http://www.youtube.com/user/WCSEnglish
Don't underestimate the power of a youtube link; the tips on the channel are really good to get an A* (I got 27/27 on an Argue, Persuade, Advise question from following the techniques he mentions).

Reply 6

rae_

OP

2

Original post by JakeYO

http://www.youtube.com/user/WCSEnglish
Don't underestimate the power of a youtube link; the tips on the channel are really good to get an A* (I got 27/27 on an Argue, Persuade, Advise question from following the techniques he mentions).

Oh, thanks. I already use this youtube channel however I do have a question: When you write to persuade, can you perhaps use a counter argument?

Reply 7

FreshPrincess1

Original post by rae_

...other than the usual: BE ORIGINAL. I would particularly like advice for Paper One.

Many Thanks
Rae

- Practise as many questions as you can and try to get them marked

- Flowing structure

- Avoid too-flowery language because you might end up going off topic

- Always refer back to the question here or there to show you understood what you've been asked to discuss

- As basic as this sounds, P.E.E - Point Evidence Explanation. Do not make an assertion without backing it up and then explaining it. PEE all over your essay :smile:

- Have a look at the AQA A mark scheme for the particular module to see what the examiner is looking for - pay attention to the "AOs" and how they are weighted; such as alternative interpretations/wider reading etc

Hope this helps a bit and good luck with achieving the A/A*!

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 8

rae_

OP

2

Original post by Mr Inquisitive

Knowing what examiners want, consistency, coherence, and flair.

Can you tell me what exactly do they want. When I see pictures I analyse them in very deep levels however they are quite 'unique' ideas like for example today I was annotating a newspaper in which it showed a police man retreating from a mob. The policeman had protective clothing yet he still had to retreat. I felt that the sheild the policeman was holding could represent the primary job of a policeman: to protect citizens. As the policeman is retreating with his protective gear this may create the sense that if the policeman can not protective himself then how is going to protect the people reading the article- citizens. The police are being disabled from there ability to protect due to 'hooligans' thus leading to the reader to feel a sense of perhaps hopelessness within the situation as they are caused to believe these hooligans are a 'threat ti national security'.

Is this too much? I know probably most of it was waffle but I do tend to get carried away...

Reply 9

JakeYO

Original post by rae_

Oh, thanks. I already use this youtube channel however I do have a question: When you write to persuade, can you perhaps use a counter argument?

Yes, use it really shortly: Make a minor point against your argument, then completely destroy that minor point and explain why.

Reply 10

rae_

OP

2

Original post by FreshPrincess1

...

Thanks for the advice, will rep you tommorow :biggrin:

Original post by JakeYO

Yes, use it really shortly: Make a minor point against your argument, then completely destroy that minor point and explain why.

Oh thanks. So you don't create a whole paragraph for your counter argument? And you do this in both persuade + argue?

Also, How do you create a balanced argument.

Sorry for the questions but as you can see I'm quite clueless :wink:

Reply 11

FreshPrincess1

Original post by rae_

Can you tell me what exactly do they want. When I see pictures I analyse them in very deep levels however they are quite 'unique' ideas like for example today I was annotating a newspaper in which it showed a police man retreating from a mob. The policeman had protective clothing yet he still had to retreat. I felt that the sheild the policeman was holding could represent the primary job of a policeman: to protect citizens. As the policeman is retreating with his protective gear this may create the sense that if the policeman can not protective himself then how is going to protect the people reading the article- citizens. The police are being disabled from there ability to protect due to 'hooligans' thus leading to the reader to feel a sense of perhaps hopelessness within the situation as they are caused to believe these hooligans are a 'threat ti national security'.

Is this too much? I know probably most of it was waffle but I do tend to get carried away...

As 'carried away' as it is, this is EXACTLY what examiners want!

Reply 12

yamamotootsu

Carried away is a good thing, but flow like a streaming river :biggrin:

Reply 13

rae_

OP

2

Original post by FreshPrincess1

As 'carried away' as it is, this is EXACTLY what examiners want!

