NV Top Tips
1. Remember Checkpoint & IGCSE: If you've studied CIE English language before AS Level, keep your notes and written work so you can refer to them again. The essence of what the examiners expect from our answers remains the same- only the quality and quantity has increased. For example, at Checkpoint, we were asked to pick unique and strong phrases from the passage and explain them. At IGCSE, we had to do "writer's effect" and use the onion model to explain similes and techniques used by the writer. Now, at AS, we need to write an analysis of the writer's style and language. It's like zooming out to see the complete picture instead of microscopic analysis of isolated phrases.
2. Get ready to re-wire your brain for Analyses: Like I mentioned in the example above, you need to zoom out. You need to analyse two passages for their style and language in paper 1. These passages are LONG compared to what we're used to at IGCSE. It would take us all day to analyse each phrase in depth as we did at IGCSE. Instead, we need to summarise and explain the general gist and atmosphere the passage creates. The tendency to slip back into writer's effect is tempting and common but must be avoided if you want to complete your paper on time.
3. Tick-tock, eye on the clock: You're going to have loads to write but not enough time to do it. For paper 1, you get 2 hours to analyse 2 passages and write 2 direct writing tasks on them. It's a lot harder than it seems. Paper 2 is a bit more relaxed if you're well prepared. You need to answer one question from Section A (narrative/description) and one from Section B (debate/script). We'll look at this in more detail later.
4. Quality, not quantity: Although overall, you are expected to write more than what you did at IGCSE, you don't need to write to fill the word limit. Analyses and paper 2 answers are expected to be between 600 and 900 words. You'd get a lot more marks for writing 650 well-thought words rather than dragging on your answer to 880 words.
5. Practice makes perfect: I cannot emphasise enough just how important it is to practise writing answers, especially under exam conditions. I didn't like doing it, I didn't like it at all. I was afraid of starting because I knew my answer wouldn't be good enough and sometimes it was just plain boring to write an analysis. BUT if I hadn't forced myself, my teacher would not have been able to guide me and correct my mistakes and I wouldn't have ended up with an A grade. In the end, it was completely worth the effort.
6. Paper 1- do Section B first: You will probably be given 15 minutes reading time before you are handed the answer sheets. Section B requires you to choose between two passages. You need to answer only ONE passage. Since you're not allowed to write during these 15 minutes, use them wisely to pick one of the two passages and start annotating. Be careful to clearly label which question you're answering when handed the answer sheets. You wouldn't want to lose marks for such a careless error. How do you know what to choose? If one of them is a speech or a description, just go for it. They're the easiest to analyse.
7. ALWAYS plan your answers: Even if you have the literary capacity of William Shakespeare, plan your answer! It'll help you gather your thoughts, remember any cool phrases or vocabulary, organise your answer and save you time later when you don't know how to end your answer. It doesn't have to be elaborate and neat- it's for you, not the examiner. It shouldn't take more than 2 minutes to roughly sketch a mind map.
8. Don't be overly ambitious in Paper 2: Yes, this is the paper to exhibit your creative skills but you also have limited time. If you've decided to stick to narratives, don't give into a sudden, adventurous impulse to attempt a description. You'll only regret it later. Also, keep your storyline simple and develop setting and character rather than a poorly told complicated turn of events that leaves too much to the reader's imagination. Read point no. 4 again.
9. READ THE QUESTION: My favourite English teacher would repeat it six times every class in the hope that it would sink in. Read every letter of every word of the question. Take this from someone who has learnt the hard way- I missed an A* in IGCSE French because I skipped the word "old" neighbour and described a young one instead. 4 years later and I still beat myself over it sometimes. :(
10. Read literature: Keep reading- what you read, you imagine. What you imagine, you recreate and retell. Read for inspiration. Read to observe writing techniques. Read novels, read newspapers. It will help improve your language like nothing else can. Don't know where to start? Have a look at my reading list to get some ideas!
For my general study tips, click here.
2. Get ready to re-wire your brain for Analyses: Like I mentioned in the example above, you need to zoom out. You need to analyse two passages for their style and language in paper 1. These passages are LONG compared to what we're used to at IGCSE. It would take us all day to analyse each phrase in depth as we did at IGCSE. Instead, we need to summarise and explain the general gist and atmosphere the passage creates. The tendency to slip back into writer's effect is tempting and common but must be avoided if you want to complete your paper on time.
