Exam Timings – Memorise them!

Tuesday’s exam starts at 9.30am.

Normal Timings (9.30-11.45)

• 9.30am Read Question 1, read and highlight Source 1, then answer Question 1.
• 9.45am Read Question 2, read and highlight Source 2, then answer Question 2.
• 10.00am Read Question 3, read and highlight Source 3, then answer Question 3.
• 10.15am Read Question 4, read and highlight your 2 sources, then answer Question 4.
• 10.45am Read Question 5: 2 minutes planning, 20 minutes writing and 3 minutes reading.
• 11.10am Read Question 6: 2 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing and 3 minutes reading.
• 11.45am DONE!

Extra 25% Timings (9.30 – 12.18)

• 9.30am Read Question 1, read and highlight Source 1, then answer Question 1.
• 9.50am Read Question 2, read and highlight Source 2, then answer Question 2.
• 10.10am Read Question 3, read and highlight Source 3, then answer Question 3.
• 10.35am Read Question 4, read and highlight your 2 sources, then answer Question 4.
• 11.05am Read Question 5: 2 minutes planning, 25 minutes writing and 3 minutes reading.
• 11.35am Read Question 6: 3 minutes planning, 35 minutes writing and 5 minutes reading.
• 12.18am DONE!

Keep revising!

Miss O

General Revision Help

BBC Skillswise English

AQA Past Papers

BBC BItesize Writing Help

BBC Bitesize Reading Help

Mr Bruff Videos – Look for AQA GCSE English Language Videos

Also have a look at the following if you need to extend your vocabulary:

Beautiful and Ugly Words

 

Accuracy

A rather boring post but have a look if you struggle with your accuracy. Two good websites at the bottom of this  post! Take a look!

Apostrophes

The apostrophe does two jobs

1. It is used to show that a letter has been left out (contraction)

I am going on holiday BECOMES I’m going on holiday.

The apostrophe sits above the missing letters.

2. It is also used to show if something is belonging to another person or thing (possession/ownership)

The cat’s whiskers. (One cat)

The girls’ laughter was very loud. (Two or more girls)

Homophones

there/their/they’re

•  There = place or general point – I left it there yesterday/There is too much noise in this room!
•  Their = belonging to someone/thing- Their dog is in our garden again.
•  They’re = ‘they are’ – Ignore them. They’re only looking for attention.

its/it’s

•  Its = belong to it – The elephant lifted up its trunk and took the bun.
• It’s = ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ – It’s been a wonderful day

your/you’re

•  Your = belonging to you – Your hamster has got out of its cage.
• You’re = ‘you are’ – You’re late!

to/too/two

•  To = shows direction or action – I want you to work hard today/Last year, we went to Japan.
• Too = ‘as well’ or ‘very’ – We’ve got Maths next too/It’s too cold in this room.

Others to avoid

aloud/allowed, bare/bear,  brake/break, by/buy heal/heel, here/hear, piece/peace, right/write, see/sea, week/weak, weather/whether

Spelling plurals

If there’s more than one thing/object/person, you add an ‘s’ to the end of the word.

But…

If the word ends in ‘y’ after a consonant, drop the ‘y’ and add ‘ies’ baby>babies; lady>ladies

If the word ends in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, usually drop the ‘f’ or ‘fe’ add ‘ves’ wolf>wolves; leaf>leaves

If the word ends in ‘o’, ‘ss’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ or ‘x’ usually add ‘es’ tomato>tomatoes; bush>bushes; pitch>pitches

Sometimes the vowels change man>men; foot>feet; tooth>teeth

Other common spelling errors

alot > a lot

aswell > as well

infront > in front

defiantly > definitely

sincerly > sincerely

trys > tries

should of > should have / should’ve

Have a look at the following websites – these are great to ensure your writing is accurate:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_41.htm 

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl

Miss O

Nailing the genre – tips on writing formats

Writing Genres …

Letters – Formal Letter Writing Help

• Always set it out like a letter. Your address top right, their address underneath on the left and a date (on either left or right).
• Think about the audience of the letter. Is it to someone you know? Dear Sir/Madam or Dear Mr. Brown
• Always finish the letter in the correct way – Yours sincerely (know their name – Dear Mr Brown) and Yours faithfully (if it starts Dear Sir/Madam).
• Include your signature and your name underneath.

