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9093 English AS

nehaoscar

nehaoscar

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awesomaholic101 said:
I don't spend much time planning in P1 ... reading one passage twice and annotating itself takes 20-25 mins for me! xP ... Don't judge me, I can't help being a slow reader :p
And as for story/descriptions, again i don't plan much or anything ... just get a plot and start ... but even then it takes time to finish writing.
By the time i reach the writing for an audience part, there will only be 45m left :p so i just pick a question and ramble on and finish half the word limit and time's up!

My teacher and a senior have advised me to just keep practicing the planning for commentaries and audience writing, even if i don't have time to write the complete scripts .... apparently that helped increase the speed ... so that's on my list now.
Click to expand...
Haha yeah no problem that seems a good idea!
Btw if you write less than the word limit say like 400-500 instead of 600 words how many marks would they cut? :/
 
Lola_sweet

Lola_sweet

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awesomaholic101 said:
The Mike Gould book is good ... it covers almost everything you need to know.
Introduction as you are currently doing contains a brief overview plus the purpose of the passage, how it is achieved and the (dominant) tone.
You can prove the tone with an example in the intro itself or further in your commentary. Just make sure to justify all the claims you make.
Conclusion: you can just outline the language, diction, structure, style or whatever was the most effective factor of the passage as you would have previously talked about in your commentary.


Other tips I'd suggest are:

Keep your commentary clear. Use active voice, simple language and clear structure. We can't let the examiner infer anything, we must clearly state whatever needs to be understood.

And yes, stick to the point-quote-analysis structure coz that will give ur commentary some sort of flow.

While choosing your words, see to that they create the effect that you're asked to comment on and whether you can analyse it in the context/angle you are looking at the passage with. (You will have given this in your intro.)

Also, make sure to pick your choices spread out through the passage. If you take all your points within a particular section of the passage, your quality is bound to go down and you might fall down a band.

Do NOT comment on the content. Comment on the language as used in the context of the particular passage. Remember contextual analysis, not content.

As for samples, I will see if I got any good one and send it to you in convo, In sha Allah.
You can read this for more tips on both papers: https://www.edmodo.com/file/view-office-online?wopi_action=edit&id=e0794f6ddf7aeb38b6980b2e1c6cfb43

CAN ANYBODY GIVE ME TIPS ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE PAPER WITHIN TIME? MY TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS SUCK. I AM HARDLY ABLE TO FINISH 1.5 OF THE TASKS IN BOTH PAPERS AND I HAVE MY BOARDS IN AROUND 40 DAYS!!
Click to expand...
the link u sent
how do u use it :eek:
 
A

awesomaholic101

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Lola_sweet said:
lol its okay
i tried signing up but dont have a code :p
Click to expand...
haha yes ... you need a teacher to use it I guess. But here you go ... hope you have the patience to read all of that :p


EXAMINER TIPS for AS English Language 8693

General Advice

• It is important that you are ready for the examination in terms of your standard of written English: this is a step up from GCSE and requires a high degree of fluency and accuracy.

• Ensure that you are particularly practised at using consistent tenses and subject-verb agreement.

• Try to ensure that you are familiar with different types of texts such as travel writing, autobiography, biography, humorous writing, persuasive or promotional materials, fictional genres (such as science fiction, suspense, thrillers and so on).

• Try to ensure, too, that you are familiar with writing in different formats for both papers. You should practise writing the openings of different types of texts and familiarise yourself with the structures and conventions of different genres and formats.

• Ensure that you annotate passages that you read.

• Ensure that you plan your work in the examination.

• Do not try to off-load a prepared list of terminology on Paper 1 but try to select and draw from the terms which you do know which are appropriate for the passage.

• Don’t write under the amount required or go excessively beyond the upper limit.

Paper 1

• When asked to comment on the language and style of the set passage try to be prepared in your approach: don’t be afraid to plan, highlight or annotate the text.

• Try to avoid being inflexible; try not to write a list of prepared terms or to spot features/techniques that you recognise. Examiners call this ‘feature-spotting’. Unlike some other subjects English Language is not really content driven but tends to involve the application of specific reading and writing skills. Trying to off-load revised content for the subject is, therefore, not really appropriate.

• Try to break the set passage into small sections and consider each section in turn.

• As you consider each section try to select issues or techniques which are clearly in evidence in the passage; not everything you know will necessarily be there.

• As a starting point, ask yourself what the mood of the passage is; highlight the key words and phrases that create this.

