Poetry of Place: Compare the ways poets explore the enduring impact of nature in 'The Prelude' and one other poem from Place.

The student responses below are all very strong and each compares The Prelude with a different poem from the Place section.  They are written by Talia, Orli, Sophie, Eve and Aliyah and cover The Prelude, The Moment, Wild Swans, Below the Green Corrie, Crossing the Loch, Cold Knap Lake and Wind.  My essay is at the end and compares The Prelude with Crossing the Loch.


In general, most of you are not quite shaping the answer so that it fully responds to the question being asked, so these are good to look at for examples of this.  Also, you must remember that the Literature responses, whether they be on The Crucible, Of Mice and Men or the poetry, all require you to evaluate for top band 6.

English Language Paper Question 6 style responses

A few examples of writing from an ironic or satirical perspective.  Remember that to reach the top band for this question we don't need to have a piece written from an entirely ironic or satirical perspective but it is one of the literary techniques which is considered more sophisticated and therefore can help, along with all of the other things that we have been practising!


Two examples from me (forgive the expletive in one of them- it's in context), one from James (warning - contains references to Jesus and Donald Trump!), one from Abi and one from Talia.

Irony and Satire

Two linguistic techniques mentioned in the top band of both Question 5 and 6 are IRONY and SATIRE.

In simple terms, irony is saying the opposite of what you actually mean.  In simple terms, satire is a way of using humour to mock attitudes, behaviours etc or to make a political or social comment.  It too, often seems to say the opposite to the real message which lies behind it.

Below are some satirical articles.  The language used is not complex but the articles are carefully structured so that the reader may be fooled to begin with, perhaps feeling shocked that such an attitude or belief is being expressed, and only gradually realising that the true attitude of the writer is the complete opposite to that being presented on the surface.




You may not want to create an piece of writing which is entirely satirical.  It is actually a very challenging device to use effectively.  However, some satirical elements, a paragraph perhaps, as a part of an argumentative article, for example, could be very effective and would also help to fulfil the requirements of the highest mark band for both questions.

Be careful, though, satire will need to be woven carefully into your piece and there will be some topics and forms of writing which will not be suitable.  Satire fits more naturally into opinion pieces - writing to argue.

Past Questions 5 and 6

Below are the past questions for Q5 and 6.  We will practise some of these in class but may not write the whole answer.  During the holiday, try to practise some of these to TIME, making sure that you apply the techniques that we have spoken about where appropriate.

English Mock feedback and advice - Q5

I haven't put the mark scheme for Q5 here because it is virtually identical to the mark scheme for Q6. There are just fewer marks available for it!!!

As you move on to the writing section of the exam paper, you need to remember that THERE ARE FEWER MARKS AVAILABLE FOR Q5 THAN FOR Q6.  DO NOT, THEREFORE, WRITE TWICE AS MUCH FOR Q5 AS FOR Q6 JUST BECAUSE YOU PREFER THE MORE CREATIVE STYLE OF WRITING.  I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE UP TO BUT IT WON'T WORK FOR THIS EXAM.

DO Q6 FIRST.

As for Q6, for Q5 you also need to show that you are aware of the form that you are writing in.  In this case, you have been asked to write an ARTICLE for your SCHOOL or COLLEGE magazine.  This means that your FORM is an ARTICLE and your AUDIENCE are your peers.  To acknowledge form, you should have some kind of HEADING.  You don't really need to do any more than this.  You do not need to lay it out like a magazine article by using columns.  You do not need a picture as this is a test of writing, not drawing!

Here are some successful examples for Q5 and a brief explanation of why they are successful.

The above is successful because, although it doesn't have a HEADING and it should, it is very carefully structured throughout.  It uses a variety of paragraph lengths, a variety of sentence lengths and a variety of punctuation, very successfully.  The piece is entertaining and absorbing for the reader and it is an excellent length.

Although the above also needed a HEADING in order to show awareness of FORM, it is an exceptionally well structured piece of writing.  The variety of sentence structures used are impressive as is the use of punctuation, for example ellipsis at the end of the second sentence.  Short sentences and paragraphs are successfully used to create tension and anticipation.  There is also some understated humour which works very well and does not try to be too clever and so hits its mark perfectly.

