Post by sir on Oct 9, 2009 2:41:20 GMT -5
WJEC Chief Examiner’s tips for English Language Papers 1 and 2
Paper 1
Section A is a test of your ability to read a text and understand its details. It is broken up to make it as simple as possible. Follow the patterns we teach you, stick to the timings, and you will be fine. There is no need to be overly complex. Just do as the question asks you!
This means you will need to know what sort of questions they tend to ask, and what they want you to do in your answer for each type of question. Those who practice do best.
Look back at the booklet that Ken gave you. It details what the different question types are.
Never use bullet points for any of your paper 1 answers. They want to see your ability to write clearly.
There are 4 questions in Sect A. You only have I hr for it. Therefore spend 15 mins for every question in Sect A (2-3 mins of reading time, 12-13 of writing).
How to approach Section A
1 Aim for two thirds of a side of A4 for each Section A question.
2 Don’t read the whole story first. Look at the italics at the top of the story: they will give you a summary or flavour of the story. Then, look at Q1. What section does it ask you to look at? Block it off on the script, and then just read that section. Then answer that question. Then read Q2: block off the relevant part of the text. Read that. Answer that question. Then... etc etc.
3 As you read each section of text, circle or highlight key phrases that you’ll need to use in your answer.
4 Choose your words carefully. Don’t be lazy in your vocab. If someone is screaming something, write that they’re screaming it, not that they’re saying it.
More of Ken’s Top Tips:
1 If you don’t know what the fancy name for a word is, simply call it a word.
2 If you don’t know the difference between a simile and metaphor, just say that the writer uses an IMAGE.
3 Always use the question’s key words throughout your answer. If it asks what someone thinks and feels in a story, make sure you start every paragraph with “He thinks”, “He feels”...
4 Ken hates it when people try to write about how the writer has used short sentences or long sentences. Don’t bother trying to analyse the writer’s choice of sentence lengths/types.
5 Similarly, don’t write about how the writer has used punctuation (By placing a comma in the sentence, the author has made the reader feel...). Commas don’t make you fell anything. Don’t write about the punctuation at all. Focus on the words.
B1 This asks you to describe a particular scene.
20 mins on this task, no more.
Write about a page, no more. Write in proper sentences. Paragraph carefully. Write between 3 – 6 paragraphs.
Never use “I”. Instead become a detached camera. It is description, not a story, even if the question says “You are on/You are in...”.
Keep it real. Do not write improbable things.
Avoid generalisations like “Everyone” as it stops you being specific and descriptive. Maybe prepare a few people in your heads before the exam. What sort of paper will they read? What sort of clothes/movements will they have? Tell us not just what they look like, but what they are doing. Actions do speak loudly. Little snatches of overheard dialogue are good to put in if you are a top grade candidate. Position them too. Who or what are they near/next to/pointing at?
If it is a shop or a place, give them names, flavours etc.
Avoid using “-ing” verbs as you can accidentally miss having a main verb.
Focus on exactly what the question wants.
Your punctuation and sentence construction MUST be good. Otherwise you will be heavily penalised.
B2 Writing a story
You have 40 mins to do a narrative piece of writing of about 2 sides of A4. You have a choice of titles, but really there are 4 main types of task. One gives you a title to inspire you, one an autobiographical prompt, one a Continue from this line, and one Write a story which finishes with....
Practise all of them well in advance. Get an idea of which sort you are most comfortable with. The more you do, the more likely you are to have a good number of ideas up your sleeve that you can tweak and reuse. This saves you time and allows you to show of a bit more.
Don’t be boring! Don’t take on too much either. Weaker candidates might try, for a story about a school trip, to describe the whole day and thus be dull. Choose a section and show off.
The best way to show off is to PLAN IT FIRST. This will give you a sense of CRAFT and STRUCTURE.
Paper Two
Section A
This always has 2 texts. They can be a leaflet, an article, another sort of media text etc.
There are questions about these texts; the questions are printed before the texts, with clear instructions on which questions go with which texts.
Question A1 Common for Foundation paper is a question that asks you to “List reasons, Make lists”
Search and find 10 things for a C.
