English Language structure and techniques, Study notes of English

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GCSE English Literature and

Language

Presented by: SARAH MONTGOMERY

HOW TO ACE THESE EXAMS

About me!

• Hello! I’m Sarah!
• I have a degree in English Literature and

Theatre Studies from the University of Glasgow,

also studied Scottish Literature

• MA in Acting from East 15 Acting School
• Love me some books, some walking and tea

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

What does each paper ask you to do?

Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing

• Focuses on one source (a fictional extract).
• analyse the language within a given extract and then write your own story based on a picture.

Paper 2: Writer's Viewpoints and Perspectives

• Includes two sources (non-fiction texts from different time periods)
• show your interpretation and understanding of texts, being asked to compare texts, analyse language and its impact, and then write your own persuasive essay/speech.

MARKING CRITERIA

Same for both papers

AO1 - AO4 is all

about Section A

AO5+AO6 are about

Section B.

PAPER 1 - QUESTION 1

WHICH MARKING CRITERIA? - AO

HOW MANY MARKS? - 4

IS OFTEN PHRASED - “Read from lines ___ to _____. List ____ things about ___”

EXAMPLE: “Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 6. List four things about hyenas from this part of the source.”

PAPER 1 QUESTION 1

My answer:

● 1: Hyenas attack in packs ● 2: Hyenas attack zebras, gnus and water buffalo ● 3: Hyenas don’t just attack the older or weaker animals, they attack fully grown ones too ● 4: Hyenas are clever

Possible Answers: →

Difference in higher mark versus lower mark = interpretation!

Example: “the girl skipped down the road.”

● ANSWER A: the word ‘skipped’ shows she wasn’t walking

● ANSWER B: the word ‘skipped’ connotes a lightness to her movement,

suggesting the girl was excited or happy.

PAPER 1 - QUESTION 2

WHICH ASPECT OF MARKING CRITERIA? - AO

HOW MANY MARKS? - 8

IS OFTEN PHRASED - Look at lines ___ to ___. How does the writer use language here to describe

______? You could include the writer’s choice of: _____

EXAMPLE: Look now at lines 10 to 19 of the source. How does the writer use language here to

describe the hyena’s appearance? You could include the writer’s choice of: words and phrases,

language features and techniques or sentence forms.

PAPER 1 - QUESTION 3

WHICH ASPECT OF MARKING CRITERIA? - AO

HOW MANY MARKS? - 8

ABOUT STRUCTURE NOW, NOT LANGUAGE

EXAMPLE:

You now need to think about the whole of the source. The text is from the middle of a novel. How

has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader? You could write about: • what the

writer focuses your attention on at the beginning of the source • how and why the writer changes

this focus as the source develops • any other structural features that interest you.’

TIPS:

Separate source into sections (beginning, middle, end) and consider the journey!

PAPER 1 - QUESTION 4

WHICH ASPECT OF THE MARKING CRITERIA? - AO HOW MANY MARKS? - 20, so maybe 10 quotes from the text

EXAMPLE: Focus this part of your answer on the second part of the source, from line 20 to the end. A student said, “This part of the story, where the hyena behaves wildly, is funny rather than frightening. The writer suggests that the hyena is actually no serious threat to Pi.” To what extent do you agree? In your response, you could:

• consider your impressions of how the hyena behaves
• evaluate how the writer presents the threat of the hyena to Pi
• support your response with references to the text.

ARGUE BOTH SIDES

FOR EXAMPLE:

PARA 1 - why your interpretation means the text is funny PARA 2 - why your interpretation means the text is frightening CONCLUSION - choose whether you find it more funny or more frightening based on your analysis

PAPER 1 - QUESTION 5

AO5 UPPER LEVEL ANSWER

• Content o Communication is convincing and compelling o Tone, style and register are assuredly matched to purpose and audience o Extensive and ambitious vocabulary with sustained crafting of linguistic devices
• Organisation o Varied and inventive use of structural features o Writing is compelling, incorporating a range of convincing and complex ideas o Fluently linked paragraphs with seamlessly integrated discourse markers

AO6 UPPER LEVEL ANSWER

• Sentence demarcation is consistently secure and consistently accurate
• Wide range of punctuation is used with a high level of accuracy
• Uses a full range of appropriate sentence forms for effect
• Uses Standard English consistently and appropriately with secure control of complex grammatical structures
• High level of accuracy in spelling, including ambitious vocabulary
• Extensive and ambitious use of vocabularY

ENG LANG - PAPER 2

Exactly the same marking criteria so carry the same skills onto the next paper

Comparative - focus on both sources at the same time!

Think of words to link your answers: ‘ Firstly in source A… similarly in source B.’ These words could

be:

○ Similarly…

○ However…

○ Moreover…

○ On one hand…On the other hand…

○ Whilst…

○ Likewise…

EXAMINERS =

PAPER 2 - QUESTION 2

WHICH MARKING CRITERIA? - AO

HOW MANY MARKS? - 8

WHAT YOU’RE ASKED TO DO: Compare

using PEA

EXAMPLE:

‘The writers in Source A and Source B are

travelling on different types of trains. Use

details from both sources to write a summary of

what you understand about the differences

between the two trains.

!IMPORTANT!

If you only use one source,

you can only get a certain

number of marks!

PAPER 2 - QUESTION 2

Level 4 answer: The train in Source A is being used to transport mail and people and so has a ‘mail van’, ‘a dining car’ and ‘five sleeping cars’, showing both the advances in train manufacture and the commercialisation of rail travel to enable long journeys by providing eating and sleeping facilities. This sophistication reflects significant progress in train travel and is a complete contrast to Source B where the steam engine is an earlier model and is, therefore, much simpler in its design. In Source B, the train is just a functional ‘uncovered carriage’ with ‘benches’ as the purpose at this earlier stage of invention is to develop the mechanics of the engine, not to provide more elaborate passenger facilities.

Level 1 answer:

The train in Source A is big as it has lots of

carriages because it says, ‘five sleeping cars’.

This is different to the train in Source B, which

is smaller. The train in Source B is not big as

it is described as a ‘little engine’ and it has

one carriage.