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Jay.
02-06-2008, 03:55 PM
Here are some tips for your GCSE exam tomorrow (I'm doing it too)

I'm ok with english so i'm going to do well hopefully. Good luck ;)

There are two sections to this exam SECTION A and SECTION B

SECTION A:
40 marks
This section is testing your reading skills.
Expct four questions, 10 marks each

Spend time reading/re-reading. Prove to the examiner you've read it in your answer use quotes!

Steps on answering Question 1-4
• Read the passage (with no pen)
• Read the questions and circle/highlight the keywords
• Rule off those lines you are told to use for example: Read lines 1 - 17
• Re-read the lines asked, underlining and making notes. Write up your answer. Move one the routins for other answers.

Always refer to the extract givin and if it asks for your view, argue BOTH for and against, then a conclusion (that's at least 3 paragraphs)

SECTION B
40 marks
This section is testing your writing skills.
You'll answer 2 questions
B1: Description

B2: Personal or story writing
On B2 you'll have a choice ONLY DO ONE

Remember:
Accurate basic puncuation: full stops, commas, apostrophes, question marks ect. (Without comma's you can only get about an E grade)
A PAGE AT LEAST.

DO NOT WRITE ABOUT MORE THAN 2 SETTINGS.
DO NOT WRITE ABOUT A LONG TIME IN A CHARACTERS LIFE - ONLY COVER A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME
THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT THE CHOICE YOU MAKE AND THE SYLE OF WRITING DEMANDED BY THAT CHOICE

Tips:
• Imagine you are a camera - keep yourself out of this peice or writing.
• Camera's can 'see' the complete view, therefore begin in your description with "little bits" of the scene
• Camera's can Zoom in. Now "Zoom in" your description of seprate little bits.
• A precise, stong vocabulary
• When you "Zoom" in be exact and detailed. Do not be general.
Example:
a)The trees were.... NO
The oak trees... YES
b)The flower were colourful. NO
The marigolds were brilliant orange added colour to the scene YES
c) The dogs raced around the... NO
An Old English sheepdog playfully pounched on the children's football. YES

• Do not jsut describe what can be seen, but also sound, smells textures, tastes.
• Use at least one comparision
e.g 1)The branches of the trees looked like fingers reaching out to grab people.
2) She stood in the way as if made of stone

• And avoid "ings"

My hands are tired so hope you like it.

Coldplay
02-06-2008, 04:04 PM
Wrong exam, tommorow is persuade.. lol

Jay.
02-06-2008, 04:06 PM
Wrong exam, tommorow is persuade.. lol

I'm doing English paper 1 reading and writing.;)

Coldplay
02-06-2008, 04:08 PM
so am I ;)

Paper 1 is Persuade
Paper 2 is Describe

Jay.
02-06-2008, 04:10 PM
so am I ;)

Paper 1 is Persuade
Paper 2 is Describe

Noo. ?

I've been taught and i have a help booklet with me right now ? :)

Coldplay
02-06-2008, 04:18 PM
What Exam board are you with? And do you do literature.

Jay.
02-06-2008, 04:38 PM
What Exam board are you with? And do you do literature.


I do both Lang And Litrature.

Also, i'm with AQA i think. ;)

Coldplay
02-06-2008, 04:55 PM
Then tommorow is Persuade, I promise you.
Thursday is Cultural poetry and describe.

splatttt
02-06-2008, 04:56 PM
Then tommorow is Persuade, I promise you.
Thursday is Cultural poetry and describe.


yeah thats right.
tomorrow is reading... i hate reading. urgh. I can read ofc but i hate being asked why a writer wrote that and why he put this picture ect.. how the hell do i know!
lmao.

Immenseman
02-06-2008, 05:24 PM
We've concentrated on Media and Literature so much we've hardly done any work on Language. I just hope it goes okay, no idea what to expect though.

Geo23
02-06-2008, 07:33 PM
We've concentrated on Media and Literature so much we've hardly done any work on Language. I just hope it goes okay, no idea what to expect though.


Write to Pesurade/Advise/Argue/Describe / 2 of them together.

I think

Eamonn
02-06-2008, 07:47 PM
Tomorrow I have non-fiction/media and argueing/persuade and Thursday I have poems from different cultures and explain/inform/describe.

Tristan
02-06-2008, 07:49 PM
Write to Pesurade/Advise/Argue/Describe / 2 of them together.

I think

No I think Persuade is on Paper 2.
Although I'm on the Welsh board, here's what we have.




Section A (about 55 minutes recommended)
Reading

Answer four questions on a prose extract

A1 10 marks 10-15 minutes

A2 10 marks 10-15 minutes

A3 10 marks 10-15 minutes

A4 10 marks 10-15 minutes


Note: Sometimes one 10 mark question will be replaced by two worth 5 marks each.

(Questions test: knowledge and use of text; inference and interpretation; apprecition and evaluation of language and structure.)



Section B (about 1 hour 5 minutes recommended)
Writing

Complete two pieces of writing


B1 ----- 20 marks ----- 25 minutes approvimately
Descriptive writing

B2 ----- 20 marks ----- 40 minutes approximately
Imaginative writing


(Writing assessed on: content and organization; sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.)

Immenseman
02-06-2008, 08:43 PM
Tomorrow I have non-fiction/media and argueing/persuade and Thursday I have poems from different cultures and explain/inform/describe.

Same as me. :8

Hope it's clear what to do as we've had no lessons on it.

CHA!NGANG
02-06-2008, 09:06 PM
I have that too I think.

Fifteen
02-06-2008, 09:06 PM
Paper 1
Reading - Media texts
Reading - Non fection texts
Writting to persuade, aruge, advise.Paper 2


Poems
Witting to analyse, review, comment.I'm scared.

Tristan
02-06-2008, 09:13 PM
English Language is the one subject that I really need to pass.
I'm not very good at it though. :cry:
If not all, most of my A Level courses need at least a C. :(

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