• Ask yourself what we learn about the narrator or a character, the kinds of attitude they show to others or any issues that arise.

• Ask yourself about the use of setting – which key words and phrases establish this?

• If there is dialogue, what does it show us about different speakers and their attitudes to/relationships with others?

• The key words and phrases that you highlight should form the basis for the brief quotations you should blend into your answer.

• Quotations should be brief (about five words maximum for each one) and be embedded into your sentences: avoid copying huge chunks of the text out.

• Try to comment on these quotations by asking yourself a range of prompt questions for each one: What mood does this create? What qualities does it bring to mind? Does it contrast with any other words or phrases in the text and, if so, what is the effect of this? What do the words suggest about the voice (the narrator perhaps or another character) using them?

• Try to look for differences between each of the smaller sections you have broken the text up into.

• See if there are changes in mood, attitude or characterisation.

• When answering tasks based on directed writing, ensure that you read the instructions

carefully so that you understand the purpose of the task, which character it might involve, the format in which it is to be written and the appropriate conventions and style of such a format.

• Keep to the word limits

• If you are asked to write in the style and language of the original passage, refer to some of the material you have highlighted in commenting on the language and style and try to adapt the same techniques.

• If the directed writing task is set first and followed by a task which requires you to compare your piece of writing to the original extract, then focus on the style and language first: so that, when it comes to the writing task, you are familiar with the writer’s techniques and can base your writing on them. Again, highlight and annotate the original text.

Paper 1 pattern:

This paper tests your reading skills in particular. However, there is also the opportunity to demonstrate some of your writing skills too.

You have to answer two of the three questions available. The first question is compulsory. However, you have choice between the second and the third question. It is best to allow some reading time for the passages and the questions.

• Take your time to choose your questions carefully at the start of the examination.

• Planning is very useful.

• Don’t be afraid to highlight key words and phrases, even using colour coding if you think it might help; don’t be afraid to make notes on the paper.

Questions will be drawn from a range of different resources. These may include some of the following: travel pieces, autobiography, biography, advertising, speeches, reviews, persuasive writing, and fiction.

You will be asked to comment on the language and style of the set passage and asked to carry out a direct writing task of between 120-150 words.

For this paper, it is important that you are familiar with a range of different reading materials and the conventions different genres may use. For example, sometimes extracts from speeches are set and it is helpful if you have some familiarity with some of the rhetorical devices a speaker may use: for example, a list of three or rhetorical questions. Similarly, if part of a ghost story is set, it is useful to know how writers might create mood and suspense: for example, through the use of setting and adjectives that creative mystery and the unknown.

The key point about answering these questions is that you are not being asked to spot a list of features such as a list of three, rhetorical questions, the use of adjectives: you are being asked to comment on the possible effects that these features may achieve, the possible thoughts and feelings they may bring into a reader’s mind, the mood(s) they may create at different points, the qualities that specific words and phrases may bring out.

To achieve higher marks you should also show an awareness of the structure of the passage, how it unfolds: therefore, it is sometimes best to work through the passage when commenting on language and style by breaking it up into smaller sections and commenting on any changes between them: for example, does the mood change between different sections?

You are not really expected to address the question by writing an answer based on a pre-learnt checklist: for example, it is not really effective to have a prepared list of subheadings in your mind to the point that you are determined; whatever the passage is, to write about things such as types of sentence, punctuation, vocabulary. You need to be flexible in your approach and select terminology that is relevant to comment on the set passages on the day of the examination.
 
A

awesomaholic101

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Paper 2

For Section A (Imaginative Writing):

• Be familiar with a range of styles of writing and different genres.

• Try to appreciate the conventions, the features which we would expect to find, in different types of text.

• Practice writing the opening chapters to different genres.

• In the examination read the rubric of each title carefully: there will usually be a specific requirement to focus not just on the title but on one or two foregrounded elements in particular. These elements usually come in pairs and include matters such as: setting and mood; suspense and mystery; character and motivation.

• Try to practice planning the structure of a complete story: sometimes the titles in this section may ask you to write a story with a twist at the end or a story where a secret catches up with a character; plotting of content and the revelation of detail becomes important when addressing such titles.

• Don’t overwrite: this means that you should not make your language too flowery or show off your impressive vocabulary by combining words and phrases that sound excessive in the chosen context.

• Try to create a sense of sentence variation.

• If you are writing an essentially narrative piece blend in short bursts of description – of setting, people, character qualities – to break up the narrative.

• Ensure you write a minimum of 600 words: short work is penalised.

