That's a tough one, Jasmine. I think that sometimes students think there is some magic formula for getting the very highest grades. I think that the following advice applies to any text you study at GCSE, that is vital for achieving a top 9/A*. (It's worth bearing in mind that as you're the first lot to go through this new exam and be awarded the 9 grade (which if you like is more an A** than an A*), it is very hard to say what the examiners will be looking for. But as someone who put hundreds of kids through the Inspector Calls exam, I think I have a reasonable idea of what that might be.

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First and foremost, you have to ensure your answer stands out. Think of it this way: the person who will be marking your script will be marking another 500-odd as well. That is a lot of essays about Mr Birling being a symbol of capitalist society and blah blah. So, make sure that what you say is highly original. Easy for me to say I know - but I can't stress enough how you want to grab the exam marker's attention and not let go. In many ways it's such an artificial process, isn't it: sitting in a room with a hundred or more kids, many of them with hay fever (PLEASE TAKE TISSUES INTO YOUR EXAM). So play the examiner at his/her own game and write for them. Make them sit up and take notice of you.

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You have to be completely on top of your themes, and ensure your writing explores them in real depth. Grade 8 or 9 answers will go beyond the simple PEA structure to drill down into how characters represent much broader themes about society, power relationships, and gender identity.

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You have to have your quotes front and centre. Hard with a closed book exercise but don't let that be an excuse. Top answers will use short quotes well, and at just the right moment. This isn't a test on how well you remember great long quotes, but a few choice words dropped in make all the difference.

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Really know your context. Not just the irony of the comments about the Titanic, but the history leading to the moment the play was set, and also the context Priestly was writing in. Dig into the history, philosophy, music, anything you can get your hands on. This will impress the examiner if you can weave in how the themes explore these contextual elements.

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But - this is not a history, philosophy, music exam. These inform themes - your writing should always come from the text first, then explore how context adds to your understanding of this.

Good luck!

Reply 8

JasmineBA2000

OP

9

Original post by darrencoxon

That's a tough one, Jasmine. I think that sometimes students think there is some magic formula for getting the very highest grades. I think that the following advice applies to any text you study at GCSE, that is vital for achieving a top 9/A*. (It's worth bearing in mind that as you're the first lot to go through this new exam and be awarded the 9 grade (which if you like is more an A** than an A*), it is very hard to say what the examiners will be looking for. But as someone who put hundreds of kids through the Inspector Calls exam, I think I have a reasonable idea of what that might be.

•

First and foremost, you have to ensure your answer stands out. Think of it this way: the person who will be marking your script will be marking another 500-odd as well. That is a lot of essays about Mr Birling being a symbol of capitalist society and blah blah. So, make sure that what you say is highly original. Easy for me to say I know - but I can't stress enough how you want to grab the exam marker's attention and not let go. In many ways it's such an artificial process, isn't it: sitting in a room with a hundred or more kids, many of them with hay fever (PLEASE TAKE TISSUES INTO YOUR EXAM). So play the examiner at his/her own game and write for them. Make them sit up and take notice of you.

•

You have to be completely on top of your themes, and ensure your writing explores them in real depth. Grade 8 or 9 answers will go beyond the simple PEA structure to drill down into how characters represent much broader themes about society, power relationships, and gender identity.

•

You have to have your quotes front and centre. Hard with a closed book exercise but don't let that be an excuse. Top answers will use short quotes well, and at just the right moment. This isn't a test on how well you remember great long quotes, but a few choice words dropped in make all the difference.

•

Really know your context. Not just the irony of the comments about the Titanic, but the history leading to the moment the play was set, and also the context Priestly was writing in. Dig into the history, philosophy, music, anything you can get your hands on. This will impress the examiner if you can weave in how the themes explore these contextual elements.

•

But - this is not a history, philosophy, music exam. These inform themes - your writing should always come from the text first, then explore how context adds to your understanding of this.

Good luck!

Thank you very much, will do some additional research on the context of the play.
Currently getting grade 8's so I guess i need to ensure all my points are original to get a Grade 9.

Reply 9

darrencoxon

12

Best of luck. It's hard to know what the examiners will be looking for with this new grade 9. I have a feeling that they'll deliberately make it super tough to get, just to show the world how rigourous exams are now. So don't be disheartened if you get a 7 or 8, as tbh that's the equivalent of an A or A*. It's not worth getting too stressed about. Easy for me to say I know!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 10

JasmineBA2000

OP

9

Original post by darrencoxon

Best of luck. It's hard to know what the examiners will be looking for with this new grade 9. I have a feeling that they'll deliberately make it super tough to get, just to show the world how rigourous exams are now. So don't be disheartened if you get a 7 or 8, as tbh that's the equivalent of an A or A*. It's not worth getting too stressed about. Easy for me to say I know!

Posted from TSR Mobile

lol, thank you

Reply 11

BethHawk

Anyone made any predictions for An Inspector Calls?

Reply 12

hdjfdsbjdbcs

watch Mr Bruff's videos on the poems section and make notes they are amazing and cover everything from language, form, structure and context. Watch An Inspector Calls videos from MR TAYLOR'S CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE THEY ARE AMAZING!! HE COVERS EVERYTHING AND IT TAKES LIKE TWO HOURS TO WATCH. btw in the paper two section of an inspector calls you can answer a themes question OR a charecter questions. so if you struggle in revising last minute learn all the themes or all the characters!!

Reply 13

JasmineBA2000

OP

9

Original post by hdjfdsbjdbcs

watch Mr Bruff's videos on the poems section and make notes they are amazing and cover everything from language, form, structure and context. Watch An Inspector Calls videos from MR TAYLOR'S CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE THEY ARE AMAZING!! HE COVERS EVERYTHING AND IT TAKES LIKE TWO HOURS TO WATCH. btw in the paper two section of an inspector calls you can answer a themes question OR a charecter questions. so if you struggle in revising last minute learn all the themes or all the characters!!

Thanks, just checked them out, mr.bruffs poetry notes are AMAZING!!!

Reply 14

amber.05

10

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could type an example of an inspector calls GCSE question that I could answer to practise and possibly then assess my work and rate it from 9-1??