Englishinit

Message from Mrs Miller

Welcome to Englishinit! The blogspot specifically created by myself, Mrs Miller, for you! Aren't you the lucky one!!!
This blog will enable you to check out any lessons you may have missed, or recap for revision.
For Year 11 pupils we all know this is your year to knuckle down and do the best that you can. That is why I have created this blog for you. It will enable you to have access to different exercises, covering a variety of English language devices, to help with your GCSE revision.
If you complete any additional work I am more than happy to mark it and run through it with you!!!
Keep up the good work!

Raising Your Grades From a D - C In Writing

Use connective words other than 'because' such as:-

As
In order to
Due to
Due to the fact that
Since
For the reason that
In the view of the fact that
Given that

Try to use different openings such as:-

Apparently
According to (use this for evidence) i.e. According to the character....
On the other hand - (to argue)
However - (to persuade)
Although
Apparently - (to advise)
Remarkably
Understandably - (to explain)
Equally - (to argue)
Surprisingly - (character analysis)
In spite of this
Nevertheless
On the contrary
In opposition to
Conversely
Despite

When asked to explain or argue a point, ask yourself 'WHY?' at the end of every sentence in order to develop your point.
E.G.
POINT -
George has adopted a parental role with Lenny
EVIDENCE -
Quote provided that shows this. (This is the easy bit!!!)
EXPLAIN AND EXPLORE -
If you have evidence then why and how does that evidence make that point! Look at the language used, is it emotive, rhetorical, are they trying to persuade us into believing the character is aggressive in his manner. WHY - to make the audience sympathetic to his friend...
HOW - by using language which we could be used between a parent and child, when he said... refer back to words used in the quote, and introduce the quote at this point, it doesn't have to be in this order...just make sure you cover all 3 elements!

When you are arguing, explaining, persuading or advising again ask yourself WHY?
If you are arguing a point like teenagers should be given mobile phones in school. WHY?
In your answers try to think of valid reasons, do not say - because I think they should...that is not a reason. Think practically '....Teenagers should be able to use their mobile phones in school as they are useful for safety reasons. (POINT) Children with mobiles are easily accessible to their parents, so they know where they are at all times. On the other hand mobile phones are unsafe as they can be the cause of criminal acts. (EXPLANATION) For example, 'statistics show that young people are robbed of their mobile phones whilst using them'. (EVIDENCE)

If you have a text or article that is where you gather your evidence - always back up your points with your text and explain the link between your point and the quote!!!
REMEMBER THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY ARGUMENT!!!

TRY TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY BY CHOOSING OTHER WORDS - ALTHOUGH MAKE SURE IT MAKES SENSE...TO HELP YOU THINK OF YOUR SENTENCES BEFORE YOU RIGHT THEM IN A POSH VOICE - SILLY AS IT MAY SOUND IT WORKS!!!

FINALLY - PROOF READ YOUR WORK - ALWAYS!!! This means reading it through carefully for spelling mistakes, if you are unsure of a word, you could always change it, use one that you know how to spell!
PUNTUATION - Make sure you use paragraphs! Use full stops, commas, dashes, semi-colons etc etc.
CAPITAL LETTERS - Are only used at the beginning of a sentence and for the names of people and places.....

(Remember of all the above is all about getting more marks!!!)

What's on the English GCSE papers?

English GCSE

Paper 1
Section A - 1 Hour - Reading text, questions on fact and opinion, language, presentation devices, comparison of texts (could be media texts, i.e. front cover of mag)

Section B - 45 Mins - Writing to argue, persuage or advise. Choose one of these!

Paper 2
Section A - Poems from other cultures and traditions. Compare two poems. Answer one question!

Section B - Writing to explain, describe or inform.
Choose one of these!

Paper 3
Section A - Your set text i.e 'Of Mice And Men', 'Lord Of The Flies'. Answer 1 Question.

Section B - Poetry i.e 'Duffy', 'Armitage', 'Heanney', 'Clarke' and Pre 1914 poetry.
Answer 1 question comparing 4 poems!

EXAMPLES OF PAST GCSE EXAM QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE (Foundation Tier)

Here are some examples of questions from a past paper, remember to read the instructions carefully in each section as there are a lot of questions but you are only required to answer 2 from section A and 1 from section B.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION A 45 mins on this section!
Post 1914 Prose - Literature Section Of Your Anthology

Either 1 Compare how parents feel about children in
Growing Up and Your Shoes.
Compare:
- How the parents feel about the children
in the stories.
- How the writer presents these feelings.
(27 Marks)

OR 2 Compare how problems between characters are shown in Chemistry and one other story in
the selection.

Compare:
- The problems between the characters in the two stories.
- How the writers show the problems by the ways they write about them.
(27 Marks)

OR 3 Compare how chracters are shown to be unhappy in Flight and one other story in the selection.

Compare:
- The characters' feelings of unhappiness in the two stories.
- How the writers show these feelings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SET TEXTS - John Steinbeck "Of Mice and Men"

Either 1 How are each of the following important in the novel:
-rabbbits
-dogs and puppies
-mice

Write about:
- what you think their importance is
- how Steinbeck shows their importance

OR 7 How does Steinbeck present the relationship between George and Lennie in the novel?

Write about:
-how George feels about Lennie
-how Lennie feels about George
-Why you think George stays with Lennie
-the methods Steinbeck uses to present their relationsip

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECTION B : Pre 1914 and Post 1914 Poetry

Answer one qustion from this section

E.g.
Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage

Either Compare the ways the relationship between the speakers of the poems and other poeple in the poems are shown.

Choose two poems from List A and two poems from List B

List A
Salome (Duffy)
Stealing (Duffy)
My father thought it (Armitage)

List B
The song of the Old Mother (Yeats)
The Laboratory (Browning)
On my first Sonne (Jonson)

Remember to compare:

-what the speakers int he poems are like
-the relationships they have
-how the speakers and thier relationships are shown
(36 Marks)

OR Answer both aprts (a) and (b)

a Compare the ways Armitage and Duffy present nasty behaviour in Hitcher and Education for Leisure.

Compare:
-the nasty behaviour in the poems
-how the poets present ths behaviour by the ways they write

and then

b Compare the ways Hardy presents the speaker in The Man He Killed with the ways the speaker is presented in one poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank

Compare:

-your responses to the speakers
-how the poets present the speakers by the ways they write

OR Answer both parts (a) and (b)

a Compare the endings of Education for Leisure by Carol Ann Duffy and The labortary by Robert Browning.

and then
b Compare the endings of Kid by Simon Armitage and On my first Sonne by Ben Jonson.
In both parts (a) and (b, remember to compare:

-how the endings fit in with the rest of the poem
-how the language reveals the ideas of the speakers
-what you think are the poets' reasons for ending the poems in these ways.
(36 Marks)

Englishinit

Guess who?!

These words have been rearranged from the name of a famous writer, can you guess who that is?

Message from Mrs Miller

Year 8 - Gothic Horror Book Front Cover