GCSE AQA Eng lit exam tomorrow. Any tips? I'm aiming for an A*

I'm not too worried about 'Of Mice and Men' as I'm really familiar with it now, and I think with essays on Novels, I find it easier to write about.

What I really need to focus on is the poetry. I'm freaking out about what poems may come up and also the structure of how to write my essay answers. I know that to compare you pick out things that back up points say if you're saying to speaker is egocentric or controlling etc, but what kind of structure do you use?

Also any tips or things to avoid both with poetry and essays on Of Mice and Men?

Help!

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Khan34

Hi,

Remember to say a lot about a little and in the conclusion offer your personal response. Try and input a multiple of original interpretations as it will boost your grade.

Reply 2

Kinesthetic

Introduce the poems and say which one's you have chosen to compare (with AQA you're asked to do 4).
Give a brief sentence on the themes exhibited (love, death, loss, tragedy) - Link this to the question, so if it asks you to write about possession then make sure you highlight this theme.

Begin by choosing a feeling and then saying what techniques help this feeling to be felt, really. Make your point, explain it, and then quote. Giving 2 interpretations shows a layered response, and quoting single words and writing a lot about them is better than quoting lines and lines and only mentioning a little :smile:

Continue this, linking to the theme at all times, developing and sustaining.

Mention:
* Structure & Form - rhyming? hyphens? punctuation or the lack of?
* Persona - what sense of mind the poet wants us to adopt when reading
* Clear comparison phrases (or whatever the question asks you to do) - like: in contrast, additionally, on the other hand etc.
* Language - Simple? complex? dismal? morbid? - explain them if they feature in ur poem!

Then, drop in a conclusion. This should include YOUR response to the poem - do any of them apply to you? can you relate them? which did you enjoy and why? Keep it brief though. Then, pick an interesting point you haven't mentioned yet and develop it so that the examiner is "hit" with a powerful point. Refer back to the themes - then be proud that you've secured a good grade :smile:

Reply 3

leavemebehind

Kinesthetic

Oh wow, okay that sounds like a really good structure
And sort of simple to follow too.
Thank you!

Reply 4

Alicey4148

I'm not looking forward to this exam ...
At all !!!

:frown:

Ramble!

Poems

Could somebody clarify this for me:

For example, if the question was compare how x, y, a and b present language. Would you ONLY talk about the language? Because many say you should still investigate all the other points, despite what the question is primarily asking but many say that you should ONLY talk about language.

Random tips:

If you stick to the basic

Structure
Meaning (introduction)
Imagery
Language
Effect

You will cover a variety of points. To get an A you would follow this, making your points and quoting to support your arguement whilst comparing how it is similar/different. However, to get the A* you need to make evaluative comments throughout to PROVE your skills at analysing poems/text. So make your point, quote and then say something clever like, which would make the reader feel.. which creates the effect that.. The feelings help you to hit the A*.
Make sure you include a good personal response also :smile:

EDIT: Copied this from the Mark Scheme

Answers are likely to include:
• exploration/development of presentation of characters learning about
themselves/others, e.g. exploration of what Robert Quick learns about
himself in Growing Up
• sensitive/critical response to details of presentation of characters
learning about themselves/others, e.g. pinpointing key moments in the
learning process in each story
• developed/analytical comment on/response to writer’s methods of
presenting characters’ learning about themselves/others, e.g. analysis of
the importance of the title in the learning process in Superman and Paula
Brown’s New Snowsuit
• evaluative comparison/contrast of presentation of characters learning
about themselves/others, conceptualising clear and precise points of
similarity/difference, e.g. comparison of how far the reader is prepared for
what is learnt

So as long as you expand your point by saying that this causes the reader to feel.. this shows how the poet's character has developed through this experience.. you will be cool cookies :smile:

Reply 7

Kinesthetic

A close textual analysis of the poems on structure, language, meaning and feelings would easily push you into the A boundary. Just ensure you do what the question says

Reply 8

ghastlymistake

How do you start/introduce the Of Mice and Men question!

Reply 9

x_dwin_ffeimys_x

Don't wase time on TSR, learn them qotes!!!!!
haha

Reply 10

chatham4

just remember PEE - Point, example, explain.

Reply 11

Khan34

Sorry but in my opinion "PEE" is pointless, you shouldn't rely on it at GCSE level and you should let your work 'flow' naturally. That’s how I achieved my A* in the Literature Mock.

Reply 12

JBradders

What I'm going to do is compare two poems and just write basically a whole essay on the pair of them and then mention two more poems at the end and maybe make two or three points about them. I don't have to compare them equally, all I need to do is compare four.

Reply 13

ajayhp

A* is impossible at lit. they only give it to a number of students whom show originality in their work

Reply 14

leavemebehind

ajayhp

A* is impossible at lit. they only give it to a number of students whom show originality in their work

What the hell, lol.
That isn't true.
If you hit all the marks, then surely you can get an A*

+ Coursework is 25% and I think mines an A* all together.

Anyways, I don't think I'm going to learn the quotes because they provide us with clean copies of the anthologys..but the important ones are sort of embedded into my head because I have a crazy english teacher and she repeats stuff a lot lol.

Btw, I'm doing Armitage, Duffy and Pre 1914 poems.

All these replies are really helping! :smile:

Do you think I should start with the poems first, and then write my essay on Of Mice and Men? I know poetry is worth a lot more marks..plus in my Year 11 mocks I ran out of time to finish my essay on the poetry and got an A

Reply 15

Kinesthetic

I don't see a problem with doing it in reverse order, as long as you make it clear.

Like:

24) Poem question first.
--------------------------

Sort of thing. It isn't a rubric infringement as you still answer 1 from prose and 1 from poetry so.

Reply 16

username295146

Personal Response!!!

Remember To Show Your Response To The Poem Or Story. How You Connected With It? Did You Enjoy It? Conclusive Language

Reply 17

fubsadoo

First choose your four poems, then introduce them quickly. Save any brilliant insight for the conclusion.

Then go into a lot of detail about your favourite poem.

Then go into almost as much detail about your next favourite poem, concentrating on how it's similar to and different from the first.

Then do a little bit on the third favourite poem, but just compare it on a few areas that you think are most relevant.

Then bring in the final poem. This one might be really difficult to link to the theme, because you ran out of poems that were actually about the theme, so just concentrate on how it relates to the theme (apologies for repeated use of the word 'theme') and maybe one other relevant thing.

Then conclude it by mentioning one or two points that link the poems, and add a personal response. In your personal response, make it sound like you really learned a lesson about life from reading these poems, because examiners like to feel justified in putting you through all that crap.

^This is what I wrote on another thread. The trick is to make it seem like you could go into that much detail about every single one, but you're so clever you're going to keep it all relevant and within the time limit without rushing.