(Image taken from http://www.goodletterwriting.co.uk)

Leaflet

• If the question asks for the text of a leaflet
• Remember to use headings, sub-headings, bullet points, fact boxes, boxes of essential info.
• Make your points clear.

Article – http://www.gcseresult.co.uk/attachments/13045.pdf

• Headline/title and a subheading.
• Draw a box to identify where the picture would be.
• By-line (By Matthew Smith)
• You could include reference to the magazine/newspaper name.

Blog Entry

• Headline – grabs reader’s attention
• Subheading – summarising blog entry
• Informal even humourous tone.
• Demonstrating relationship between the reader and writing – mix of first person (I) and second person (you)

Speech –  BBC Bitesize: How to Write a Speech

• Key thing to think about is that it is written to be read aloud. Try to imagine what it would sound like as you read it.
• Speeches often use rhetorical questions, repetition, personal anecdotes, humour, personal pronouns etc.

Remember

If in doubt as to what you are being asked to produce in Section A, look back to Section A of the exam. Are any of the texts used there the kind of text you are writing? If so, look at the form and the presentational devices they use.

Miss O

Question 6 (Foundation and Higher) Recap

This question has the most marks – 24! Therefore it is important that you nail your timings and give this question the time it requires – 35 minutes! The question will ask you to either argue or persuade. You still need to use a variety of sentence structures, interesting vocabulary and solid discourse markers in this task.

Writing to Argue

If the question asks you to Argue – you show both sides of the argument. Ensure you squash the other sides view. Use the ‘Boxing to Argue’ structure to create a response: use AFOREST techniques, strong discourse markers and squash the other side of the argument.

Writing to Persuade

If the question asks you to Persuade – you must be biased and give just one view. Use the plan/structure you compiled in class and AFOREST techniques – start and end with a rhetorical question.

Past questions have included:

Higher

• There is evidence that many young people are not eating, exercising or spending their leisure time properly and that this is damaging their health and life chances. Write an article for Living Today magazine which persuades young people to improve their diet and lifestyle.
• ‘There’s no point making the effort and taking the risk of travelling the world, disturbing people and animals as you go, when you can see it all on TV or the Internet.’ Write a magazine article which persuades young people either to travel or stay at home.
• A recent report states: ‘Homelessness in the UK is a crisis that is destroying the lives of people, especially young people.’ Write an article for your school or college newspaper persuading young people to support charities which help the homeless.
• It has been said that: ‘People who save lives or help improve the lives of others are the true role models of today.’ Write an article for a newspaper in which you argue your view about what makes a good role model.
• ‘Life is too easy for young people today. They lack challenges and don’t have to fight for anything.’ Write an article for a magazine of your choice which persuades your readers that this statement is either right or wrong.
• Many people believe that it is our duty to cut back on our use of the world’s resources, and that we must invest in greener forms of energy for the future – whatever the cost. Write an article for an environmental website which argues for or against this idea.
• Your school or college is inviting entries for a writing competition. The topic is “Dangerous sports activities and pastimes are selfish, often put others at risk and should be discouraged.” Write your entry arguing for or against this view.

Foundation

• “Young people today waste too much time watching TV and playing computer games.” Write an article for a magazine of your choice arguing for or against this statement.
• Write the text for a leaflet to persuade students to help make your school or college more environmentally friendly.
• ‘Governments, doctors, and the media are right to tell us what to eat and what not to eat.’ Write a speech for a classroom debate arguing for or against this opinion.
• Write a letter to a well-known person persuading them to visit your school or college for the benefit of the students.
• ‘Sports stars are good role models for young people.’ Write an article for a magazine of your choice arguing for or against this view.

You could have a go at the above questions – you could plan a response or even write a response. Alternatively make up your own questions (you never know they might be in the exam) and plan/write a response.

Alternative revision tasks:

1. Write to the Examination Board to persuade them to award GCSEs on controlled assessment grades alone and to stop all examinations. Write five paragraphs and then check your work. What do you need to do to improve your work? Have you used AFOREST? Make those improvements!
2. Write a plan where you compare arguments for and against the sport of boxing. Now create a speech in which you argue for or against the sport, supporting your points with reasons, evidence and references to wider social and moral issues.
3. Here is the opening to an essay: ‘Write a persuasive article for a teenage fashion magazine about whether following fashion is important’: “Whether or not you choose to follow fashion depends very much on you. Some people like to wear whatever is cheapest. Others want things that are warm or practical and others want to look like they’ve stepped off a catwalk or out of a high street shop. Some people just HAVE to be seen in the latest trends, whatever the cost.” Rewrite this essay so that it is really punchy and persuasive – remember who your audience is and what your purpose is.