3. Tick-tock, eye on the clock: You're going to have loads to write but not enough time to do it. For paper 1, you get 2 hours to analyse 2 passages and write 2 direct writing tasks on them. It's a lot harder than it seems. Paper 2 is a bit more relaxed if you're well prepared. You need to answer one question from Section A (narrative/description) and one from Section B (debate/script). We'll look at this in more detail later.
4. Quality, not quantity: Although overall, you are expected to write more than what you did at IGCSE, you don't need to write to fill the word limit. Analyses and paper 2 answers are expected to be between 600 and 900 words. You'd get a lot more marks for writing 650 well-thought words rather than dragging on your answer to 880 words.
5. Practice makes perfect: I cannot emphasise enough just how important it is to practise writing answers, especially under exam conditions. I didn't like doing it, I didn't like it at all. I was afraid of starting because I knew my answer wouldn't be good enough and sometimes it was just plain boring to write an analysis. BUT if I hadn't forced myself, my teacher would not have been able to guide me and correct my mistakes and I wouldn't have ended up with an A grade. In the end, it was completely worth the effort.
6. Paper 1- do Section B first: You will probably be given 15 minutes reading time before you are handed the answer sheets. Section B requires you to choose between two passages. You need to answer only ONE passage. Since you're not allowed to write during these 15 minutes, use them wisely to pick one of the two passages and start annotating. Be careful to clearly label which question you're answering when handed the answer sheets. You wouldn't want to lose marks for such a careless error. How do you know what to choose? If one of them is a speech or a description, just go for it. They're the easiest to analyse.
7. ALWAYS plan your answers: Even if you have the literary capacity of William Shakespeare, plan your answer! It'll help you gather your thoughts, remember any cool phrases or vocabulary, organise your answer and save you time later when you don't know how to end your answer. It doesn't have to be elaborate and neat- it's for you, not the examiner. It shouldn't take more than 2 minutes to roughly sketch a mind map.
8. Don't be overly ambitious in Paper 2: Yes, this is the paper to exhibit your creative skills but you also have limited time. If you've decided to stick to narratives, don't give into a sudden, adventurous impulse to attempt a description. You'll only regret it later. Also, keep your storyline simple and develop setting and character rather than a poorly told complicated turn of events that leaves too much to the reader's imagination. Read point no. 4 again.
9. READ THE QUESTION: My favourite English teacher would repeat it six times every class in the hope that it would sink in. Read every letter of every word of the question. Take this from someone who has learnt the hard way- I missed an A* in IGCSE French because I skipped the word "old" neighbour and described a young one instead. 4 years later and I still beat myself over it sometimes. :(
10. Read literature: Keep reading- what you read, you imagine. What you imagine, you recreate and retell. Read for inspiration. Read to observe writing techniques. Read novels, read newspapers. It will help improve your language like nothing else can. Don't know where to start? Have a look at my reading list to get some ideas!
For my general study tips, click here.
Use the contact form below to send your answers/reviews/questions to me and I'll upload them! Let's help each other! #GROUPSTUDY
Back to the basics
Story setting
This part of a narrative gives you the chance to showcase your descriptive skills. It allows you to "show" the reader rather than simply "tell" them. Think of your favourite story- how awful would it be if you didn't know where it was happening?
Describe the sight, smell, sound, taste and touch and relate them to things everyone knows about like the tolling of a bell, the crackle of thunder, the warm glow of a gas lamp, the sweet aroma of baking cookies, the cosy feel of a knitted jumper, etc.
Describe the time and place. Was a bitterly frosty dawn in the Russian tundra where you couldn't feel your fingers and toes or a blazing, sweltering afternoon of exhausting work in a Brazilian mine? Were you surrounded by the greying, brick chimneys of the 18th century or the reflective glass edifices of a 21st century shopping centre?
This part of a narrative gives you the chance to showcase your descriptive skills. It allows you to "show" the reader rather than simply "tell" them. Think of your favourite story- how awful would it be if you didn't know where it was happening?
Describe the sight, smell, sound, taste and touch and relate them to things everyone knows about like the tolling of a bell, the crackle of thunder, the warm glow of a gas lamp, the sweet aroma of baking cookies, the cosy feel of a knitted jumper, etc.
