Latin iGCSE 2014

85% is A*, while 80% is A, and then for all the grades below each ten percent drop means a drop of a grade

Hi, I'm new on this site, and have (somewhat stupidly) decided to take Latin on my own outside of school. The exam is in two weeks and I need all the help I can get!

I can manage the syllabus material by myself, but what I'm looking for is stuff like exam technique, such as how to answer the longer essay questions in the Literature exam, for example. Can anyone help me?

This is what I find hardest in Latin too but I set it out like I would set out an English essay (ie point-quote-analysis). For 10 mark questions you should write 7+ points if you can. Good luck

This depends on your level of analysis - you could make just 4 or 5 points but explain them more deeply and achieve a higher mark than 7 brief points.

Yeah, what we're told is an in-depth point will gain 2 marks, while I a weaker one will get 1 mark (or thereabouts) so while 5 points could get you 10 marks it seems like an unnecessary risk to leave the marks to chance if you can ensure them by adding two more.

True, but like most essay questions it isn't marked 'point by point'; examiners look at the overall impression conveyed by the points you have made and the depth of their analysis.

And yet it still seems unnecessarily risky to leave their impression to chance by possibly not being thorough enough.

Wow, thank you all so much! I didn't expect so many replies so quickly, and I'm pleasantly surprised. For the literature exam I've memorised the English translations to all the prescribed texts (still working on the Aeneid, but that's not the point) so if a translation question comes up I could just recall it easily. I read online that for the essay questions you have to mention things like sibilant sounds or anaphora or whatever. Do you really have to go into so much detail? It feels a bit much considering you only have about 12 minutes to answer the long questions...

Yes - you need to identify literary devices as well as overall themes or ideas of the text, depending on the question. For example a question about a specific theme would require fewer mentions of techniques than a question that specifically referred to literary devices.