Higher paper – it is unlikely you will have a simple question like that. It is a bit more tricky. However, a Ken Top Tip: don’t use bullet points unless the examiner says to explicitly. Even then , it may be better avoided.
If a question says “What are the writers thoughts and feelings” then you answer should be “He/She...”
A2 and A3 are generally “How does the writer do something?” It will want you to read the text, select the relevant stuff and explain how it works. Again, be methodical and logical in the way you go about it.
A4 will want a comparison of the two texts. It will give you 2 things to focus on. Each of these things should become headings. Under each heading, do a paragraph about that subject. The way you lay it out will help your examiner, and thus you.
Ken’s Top Tips for Paper 2
1 There will be writing around the question. It will guide you. Read it and take note of it. It might say “Focus on the first column” or “Focus on the third to the seventh paragraph”. If you stray from this, you will fail.
2 You will need to INFER things. This means finding a piece of the text and reading between the lines. What is it hinting at? What is the author trying to make you think?
3 If you are asked to respond to the whole text (or even “the rest of the text”) and you don’t cover it all (ie you don’t get anything from the last few paragraphs) you will lose points. Show the examiner that you’ve covered ALL the text you’ve been asked to.
4 Again, be careful in what you’re writing. Your word choices can affect your grade. If someone is scared and you say “she asked” instead of “screamed” or “pleaded”, you are not being accurate and so will not get the high grades. Be precise.
Section B
Paper 2 has 2 writing tasks. Spend 30 mins on each. They can ask you to produce letters (these are regulars: you must know the difference between formal and informal letters), articles/reviews, reports, leaflets, speeches/phone-ins. You need to get the form right, but equally as important, you must get the tone right. We will practise all these, but you can be reading them in newspapers/magazines all year, becoming experts in how they work and how they sound.
Format + Audience + Tone are all vital. Purpose, Content, Accuracy are too.
Interestingly, if it asks you to argue one way or the other, you will often do better if you strongly argue the side you secretly disagree with! It’ll make you think harder and express yourself less lazily. You might even, if you are writing a letter, write from a different perspective. Be an 87 year old woman. Be a 40 year old widower. Add flavour. Write something exciting rather than the same thing that everyone else will always write. Don’t be a standard boring 16 year old.
Paper 1
Section A is a test of your ability to read a text and understand its details. It is broken up to make it as simple as possible. Follow the patterns we teach you, stick to the timings, and you will be fine. There is no need to be overly complex. Just do as the question asks you!
This means you will need to know what sort of questions they tend to ask, and what they want you to do in your answer for each type of question. Those who practice do best.
Look back at the booklet that Ken gave you. It details what the different question types are.
Never use bullet points for any of your paper 1 answers. They want to see your ability to write clearly.
There are 4 questions in Sect A. You only have I hr for it. Therefore spend 15 mins for every question in Sect A (2-3 mins of reading time, 12-13 of writing).
How to approach Section A
1 Aim for two thirds of a side of A4 for each Section A question.
2 Don’t read the whole story first. Look at the italics at the top of the story: they will give you a summary or flavour of the story. Then, look at Q1. What section does it ask you to look at? Block it off on the script, and then just read that section. Then answer that question. Then read Q2: block off the relevant part of the text. Read that. Answer that question. Then... etc etc.
3 As you read each section of text, circle or highlight key phrases that you’ll need to use in your answer.
4 Choose your words carefully. Don’t be lazy in your vocab. If someone is screaming something, write that they’re screaming it, not that they’re saying it.
More of Ken’s Top Tips:
1 If you don’t know what the fancy name for a word is, simply call it a word.
2 If you don’t know the difference between a simile and metaphor, just say that the writer uses an IMAGE.
3 Always use the question’s key words throughout your answer. If it asks what someone thinks and feels in a story, make sure you start every paragraph with “He thinks”, “He feels”...
4 Ken hates it when people try to write about how the writer has used short sentences or long sentences. Don’t bother trying to analyse the writer’s choice of sentence lengths/types.
5 Similarly, don’t write about how the writer has used punctuation (By placing a comma in the sentence, the author has made the reader feel...). Commas don’t make you fell anything. Don’t write about the punctuation at all. Focus on the words.
B1 This asks you to describe a particular scene.
20 mins on this task, no more.