Miss O

Question 5 (Foundation and Higher) Recap

Recap on Question 5 – the shorter of the 2 writing tasks. 16 marks available here – 10 for contents/structuring and 6 for accuracy/sentence variety. You will spend 25 minutes on this task – 2 minutes planning, 20 minutes writing and 3 minutes rereading.

You might be asked to:

• Describe
• Inform
• Explain

Or you could be asked to do a combination of the above!

Describe – do not tell a story but paint a picture with your words:

• Start with a nice short sentence.
• Adjectives (describing nouns) – colours, size, age, material etc.
• Adverbs (describing verbs) – why not start a sentence with an adverb? Quietly, I entered the room…
• Powerful verbs – why not start a sentence with a verb? Screaming I feel the air drain from my lungs.
• Imagery – similes, metaphors, personification.
• Variety of sentence length – short to build tension, longer for description.
• 5 senses – touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell.

Inform – to give facts. Remember the 4 Ws: what? when? where? who?

• Use straightforward language to convey information. Remember the 4 Ws: what? when? where? who?
• If asked to explain as well this means give more details and often reasons –  why and how the facilities could be improved.
• Remember to give specific examples and perhaps add in a few AFOREST techniques to make it interesting!
• Remember to still vary your sentence lengths even if it is inform.

Explain – simply means to give reasons. If asked to explain it might be alongside another purpose such as Describe and Explain or Inform and Explain. Remember you must be clear and answer the following questions.

• Why?
• How?

Previous Question 5s have included:

Higher

• A website called The Best and the Worst is asking for contributions. Write an entry for it which describes the best meal you ever had and the worst. Explain the reasons for your choices.
• Write an entry for your blog describing your favourite time of year and explaining why you like it.
• Write an entry for your online blog which describes a time when you felt uncertain or unsure about a situation you were in and explain how you overcame it.
• The travel section of your local newspaper is inviting readers to write about their favourite place. Write a letter to the editor describing a favourite place you know and explaining why others would like it.
• Write a letter which you hope will be published in your local newspaper. Inform readers what leisure facilities are available for young people and families in your area and explain how you think they could be improved.
• Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. Describe a decision that you, or someone you know, had to make and explain the consequences. Your piece will appear in the Real Lives section of your local newspaper.
• Write a brief article for a website of your choice telling (describing to) your readers about an interesting or unusual journey or travel experience you have had. Explain why it was memorable.

Foundation

• Your local council is holding an awards ceremony called ‘Amazing Local People’. Write a letter to your local council, naming someone you know for an award, explaining why they deserve to win.
• A new website called Outdoor Exploring for Kids has just been set up. Write a short article for the website describing a place you have explored and the most interesting thing you found there.
• Your local newspaper is running a weekly column called The Food I Couldn’t Live Without. Write a short article for the column explaining which food is your personal favourite and why.
• Your school or college has set up its own radio station. Write the script for a short radio broadcast informing students about a good place to visit in your area.\
• A new TV series ‘Dream Jobs’ is giving people the chance to work in their dream job for a day. Write a letter to the producers explaining what your dream job would be and why you would love to try it.
• Write a letter to your headteacher explaining how to improve your school or college.

You could have ago at the above questions – you could plan a response or even write a response. Alternatively make up your own questions (you never know they might be in the exam) and plan/write a response.

Alternative revision tasks:

1. Look outside of your bedroom window. List four things you can see. For each thing, describe how it looks, sounds, tastes, smells, feels. Write four sentences, each one beginning with an adverb or an adjective or an exciting verb. For example: Whirling across the road, the leaves brushed the tarmac, bruising the cold concrete with the fresh, acrid smell of decomposing life.
2. Plan this essay in 15 minutes: Journeys can be exciting, boring, or a mixture of both. Describe a journey you have made so that the reader can imagine it clearly. Focus on vocabulary choices, using a thesaurus, and build up detail and description. Remember to make it interesting and to gain marks as soon as your pen hits the paper: ‘It was a matter of life or death.’ ‘Arriving on time was essential.’ ‘Panic exploded in my ears as I sprinted towards the train.’
3. Describe a memorable holiday. For each thing, describe how it looks, sounds, tastes, smells, feels. Write four sentences, each one beginning with an adverb or an adjective or an exciting verb.

