Writers

Effects Question 2
1. Skim reading Read passage to get a sense of time, place, topic, genre, tone and atmosphere. 2. Scanning and Selecting After reading the question on writers effects (paper 2 question 2), and underlining the key word in each part of the question, return to passage and highlight (possibly in two colours for the two different aspects) the relevant material. Identify and highlight only the key word or phrase which is particularly effective, not a large chunk of text. Aim to find a maximum of five choices for each part of the question

3. Transferring to a plan Transfer the chosen quotations to a list, dividing them into the two sections. Against each choice explain the effect it is conveying and the reason for the word or short phrase being effective. Pay particular attention to figurative language i.e. similes and metaphors. You may use literary terms if they are relevant and accurate, but you still need to explain the precise effect of the particular example you have chosen. 4. Developing the response Look again at the passage, this time at the use of such devices as repetition, contrast, question marks or exclamation marks, sentence lengths, sound effects. Add to the beginning or end of each section of your plan a brief overview comment which draws an overall conclusion about the aim and combined effect of the language of the passage e.g. An atmosphere of fear is created through the use of short questions and repetition of references to darkness. 5. Writing the response The response should be written carefully, putting the quotations from the passage in inverted commas within each sentence explaining its effect, and not repeating unnecessarily the words The effect is .... For full marks there should be a range of choices with their effects, and a sense of overview. The choices should not be clumped in groups but treated separately. The whole response is expected to be a side of writing.

First Language Revision 0500: http://www.cambridgestudents.org.uk/subjectpages/english/folder.2008-06-13.8153747152

Summary

Question 3

The summary is in two parts based on two texts. The themes and questions are linked, but there is no requirement to collate and integrate material and it should be answered in two separate half-page responses without any comparison. The task is one of selective summary, so not everything in each passage is relevant. Specific detail must be given for points to be awarded. There are approx 23 available points, of which 15 are required for full marks for reading. The writing mark out of 5 is awarded for concision, clarity, fluency, appropriateness of register (purely informative and objective) and use of own words.

Generally speaking this is an exam paper of halves: three half pages for q.1; two half pages for q.2; two half pages for q.3.

 This enables the candidate to demonstrate sustained, supported and structured responses of an
appropriate length to cover the questions, divided into three and two sections respectively.
Rewrite Question 1

The possible genres are: report, news report, magazine article, speech, dialogue or letter. Purpose and audience are the main considerations in the reading assessment. Students must write in a NEW voice. Students that merely copy from the text will be penalised in terms of marks awarded. Students who merely follow the order of information in the examination text will be penalised in terms of marks awarded as there is less evidence of a thorough understanding of the text. Furthermore, the third bullet for q.1 is the inferential one and a higher order skill which must be demonstrated for a top band mark. Examiners are looking for a student who can identify the relevant information from the text, utilise it in a new manner and a new order and make logical deductions and inferences about other possible information to flesh out their answer.

Literature Revision: 0486: http://www.cambridgestudents.org.uk/subjectpages/english/folder.200806-13.3931011592

On each set text, candidates have a choice of three questions as follows: Poetry one passage-based question and two essay questions; Drama one passage-based question, one essay question, one empathic question; Prose as for Drama. Candidates must answer at least one passage-based question and at least one essay-based question. There is no fixed length but to cover the question adequately one would expect 6 to 8 well supported and developed points, which means between 1 and a half to 2 sides of average handwriting. Eac h point should be expanded with quotation and development into 6-8 paragraphs, then that's the aim. The passage-based responses need to put the extract in context, and the analysis of it will need to mention how themes and images and stylistic devices link or contrast with what has gone before, and possibly with what is to come. However, candidates should not digress into plot narration, nor should they paraphrase the passage. It is assumed that they have read the text and understood it, and that they know the literal meaning of the passage. They should remain focused on the extract question, while showing they understand how the passage relates to the work as a whole. Drama: Willy Loman, a traveling salesman, has worked for the Wagner Company for thirty-four years. Now sixty-one years old, he has been taken off salary and put back on straight commission, and is
unable to earn enough to pay the bills. Charley, the Lomans' neighbor, has been giving money to Willy every month to meet his payments, even though Willy is too proud to accept a payroll job from him. Charley's son Bernard, who was in school with Willy's sons, has become a successful lawyer. Willy's two sons, Biff and Happy, come back home and are temporarily sharing their old room. Biff, the oldest son, was a football star in high school with several scholarships, but for the last fourteen years has been unable to find himself. He returned from somewhere in the West due to his mother's request for him to see his father. Happy works in a department store and has his own apartment in another part of New York. Willy has recently been plagued by daydreams and illusions. The play begins with his driving home prematurely from one of his New England business trips as he cannot concentrate on the road.