English
English Revision
This week saw the start of the GCSE exam session and the first of 4 English exams-Literature paper 1. Well done year 11-all your hard work has paid off! Now is the time to ride on...
English Revision
This week saw the start of the GCSE exam session and the first of 4 English exams-Literature paper 1.Well done year 11-all your hard work has paid off! Now is the time to ride on the success of Wednesday’s exam and plan ahead for your revision of the other texts and English Language skills.
The English department are offering tailored revision sessions for each class throughout the exam period- (check your maximising achievement timetables and make sure you’re in the right sessions at the right time)
I have also been sending out revision tips emails to the whole of year 11- the most recent one is below. These will continue until your last English exam. Look out for them, you never know, there maybe a little something you hadn’t thought of before.
Very best of luck, year 11!
Ms Bowe
Well done on yesterday, year 11: 1 English paper down, 3 to go!
What can I do to get the highest grades in my GCSE Literature exams?
Now we ride on the success of yesterday’s exam- At this stage, it’s all about beefing up your knowledge of FORM, STRUCTURE and LANGUAGE! 
As you know, there are 6 skills bands in GCSE English Literature. The assessment objectives state that students must explore/evaluate Language Form AND Structure equally to get skills band 6 (grades 8 and 9). However, you need to show an understanding of it for skills levels 3+.
So, what am I talking about?
Form – What you are studying e.g. novel, play, diary entry, poem… etc.
Examiners often moan about how frequently they read essays where candidates haven’t even used the word play, never mind explored the dramatic features of it.
In an essay you should highlight the methods the author has used, and then explore/evaluate what the effects are and why you think they have been chosen.
Structure – how that piece is structured/organised- so the acts in a play, the stanzas in a poem, the Acts of a play… you can also ‘zoom in’ a bit and look at rhyme schemes/word order in poems, paragraphs in prose, stage directions (exits and entrances) etc.
Language – the choice of words and their characteristics – typically things like alliteration, assonance, sibilance, the linguistic history of a word, onomatopoeia... but also things like semantic field, or just general observations on language type e.g. ‘He uses emotive language’ to…’
In an essay you should highlight the methods the author has used, and then explore/evaluate what the effects are and why you think they have been chosen.
Below are several video clips that will help you explore Form, Structure and Language very specifically for our paper 2 Literature texts. Take a few minutes to watch: they are easy viewing and easy wins for your exam on Thursday 23rd May (am).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I do hope the Chemistry paper went well for you today-I will be sending out another revision tips email tomorrow with more specific guidance on paper 2 Literature.
Keep chipping away.
Best wishes,
Ms. Bowe
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