how the men never wanted to be soldiers and yet they were promoted because they survived.
The repetition of “row” emphasises just how many soldiers have died in the war which contrasts the growing of the poppies.
Comparing the black thorn flowers to “snow” is almost indicating that the world has turned cold since her lover’s death.
The use of anaphora in the word “perhaps” makes the audience feel that what the poet suggests in the poem will never happen.
The repetition used in the quote emphasises her confidence and reassurance but also that she is unwilling to accept this. The use of “Old” at the beginning of the line highlights the fact that the merchant is unlikely to have any more children and we sympathise with him.
The caesura (pause) after the word “Exposed” highlights the fact that the soldiers don’t stand a chance.
The repetition of “no” highlights that the soldiers were not expecting a battle to be started like this.
There is irony on this line as the solider appears to have lost his faith although previously he spoke about meeting his victim in the afterlife.
The poem remains in a rigid rhyme scheme, perhaps reflecting how the soldiers unwittingly conformed in the end by dying..
Calling the soldiers “seed” indicates that the soldiers who are dying are young.
The capitalisation of “Pride” indicates that Owen felt that the pride of the governments was the blame for the war.

Answering Extract Questions

When answering an extract/reading question you should:

1. Read the question through once and then pause, before underlining the key elements of the question. Then read it through again.
2. Now read the extract/article/poems you have been given with a pen in your hand and holding the question in your head.
3. Every time you react to (or feel like you should be reacting to) something - underline it and note the reaction - even if it's just a smiley face or a sad face.
4. Hopefully by the end of this you have noticed about six-seven things - each of these things are a paragraph you can write about and you now have a plan.
5. For each thing you noticed - start each paragraph by saying what it is or what the writer does:
- Ballard uses graphic description ...
- Miller has Willy speak about ...
- The author of the article then uses ...
- Herbertson appears to say ...
- Owen uses the flowers to ...
- Jim also starts to ...
(if you notice - some of these points don't actually mention a specific technique - you can use the topic instead)
6. The give evidence of that technique
7. You then comment on it (where you explain it's relation to the question

Useful Comment and Analysis Phrases
• This is effective because …
• The use of the word …
• This shows [theme] because …
• The use of [technique] is effective …
• However, unlike in the [story] this is used because …
• The author has used this to …
• Describing [thing] in this way make …
• This makes [thing] sound …
• We sympathise with [character] because …
• The reason for this is …
• From this, we can note that …
• The reader can see from this that …
• The author writes … because …
• Therefore …
• Significantly …
• We can see from this that …
• The writer then moves on to …
• This shows that …
• Following this …
• Then …
• This then means that …

CRISIS LiD

Analysing extracts using the CRISIS LiD method - remember it's not just enough to identify the techniques - you must explain the effect of using them too.

Character - particular things revealed about certain characters (not just the main one)
Rhetorical - Rhetorical questions, repetition, sarcasm, quotation.
Imagery - This includes simple descriptive imagery, metaphor,simile, personification, symbolism (imagery that has particular significance or meaning in the text), motif (recurrent symbols or images that build up a meaning - Willy and the flute, Jim and the American Aircraft)
Speaker - Who is narrating the story, whose perspective are we seeing on the topic?
Irony - The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning
Sounds - rhyme, rhythm, onomatopoeia

Dialogue - what characters says and what they do
i - remember that you are reading this - how are you expected to react?
Language - Literally word choice

Studying and Revising a Text

Research the Author
• Biography
• Significant Influences
• Other Writing

Research the Context
• Historical Context: what historical events might be reflected in it?
• Social Context: what factors like race, class, religion and gender might it be exploring?
• Literary Context: what other writing might have influenced it, or what writing might it have influenced?
• Cultural Context: how might it relate to other arts, like music, painting and design

Read Actively
Always read with a pencil in your hand, underlining key points, and noting significant moments at the top of the page this will make you pay more attention to details and patterns as you read.

Summarise the Plot and Map the Structure
Using the notes you have collected during your reading, write down a point-form summary of the plot. Check through the text to ensure that you have everything in order and have not missed anything.
Then see if you can divide the plot into obvious sections. This will allow you to see the structure or how the text is constructed.
• Are some parts more important than others? Which are they? And why?
• Do patterns emerge? Do some themes or characters reappear at particular times or places?
• Do some characters change at particular stages?
• Is there a climax?
• Does your emotional response vary at different stages?

Study the Characters

Identify the main characters. Give each one an A4 page, and collect notes as many notes and quotations about them as you can. Then re-arrange your notes and quotations in logical order.
Remember, however, that you are not dealing with real people. They are all literary inventions, so ask yourself how the author has defined and presented them. Usually, we understand and form views on them through:
• What the author has them say
• What the author has them do
• What the author has them think
• What the author has others say about them
Consider these factors and explore what they reveal about each character.

