AQA Eng-Lit A "Love Through the Ages" - The 'Drop in' Group Revision Thread!

Hey all!

I've had a reasonable amount of responses about doing a group revision sort of thing, so I'm setting up a thread so that people can chat whilst we hopefully revise together and help each other out.

Group Revision Session

The idea behind this, is more of a collection of people revising the same thing, helping each other out on the day before the exam! The main plan for this is to try and get a revision session going on Wednesday, where people can drop in and out, getting some support in the day before the exam. I've put a date/time for this, so that people can all try and be around at once to help each other out, but of course feel free to use this thread for general revision discussion beforehand.

One of the best ways of learning is through teaching, it forces you to think clearly about what you're explaining. With this in mind, feel free to share things you feel confident about and ask questions about things you're unsure of. If you see someone asking about a specific text or literary feature that you can help with, try and help! If you want to upload example answers or notes then feel free.

Planned time for a group revision session

WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE

9AM ONWARDS

Personally, I'm aiming to be around from 9AM till around mid afternoon, but I'll see what I feel like at the time and how much English I can stand at once!

This isn't anything formal, just a chance to share notes and get help when other people are working at the same time as you. Several people have expressed an interest in joining in, so feel free to let us know what times you'll be revising. If not, anyone is welcome to drop in and talk about the exam and how they're preparing for it. If nobody else is posting, I'll treat this like a sort of blog and try and post some revision notes/tips for the exam, but it would be nice if we could get an active conversation going and help each other out.

This isn't to say that you need to wait until the big red time/date to start posting/discussing, that's just a time when you can find me (And hopefully others) revising English and ready to talk about/help with it. I put the thread up in advance so that people can hopefully co-ordinate when they revise and be around together.

Useful Information

Exam guidelines - worth familiarising yourself with.
http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2740-LITA3-W-UPDATE-NOV09.PDF

Useful terminology thread - Thanks to Beth1234
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1677046

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

malaikah

8

This is a really good idea! I'll be watching this thread :smile:

Reply 2

Shkilla

Hii guys! I'm also sitting this exam...How are you guys revising? Apart from just studying the texts? I've always had difficulty with how to study for English xP I think I'm going to plan an introduction beforehand as well :biggrin:

Reply 3

Pthaos

OP

Original post by Shkilla

Hii guys! I'm also sitting this exam...How are you guys revising? Apart from just studying the texts? I've always had difficulty with how to study for English xP I think I'm going to plan an introduction beforehand as well :biggrin:

This is exactly why I think this sort of thing will help! Revising for English is difficult, you can't quantify it by writing pages and pages of notes.

I've found that past papers have been pretty much the way to go. Even if you can't get them marked this close to the exam, doing those as well as doing practice plans for unseen extracts can really help.

It will also help if you have an idea of your timings and how you like to plan before you go in, so like I said, practice essays and plans seem to be the best. Some people are revising wider reading using tables/grids, but personally I prefer to go by just re-reading and memorising texts.

Reply 4

Honeybear.

8

What kind of wider reading references are people revising?

I've got quite an extensive list and am just whittling it down to the ones that i know best and will be of most use.
I really suck at remembering quotes though, and my exam technique is poor so I will write a few practices and try and get them marked for wednesday.

Reply 5

Pthaos

OP

Original post by Honeybear.

What kind of wider reading references are people revising?

I've got quite an extensive list and am just whittling it down to the ones that i know best and will be of most use.
I really suck at remembering quotes though, and my exam technique is poor so I will write a few practices and try and get them marked for wednesday.

I have very few wider reading pieces, but those that I have cover plenty of themes.

Prose - Enduring Love and Frankenstein
Drama - The Winter's Tale and Streetcar Named Desire
Poetry - Duffy's "The World's Wife", Donne and Marvell

Really, that many aren't needed, work on the exam technique :biggrin:

Reply 6

Vickyanne27

oo so if you dont have that much wider reading it wont matter too much?? What percific things should we look out for then in terms of exam technique? I always get so confused haha! :smile:

Reply 7

Pthaos

OP

Original post by Vickyanne27

oo so if you dont have that much wider reading it wont matter too much?? What percific things should we look out for then in terms of exam technique? I always get so confused haha! :smile:

It's recommending that you have a lot about a little, not a little about a lot. Meaning you should focus on 1-2 wider reading pieces per question rather than name-dropping 5-6.

For exam technique, just practice writing or planning questions with unseen extracts as much as you can :smile:

Reply 8

Colour Me Pretty

15

Definitely in for this!

I'll probably pop on at around 12ish and then maybe again in the evening before I go to bed.
I have to be up at around half six because I'm doing my exam at a different centre. :sigh:

Reply 9

Language_student

12

I'll join. I'm around most of Wednesday and will be busy going over stuff for this exam so I'll probably visit this thread a few times during the day.