Describe the time and place. Was a bitterly frosty dawn in the Russian tundra where you couldn't feel your fingers and toes or a blazing, sweltering afternoon of exhausting work in a Brazilian mine? Were you surrounded by the greying, brick chimneys of the 18th century or the reflective glass edifices of a 21st century shopping centre?
Story openings
You don't have to start with "once upon a time" or "it was a gloomy Monday morning". You don't always have to start with the setting. You can begin at the beginning, middle or even at the end of a story. You can begin the middle of dialogue or action. Keep it creative!
Pick a simple story and open it in different ways. Here's an example: Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
1) Begin at the end: Goldilocks pants as she runs away from the dreadful house.
2) Begin in the middle: The sound of voices pulled Goldilocks out of her peaceful slumber. As she yawned, she thought about her dream of discovering a house in the woods. Stretching, she opened her eyes to see three very bewildered-looking bears staring at her. Fear gripped Goldilocks as she realised she was living her nightmare.
3) Begin with a setting: Sun rays played hide-and-seek through the dense forest canopy. The sound of hesitant footsteps of a young girl were drowned in the cacophonous dawn chorus.
4) Begin with dialogue: "Dear Lord! What just happened?" Mama Bear exclaimed with a hand over her heart. Papa Bear, who looked equally surprised, opened his mouth to speak but closed it again- he had no explanation to offer.
You don't have to start with "once upon a time" or "it was a gloomy Monday morning". You don't always have to start with the setting. You can begin at the beginning, middle or even at the end of a story. You can begin the middle of dialogue or action. Keep it creative!
Pick a simple story and open it in different ways. Here's an example: Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
1) Begin at the end: Goldilocks pants as she runs away from the dreadful house.
2) Begin in the middle: The sound of voices pulled Goldilocks out of her peaceful slumber. As she yawned, she thought about her dream of discovering a house in the woods. Stretching, she opened her eyes to see three very bewildered-looking bears staring at her. Fear gripped Goldilocks as she realised she was living her nightmare.
3) Begin with a setting: Sun rays played hide-and-seek through the dense forest canopy. The sound of hesitant footsteps of a young girl were drowned in the cacophonous dawn chorus.
4) Begin with dialogue: "Dear Lord! What just happened?" Mama Bear exclaimed with a hand over her heart. Papa Bear, who looked equally surprised, opened his mouth to speak but closed it again- he had no explanation to offer.
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Characterisation
A story is not a story if it has no characters. Unlike authors, we don't have the liberty of 300 or so pages to describe and reveal character. Leaving it at "he was a young boy with black hair and grey eyes" will not get you any marks. We need to reveal character through various techniques such as looks, thoughts, behaviour, other people's reaction, words, etc. Let's relive the power of description:
1) He was a young boy with black hair and grey eyes. --> His hastily cut jet-black hair fell across his forehead and spilled down to cover his quivering shoulders. Slowly, deliberately, he opened his eyes to reveal a pair of steel grey orbs that held more pain and guilt than was acceptable for a boy of seven.
2) She sat in her car. --> Glaring at the red traffic light through her dark Versace shades, Portia drummed her perfectly-manicured French nails on the leather steering wheel of her Lamborghini.
3) A dog was walking on the street. --> A fluffy poodle was smartly strutting down the fashionable high street. OR A haggard mongrel limped with a heavy heart down the cold, gloomy alley. OR Canine claws clicked on the cobblestones as a barking mass of golden hair bounded past, beckoned by the aroma of freshly baked scones.
A story is not a story if it has no characters. Unlike authors, we don't have the liberty of 300 or so pages to describe and reveal character. Leaving it at "he was a young boy with black hair and grey eyes" will not get you any marks. We need to reveal character through various techniques such as looks, thoughts, behaviour, other people's reaction, words, etc. Let's relive the power of description:
1) He was a young boy with black hair and grey eyes. --> His hastily cut jet-black hair fell across his forehead and spilled down to cover his quivering shoulders. Slowly, deliberately, he opened his eyes to reveal a pair of steel grey orbs that held more pain and guilt than was acceptable for a boy of seven.
2) She sat in her car. --> Glaring at the red traffic light through her dark Versace shades, Portia drummed her perfectly-manicured French nails on the leather steering wheel of her Lamborghini.
3) A dog was walking on the street. --> A fluffy poodle was smartly strutting down the fashionable high street. OR A haggard mongrel limped with a heavy heart down the cold, gloomy alley. OR Canine claws clicked on the cobblestones as a barking mass of golden hair bounded past, beckoned by the aroma of freshly baked scones.