One thing that is wrong with the above response, though, is that it is TOO LONG.  Two and a half sides of this size handwriting would have been plenty.

English Mock Feedback and advice Q6

Before we look at samples of your work and look at what made them successful or less so, let's look at the mark scheme.  There are several things that you need to be very aware of as you plan, and then write, your responses.

The thing that most of you did not do, was to indicate that you were aware of the FORM that you were supposed to be writing in.  Are you being asked to write a letter, an article, an entry for a blog...  whatever it is, it will be something, not just a piece of writing.  It will have a PURPOSE and through your structure, style and content, you must show that you are aware of that purpose, and that you are aware of the AUDIENCE.

So, if you are writing a letter, as in this case, start with Dear... and end with Yours....

If the audience is specifically named, you need to show that you are aware of this.  So, if the audience in this case is the editor of the newspaper you could start, Dear Sir and end Yours Faithfully.  If the form had been an article you should have had a HEADING.  If the form had been a blog you would have also needed a heading.  If the form had been a speech, you could have written a title like: Transcript of speech delivered to .....on 12th May 2015.  If the audience was your peers, you could make a reference to that in your opening sentence: We teenagers are often thought to be...


Use of Linguistic devices.

Most of you used more linguistic devices for Q5 than for Q6!  The linguistic devices that you did use a lot of was the rhetorical question.  However, you need to be able to show off an ability to use a variety of devices.  Irony, satire and hyperbole are the devices mentioned in the mark scheme but you could use any device that we have learnt about and used to analyse the writing of other people.  Look at the list of devices that I have given you for Q4 and think about how you could use each one.  Be careful in your use, however; you need a light touch rather than a heavy hand.

Structural Devices

Use a variety of paragraph lengths.  Short.  Single word (if appropriate) and longer, more complex paragraphs.  If you are writing an article, you may use SUBHEADINGS as well as a HEADING to indicate that you understand the FORM that you are writing in.  If you are writing an entry for a leaflet or a pamphlet, you may want to use bullet points at some stage, but not all the way through.

Punctuation

Show that you can use a variety of punctuation - but also be sure to get the basics right!  Don't forget that you can use : before a list, ; instead of because, a - in a variety of ways (and very few people use these - they're a bit scared of them (or they've forgotten they exist)!

Vocabulary

Use ambitious, interesting vocabulary that you know how to spell.

OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

• You should seriously consider completing Q6 before Q5.  Many of you are writing too much for Q5 and not leaving yourself enough time for the higher mark question.  It would not be a good idea to do these writing questions before the reading questions because the writing pieces are designed to complement the reading articles and you can use the odd quotation and piece of information in your Q6 or Q5 responses where relevant.
• You should get much better at managing your time.  Practise past questions TO TIME.  You have 35 minutes for this question.  Do not use more than 35 minutes.  You should leave about 5 minutes to think and plan and 5 minutes to check your work carefully for errors as well as checking for errors as you write.  Therefore, you should be writing for about 25 minutes.  2 pages to 2.5 pages of normal sized handwriting is enough.

Samples from your mock with a brief commentary.

The above piece was successful because it acknowledged the FORM by starting with a letter opening.  It used linguistic devices: rhetorical question but could have employed more, for example hyperbole or irony, understatement.   It was structurally successful because it used a variety of sentence and paragraph lengths, it used a variety of punctuation marks, accurately.  It used interesting vocabulary and spelt it correctly.  It was an engaging read which kept the reader interested throughout.

What makes the above answer successful is that it uses some really interesting argumentative techniques.  It uses quotations, rhetorical questions, repetition, it uses a circular 'narrative' with the end of the piece echoing the beginning.  What it didn't do was acknowledge the FORM and whilst I haven't punished it too much for this, the examiner might well do so.

Your Presentations on past Crucible Questions

How does Miller present the theme of betrayal in The Crucible?






How does Miller present witch hunts?






Notes to support the above presentation:








How does Miller present the theme of integrity in The Crucible?










How does Miller present Mary Warren / The girls and how do you respond?







How does Miller present attitudes towards the court?





















How does Miller present John Proctor and how do you respond?