The Student Room Group

General discussion AQA GCSE English Literature - Summer 2015

Scroll to see replies

Reply 40
Original post by eantonina
I did mister pip... I really found it boring. Do you like it?


Posted from TSR Mobile


i agree mister pip literally sends me to sleep. i've had to read it about four times in order to understand it properly!
Original post by aha1
i agree mister pip literally sends me to sleep. i've had to read it about four times in order to understand it properly!


Everyone in my class hated it, but the other class who studied it didn't so maybe it was my teacher. I did the exam in 2013 and wow the question about it was dreadful! Something about the end which I hadn't really re read because I saw no reason why it would come up as a question but it did...


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by eantonina
Everyone in my class hated it, but the other class who studied it didn't so maybe it was my teacher. I did the exam in 2013 and wow the question about it was dreadful! Something about the end which I hadn't really re read because I saw no reason why it would come up as a question but it did...


Posted from TSR Mobile


It was this :smile:

Part (a) In this passage, how does Jones present Matilda’s feelings about the Foundling Hospital? Refer closely to the passage in your answer.

Part (b) Several characters in Mister Pip find themselves in a culture which is not their own. How does Jones present ideas about outsiders in the novel?
Reply 44
Original post by Arkasia
I made a few threads on The Crucible, Mr Pip and Conflict Poetry, here:

The Crucible: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2354593

this will help loads! Thanks :smile:
Reply 45
How many alternative interpretations should you aim to give? Would 2 interpretations suffice?
Original post by Jitesh
this will help loads! Thanks :smile:


I still remember quite a bit about it from when I did it a few years ago, so if you have any questions, just ask on that thread :smile:
Reply 47
Original post by Arkasia
I still remember quite a bit about it from when I did it a few years ago, so if you have any questions, just ask on that thread :smile:

I shall do, thanks!
Original post by Jitesh
How many alternative interpretations should you aim to give? Would 2 interpretations suffice?



You need to show you understand that there are multiple interpretations, so a minimum of two, with a comparison or evaluation of each. I would suggest you don't go overboard and include more than 3 per point, as that is just wasting time, and you won't necessarily be awarded extra marks for it. So two alternate interpretations is plenty, as long as you make sure to provide evidence and an explanation for why that explanation may be relevant to the question :smile:
Original post by Jitesh
I do Place :smile:
What's poetry live? :confused:

It's basically an event where poets from the anthology come to read their poems and offer their interpretions :smile: So it really helped to solidify my understanding of the poems and an examiner also came to give advice on how to tackle the unseen question.
How are you finding place? I'd like to have done conflict personally, the themes are really interchangeable so it would have been easier to write about.
Reply 50
Original post by Arkasia
You need to show you understand that there are multiple interpretations, so a minimum of two, with a comparison or evaluation of each. I would suggest you don't go overboard and include more than 3 per point, as that is just wasting time, and you won't necessarily be awarded extra marks for it. So two alternate interpretations is plenty, as long as you make sure to provide evidence and an explanation for why that explanation may be relevant to the question :smile:


Ah.. do you have any exemplar responses by the way? I can't find any on AQA or online really... I'll have to bug my teacher to download them :biggrin:
Original post by Jitesh
Ah.. do you have any exemplar responses by the way? I can't find any on AQA or online really... I'll have to bug my teacher to download them :biggrin:


Exemplar responses for what exactly? The Crucible? I think I may have included an example paragraph on the thread I linked above, but if not I'll have a dig around and see what I can find :smile:
Reply 52
Original post by _ariane29
It's basically an event where poets from the anthology come to read their poems and offer their interpretions :smile: So it really helped to solidify my understanding of the poems and an examiner also came to give advice on how to tackle the unseen question.
How are you finding place? I'd like to have done conflict personally, the themes are really interchangeable so it would have been easier to write about.


