Eng Lang Malpractice

hihi so i have a quick q about the question 5 for eng lang paper 1. i managed to get full marks on my last mock exam q5 and so i was wondering if by taking that story and basically writing it again with a slight change for the prompt would be any sort of issue? i have a few key sentences stuck in my head so parts of it would be the exact same but i’m just worried that it may be seen as some kind of malpractice.

sorry if this is a silly question lolol i’m just incredibly nervous.

hihi so i have a quick q about the question 5 for eng lang paper 1. i managed to get full marks on my last mock exam q5 and so i was wondering if by taking that story and basically writing it again with a slight change for the prompt would be any sort of issue? i have a few key sentences stuck in my head so parts of it would be the exact same but i’m just worried that it may be seen as some kind of malpractice.

sorry if this is a silly question lolol i’m just incredibly nervous.

Hi there.

Not a silly Q - So long as it's your own work you should be okay. Please don't spend ages trying to make the story fit into the prompt as if you got full marks in a Q5 then it just shows that you have some creative genius in you - let that give you a boost of confidence in the exam!

Good luck

Seeing as you've got full marks, have you got any tips? I never know what to write..

sure! i can summarise them into some points but i do really recommend having at least a character you are able to put in to a story so that you already have some idea you know you can write comfortably about

• choose an important motif - for my full mark answer i used the idea of light as a symbol for hope and repeated that idea all through the text.

• write about something negative - this may be for me personally but i find it easier to write something a tad more dark and gloomy than uplifting as i feel there’s more i can explore. but that may just be me so don’t feel pressured!

• don’t throw in unnecessary ‘fancy’ vocab just for the sake of it - often times the words are used out of place and don’t feel as effective. however, this doesn’t mean don’t be adventurous with your language!

• use structural techniques like flashbacks - i used flashbacks twice in my answer so i assume they must be handy. cyclical structure, changes in focus and snappy dialogue are also useful.

• extended metaphors, similes etc - don’t be shy when using these! just make sure your whole answer isn’t saturated with ‘ like a lion ‘ or things like that as it can get very repetitive and those kinds of similes are not the best to use a lot.

• please please make sure you have a plan before throwing yourself into it

• your story doesn’t have to be about the whole picture itself. you can pick a person, object etc within the image and explore that individually. it’s very restrictive if you stay in the confines of the given image.

i’m at a blank atm for what else to put but i hope this is helpful! you got this