Year 10 - The Big Revision Plan - Unit 1 Literature

So we are nearing the Year 10 Literature Exam and there is a mock exam on Wednesday 26th March focusing on Unit 1 which is the Sunlight on the Grass Short Stories and Of Mice and Men.

The exam is 1 hour 30 minutes long and is split into two sections.

Section A has two questions and is on Sunlight on the Grass.

Section B has two questions and is on Of Mice and Men.

Essentially you have to try and create 4 mini-essays analysing and evaluating 3 quotations (though always try to aim for one more) for each mini essay.

There are some great resources kicking around the internet to help you with your revision. This posting is aiming to collate some of these to allow you to have all your resources in the one place.

Remember -'Visible Revision' is key here. The more you write about and gain feedback about these stories the better you will become in performing under exam pressures. 

First of all - here are a collection of excellent revision videos on each of the stories put together by some people calling themselves Short and Sweet GCSE Eng  - we owe them thanks for putting together these resources which are available on Youtube but embedded below for your convenience.

On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning

Compass and Torch

Anil

The Darkness Out There

Something Old Something New

My Polish Teacher's Tie

When the Wasps Drowned

Over at www.mrbruff.com you also have some excellent links to both Of Mice and Men and Sunlight on the Grass.

Each week your homework is due and is slightly different to build you up to full exam practice.

Remember the key skills that you need to show in each paragraph of your answer:

Point that directly answers the question (add a device for more sophistication).
An appropriate quotation (Embedded for fluency and a more sophisticated writing style)
Paraphrase where the quotation has come from.
Analyse (Zoom in on a key word)
Evaluate (Zoom out - what is the strength of the writer's choices and what message are they trying to convey)
Link all your analysis back to your main answer to the question.

Week 1 -   Due Friday 7th March - One paragraph analysing one quotation for the following:

1. How does the writer present relationships in The Compass and Torch?
2. How does the writer present relationships in a story of your choice?

Time yourself - you should aim to complete this in no more than 15 minutes.

Week 2 - Due Friday 14th March - One full answer to question one, one paragraph analysing one quotation for the second question:

1. How does the writer present appearances in 'The Darkness Out There'.
2. How does the writer present appearances in a story of your choice.

Time yourself - you should aim to complete this in no more than half an hour.

Week 3 - Due Friday 21st March - One full exam answer to both questions:

1. How does the writer present different cultures in 'Something Old Something New'?
2. How does the writer present different cultures in a story of your choice?

Time yourself - you should aim to complete this in no more than forty five minutes.

Week 4 - Due Friday 28th March -  One paragraph that you have improved from any two of the questions above. (Two paragraphs improvement in total).

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AQA Exam - An exam question a week - supersized edition

As you begin your exam preparation, you may want to start practising your timings over longer sections than individual questions. So I'm going to group all the questions together in one post which will give you a question per week or you can do chunks at a time.

My advice is always to start with the last questions first and work your way forward. That way you can ensure you spend 1hr 30 - 1hr 40 minutes on the questions with the most marks and then quickly work your way through the 8 mark questions.



Here are a few ways to structure your revision questions.

Spend 1hr 40 minutes on question 6, 5, 4 in one go.

and

Spend 35 minutes on questions 1 ,2, 3.

or

Spend 1hr on Section B.

and

Spend 1hr on Section A.

or

Do the whole paper in 2 hours 15.

Do each question with the following times:

1 - 12 Minutes

2 - 12 Minutes

3 - 12 Minutes

4 - 30 Minutes

5 - 25 Minutes

6 - 35 Minutes

Here are your sources:

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Question 1  - What do you understand about the life of Christopher Knights and the impact on the local community?

Question 2 - Explain how the Headline, the sub-headline and the picture are effective and how they link to the text.

Question 3 - Explain some of the thoughts and feelings of the writer about coming out to his parents.

Question 4 - Compare some of the ways the writers use language for effect. (Source three and either Source 1 or Source 2).

Question 5 - Describe a piece of technology and explain why it is important in your life.

Question 6 - Persuade people for or against the idea of living without the internet.

Happy Revising.

Mr Milne

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IGCSE Directed Writing: An exam question a week

We're going to look at the next option of writing you could be given: Discursive

This type of writing is where you create a balanced argument.

You are trying to show that you can work from a wider viewpoint and understand a range of different opinions, which can be a tricky task.

For example - A discursive piece of writing on unhealthy food would have to show the positive sides of unhealthy food. You could discuss that:

Although unhealthy food can be harmful, in moderation it can bring great comfort after a hard day's work. Everyone is allowed a treat now and again.

The key here is to keep things balanced. You're not writing to persuade so don't be biased. Make a quick four point plan of views on both sides of the argument. If you are a struggling try and create a persona that may represent the other side of the argument.

You need to ensure that you follow the five points of writing though. It is always good to make a plan and tick of the areas as you meet them in your writing.