For Section B (Writing for an Audience):

• Ensure that you practice writing different kinds of essays.

• When writing texts which require balanced arguments, practice summarizing the arguments of other people (your personal view of such arguments is not necessarily relevant).

• Use some useful terms in such texts in order to facilitate summaries: ‘according to’,‘supporters of this view argue that’, ‘proponents believe that’, ‘opponents claim that’, ‘to counter this argument’, ‘they also add that’.

• When writing texts which require personal judgment, try to avoid offering an outpouring of unstructured arguments; address the arguments which seem opposite to your view and assess them in a measured and persuasive tone.

• Texts which require different formats: you may be asked to role-play and write in a certain style or format – such as giving advice or offering an opinion in a newspaper; be aware of the audience for and purpose of the piece.

• Ensure you write a minimum of 600 words: short work is penalised.

Paper 2 pattern:

This paper focuses on your writing skills. You answer two questions in total.

It is essential to note that each answer must be between 600 and 900 words. Compositions under this length lose marks.

Section A of the paper gives you a choice of 3questions based on Narrative/Descriptive/Imaginative Writing approach. You choose one of these to answer.

Titles may include some of the following: the opening to chapter to a novel (title given); a complete short story; two contrasting descriptive pieces; the opening to a particular genre of writing (such as a science fiction story, a ghost story, a story based on suspense).

Holistic marks are awarded for imaginative or descriptive content, a sense of structure, variation in vocabulary and sentence structure, technical accuracy.

The issue of technical accuracy – as well as that of appropriate length noted above – is an important factor to consider. A good degree of fluency in English is a prime consideration when awarding marks at this standard, a step up from GCSE.

Section B of this paper gives you a choice of 3questions based on Discursive/Argumentative

Writing approach. You choose one of these to answer.

The title may ask you to answer questions in a certain format – such as giving advice in a newspaper or magazine article, writing a review of some kind, delivering a speech. Again, it is essential to note that each answer must be between 600 and 900 words.

Holistic marks are awarded for choices of appropriate and effective approaches, vocabulary, a sense of audience and purpose, persuasive strategies.
 
Lola_sweet

Lola_sweet

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awesomaholic101 said:
haha yes ... you need a teacher to use it I guess. But here you go ... hope you have the patience to read all of that :p


EXAMINER TIPS for AS English Language 8693

General Advice

• It is important that you are ready for the examination in terms of your standard of written English: this is a step up from GCSE and requires a high degree of fluency and accuracy.

• Ensure that you are particularly practised at using consistent tenses and subject-verb agreement.

• Try to ensure that you are familiar with different types of texts such as travel writing, autobiography, biography, humorous writing, persuasive or promotional materials, fictional genres (such as science fiction, suspense, thrillers and so on).

• Try to ensure, too, that you are familiar with writing in different formats for both papers. You should practise writing the openings of different types of texts and familiarise yourself with the structures and conventions of different genres and formats.

• Ensure that you annotate passages that you read.

• Ensure that you plan your work in the examination.

• Do not try to off-load a prepared list of terminology on Paper 1 but try to select and draw from the terms which you do know which are appropriate for the passage.

• Don’t write under the amount required or go excessively beyond the upper limit.

Paper 1

• When asked to comment on the language and style of the set passage try to be prepared in your approach: don’t be afraid to plan, highlight or annotate the text.

• Try to avoid being inflexible; try not to write a list of prepared terms or to spot features/techniques that you recognise. Examiners call this ‘feature-spotting’. Unlike some other subjects English Language is not really content driven but tends to involve the application of specific reading and writing skills. Trying to off-load revised content for the subject is, therefore, not really appropriate.

• Try to break the set passage into small sections and consider each section in turn.

• As you consider each section try to select issues or techniques which are clearly in evidence in the passage; not everything you know will necessarily be there.

• As a starting point, ask yourself what the mood of the passage is; highlight the key words and phrases that create this.

• Ask yourself what we learn about the narrator or a character, the kinds of attitude they show to others or any issues that arise.

• Ask yourself about the use of setting – which key words and phrases establish this?

• If there is dialogue, what does it show us about different speakers and their attitudes to/relationships with others?

• The key words and phrases that you highlight should form the basis for the brief quotations you should blend into your answer.

• Quotations should be brief (about five words maximum for each one) and be embedded into your sentences: avoid copying huge chunks of the text out.