Oh nice! Was it poets who you studied?
There's been a slight change with the spec so the unseen poem will be from a list of 15 poets now!
Place is nice :smile: I would have prefered to do Conflict too... I skimmed through them, and they seem to be a little bit more interesting. Does Character and Voice have the poem "Singh Song"? I read that poem when I was bored in class.. would distract me in the exam if that came up as a named one!
Reply 53
Original post by Arkasia
Exemplar responses for what exactly? The Crucible? I think I may have included an example paragraph on the thread I linked above, but if not I'll have a dig around and see what I can find :smile:


Yeah, I read the exemplar A* paragraph.. it helps!
Just wondering about things like an introduction and conclusion... if you do find one that'll be great
Original post by Jitesh
Oh nice! Was it poets who you studied?
There's been a slight change with the spec so the unseen poem will be from a list of 15 poets now!
Place is nice :smile: I would have prefered to do Conflict too... I skimmed through them, and they seem to be a little bit more interesting. Does Character and Voice have the poem "Singh Song"? I read that poem when I was bored in class.. would distract me in the exam if that came up as a named one!


No it was a range of poets from across the clusters :smile: So some of the poems they explored were from relationships, place.. . as well.
Hah yes Singh song is there. I never used to like the poem before I heard Daljit Nagra read it but now I've come to elaborate on the deeper themes of it :tongue:
I hope the poem is from one of the contemporary poets we have been prescribed. I don't know what I'll do if Keats comes up! His poems are really difficult for me to interpret
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 55
Original post by _ariane29
No it was a range of poets from across the clusters :smile: So some of the poems they explored were from relationships, place.. . as well.
Hah yes Singh song is there. I never used to like the poem before I heard Daljit Nagra read it but now I've come to elaborate on the deeper themes of it :tongue:
I hope the poem is from one of the contemporary poets we have been prescribed. I don't know what I'll do if Keats comes up! His poems are really difficult for me to interpret

Being Indian, I can closely relate to Daljit
love the way it's like a cross between Punjabi and English... Punjablish?
It's pretty cool... In India, people might start a sentence in Hindi and finish it off in English :biggrin:
Original post by Jitesh
Being Indian, I can closely relate to Daljit
love the way it's like a cross between Punjabi and English... Punjablish?
It's pretty cool... In India, people might start a sentence in Hindi and finish it off in English :biggrin:


Haha yea, well weirdly I'm Indian too :smile: (Ignore my fake name) Imtiaz Dharker was at poetry live and she read one of her poems that isn't in the anthology. It was called dabba wala, as in box people in Mumbai :P I was literally the only person laughing there at the Indian words everyone was calling me a freshy from other schools haha :biggrin:
Reply 57
Original post by pursuedbyabear
I'm doing Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and Conflict. I have to say, I adore Of Mice and Men - not as keen on Lord of the Flies. The Conflict cluster is pretty interesting, though. :smile:

Edit: Am I the only one here doing OMAM? That's suprising, I thought it was one of the more popular choices... :confused:


Hey there, I am doing OMAM, Lord of the Flies and Relationships. What are you planning to do for revision?

And how can you not like LOTF?!
Original post by Jitesh
Hey guys!

I couldn't find a general thread for this GCSE, and it is - in my opinion - going to be the most challenging!

There have been some slight changes to this specification (9715)... Although it's pretty much the same :rolleyes: But we're the first year to do it :tongue:

Exam dates (AQA):
Unit 1: Monday 18th May AM
Unit 2/4: Friday 22nd May AM

I think they're a bit earlier than last year :angry:

I'm doing TKAM, The Crucible and Place :cool:

What prose, play and anthology cluster have you guys studied?



We've studied the crucible, of mice and men and the conflict poems! Dreading the lit exams!
Reply 59
Original post by _ariane29
Haha yea, well weirdly I'm Indian too :smile: (Ignore my fake name) Imtiaz Dharker was at poetry live and she read one of her poems that isn't in the anthology. It was called dabba wala, as in box people in Mumbai :P I was literally the only person laughing there at the Indian words everyone was calling me a freshy from other schools haha :biggrin:


haha there's a lot of Indians on TSR :cool::cool:
All night tonight to see India vs SA?

Quick Reply