[billet-doux]

I thought I should make a thread for this because I don't think there's one at the moment. How is everyone revising? I have loads of wider reading texts if anyone wants any pointers but I have no idea how to structure the two essays in the exam!

[Coursework.info]

It's been a while since you posted and nobody's replied yet...maybe you should check out MarkedbyTeachers.com, TSR's sister site. It has the largest library of coursework and essays in the UK.

They've got over 168,000+ essays, projects, assignments, coursework etc.. all written by GCSE, A Level and Uni students. You get access either by publishing some of your own work, or paying £4.99 for a month's access. Both ways give you unlimited access to all of the essays.

All their documents are submitted to Turnitin anti-plagiarism software, so it can't be misused, and the site’s used by hundreds of thousands of UK teachers and students.

Hopefully you'll find it useful

[Jellynubbin]

Hey, I'm doing this exam so I'll subscribe to this lol!

The essay format is confusing I know...the first q has 2 unseen texts of the same genre (i.e. poem) then the second question has the other two genres, and all your wider reading has been in the appropriate question so the structure is confusing! The only pointer I can confidently give is that 60-70% of your answer should be on the given extract, and that you should mention at least one of every genre with your wider reading!


Maybe genre isn't the best word but you get what I mean! I'll post wider reading etc nearer to the exam. I take it you're doing the literature of love too?

[billet-doux]

Yes, I'm doing the literature of love. There's just no real way of revising for this exam so I don't know what to do!

[d123]

Is this the Love through the Ages exam?

I hate this syllabus! I used to be good at English, but then last year I ended up doing really badly in the exam, because I hate the way they work.

I'm doing an essay for it at the moment. It doesn't help that I don't like Austen or the Brontes, as they seem quite vital to it all!

[BHAM!]

With my wider reading...I don't have many modern texts so can someone suggests a novel/play? The only plays I have for wider reading are all Shakespeare =(

[d123]

(Original post by BHAM!)
With my wider reading...I don't have many modern texts so can someone suggests a novel/play? The only plays I have for wider reading are all Shakespeare =(

Streetcar named Desire - Tennessee Williams. It's fantastic, really useful for lots of questions, and it's fairly short and easy. I really recommend it.

[unknownpleasures]

I've quite enjoyed the syllabus despite my initial reservations (I looked at the title 'Love Through the Ages' and considered dropping English), but I dread the exam. So many hoops to jump, seemingly by memorising quotations by rote. At least I've got the coursework behind me if I really mess up.

I've got loads of poems, less prose, and even less drama. Are people revising by genre or theme? I have a terrible feeling that question one will be two drama extracts and all I'll have to compare with them will be Much Ado About Nothing. Argh.

[d123]

(Original post by unknownpleasures)
I've quite enjoyed the syllabus despite my initial reservations (I looked at the title 'Love Through the Ages' and considered dropping English), but I dread the exam. So many hoops to jump, seemingly by memorising quotations by rote. At least I've got the coursework behind me if I really mess up.

I've got loads of poems, less prose, and even less drama. Are people revising by genre or theme? I have a terrible feeling that question one will be two drama extracts and all I'll have to compare with them will be Much Ado About Nothing. Argh.

The only thing I want it to be is two drama extracts! I've got lots for that, but very few poems and hardly any prose at all.

I hate the way this syllabus works, I'd much prefer to study individual texts and do an exam on those, rather than 'wider reading'.

[unknownpleasures]

(Original post by d123)
The only thing I want it to be is two drama extracts! I've got lots for that, but very few poems and hardly any prose at all.

I hate the way this syllabus works, I'd much prefer to study individual texts and do an exam on those, rather than 'wider reading'.

Which plays have you studied? We've done Much Ado in depth, and I quickly read through She Stoops to Conquer but I couldn't really glean anything particularly useful from it.

[d123]

(Original post by unknownpleasures)
Which plays have you studied? We've done Much Ado in depth, and I quickly read through She Stoops to Conquer but I couldn't really glean anything particularly useful from it.

The Winter's Tale - Shakespeare
The Rover - Aphra Behn
Streetcar Named Desire/Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee Williams
London Assurance - Dion Bouccicault.

I think it's those 5, but I might have forgotten some.

[MarinaM]

Hihi. Going to subscribe to this, as I'm trying to push a very narrowly-missed A last year into that coveted category.

Those desiring plays, especially older plays, try some Restoration comedies (like The Rivals by Sheridan), of maybe Chekhov, Ibsen or Wilde for 19th/early 20th century playwrights. There are also closer contemporaries of Shakespeare like Marlowe, Webster, and Jonson who may be worth a shot. Poetry wise, there's loooooads out there - Romantics like Byron and Shelley, the aforementioned contemporaries of Shakespeare also wrote poetry, and such like. If anyone is interested, I can PM them a selection of poems I've dug out myself for the exam - ranging across the years and so on.

I tend to find writing everything I need to the most difficult bit though, when doing practise questions. Especially the stupid form/structure/language focus. I thought the answer is supposed to be balanced!

[gigglesgalore]

Oscar Wilde's 'A Woman of No Importance' is quite good for discussing marriage

[sunshine7]

Is no one doing the Gothic genre?

[beautifulbubble]

I'm doing this exam too really stuck for ways of revising, any suggestions?

[unknownpleasures]

What sort of quotations are people memorising? Last year we were told we didn't need any, but it seems to be different this year.

[billet-doux]

I'm trying to memorise quotations about different types of love e.g. unrequited, forbidden, family love etc from the 3 genres. I can't believe this exam is so soon!

[Narna396]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had been given any information about how to structure their essays? Like a generic plan that can be applied to whatever genres come up. I'm finding it difficult to remember to include all of the assessment objectives and still make my writing sound natural rather than rigid. Thanks for any help x

[xnatalie01x]

(Original post by sunshine7)
Is no one doing the Gothic genre?

I am!!! Major FML What books are you doing it on?!

[lekky]

(Original post by d123)
Streetcar named Desire - Tennessee Williams. It's fantastic, really useful for lots of questions, and it's fairly short and easy. I really recommend it.

Hey! I did this for my coursework on love and so I'm struggling to get out of the mindset of thinking about it in relation to madness (Blanche's) and think about it more in themes of love. Do you mind having a look at the themes that I've written?

The main themes that I'm relating my texts to are
1) Meetings
2) Partings
3) Marriage
4) Romantic
5) Illicit
6) Filial (Parent/family)
7) unrequited
8) God --- I know the board told us that it won't be a question about religious love, so I just kind of make a brief reference to it, normally in relation to context.

Illicit love – Blanche’s husband was homosexual, unable to be open about this due to contemporary society. Her reaction to discovering that he his homosexual, “You disgust me” would be typical of the time period. This leads to his suicide, which starts the decline of her mental health.

– Stanley rapes Blanche after her promiscuous past has been revealed (develop)

Romantic love – between Stella and Stanley (develop)

Filial love – between Stella and Blanche. Despite Blanche’s controlling behaviour, Stella enjoys Blanche’s company and tries to make her happy. Ultimately, Stella cannot believe Blanche’s story of Stanley raping her. (develop)

As you can see I'm kind of failing. I know it's a great text but because I did the theme of mental illness in it for my coursework that;s completely blocking me branching out more. I know the text verywell though which is a plus?

Do you think romantic love between BLanche and Mitch? It's not really romantic though, she is totally using him and knows it (stage directions when she rolls her eyes and says 'do you want to sleep with me tonight.. oh you can't understand him.. what a shame')

Sorry for hyperness, was tired so downed 2 cans of red bull.. they give you wings you know!