• Try to comment on these quotations by asking yourself a range of prompt questions for each one: What mood does this create? What qualities does it bring to mind? Does it contrast with any other words or phrases in the text and, if so, what is the effect of this? What do the words suggest about the voice (the narrator perhaps or another character) using them?

• Try to look for differences between each of the smaller sections you have broken the text up into.

• See if there are changes in mood, attitude or characterisation.

• When answering tasks based on directed writing, ensure that you read the instructions

carefully so that you understand the purpose of the task, which character it might involve, the format in which it is to be written and the appropriate conventions and style of such a format.

• Keep to the word limits

• If you are asked to write in the style and language of the original passage, refer to some of the material you have highlighted in commenting on the language and style and try to adapt the same techniques.

• If the directed writing task is set first and followed by a task which requires you to compare your piece of writing to the original extract, then focus on the style and language first: so that, when it comes to the writing task, you are familiar with the writer’s techniques and can base your writing on them. Again, highlight and annotate the original text.

Paper 1 pattern:

This paper tests your reading skills in particular. However, there is also the opportunity to demonstrate some of your writing skills too.

You have to answer two of the three questions available. The first question is compulsory. However, you have choice between the second and the third question. It is best to allow some reading time for the passages and the questions.

• Take your time to choose your questions carefully at the start of the examination.

• Planning is very useful.

• Don’t be afraid to highlight key words and phrases, even using colour coding if you think it might help; don’t be afraid to make notes on the paper.

Questions will be drawn from a range of different resources. These may include some of the following: travel pieces, autobiography, biography, advertising, speeches, reviews, persuasive writing, and fiction.

You will be asked to comment on the language and style of the set passage and asked to carry out a direct writing task of between 120-150 words.

For this paper, it is important that you are familiar with a range of different reading materials and the conventions different genres may use. For example, sometimes extracts from speeches are set and it is helpful if you have some familiarity with some of the rhetorical devices a speaker may use: for example, a list of three or rhetorical questions. Similarly, if part of a ghost story is set, it is useful to know how writers might create mood and suspense: for example, through the use of setting and adjectives that creative mystery and the unknown.

The key point about answering these questions is that you are not being asked to spot a list of features such as a list of three, rhetorical questions, the use of adjectives: you are being asked to comment on the possible effects that these features may achieve, the possible thoughts and feelings they may bring into a reader’s mind, the mood(s) they may create at different points, the qualities that specific words and phrases may bring out.

To achieve higher marks you should also show an awareness of the structure of the passage, how it unfolds: therefore, it is sometimes best to work through the passage when commenting on language and style by breaking it up into smaller sections and commenting on any changes between them: for example, does the mood change between different sections?

You are not really expected to address the question by writing an answer based on a pre-learnt checklist: for example, it is not really effective to have a prepared list of subheadings in your mind to the point that you are determined; whatever the passage is, to write about things such as types of sentence, punctuation, vocabulary. You need to be flexible in your approach and select terminology that is relevant to comment on the set passages on the day of the examination.
Click to expand...
awesomaholic101 said:
It says 8693 ... i dunno if there's any for 9093 yet ...
Click to expand...




OMG :eek: THATS SO MUCH

Will read it
 
a_wiserME!!

a_wiserME!!

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awesomaholic101 said:
ik ... it feels psychologically better to read on Word itself :giggle:
Click to expand...

For your time management.. for p2 you MUST have a plan.. just a spider diagram would do of what goes in which paragraph! (ik we arent used to it but now that im doing that im managing time better :p)

And p1 yeah the annotating part yeah must take 10 mins max.. NOT MORE... coz then you gotta write the commentary which will take say 45 mins and the next 10mins for your directed writing... this will work... but in case you do not have time... do the directed writing first and then your commentary.
 
FranticAmaze

FranticAmaze

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a_wiserME!! said:
For your time management.. for p2 you MUST have a plan.. just a spider diagram would do of what goes in which paragraph! (ik we arent used to it but now that im doing that im managing time better :p)

And p1 yeah the annotating part yeah must take 10 mins max.. NOT MORE... coz then you gotta write the commentary which will take say 45 mins and the next 10mins for your directed writing... this will work... but in case you do not have time... do the directed writing first and then your commentary.
Click to expand...
For ur time management awesomaholic101 stop planning for the directed writing tasks for God's sake -.-
 
FranticAmaze

FranticAmaze

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FranticAmaze

FranticAmaze

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Yess!!!!we have only like 10mins to do the directed writing task but barru idiot plans for that too and she ends up not even attempting both directed writing tasks -_-
 
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