NV Top Tips for Narrative Questions
1. You do not have to write a complete story...read the question carefully. Does it say beginning or ending or somewhere in between?
2. Keep the plot simple. Work with phrases to create twists and turns.
3. Do not go overboard with description. It should be short but effective.
4. Watch your grammar, spellings and punctuation.
5. Do not write long, winding sentences. Remember short sentences= quick action scenes. Long sentences= description.
6. Read sample answers from the sections below.
7. Go through past papers and note down all the narrative topics ever given. You'll find common themes. Think of basic story lines for common themes.
8. A cliffhanger is a fantastic way to end your answer but do it effectively. It should not appear to the examiner that you simply ran out of ideas or time.
9. Keep an eye on the word limit- try not to exceed 700 words. The examiner will not be motivated to read a very long answer unless your story-telling skills are exceptional.
1. You do not have to write a complete story...read the question carefully. Does it say beginning or ending or somewhere in between?
2. Keep the plot simple. Work with phrases to create twists and turns.
3. Do not go overboard with description. It should be short but effective.
4. Watch your grammar, spellings and punctuation.
5. Do not write long, winding sentences. Remember short sentences= quick action scenes. Long sentences= description.
6. Read sample answers from the sections below.
7. Go through past papers and note down all the narrative topics ever given. You'll find common themes. Think of basic story lines for common themes.
8. A cliffhanger is a fantastic way to end your answer but do it effectively. It should not appear to the examiner that you simply ran out of ideas or time.
9. Keep an eye on the word limit- try not to exceed 700 words. The examiner will not be motivated to read a very long answer unless your story-telling skills are exceptional.
Analysis
Analysis is tricky, there's no doubt about that. Don't let that put you off though. Let's break it down into smaller steps and it won't seem so daunting anymore.
The first step is to understand what is expected of you:
1. You need to analyse the style of writing.
How does the way the text was written convey the desired effect of humour/horror/fascination etc.?
2. Unlike writers' effect, do not pick phrases and explain the layers of meaning.
Instead incorporate few important phrases into your commentary on the text as a whole.
I call this "embedding"- your commentary needs to sound continuous.
For example: The magnitude of the shock and betrayal felt by the character was equivalent to that of a physical blow for he "stumbled backwards into the wall".
3. Go through sample answers and the examiner's comments. I've provided links and documents in the section 'Sample Answers' below.
4. Read about the banding system in the mark scheme.
The next step is to break down the paragraphs of your analysis:
1. Introduction must contain SOAP:
For example, "In her diary entry (subject), Anne Frank shares and describes (purpose) her experiences of the Second World War (occasion) for a wide range of readers from historians to children (audience)."
2. The introduction should not be only a single sentence. You must elaborate and can do this by explaining:
3. In the body of your analysis, put in outstanding phrases like similes, metaphors, unusual descriptive words.
For example, "...and the cake was clearly unbearable for the author claimed it was 'as bitter as wormwood'."
4. Search for synonyms so that you do not end up repeating words.
E.g. illuminates, enlightens, criticises, claims, advises, illustrates, explains, etc.
5. Finally, in your conclusion simply paraphrase your introduction!
1. Introduction must contain SOAP:
- Subject
- Occasion
- Audience
- Purpose
For example, "In her diary entry (subject), Anne Frank shares and describes (purpose) her experiences of the Second World War (occasion) for a wide range of readers from historians to children (audience)."
2. The introduction should not be only a single sentence. You must elaborate and can do this by explaining:
- Register: formal/semi-formal/informal
- Tone: severe/jolly/conversational etc.
- Overall effect: melancholic/nostalgic/excited/appalled etc.
3. In the body of your analysis, put in outstanding phrases like similes, metaphors, unusual descriptive words.
For example, "...and the cake was clearly unbearable for the author claimed it was 'as bitter as wormwood'."
4. Search for synonyms so that you do not end up repeating words.
E.g. illuminates, enlightens, criticises, claims, advises, illustrates, explains, etc.
5. Finally, in your conclusion simply paraphrase your introduction!
Now that you know what to do, let's look at how you could do it.
1. Read:
Each person has their own preference for how to read the passage. You could first skim then read carefully or the other way round.
Whatever you choose to do, ensure you concentrate and understand the passage.
Remember, time is short.
