AQA GCSE The Woman in Black 2016 *official thread*

How do you guys structure your paragraphs and how do you get into the a* bracket for woman in black?

It's not as good as Adult Learning. And besides, it's an AS/A2 level, which actually has barely any anthropology in...

10 minute exams, with questions such as "Which one of these shapes is a rectangle?".

Looks like I'm changing my a-level options

What did you plan on taking?

Because Anthropology involves the Safir-Whorf Hypothesis and Chomsky. Quite simple really.

Maths, further maths, economics, chemistry - I also really want to carry on with French but analysing the history of sociopolitical commentary in literature.. in French.. is slightly above my level. And since I had to wikipedia both of those, I take it you're a linguist

Sure am! Interestingly enough, I'm doing French, and as much as I don't like the teachers, I can wing my way through French...
#JustPolyglotThings

And yes- linguistics is where I'm headed

[Even if it'll help no one in society]

Wow, that's refreshing - are you fluent?
I take French and Spanish, but I've always felt I'm good at languages only because I have a pretty good capacity for maths, since they're intrinsically linked. And what are you planning on taking for a-levels?

See, with Maths, I only really like the way that everything fits together; say, like, with algebra, it all has a set way of doing it, which I suppose links to grammar, which makes maths so much nicer. As soon as there is something missing, it annoys me.

But yeah, I am fluent.

And I am taking [at this point], English Language, French, Classics and Drama, but I may be taking Maths. I don't know yet.

Yeah, I know what you mean, algebra's ridiculously satisfying but that really applies to most aspects of maths unless its something that can't really be visualised like, say, imaginary numbers.
That's a good mix, I can tell you appreciate the arts, maths would fit in nicely too.

I'm in the same boat as everyone else as far as being a Renaissance Man is concerned. I've already learnt all the content for maths and further maths A-Level, but I much prefer the Arts to Stem. English is not as rigid and walled as maths, but instead allows the bleeding of colours into one another rather than allowing black to remain black and white to remain so, to speak allegorically.

Everyone in my school wants me to do 5 A-Levels, and, as it stands, I'm looking at:

Maths
Further Maths
History
English Literature
.... and maybe another.

I am far more of a literary figure than I am a mathematician.

That's interesting- incredibly varied- I find English and maths to be, in fact, harmoniously pitched (especially high level/abstract maths which involves the same kind of analytical thought process), which is perhaps swaying my choices away from the 4 I have picked. Although, English and MFL have a ludicrously heavy workload for a level, and I don't think that's the kind of pain I'd want to inflict on myself. Also, why have you already learnt the content for maths?

I'm also considering doing 5, but since universities only look for 3 it seems unnecessary. 4 is a happy medium.

I learnt the content out of recreation, and, before I even knew it, I had learnt all the content. Although English and Maths can be melodious together, I feel the two almost play off one another superficially creating the allusion of harmony like "two spent swimmers that do cling together, and choke their art".

I'd do german for A-Level, as I'm already doing it for GCSE, if I was to pick a MFL.

I fear we have significantly digressed from the purpose of this thread.

Evidently, we have contrasting definitions of 'recreation' but, all the same, I applaud your intellect. Generally, people gravitate towards either Maths or English, I think they can combine constructively - but only up to a point. Maths requires something of an inherent sense of logic and visualisation, rather than something which can be learnt.

And I agree, would you like a quote to analyse?

People do drift towards either maths or english, yet I wish to remain in balance with both and would love to do a joint degree in both (though no university offers this).

Enough has been said

Here's one for you:

How does Hill present Eel Marsh House in the following?

"The house felt like a ship at sea, battered by the gale that came roaring across the open marsh.

That's all you're getting to make it as difficult as possible.

Hill invokes nautical imagery to portray the isolation of Eel Marsh House, combined with its desperate vulnerability as a 'ship at sea'. This laces sibilants to mimic the swashing of the waves, immersing the reader in a vivid image of the turbulent ocean. The languid sibilants clash violently with plosives in 'battered', perhaps this is a metaphor for the woman herself, her conscience 'battered' by the 'gale' that is repressed guilt. 'Roaring' subverts this water imagery with fire, Hill creates a paradox, blending the two contrasting elements, to echo the mourning of the woman in black transformed into malignancy. Here, she presents pathetic fallacy in its raw, gripping form- fuelling the reader's fear for Arthur's safety.

What do you think?

If you touch on points outside the indicative content, will you still get good marks?

How do you guys find good quotes quickly?