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Tips for an English Literature exam?

I am doing To Kill A Mockingbird, An Inspector Calls, and conflift poetry...if anyone has techniques etc that they used in their exam or are going to use this year please reply ASAP ( Also, am i the only who's super nervous for these literature exams because all my friends seem to think it is really easy but it's the one i'm most nervous for :/) WHY CAN'T IT BE IN JUNE?!?!?
Original post by Gracelaura
I am doing To Kill A Mockingbird, An Inspector Calls, and conflift poetry...if anyone has techniques etc that they used in their exam or are going to use this year please reply ASAP ( Also, am i the only who's super nervous for these literature exams because all my friends seem to think it is really easy but it's the one i'm most nervous for :/) WHY CAN'T IT BE IN JUNE?!?!?


I'm doing the same poetry cluster as you but different novels. For the novels on Monday, just remember to analyse closely and write a good, solid introduction (a plan often helps). The intro is the first thing the examiner sees and it really can make the difference between a C and an A: you want to make a good impression. Just remember to refer to different moments in the text, and make sure what you're writing makes sense. I really like the poetry exam but no words can describe how much I *hate* the novels. For the poetry, you'll have been well prepared for Section A, but for the unseen section, just remember to keep it brief but detailed. By that I mean, focus on your analysis (which is basically the only thing they're marking you on (along with interpretations)) but don't waffle. You want to make a good handful of analytical points but if you try to pad your answer out the examiner will notice.

It'll go fine. Remember that there's no wrong answer in English, so just focus on what the question is asking and write points well that are at least vaguely relevant to the question and you should secure the grade you want. Good luck :smile:
I would recommend looking at past papers of the texts you are studying, for example I'm also doing An Inspector Calls. Find the past papers and then look at the extract and essay questions and think about (or even write down) what you would do if it was the real exam. Find as many past papers as you can and be sure to look at all of the questions and think how you would answer them, that way you'll go into the exam more confident and have a better idea of what to write. Good luck!
Reply 3
Original post by educatingsurrey
I'm doing the same poetry cluster as you but different novels. For the novels on Monday, just remember to analyse closely and write a good, solid introduction (a plan often helps). The intro is the first thing the examiner sees and it really can make the difference between a C and an A: you want to make a good impression. Just remember to refer to different moments in the text, and make sure what you're writing makes sense. I really like the poetry exam but no words can describe how much I *hate* the novels. For the poetry, you'll have been well prepared for Section A, but for the unseen section, just remember to keep it brief but detailed. By that I mean, focus on your analysis (which is basically the only thing they're marking you on (along with interpretations)) but don't waffle. You want to make a good handful of analytical points but if you try to pad your answer out the examiner will notice.

It'll go fine. Remember that there's no wrong answer in English, so just focus on what the question is asking and write points well that are at least vaguely relevant to the question and you should secure the grade you want. Good luck :smile:
Thanks :smile: we've done one past practice paper at school, which wasn't even marked, so I guess that's why i'm so freakin nervous for it
Original post by Gracelaura
Thanks :smile: we've done one past practice paper at school, which wasn't even marked, so I guess that's why i'm so freakin nervous for it


We've done tonnes of past papers but I never trust their marking and I'm never sure if they're too lenient or too harsh compared to what AQA will do. And I find it next to impossible to prepare for Lit oh god I hate it so much
does anyone have any predictions for lord of the flies
Original post by yorgandji1
does anyone have any predictions for lord of the flies


Just list the themes and see which ones haven't appeared in the past papers.
Original post by yorgandji1
does anyone have any predictions for lord of the flies


Simon and Jack :smile:
What could you write for simon

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Does anyone know good techniques for unseen poetry? Thaaanks!!
Talk about
Form and structure
Language
Imagery like similies
Rythm and rhyme
Tone like the attitude of the reader

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