Don't forget to read the sentence in the question that introduces the passage. That could help with writing the introduction to your analysis.
2. Annotate:
This is an art that you need to practice to develop.
It refers to underlining, encircling, highlighting and making quick notes on the passage/question paper.
This is extremely important because it helps you filter out exactly what you need to analyse from the passage.
DO NOT attempt to analyse the entire passage, word to word, because you will run disastrously short of time.
You can make a legend as your own code. E.g.
3. Write the analysis. When I say "time is short", I mean it. So when you get your paper, don't idly start reading the passage. You have to approach like a trained professional. Gear up mentally and attack. Keep a pencil ready and annotate as you skim. You're likely to figure out SOAP and overall effect in your first quick read. Make a not of it on the side so you don't forget. That's basically your introduction done. Your next detailed and careful read will depend on the approach of your writing:
a) Chronological or paragraph-wise: This is the easiest approach. You analyse one or two paragraphs in the order of their appearance in the passage. Hence the second paragraph of your analysis will examine the first paragraph of the passage and so on. So, once your introduction is done, carefully read the paragraph, write the corresponding analysis and then move on to reading the next paragraph.
b) By technique: If the passage is overly descriptive or has too many paragraphs, it can become very repetitive to keep mentioning similes/metaphors/anaphora in every paragraph of your analysis. The would also create a negative impression on the examiner as it may come across as you trying to fill up pages. It would also be annoying to read. In that case, read the entire passage carefully and annotate similar techniques used by the author. Then assign a paragraph for each main or umbrella technique.
But you're not quite done yet. Once you've finished writing the answer, quickly read through it to ensure you've covered everything you wanted to convey and that you haven't missed out words in a hurry or made silly grammatical errors. This is called proof-reading. :)
1. Read:
Each person has their own preference for how to read the passage. You could first skim then read carefully or the other way round.
Whatever you choose to do, ensure you concentrate and understand the passage.
Remember, time is short.
Don't forget to read the sentence in the question that introduces the passage. That could help with writing the introduction to your analysis.
2. Annotate:
This is an art that you need to practice to develop.
It refers to underlining, encircling, highlighting and making quick notes on the passage/question paper.
This is extremely important because it helps you filter out exactly what you need to analyse from the passage.
DO NOT attempt to analyse the entire passage, word to word, because you will run disastrously short of time.
You can make a legend as your own code. E.g.
- straight underline = simile
- zig-zag underline = metaphor
- curvy underline = important phrase
- circle = important word and so on...
3. Write the analysis. When I say "time is short", I mean it. So when you get your paper, don't idly start reading the passage. You have to approach like a trained professional. Gear up mentally and attack. Keep a pencil ready and annotate as you skim. You're likely to figure out SOAP and overall effect in your first quick read. Make a not of it on the side so you don't forget. That's basically your introduction done. Your next detailed and careful read will depend on the approach of your writing:
a) Chronological or paragraph-wise: This is the easiest approach. You analyse one or two paragraphs in the order of their appearance in the passage. Hence the second paragraph of your analysis will examine the first paragraph of the passage and so on. So, once your introduction is done, carefully read the paragraph, write the corresponding analysis and then move on to reading the next paragraph.
b) By technique: If the passage is overly descriptive or has too many paragraphs, it can become very repetitive to keep mentioning similes/metaphors/anaphora in every paragraph of your analysis. The would also create a negative impression on the examiner as it may come across as you trying to fill up pages. It would also be annoying to read. In that case, read the entire passage carefully and annotate similar techniques used by the author. Then assign a paragraph for each main or umbrella technique.
But you're not quite done yet. Once you've finished writing the answer, quickly read through it to ensure you've covered everything you wanted to convey and that you haven't missed out words in a hurry or made silly grammatical errors. This is called proof-reading. :)
Sample answers (from other sources)
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Sample Answer to Question 2 a.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
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A glossary of terms | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
File Type: | docx |
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sample process & response - vitali vitaliev | |
File Size: | 377 kb |
File Type: |
NV Sample Answers
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Section B Sample Speech | |
File Size: | 64 kb |
File Type: |
I'm sorry about the handwritten nature of the following answers. I hope it's legible. The questions I've answered are indicated at the top of the document.
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The next two files are two POVs for the same story I wrote while studying IGCSE. However, they were well remarked by my teacher and peers and so I thought I should include them as sample answers.
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