I will post a few more posts about genre, accuracy and expanding your vocabulary to help with the writing section.

Miss O

Impress the examiner with your ability to compare!

If you’re entering the Higher Tier – use for Q4 Language comparison.

If you’re entering Foundation Tier – use for Q4 Presentational Features comparison.

• However
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• Although / even though
• But
• Yet
• In contrast (to) / in comparison
• While
• Whereas
• On the other hand
• On the contrary

• Similarly
• Likewise
• Also
• Like
• Just as
• Just like
• Similar to
• Same as
• compare(d) to / with
• Not only…but also

Miss O

Question 4 (Foundation) Recap

You’ve got 12 marks up for grabs in 18 minutes. This question is asking you to compare presentational features in 2 sources. You will use PQE and good comparison words. You choose 2 sources. I would suggest you comment on the following presentational features:

• Headline
• Sub-headline (if there is one)
• Picture
• Colour scheme

Question always remains the same:

Choose two of these sources and compare the way that they each use presentational features for effect.

Remember to:

• Write about the way the sources are presented
• Explain the effect of the presentational features
• Compare the way they look.

Headline

• Is the headline in a larger and bold font?
• In both sources the headlines are bolder and larger than the text in the article. Source 1 has larger font than Source 2 therefore maybe considered more effective as it is more noticeable to the reader.
• Does the headline summarise the article or does it only hint at the contents? Use a short quote to show the link.
• The headline for Source 1 explains ….. linking to the text in the article. Similarly Source 2 also gives an overview of the article.
• How effective are the headlines? Identify one key word from each headline. What are the connotations of the word? How does the word link to the article? Does the word amuse / attract / shock / fascinate / interest / intrigue the reader?
• In Source 1 the use of the word ……. Can be associated with ……. This intrigues the reader …… because …..  On the other hand in Source 2 the use of the word ….. shocks the reader because ….

Use the above questions also for the sub-headline

Picture

• Is there a picture? What is the picture of? What size is the picture? Where is the picture on the page?
• In Source 1 the picture of a ………. is large, taking up half of the page and appearing underneath the headline. Source 2 also has a picture of ……., linking to the article but this picture is smaller and appears at the …. of the source.
• How effective is the picture? Do they have captions explaining the pictures?
• In Source 1 the pictures supports the source. As the article is about Tinie Tempah the use of an image featuring Tinie Tempah simply confirms the shows the reader about the content of the article. In contrast the picture in Source 2 is effective as it intrigues the reader as it features ….. Both pictures include captions underneath to give the reader more information.

Colour scheme

• What colours are used in both sources?
• In Source 1 as the article is from a website the colours of the website are clearly shown. This is predominantly blue and can be associated with …… in contrast as Source 2 only features colour in the picture. The colours are mainly …. This makes the reader …

Have a look at the following two texts and answer the question:

Choose two of these sources and compare the way that they each use presentational features for effect.

Remember to:

• Write about the way the sources are presented
• Explain the effect of the presentational features
• Compare the way they look.

Recycling – Persuasive Leaflet

Children play outdoors – News Article

Have a go – see how you get on. Remember I am happy to respond to comments.

Miss O

Question 4 (Higher) Recap

Right then guys – this is the question you all need to work on. This is a 16 mark question – spend 5 minutes re-reading the texts and 25 minutes writing your response. You will be asked to compare Source 3 with one of your choice – either 1 or 2. The question is always the same:

Compare the ways in which language is used for effect in the two texts. (16 marks)

The key words in the question are COMPARE, LANGUAGE and EFFECT!

You were all amazing in Thursday’s lesson with your Venn Diagrams and table. In the exam you’ll need to do all of that in the 5 minutes reading time. Simple. You will reread Source 3 – try to identify 4 language techniques plus which perspective it is written in. Use your highlighter here! Then choose the source you will compare – reread and again identify 4 language techniques with your highlighter plus which the perspective it is written in (1st/2nd/3rd). You can draw  a mini Venn diagram in the answer booklet just remember to put a line underneath before you start your response.

