Language Revision: read to the bottom...

Hello. 

Not had a post for a little while...

This term had focused on the language exam. This exam is (suddenly) worth 60% of your GCSE.

One of the key things here is learning the actual exam and knowing what is required in each question. 

I'll go through it here

Q2 is Presentation.

The question will be: Explain how the headline and picture are effective and how they link to the text.

• makes clear and appropriate links between the headline and picture and the content of the text with references/quotations

• offers a clear explanation of the effectiveness of the picture with links to text

• offers a detailed interpretation of the effect of the headline and links this to the text with references/quotation

• presents a detailed explanation and interpretation of what the picture shows and its effect

FO EXAMPLE: The picture is effective as it shows a large, awesome skeleton which dominates the article with the head posed to almost leap out at the reader. This image of a  ‘fearsome’ dinosaur is then undercut by the fact that it has been found by a Chicago study that such as large monster is found to have died because of a ‘common parasite’ that is found in everyday birds such as pigeons and gives them a ‘sore throat’. The two together then create a humour as it is both unusual and unexpected this seems ironic and ridiculous so the reader would be drawn to the text where the explanation is to be found. 

Q3 asks you to explain thoughts and feelings.

•shows a clear understanding of the events in the text

• clearly explains and begins to interpret thoughts and feelings

• employs relevant quotations or references to support understanding and interpretation

•engages in detail with the events in the text

• offers perceptive explanations and interpretations of the thoughts and feelings expressed

• employs appropriate quotations to support ideas

FOR EXAMPLE: From the text, we can tell that Pete Boardman is trying to manage intense feelings of stress and worry. We see this when he says, ‘That helped us – it shifted some responsibility to the watch’. The fact that he passes the responsibility of his angst to the watch shows how much he is trying to manage his concern for his missing companion Mick. By shifting this responsibility to such a functional item, it shows how much he needs to detach from his worries in order to survive and this ‘help(s)’ them. This ensures their decision is made and this is reaffirmed with the short and, again, functional ‘the time was up’.

Q4 asks you to compare language features

•offer clear explanations of the effect of words and phrases with relevant quotations

•have a clear link between the two and be able to explain it well

•analyse how the writer with perceptive comments has used language, with perceptive comments, to achieve their effects with appropriate quotations

•Have a sophisticated link that you can them explain in detail.

FOR EXAMPLE: The writer uses rule of three in S2 to emphasise the violent life ‘Sue’ had. For example, ‘three broken ribs, torn tendons and a damaged shoulder’. This gives a vivid description of a violent life of the Tyrannosaurs as it layers the painful injuries that the dinosaur had from her ‘combat-scarred’ life; the harsh alliteration of ‘torn tendons’ accentuates the violence further.  Similarly, a powerful description is used in S3 when the writer says ‘I smashed my axe into the ice and hung on.’ The use of ‘smashed’ gives a sense of intensity to the situation and shows the desperation of the struggle as it is violent verb then followed by the desperate ‘hung on’. Both texts use description to engage the reader, but S2 is using violent description to add drama to the informative article that could otherwise be boring whereas S3 is using it to show the desperation of a real-life fight for life that helps to emphasise the danger and fear of the writer.

Q5 and 6 are worth 60% of your GCSE Language :/

You are marked on:

i, language features
ii, paragraphs and structure
iii, sentences and spelling

Write A Forest, FF and (.,…!?:;-) and tick off when you use them.

FF= Firstly, Finally.

Top tips for this:

It doesn’t have to be real! Make something up...

Time yourself and PLAN.

Learn these sentence structures. They are good and you get to listen to my West Country accent for nearly ten minutes!The noise can be a bit annoying (as is my voice I am sure), but learn these sentences for some added sophistication.

Here is the link to past papers on AQA. You want Unit 1.

If you are stuck, leave a comment – otherwise, GOOD LUCK!

Ms J