Identify and Explore the Themes
Identify the main themes. Give each one an A4 page, and collect notes as many notes and quotations about them as you can.
One useful way to identify themes is to try setting exam questions. Look at exams questions and list the main themes they focus on. Then try setting your own questions in the same style but for different themes.
Now try planning and writing responses to your questions to force yourself into saying something about the themes. It is important that you do this, so that they don’t remain vague. You need to be able to write about them in considerable detail.

Analyse the Techniques
In English, whenever you write about a text, you are required to write about the author’s technique. In other words, you must not only consider WHAT the author is saying, but also HOW the author says it. You cannot gain high marks without it.

As always, ask yourself questions:
• Does the author have particularly characteristic techniques?
• Does the author use a particular type of language?
• Do particular words and phrases stand out?
• Are there particularly striking images or symbols, especially ones that recur throughout the text?
• From whose perspective do you see what happens in the text?
• Why has the author chosen this particular form over all the other possible forms for expressing the same ideas?


Collect Quotes
Just as you cannot gain high marks in English without analyzing techniques, you cannot do well without supporting everything with quotations.
Go through the text and write down as many of the most important quotations as you can. Rearrange them into groups, by theme and by character. Link them on diagrams.

Analyse, Plan and Write Exam-style Essays
Use the practice questions given in the lessons or on the blog. If you run out; then set your own.

Poetry Revision Tips

General tips for looking at poems

1. What is the poem about?

Try to summarise the main subject of the poem in one or two lines

2. Who is speaking in the poem? To whom?

Is it the poet’s voice speaking in the poem or is the voice of someone else? Who is the poet speaking to? Are they speaking to you? To themselves? Is there another voice in the poem?

3. How does the poem convey its message?

Verses – what can you say about the poem’s appearance? Why has the poet presented it in this way?

Imagery – what are the main images? Which are particularly striking? Are there any comparisons? similes?, metaphors?, personification?

Alliteration/Assonance – how do repeated consonant or vowel sounds affect the sound of the poem?

Rhythm/Rhyme – what effect do the rhymes have? How does the poem move? Does it have a light rhythm, slow rhythm?

Punctuation – what does this tell you about how the poem should be read?

Mood – what is the mood of the poem?

4. Why do you think the poet has written the poem?

How does the poet feel about the reader? Are you being pleaded with, mocked, laughed at, preached to? Is the poem trying to move you, persuade you, entertain you?

5. What is your personal response to the poem?

How did you react to the poem? Did it move you, make you think/feel? Do you think the poem is effective?

Analysing a Media Article

Rules of Essay Writing

The standard structure of an essay (in this case with three major points) should look like this:

• Be direct: get straight to the point and cut out unnecessary waffle and background material.
• Be precise: think carefully about exactly what you mean and how best to say it. Don’t hope that a vague thought will work itself out as you write it.
• Be economical: Think of words as money: you need to spend enough to get the point across, but you want to spend no more than you absolutely have to.
• Be formal: this is an essay and all essays are formal. Being colloquial or casual in your writing gets you no marks and makes you look like you don’t know your stuff.
• Don’t re-narrate the story: the examiners will already know what happens and don’t need you to tell them. It simply shows you cannot analyse.
• Be objective, or impersonal: say “Willy’s speeches suggest that he lacks self-confidence”, rather than “I think Willy lacks self-confidence”. The first is a strong statement presented as fact; the second is mere opinion. Examiners are not friends; they need to be told properly!
• Write about literature in the present tense: say “Willy lacks [present] confidence throughout the play and his confidence is [present] in dependant on other characters such as Ben.”, rather than “Willy lacked [past] confidence in the. We do this because the text exists now and we are reading it text now so the characters exist now.
• Remember names and titles: The amount of students that get the title of the play wrong, the author wrong or names of characters wrong is quite shocking. Make sure you know who wrote the text, who the characters are and most importantly what the title is.

Map of an Essay

The Map of an Essay
An Introduction
• This is essentially your essay plan in sentence form.
• Begin with a clear, direct line of response to the question.
• Then briefly state the main points that will become your paragraphs.
• Your introduction should be short and should get straight to the point.
• Unless the question asks for it, do not waste time outlining the plot of the text, explaining the relationship between characters, or providing pointless details about the author’s biography – it wastes time and that’s what Wikipedia is for!

