Aiming for A/A* in English Language

1. Aiming for A/A* in English Language

2. The marks • 20% written coursework • 20% speaking and listening • 30% paper one – media and writing to argue, persuade or advise • 30% paper two – poetry from other cultures and writing to inform, explain or describe.

3. Paper 1 Section A The key skills which are assessed: • The ability to summarise/draw out the key points to an argument. • Referring to facts and opinions. • The use of presentational devices. • The use of language devices. (AFORREST DAY) • The ability to make comparisons between texts.

4. For all of the questions in Section A you have to PEE: Point Evidence Explanation So, you need to be able to select the MOST RELEVANT ideas and explain them.

5. ‘Detailed/ shaped and absorbed’ – A/A* • You have to show that you FULLY understand the reasons/or what is being asked. • Quotations are linked into your writing. • You use the information in your answer to structure your response. • You give a detailed and well thought out response. ‘conceptualised’ – a theory or theme that runs throughout the answer.

6. For the A/A* You have to take note of the amount of marks available and keep an eye on the time. Roughly one and a half minutes per mark. However many marks the question is worth you need to make half the amount of points – well explained. The problem is making sure you are concise and don’t drop marks.

7. Paper 1 Section B You will be asked to choose from four questions. They will often be related in some way to the media you have looked at. You are marked on two aspects – content and structure and punctuation and syntax.

8. To ensure the A/A* You need to be able to: • Make your writing engaging by using a wide variety of techniques. • Try to be as original as possible – think of different ways to approach the question. • Use a wide range of punctuation to have an effect – semi colons, dashes, as well as all of the ‘usual’. • Consider the structure of your work to have an effect.

9. The mark scheme You will: Make sure your writing is ‘consistently effective’, it will be matched ‘assuredly’ to PALL. You will structure your work in a ‘controlled’ way and will make ‘delightful’ vocabulary choices. This comes down to effective planning and preparation.

10. Your writing will show: You can: • use a wide range of sentence structures – so you might use short sentences at the start to have an effect. • Spell correctly • Use a range of punctuation: semi colons and colons where they are appropriate.

11. The Key The key to Paper 1 is: For section A make sure you read the question properly and answer it accurately – not just what you wish it had said! Be concise and not waffle – you don’t have time and it suggests you don’t know what you are talking about. For section B make sure it is interesting and well planned. You also need to make sure your punctuation and structure shows off your ability!

12. Paper 2 Section A Poetry from Other Cultures – you need to be able to: • Make close links and comparisons between two poems. • Explore and analyse quotes in minute detail. • Think of ‘original’ interpretations of the poem and explain your ideas fully. • Talk about feelings, structure and language in your answer.

13. Integrating cross reference A key A/A* skill is to make your links as smooth and coherent as possible… Look for individual words to explore and find links between words in both poems. Planning will be the key to success here: so you can find the close links needed.

14. The mark Scheme: You will ‘consistently’ show ‘insight’ and give ‘imaginative interpretations’ of the poems. You will have a theory or ‘thread’ of ideas running through your essay. (linking back to the question). You will closely analyse the text – finding the ‘perfect’ quotes to express your points.

15. Section B Writing to inform, explain or describe: You need to make sure you use the same skills you used in section B of paper 1. Take notice of the PALL of the question to ensure that you are writing in the correct style and the correct audience.

16. The mark scheme You will demonstrate: • A strong personal style • Match your writing to your purpose and audience ‘assuredly’. • An ability to use ‘inventive’ structural or linguistic devices. • You will ‘control’ the structure of your writing. • You will ‘craft’ your writing with effective vocabulary choices.

17. Your writing will show: You can: • use a wide range of sentence structures – so you might use short sentences at the start to have an effect. • Spell correctly • Use a range of punctuation: semi colons and colons where they are appropriate.

18. The Key to Paper 2 Section A make sure that you know all of the poems, you integrate your cross reference looking for really close comparisons and you explore your quotes. Section B make sure you ‘think outside the box’, use a wide range of punctuation, structure your work accordingly and use a variety of techniques.

19. You have to know: • AFORREST DAY • MASTS • PALL • Comparative techniques • How to plan your work • How to proof read your work • How to read the question and pull out the key points.

20. Revision Ideas • Old exam papers – do them in timed conditions. • Know ‘key quotes’ for each poem which link to tone, structure and language. • Read alternative texts and think about the way they use punctuation and the devices they use. • Work on giving ‘concise’ answers for the media section with any ‘free’ leaflets, newspapers or articles you have at home – the questions tend to be the same every year!