Write about a page, no more. Write in proper sentences. Paragraph carefully. Write between 3 – 6 paragraphs.
Never use “I”. Instead become a detached camera. It is description, not a story, even if the question says “You are on/You are in...”.
Keep it real. Do not write improbable things.
Avoid generalisations like “Everyone” as it stops you being specific and descriptive. Maybe prepare a few people in your heads before the exam. What sort of paper will they read? What sort of clothes/movements will they have? Tell us not just what they look like, but what they are doing. Actions do speak loudly. Little snatches of overheard dialogue are good to put in if you are a top grade candidate. Position them too. Who or what are they near/next to/pointing at?
If it is a shop or a place, give them names, flavours etc.
Avoid using “-ing” verbs as you can accidentally miss having a main verb.
Focus on exactly what the question wants.
Your punctuation and sentence construction MUST be good. Otherwise you will be heavily penalised.
B2 Writing a story
You have 40 mins to do a narrative piece of writing of about 2 sides of A4. You have a choice of titles, but really there are 4 main types of task. One gives you a title to inspire you, one an autobiographical prompt, one a Continue from this line, and one Write a story which finishes with....
Practise all of them well in advance. Get an idea of which sort you are most comfortable with. The more you do, the more likely you are to have a good number of ideas up your sleeve that you can tweak and reuse. This saves you time and allows you to show of a bit more.
Don’t be boring! Don’t take on too much either. Weaker candidates might try, for a story about a school trip, to describe the whole day and thus be dull. Choose a section and show off.
The best way to show off is to PLAN IT FIRST. This will give you a sense of CRAFT and STRUCTURE.
Paper Two
Section A
This always has 2 texts. They can be a leaflet, an article, another sort of media text etc.
There are questions about these texts; the questions are printed before the texts, with clear instructions on which questions go with which texts.
Question A1 Common for Foundation paper is a question that asks you to “List reasons, Make lists”
Search and find 10 things for a C.
Higher paper – it is unlikely you will have a simple question like that. It is a bit more tricky. However, a Ken Top Tip: don’t use bullet points unless the examiner says to explicitly. Even then , it may be better avoided.
If a question says “What are the writers thoughts and feelings” then you answer should be “He/She...”
A2 and A3 are generally “How does the writer do something?” It will want you to read the text, select the relevant stuff and explain how it works. Again, be methodical and logical in the way you go about it.
A4 will want a comparison of the two texts. It will give you 2 things to focus on. Each of these things should become headings. Under each heading, do a paragraph about that subject. The way you lay it out will help your examiner, and thus you.
Ken’s Top Tips for Paper 2
1 There will be writing around the question. It will guide you. Read it and take note of it. It might say “Focus on the first column” or “Focus on the third to the seventh paragraph”. If you stray from this, you will fail.
2 You will need to INFER things. This means finding a piece of the text and reading between the lines. What is it hinting at? What is the author trying to make you think?
3 If you are asked to respond to the whole text (or even “the rest of the text”) and you don’t cover it all (ie you don’t get anything from the last few paragraphs) you will lose points. Show the examiner that you’ve covered ALL the text you’ve been asked to.
4 Again, be careful in what you’re writing. Your word choices can affect your grade. If someone is scared and you say “she asked” instead of “screamed” or “pleaded”, you are not being accurate and so will not get the high grades. Be precise.
Section B
Paper 2 has 2 writing tasks. Spend 30 mins on each. They can ask you to produce letters (these are regulars: you must know the difference between formal and informal letters), articles/reviews, reports, leaflets, speeches/phone-ins. You need to get the form right, but equally as important, you must get the tone right. We will practise all these, but you can be reading them in newspapers/magazines all year, becoming experts in how they work and how they sound.
Format + Audience + Tone are all vital. Purpose, Content, Accuracy are too.
Interestingly, if it asks you to argue one way or the other, you will often do better if you strongly argue the side you secretly disagree with! It’ll make you think harder and express yourself less lazily. You might even, if you are writing a letter, write from a different perspective. Be an 87 year old woman. Be a 40 year old widower. Add flavour. Write something exciting rather than the same thing that everyone else will always write. Don’t be a standard boring 16 year old.