Aim to develop 6 sections with balanced paragraphs:

This lovely little Prezi has a great explanation using boxing terms : http://prezi.com/snh4ewrh2cj9/boxing-to-argue/

You always get 2 options of questions (don't do both) and it is worth 25 writing marks in total addressing the following objectives:

Articulate what is thought, felt and imagined.

Order and present facts, ideas and opinions.

Understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary

Use language and register appropriate to audience and context.

Make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation and spelling.

You should spend an hour on this.

Here are some potential questions:

a) 'Hard work brings rewards' discuss this statement.

or 

b) 'Students today don't work as hard as their parents did at school' argue for or against this statement.

Good Luck

Mr Milne

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AQA - An exam question a week - Question 6

This question asks you to argue or persuade

It is important that you consider the form you are being asked to write in and the audience you are writing for. There are subtle differences in the form of web article and newspaper article and these would be conventions that you would be expected to follow.

Don't worry about spending time thinking up a headline or title (these are not wholly necessary) but think about the variation in tone you might have for your purpose.

As with all writing you need to remember your five key areas:

But also think about the writing MOT you've received:

Your grammatical expression as well as spelling are important too.

Remember your difference between argue and persuade. One must be balanced (argue) and one biased (Persuade). Remember your types of paragraphs you can use for this like respectful, one sided, attacking the other side of the argument.

The top band for the creativity of your writing states your writing needs to be:

Subtle and Manipulative

You can achieve this with juxtaposition of language or juxtaposition of tone:

1) A mixture of both formal and 'informal language for effect' (notice the inverted commas around the latter part; informal language must be used for effect and often inverted commas can point this out to the examiner).

2) Varying the tone of your paragraph - mixing serious points and silly images.

3) For argue you can juxtapose paragraphs showing balance and respect with ones that are more one sided or accusatory in tone.

Your task is:

You have been asked to write a letter to a local newspaper.

Argue for or against the construction of a new extreme sports complex in your town.

Good Luck

Mr Milne

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Extended / Core - Directed Writing Question 2 - Narrative Exam Question

We're going to look at the next option of writing you could be given: Narrative

Unlike Descriptive writing you can write a story here but you need to keep it simple.

The simplest stories we're told are Nursery Rhymes and we can use these to give ourselves a 4 part structure.

Character in Danger (Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. You are an egg! Please show some common sense...)

Danger Strikes (Humpty Dumpty had a great fall... who saw that coming?)

Attempt to get out of Danger (All the King's horses and all the King's men... bit of an over-reaction to an egg)

Attempt fails or succeeds (Couldn't put Humpty together again. The egg shouldn't have been on a wall in the first place. No sympathy)

N.b. for true story of Humpty Dumpty see siege of Colchester Castle.

The key here is to keep things simple. You're not writing the next Harry Potter so don't plan an epic. Make a quick four point plan and then pad it out with your description.

Description is like the sound in horror films. Without it your story falls flat.

So know where you are going - know how you are going to get there and then describe.

Last thing: Don't devalue the examiner's efforts in reading your story by saying 'it was all a dream'. If you can't think about how to end it  - don't. A cliffhanger will do.

You need to ensure that you follow the five points of writing though. It is always good to make a plan and tick of the areas as you meet them in your writing.

Aim to develop 6 sections working through your four point plan:

Character in danger - One Section.
Danger Strikes and Attempt to rescue - Two sections each.
Resolution - One section.

Keep an eye on your time! Each section should take you ten minutes to write

You always get 2 options of questions (don't do both) and it is worth 25 writing marks in total addressing the following objectives:

Articulate what is thought, felt and imagined.

Order and present facts, ideas and opinions.

Understand and use a range of appropriate vocabulary

Use language and register appropriate to audience and context.

Make accurate and effective use of paragraphs, grammatical structures, sentences, punctuation and spelling.

You should spend an hour on this.

Here are some potential questions:

a) Write a story about a mysterious character

or 

b) Write a story that ends 'and all he was left to do was stare off into the distance'.

Good Luck

Mr Milne

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AQA Question 5 - An exam question a week.

This question asks you to inform, explain or describe but in  the higher tier it normally focuses on two of these purposes.

It is important that you consider the form you are being asked to write in and the audience you are writing for. There are subtle differences in the form of web article and newspaper article and these would be conventions that you would be expected to follow.

Don't worry about spending time thinking up a headline or title (these are not wholly necessary) but think about the variation in tone you might have for your purpose.

As with all writing you need to remember your five key areas:

But also think about the writing MOT you've received:

Your grammatical expression as well as spelling are important too.

The top band for the creativity of your writing states your writing needs to be:

Subtle and Manipulative

You can achieve this with juxtaposition of language or juxtaposition of tone:

1) A mixture of both formal and 'informal language for effect' (notice the inverted commas around the latter part; informal language must be used for effect and often inverted commas can point this out to the examiner).

2) Varying the tone of your paragraph - mixing serious points and silly images.

Your task is:

You have been asked to write a online article for a website that publishes people's adventurous experiences.

Describe an adventurous activity you have taken part in and explain how it made you feel.

Good Luck

Mr Milne

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