The Official Higher English Thread: Help and Discussion :: Pre-Exam Discussion
Discussion for all types of Scottish exams, help on Scottish Results Day and advice on Clearing.
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)I did that prelim lol, only got 23(Original post by Sarurrr)
Not advisable as the SQA marker might interpret it differently as they may know the text well... At least it never worked for me
Also, the racism prelim, how many bloody language questions was that?! I can't see me even passing at a C! It was a total nightmare. I got a C in the final last year, last thing I want is a D in this years prelim! ARGH
(45 overall, damn.) So glad I self-studied a higher last year instead of English, no-way would I have gotten the grades I needed if I had done English!
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Hahahaa, me toooooo! Should get the results back either on Monday or sooner... Hate waiting for them.(Original post by jackwka)
God the amount of times I commented on parenthesis....jessssssssh -
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)That's what I did too, worked rather well!(Original post by chris-carnage)
Hello Higher English thread
I have a question:
I know someone who did Higher English last year and they made up a single essay for each text that could be changed to fit most questions... Is this a good idea? (She got an A in her prelim and exam - was this luck?) I'm really tempted to do this!
It really depends on how strict you class a "single essay" You can't memorise it line-for-line and change a couple of words - that's very risky - but memorising a good and flexible introduction and conclusion has always worked for me. I also like to memorise a key set of quotes and analysis that would work for many different questions. One of the best things I think you can do is come up with a lot of preprepared phrases about the quotes that sound really good, learn them, and it takes some pressure out of trying construct smart-sounding sentences really quickly under exam conditions.
I wouldn't recommend memorising an essay, but instead learning a detailed essay plan and having a good idea of how you can adapt it.
That's what I did with my Great Gatsby essay, about 70-80% of what I wrote were these pre-prepared sentences, the rest stuff I made up on the spot relating it to the question (which wasn't even a question I'd been expecting). Scored well higher than my Othello essay where the only thing I'd really learned was the quotes and a general understanding of the play.
Remember a lot of your essay will be spent a) explaining the quotes and b) referring to the theme. Both of these can be memorised.
Its great if you have a main character who embodies a theme and experiences a turning point, or something like that. Then you really could write an essay a couple of days before that could answer at least three questions with little to no modification.
Last edited by Blu3j4yw4y; 17-03-2010 at 07:39. -
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Haven't got my results for the critical essays yet, but got 23 out of 50 for the close reading which isn't too shabby considering how **** the questions were.
Which one?(Original post by LuhLah)
We did the most gayest poem today
It's actually so **** lol
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-shield-of-achilles/(Original post by Sarurrr)
Haven't got my results for the critical essays yet, but got 23 out of 50 for the close reading which isn't too shabby considering how **** the questions were.
Which one?
!!
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Ahahaha, glad I'm not you right now
We get a fair share of bad texts too though, but you're doing Smeddum too this year? MEG MENZIES even though its pronounced MINGUS... Don't miss it one bit. Bad times. -
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Ugh, don't remind me(Original post by Sarurrr)
Ahahaha, glad I'm not you right now
We get a fair share of bad texts too though, but you're doing Smeddum too this year? MEG MENZIES even though its pronounced MINGUS... Don't miss it one bit. Bad times.
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Yeah I passed mine back in November. I did a personal reflective piece on my great aunt's death and funeral and how grief manifests itself in different ways. Cheery I know! Have you passed yours?(Original post by stefany-a)
have anyone done and passed the writing NAB yet ? -
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)yeah(Original post by alasdair1993)
Yeah I passed mine back in November. I did a personal reflective piece on my great aunt's death and funeral and how grief manifests itself in different ways. Cheery I know! Have you passed yours?
did mine on the smoking ban - now all the english NABs are out of the way
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)I did mine on the death of my gran and how I "realised you need to live your life regardless of the struggles you may face."(Original post by alasdair1993)
Yeah I passed mine back in November. I did a personal reflective piece on my great aunt's death and funeral and how grief manifests itself in different ways. Cheery I know! Have you passed yours?
I'm trying to write an essay on this and it's just not happening.
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)I can see why you're struggling! Luckily my English teacher has chosen two really interesting poems: "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath. They are really deep and I find her so fascinating! As you have probaby assumed I'm a bit of a geek!(Original post by LuhLah)
I did mine on the death of my gran and how I "realised you need to live your life regardless of the struggles you may face."
I'm trying to write an essay on this and it's just not happening.
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Those poems are good! I wish I went to queeny haha.(Original post by alasdair1993)
I can see why you're struggling! Luckily my English teacher has chosen two really interesting poems: "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" by Sylvia Plath. They are really deep and I find her so fascinating! As you have probaby assumed I'm a bit of a geek!
I'm currently on how evoking the totalitarian, new world's sinister qualitiesdoesn'tadds to my appreciation of the text. I'm writing a load of pish about how it depicts parallels into our own history, i.e. Nazis
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)No you seriously don't want to go to queeny!(Original post by LuhLah)
Those poems are good! I wish I went to queeny haha.
I'm currently on how evoking the totalitarian, new world's sinister qualitiesdoesn'tadds to my appreciation of the text. I'm writing a load of pish about how it depicts parallels into our own history, i.e. Nazis
Aw well that's my motto with essays: If you're struggling, bull****!
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Re: The 'Higher English' Thread - 2009/10! - (Close Reading Guide Included)Here's a little exercise for you all:
http://www.understandingstandards.or...=Content.show&
You can mark some essays there. I think it's quite good for improving on your own technique...I sure did, anyway
I have a question:
