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I need help improving my close reading and essay writing skills

I have attempted last years national 5 papers in English and I had struggled doing them. I am currently in S3/ year 10 so I am wondering how can I improve before my actual exams next year
Original post by Georgesmith1092
I have attempted last years national 5 papers in English and I had struggled doing them. I am currently in S3/ year 10 so I am wondering how can I improve before my actual exams next year


Hi

I would advise you not to stress about this yet, as there is plenty of time for you to improve. However, it's really good that you're already identifying areas where you need to improve :smile:
I would say that most people at this stage of S3 would probably struggle with a Nat 5 paper, so don't use your current performance to indicate your future potential.
In the RUEA paper, you should get into the habit of quote and comment...Give a quote and then comment on it to answer the question. Know your language techniques (e.g. simile, short sentence, etc.) and read the question carefully.
For Scottish text, the quote and comment is also your best friend. AS LONG AS THE QUOTE AND COMMENT ARE RELEVANT AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!
The essay is difficult to give advice on, but I'd advise you to keep writing essays. Use the questions from previous years, and don't be selective- work your way through all of them! Initially, I would advise you NOT to do this in timed conditions. To save time, it can sometimes be good to just do essay plans, rather than the entire essay
Make sure you know your texts well! While you need to have a range of quotes to be able to fit with a range of essay questions, you probably don't need to include anywhere near as many quotes in an essay as you think. A couple (2-3) per point/paragraph is more than enough. Make sure you structure your essay well with an intro, a few paragraphs (each with a clear and different point) and a conclusion. In each paragraph, make sure you LINK BACK to the question- this shows a higher level of understanding and gets more marks.
English papers/essays are difficult to self mark- I'd encourage you to hand in what you do to your teacher, as they can help show you where to improve :smile:

Hope that helps :smile:
Original post by Labrador99
Hi

I would advise you not to stress about this yet, as there is plenty of time for you to improve. However, it's really good that you're already identifying areas where you need to improve :smile:
I would say that most people at this stage of S3 would probably struggle with a Nat 5 paper, so don't use your current performance to indicate your future potential.
In the RUEA paper, you should get into the habit of quote and comment...Give a quote and then comment on it to answer the question. Know your language techniques (e.g. simile, short sentence, etc.) and read the question carefully.
For Scottish text, the quote and comment is also your best friend. AS LONG AS THE QUOTE AND COMMENT ARE RELEVANT AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!
The essay is difficult to give advice on, but I'd advise you to keep writing essays. Use the questions from previous years, and don't be selective- work your way through all of them! Initially, I would advise you NOT to do this in timed conditions. To save time, it can sometimes be good to just do essay plans, rather than the entire essay
Make sure you know your texts well! While you need to have a range of quotes to be able to fit with a range of essay questions, you probably don't need to include anywhere near as many quotes in an essay as you think. A couple (2-3) per point/paragraph is more than enough. Make sure you structure your essay well with an intro, a few paragraphs (each with a clear and different point) and a conclusion. In each paragraph, make sure you LINK BACK to the question- this shows a higher level of understanding and gets more marks.
English papers/essays are difficult to self mark- I'd encourage you to hand in what you do to your teacher, as they can help show you where to improve :smile:

Hope that helps :smile:


Thank you very much.

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