A Body of Logical Paragraphs
• In every paragraph, begin with a statement that identifies the point of the paragraph
• Then provide evidence (quotes) or examples to support your statement
• Then explain (comment) how your evidence supports your statement, and analyse the language and details of your example by focusing on:
• specific words, images, techniques, etc.
• what effects they have
• how they support your point
Optional Extra you can also follow this with a related subpoint (which might be another example, a closely related argument or a counter-argument) or simply move onto your next paragraph. (you will not lose marks if you don’t do this!)

A Conclusion
• Briefly re-state how your main points support your overall line of response to the question.
• Do not introduce any new points.

Essay Writing

All I wanted to know about writing an essay but were afraid to ask

Being able to write a good essay is vital to the exam because you will be assessed not only on what you write, but also on how you write it.

Therefore, you should:
1. analyse, think, plan and draft
2. write with a clear structure: introduction, body, conclusion
3. use evidence and quotations (you will get a very low mark if you do not quote!)
4. leave a minute or two at the end to check your work (an examiner will ignore crossing out and will read any additions you make as long as you make your corrections clear!)

The first step is to analyse the question in order to determine exactly what you are being asked:
• Underline the key words in the question: e.g. Willy’s relationship with Biff is the most flawed one in the play. How far is this true?
• Think about what each word means and what it is looking for. The example question is obviously asking you to argue for a point and consider any other points of view.

Then think about your response the question:
• Brainstorm between three and six points you could analyse: e.g. Willy’s expectations of Biff, Willy’s morality issues, influence of Ben on Willy, Willy’s arguing with Biff, Biff’s lying and responses.
• Put these points into a logical order by numbering them.
• Consider alternative interpretations: e.g that Willy’s relationship with Biff is NOT the most flawed one in the play.
• Consider what sections you could relate to this to: e.g. restaurant scene, flashback to the ball game.
• Decide on a clear line of response that actually answers the question. This will become the first sentence of your essay: e.g. In Death of a Salesman Willy’s relationship with Biff is the most flawed one in the play.

Layout of the English and Literature Exams

English Language Exams

Non-Fiction, Media and Information - Written Examination - 1 hour 45 minutes - 30%
Three tasks will be set in the examination:

Section A: Assessment objective: READING 20%

Task 1 will require candidates to distinguish between fact and opinion, select and collate material, and to cross-refer between texts.

Task 2 will require candidates to follow an argument, to identify implications and inconsistencies, and/or to evaluate how information is presented (e.g. to comment on the characteristic features)

Section B: Assessment Objective: WRITING 10%
Candidates will be required to produce a piece of continuous writing to inform, explain, describe, on a topic broadly linked to the reading material provided.

Different Cultures, Analysis and Argument -Written Examination – 1 hour 45 minutes - 30%
Three tasks will be set in the examination.

Section A [Open Book]: Assessment Objective: READING 10%
Candidates will be required to complete one task, based on reading of Opening Worlds.

Tasks will require candidates to respond to distinctive aspects of texts from different cultures and traditions by exploring the ways in which writers use language and structure to create character/setting/theme.

Section B: Assessment Objective: WRITING
20%
Two tasks will be set.
In response to stimulus material, candidates will be required to produce two pieces of writing: one to analyse, review, comment; one to argue, persuade, advise.

English Literature Exams

Drama post 1914 - Written Examination - 45 minutes - 20%
You must answer one question.
On Death of a Salesman three questions will be set including:
• Extract – based tasks, (a question of this type will always be set);
• Tasks involving comment, criticism and analysis, (at least one question of this type will be set);
• Imaginative/ re-creative tasks, for example in which you write in role as one of the characters.

Poetry and Prose post-1914 - Written Examination - 1 hour 30 minutes 50%
You must answer two questions: one from Section A and one from Section C:

• Section A: Poetry published after 1914 – The 1914-18 War (Section H)

• Section C: Empire of the Sun

On Empire of the Sun and Poetry three questions will be set, including:
• Extract–based tasks (questions of this type will always be set on poetry).
• Tasks involving comment, criticism and analysis, including comparison where appropriate (at least one question of this type will always be set on each text)
All tasks on poetry will require comparison between texts.

Death of a Salesman - Essay Questions

You have a choice of three questions in the exam and here are the pros and cons of each.

1. The extract question
Pros: You only really need to analyse that extract, you can look closer at language, you don’t have to find quotes because they are already there.
Cons: You can only focus on the extract, you may not know that bit well, you have to examine language and word choice more closely.

2. The character question.
Pros: You can use a lot of points for that character; you can link it to the play as a whole; you can go into detail on one character.
Cons: If you don’t know the character it’s difficult, limits you to one character focus.

3. In-role writing
Pros: Creative writing, it seems easier to do, don’t have to analyse language too in depth.
Cons: Have to know the plot REALLY well, have to write in character voice, incorporate quotations directly into your writing without copying the play.