Reply 10

xelarose

13

Sounds a good idea :smile:

especially as English Lit is the most difficult of things to revise! Count me in, I might be here :smile:

Reply 11

Vickyanne27

Its a really great idea :smile:

I'll join at 9 too :P I just wanted to ask whether anyone had any essay responses for this exam just so that I could have a look and see if the structure of my essay is at all similar? :smile:

Reply 12

thethirdcellardoor

This is such a good idea! I'll definetly be revising pretty much all day for this too. Lots of practice papers, lucky us...

I actually asked on the other thread, but didn't get a response - what do people put in their conclusions for their essays? I tend to use it as a chance to sum up again the content of the texts, any key similarities/differences, and introduce a personal response - what do other people do?

Reply 13

Pthaos

OP

Original post by thethirdcellardoor

I actually asked on the other thread, but didn't get a response - what do people put in their conclusions for their essays? I tend to use it as a chance to sum up again the content of the texts, any key similarities/differences, and introduce a personal response - what do other people do?

Sorry if I missed it :smile:

I usually use the conclusion as just a chance to sum everything up also. Usually I'll take the one or two strongest points I've made throughout the essay and repeat them in the conclusion, with a different wording. You can use it to link back to the initial theme as well, although you need to do that throughout the essay too. I guess I just use it to... conclude! Sum everything up and make a closing comment about the language/context of the pieces interacting with eachother.

Reply 14

Judgey

I will definitely join in tomorrow morning! I'm struggling on Dr. Faustus - people say it's one of the easier texts but I just can't remember enough about it. The quotes go right through me. I would love some suggestions as to what are the best solliloqies to pick gothic quotes from.

Reply 15

Language_student

12

What would you all like to come up in the exam?
I will be so happy if there are either two prose extracts or two poems for question 1. Poems would be better as they are generally easy to analyse than prose but either would do. If two drama extracts are on question 1 I will not be very happy. :s-smilie:

I'm least confident analysing drama so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Reply 16

QUINNTASTIC

can anyone give me a link to some past papers relevant to love through the ages? i just can't find any? :biggrin:

Reply 17

Pthaos

OP

Original post by Language_student

What would you all like to come up in the exam?
I will be so happy if there are either two prose extracts or two poems for question 1. Poems would be better as they are generally easy to analyse than prose but either would do. If two drama extracts are on question 1 I will not be very happy. :s-smilie:

I'm least confident analysing drama so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

According to the pattern, 2x Drama for question one is the next logical step in the sequence, however AQA have been known to throw curveballs. I think more people are expecting 2x Drama than not however. I share your lack of confidence in analysing Drama... :s

@QUINNTASTIC (Sorry, can't be bothered to go back and edite a quote in)

From what I can see on the AQA site, they don't have any publicly available past or example papers. If anyone else can find them or photocopy stuff in then that'd be helpful.

If you can't get hold of anything, make your own up!

Reply 18

Language_student

12

Original post by Pthaos

According to the pattern, 2x Drama for question one is the next logical step in the sequence, however AQA have been known to throw curveballs. I think more people are expecting 2x Drama than not however. I share your lack of confidence in analysing Drama... :s

@QUINNTASTIC (Sorry, can't be bothered to go back and edite a quote in)

From what I can see on the AQA site, they don't have any publicly available past or example papers. If anyone else can find them or photocopy stuff in then that'd be helpful.

If you can't get hold of anything, make your own up!

Original post by QUINNTASTIC

AQA practice papers

They are there on the AQA website. Go onto the homepage at www.aqa.org.uk, click on Subjects at the top of the page, go down the subject list and find English, then click A-Level and when it brings up the list click on English Literature A. It will take you to a new page with three buttons: Updates, Key Materials and Overview. You need Key Materials which will bring up a list of the specification, past question papers, exam reports etc. Click on past question papers and mark schemes and then click Select a series, then find the Unit 3 papers. They are called Unit 3: Reading for Meaning, which is why it might be a bit confusing. The June 2010 and January 2010 papers and mark schemes for Love Through the Ages are freely available there.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 19

cameron9

Hey guys, umm last year I got 115/120 in the AS exam and 50/80 in the coursework.. and this year I got 60/70 on the coursework.

Just wondered what kind of mark out of 80 in this years exam I would need to get to achieve an A overall :smile:

thanks!

I'm really worried about this exam, it's so much harder :frown:

also, can anyone just tell me what they do for form and structure? All I can think to say is, it's a novel or a dram which is a bit vague =/ and what kind of essay structure do people use?

AQA Eng-Lit A "Love Through the Ages" - The 'Drop in' Group Revision Thread!

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