Collection of Narrative and descriptive writing

Some tips and tricks

Key Requirements:

 🔑Section A requires students to understand and interpret two unseen texts to show understanding of how writers use language and to compare the two texts.

a. develop skills of how to analyze how writers use linguistic and structural devices to achieve their effects.

b. explore links and connections between writers' ideas and perspectives.

c. This will assess students' understanding of a response to the stimulus material.

🔑Section B requires students to use both reading and writing abilities to produce a piece of directed writing based on the texts they've read.

a. It assesses the students' abilities to write according to guidelines in response to stimulus materials.

b. The responses will be assessed for relevant information, appropriateness of style and approach and quality and accuracy of expression.

🔑Section C allows students to develop their own writing either creatively imaginatively or to produce a coherent argument.

a. develop transactional and imaginative writing skills for a variety purposes and audiences and to engage the reader and use spelling, punctuation and grammar accurately.

Examples of Texts:

Fiction, for instance, short stories and extracts from novels biography,
autobiography and speeches, newspapers and magazine articles, travel writing,
diaries, letters, web pages

To Note:  Both the texts will always be linked by theme.

Section A – Reading Section. (AO1, AO2, AO3)

Tips from the Chief Examiner:

1. read the questions carefully2. use highlighters or underlining to help focus on correct information3. encourage the use of own words as far as possible when required.However,4. This is important in the language questions and responding to Section B, but on questions 3 and 6 (10 marks), you need to be able to interpret the quotations you might use

Questions 1,2,4, and 5 (1 to 2 marks each)

These questions do not require candidates to use their own words. They are simple retrieval questions. And candidates who try to use their own words will either waste time on these very short questions or will find themselves not quite finding the right points that they should have made

Questions 3 and 6 (10 marks)

AO2 asks candidates to explain how the writers' use of language creates effects. Vague comments which do not focus on how language works are not successful ways of responding. Similarly, feature spotting does not demonstrate an understanding of language. Feature spotting is where a candidate says the writer has used similes, the writer has used metaphors without A) giving examples and B) explaining the impact.

What you SHOULD be doing: Consider how the writer does these things (uses                          language devices to achieving a specific purpose) and not what the writer                                  simply says or uses. Give a more detailed response, exploring how the writer                                        uses linguistic and structural devices to achieve effects. Understand how writers                            create texts for  audience and purpose.