English Language Paper 2: Section A (Reading)

Hi folks,

Here's some advice ahead of the second English Language exam.

First, a reminder of the questions and timings:

Again, these timings are given as guidance by AQA. There are other ways to split your time.

For example:

1) Read Source A and do Q1. (10 mins)
2) Check what you have to summarise in Q2 (key words). Read Source B. Do Q2 (15 mins)
3) Check Q3 and draw box around the extract. Annotate language. Do Q3 (12 mins)
4) Highlight key words in Q4. Do Q4 (comparing attitudes/perspectives) (23 mins)

Make a decision about your timings and stick to it.

This time around, there's two non-fiction texts. One will be from the 19th century, one from the 21st; they will be related by theme.

As before, take your time to read/annotate the texts and annotate the key words in the question.

Q1 - True or false (4 marks)
  
As with Q1 of Paper 1, this one just needs a little care.

• read the question (including the instructions about what to shade in) carefully
• make sure you're looking at the right paragraph(s) in the text

Q2 - Write a summary - (8 marks)

Writing a summary is about being able to find and synthesise relevant information, with brief interpretations to show what you've understood. Do not analyse language. This is a WHAT type question - focus on content, not on the writer's methods. Quantity matters.

• Make sure you are clear about what you have to summarise. 
• Make sure you use both texts.
• Don't analyse language. 
• Questions seem to always focus on summarising the differences between something in the texts, so...
• Find as many as you can.
• Brief interpretative comments (This shows/This suggests) show that you've understood the differences.
• Synthesise (bring all the relevant ideas together) by using lots of short, embedded quotes.

Q3 - Language - (12 marks)

This one is based on an extract from one of the texts. Make sure you focus on the right section! You're analysing now, so keep PEEing, making sure you zoom in on the writer's methods (word choices, imagery, alliteration, structures etc.) Most importantly, you must then zoom out and refocus on the question (i.e. how is this effective in ...(whatever the focus of the question is)...?)

Reminders:

• Use the right extract. Draw a box around it, if it helps.
• Annotate it. Look out for:

     - interesting/unusual words (e.g. hyperbole)
     - patterns in word choices (e.g. powerful verbs, emotive adjectives, colours) 
     - imagery (simile, metaphor, personification etc.)
     - sentence structures being used for effect (e.g. congeries, short sentences, anaphora etc. )
     - sound effects like alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia

Focus on the things in bold. Anything else is a bonus.

Some sentence starters for commenting on quotes:

• The word _______ is effective because...
• The word ________ has connotations of...
• The writer's use of alliteration here has the effect of...
• The writer uses lots of plosives to...
• The image of the _______ might make the reader think...
• Perhaps this simile tells us that ...
• This sentence is a congeries, which has the effect of...

Check the mark schemes I've sent you for more examples.

Q4 - Compare: writers' ideas, attitudes, perspectives  (16 marks)

This is a beast of a question. It needs 20 minutes at least.  You have to consider the whole of both texts. You need to write about how the writers convey their attitudes or perspectives. It isn't about the thing in the text itself, it is about what the writer thinks of it and how they show those attitudes.

It's hugely important that you clearly focus on the topic of the question. For instance, in the 'Festivals' paper, you had to focus on the writer's views about the festivals they attended. Highlight this on the question paper and annotate examples on the texts. 

Some tips:

• Highlight key words in the question
• Scan the text and highlight/annotate anything that shows the writers' views.
• Look for emotions, ideas, prejudices, etc.
• Does the writer have mixed feelings? 
• Does the writer change his/her mind?
• How are these attitudes/feelings conveyed through language?
• All of the time, consider: how does this compare to the other text?

Here's an example question, annotated (excuse childish scrawl):

  

Finally, some sentence starters:

Points

• Both writers show a certain amount of fear about....
• The writer in Source A is initially very reluctant...
• However, the writer in Source B seems excited by the prospect of...
• By the end, both writers seem to have come to terms...

Comments on quotes

• This gothic metaphor suggests that the writer is feeling a sense of unease.
• The use of the word ______ suggests that the writer is appalled by...
• Perhaps this reflects the writers ambivalence about...
• Clearly, the writer's use of hyperbole here suggests that she has a strong, negative reaction to... 
• The use of a congeries at this point shows that the writer is...

Again, check out the mark schemes I sent for example answers for each question.

I hope all this helps. 

I'm blogged out and hungry now, but I'll blog later about the writing section.

Mr M