Oh thank you! My teacher was like when I said it 'that was a load of sh%T' but in a politically correct manner. But then again she is quite narrow minded...

Reply 14

rae_

OP

2

Original post by yamamotootsu

Carried away is a good thing, but flow like a streaming river :biggrin:

Any advice on how to since I pratically vomit out my thoughts onto a page :biggrin:

Reply 15

FreshPrincess1

Original post by rae_

Oh thank you! My teacher was like when I said it 'that was a load of sh%T' but in a politically correct manner. But then again she is quite narrow minded...

Interesting, ask your teacher what she wants from you if she thinks that isn't good enough

Whilst carried away is a good thing, make sure to not go off-topic as that is when you lose severe marks

Reply 16

yamamotootsu

Original post by rae_

Any advice on how to since I pratically vomit out my thoughts onto a page :biggrin:

In any writing, you have to be able to maintain consistency without any unecessary distractions. Use your deep ideas wisely, don't spill it and try to be as coherent as possible. Most importantly, keep your examiner interested by using vivid language and words(but do not use them excessively).

Oh..and don't forget PQE(Point, Quote and Explain) :biggrin:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 17

CrookedTeeth

7

Original post by rae_

Any advice on how to since I pratically vomit out my thoughts onto a page :biggrin:

I got an A*, and my technique was to bullet point a quick, vague plan of general points i needed to make in each section and then i vomit my thoughts out onto the page, making sure that the carrots and sweetcorn fell into their own tidy sections... (No? Taking the analogy too far? XD)

Reply 18

Carnationlilyrose

18

Original post by rae_

...other than the usual: BE ORIGINAL. I would particularly like advice for Paper One.

Many Thanks
Rae

Paper 1 is really important. It can often trap the better candidates because they get the subtext wrong. Question 1 is just a summary. Don't waste time evaluating the text you are given. It's intended to see if you've understood what has been written, so go through it paragraph by paragraph very carefully and don't miss out vital points. The bright students sometimes come a cropper by commenting on the language, but there are NO MARKS for this, so it's a waste of time. The dim ones don't even think of doing this, so often score better by just mechanically churning out a summary. Do the same!

Ensure that you identify facts and opinions in what is usually question 2 BY NAME. You must explicitly show that you know which is which and you must identify at least 2 to get over half marks. You must also be aware that facts can be disguised as opinions and vice versa. Do not forget to explain the use of these facts and opinions, or once again, no more than half marks.

Don't mix up the language and presentation questions. You get no marks for talking about the pictures if they aren't mentioned in the question and the same is true for language. The picture question is usually well done - you are the media savvy generation after all - but the pictures in the last 2 papers have been very odd. Luckily, examiners will give credit for anything vaguely sensible. The language question is often the weakest. People don't tend to write enough or QUOTE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. Point/proof/comment or point/example/explanation applies just as much here as in Literature exams. On top of that, the crucial word is COMPARE. If you deal with all the points from one text first and then all the points from the second, even if they are right, you cannot get above half marks because you haven't explicitly compared them, so always put the two texts together. Use plenty of discourse markers (on the other hand, conversely, however etc) to flag up what you are doing. (This applies equally to the poetry questions on paper 2 and the lit paper.)

Practical tip - wet your fingers and ensure that you've opened out the booklet fully. Ever since they started printing the inserts in colour on shiny paper, we've had kids not seeing all the text because the pages stick together. Don't let it be you!

I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you how to get an A*, but the honest truth, which your teacher may or may not admit, is that a top A* comes from a spark that is inborn, not taught, and you either have it or you haven't. You can work hard at eliminating errors and that goes a long, long way, as does jumping through the hoops of paper 1, which anyone can learn, but it's much harder to crack section B if you haven't got it. That is why section A is so important. It's perfectly possible for someone who isn't really bright to get full marks on paper 1 section A just by applying the rules.