Your response should be structured in the following paragraphs:

1. Perspective: 

Is the article 1st person (I/we), 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (He/She/They/Professor Brown/The giant snails)?

• Source 1 or 2 is written in ….
• This is shown in the quote ….
• This is used because …
• In contrast/similarly
• Source 3 is written in ….
• This is shown in the quote ….
• This is used because …

2. General language comment:

Is the article factual/descriptive/opinionated?

• Source 1/2 uses factual language. 
• This can be seen in the use of facts and statistics.
• A quote to demonstrate this is …
• These techniques are used to …
• However Source 3 is descriptive.
• The writer uses techniques such as adjectives and imagery.
• An example of imagery can be seen in the use of the simile …
• An example of an adjective is …
• These are effective because…

3. Zoom in on the language and find a similarity between the sources – this could be anything you feel comfortable writing about: 

• Both Source 1/2 and Source 3 use jargon and field specific lexis (fancy way to say words linked to a certain area/field/topic).
• An example from Source 1 is … and an example from Source 3 is ….
• The linguistic technique of jargon is used because …. It is effective as it …

4. Zoom in on the language and find a difference between the sources – this could be anything you feel comfortable writing about:

• Source 1/2 uses …. This is due to the purpose of the article to inform.
• This is demonstrated in the quote …
• This is effective because …
• On the other hand Source 3 uses …. as this text is aimed to describe.
• This is demonstrated in the quote …
• This is effective because …

5. Finish with a summary

• Source 1/2 and 3 are similar because they use ….
• The texts use different language techniques as they have different audiences and purposes.  One uses ….. whereas the other uses …..

BOOM – more than 3 marks! 

Have a go at comparing the following two texts – you may wish to simply plan your response or you may wish to spend 25 minutes answering the question.

Compare the ways in which language is used for effect in the two texts. (16 marks)

Example Source 1

False Widow Spiders Article

Example Source 3

Extract from Nigel Slater’s Biography

As per usual happy to read comments/emails. I will also post some ‘Opinion piece’ article for you to have a look at over the weekend.

Just to finish – a short video to watch to recap on this question:  Higher Question 4 Recap

Miss O

Question 3 (Foundation) Recap

This is your question that focuses on language. You have 12 marks available. 3 minutes to read the article and 16 minutes to answer the question.

This question will relate to Source 3. In the past Source 3 has been:

• An extract from an advice leaflet supporting parents with teenagers
• An informative leaflet – How to make a hedgehog home
• A leaflet on the charity Water Aid
• An extract of travel writing
• An extract for a brochure advertising a music holiday

Therefore you could be given any non-fiction text for your Question 3.

The question is:

How does the writer use language features in the leaflet? Remember to:

• give some examples of language features (QUOTES!)
• explain the effects. (Why have the been used?)

You will take the same approach every time you answer a Question 3 – 4 PQE paragraphs!

Is the source first person (I/we), second person (you) or third person (he/she/they)?

• Remember first person gives the reader a direct link with the writer – you can always comment on the use of first person quotes in an article written in third person perspective. This gives a personal account generally of someone who has been affected by the contents of the article. Second person (you) talks directly the reader – often used in persuasive texts. Third person distances the writer from the events (less personal) – this is often used in newspaper articles.

Language used in the sources – general

• Does the source use facts/statistics/expert views/jargon?
• Does the source use more descriptive and emotive language? Adjectives, adverbs, figurative language  – similes, metaphors etc.
• Source 3 uses much more descriptive and figurative language in order to portray the views and thoughts of the writer. Or Source 3 uses factual language in order to back up the writer’s views…

Zoom in on one key word/phrase from the source.

• Identify one or two key words and identify connotations. How effective are they? What do they make you feel as a reader?

Zoom in on one key technique from the source.

• Identify a technique – rhetorical question, repetition, expert opinion, imperatives (commands), alliteration etc.
• Why has the writer included this technique? Is it effective?

Have  a look at the following two sources and attempt to answer or plan your response to the question:

How does the writer use language features in the leaflet?

1. Charity leaflet (click on picture to enlarge)

 

2. Travel writing – Just Back Alpine Pilgrimage

 

 

Have a go – feel free to comment your plan/response for feedback.

Miss O