A/A* Advice - Ted Snell

Notes from 6th May 2009

· Gaining the top grades is not just about ability, it is also about organisation, time management and completing every question. On the reading section of the papers every question is worth 10 marks and this equates to a whole grade on that paper. If you run out of time and don’t attempt all tasks you are throwing whole grades away!

· Being A* is about being good all of the time, not about being brilliant on one question and poor on another. Four answers worth 7 or 8 marks is better than two worth 10, one worth 5 and missing A4 out all together. Be consistent.

· On Paper 1 read the extract very carefully and be certain what the question is asking you to do. A “what” question does not require the language analysis that a “how” question demands. If you are being asked how a writer does something look closely at the writer’s choice of words and their effect on the reader – how have they done what they have done? Write your answer methodically – work through the text line by line. Make sure you only look at the section of text the particular question is directing you to. Watch the clock – only spend 12 minutes on each answer.

· On Paper 1 write around one A4 side (4-6 paragraphs) for B1. Plan the people in advance that you could use in any setting (such as an old age pensioner, a teenager, a mother with a toddler). Zoom in on these people for 5 sentences or so and then zoom back out to the setting. Don’t tell a story about them but allow them to bring your scene to life. A snippet of dialogue will help to make them real.

· On Paper 1 write two A4 sides ( 6-8 paragraphs) for B2. Plan story lines in advance that you will be able to tweak to fit with any titles. Think about things that have happened to you that you would be able to use. Also think about the characters and settings that could apply to lots of situations so that you can get on with writing quickly in the exam and you don’t need to use time thinking about what to write.

· On Paper 2 there is lots of reading to do. Read swiflty but carefully. Follow any instructions given to you – particularly when answering A4 which will ask you to compare the two texts. Use the bullet points in the question logically to structure your answer – don’t drift around the texts.
· For the writing tasks on Paper 2 take notice of the audience and purpose – who you are writing for and why. Don’t think of it as simply completeing an exam task – imagine the real audience. If you are writing to a friend make it sound like you are writing for a friend. Get the tone right.

· Think about the content before you start writing. What are you going to say? Plan 4 key points that you can develop into paragraphs. Add these to an introduction and a conclusion and you will have enough to say to write a full response.

· If you are asked to write a leaflet or magazine article don’t worry too much about layout. Concentrate on content and style. A bold heading and a labelled picture box or two will be enough to show that you have considered presentation.

· Win the marker over in your opening paragraph. Try and find a way to make your work stand out from the crowd. Be adventurous with your sentence variety and punctuation choices. Use repetition and rule of three too. Make your points with confidence and be in charge of your writing – don’t let it just happen by accident.

· Be lively. Humour/irony is good if used in a controlled way. Be prepared to take a gamble with how you engage your reader. Show them what a good writer you are.

· Good writing is directed at the audience. Make them feel as if you are addressing them and involving them in what you say. Use techniques such as rhetorical questions and personal pronouns.

· Be accurate with spelling, grammar and punctuation. Silly mistake could knock a potential A* down to an A.

· Be ambitious with your vocabulary choices. Show the examiner what you can do. Enjoy being clever with words.

· You should not finish before time is up – you will have to work flat out through the full 2 hours. But if you do have time, check your work at the end.