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Showing posts from April, 2016

Formal writing - magazine article on museums

I’ve heard people say that everything in museums is completely irrelevant to modern life. Why should I care about an ancient Egyptian skull?  People who spend all the time in museums must be completely out of touch – that’s what some people think at any rate. Personally, I disagree with this point of view. I think museums are an incredible resource that can open your horizons to new things. No matter what you are interested in, I am sure that you can find a museum that you will find fascinating, inspiring and mind-blowing. For example, last month I visited the Science Museum in London with some friends. Not only did we learn about electric currents, but we also went on a flight simulator. I hadn’t been expecting anything special before we went – normally, I am not particularly interested in museums. To my surprise, I loved the museum. It was really atmospheric; it was like walking into another world. What’s more, you could hardly say that it was expensive, as there was no...

Moth's Plea and Weasels Comparison

https://prezi.com/aovusfez3rwj/the-moths-plea-weasels-unseen-poetry/

Of Mice and Men Cheat Sheet

Of Mice and Men Cheat Sheet (Paper 1, Section A )                  Getting an A/A* Commentary Question: (10 Marks – 20 minutes) Make sure your points are tailored to the question - if it’s about atmosphere/mood - keep using the word ‘atmosphere/mood’ If it’s ‘character’ – then focus on characterisation – remember the character will be nuanced/complex Focus on language and the writer’s techniques – try and be CONCISE + DETAILED Be confident - talk about the interesting moments in the extract and suggest perhaps how mood/atmosphere changes over the course of the extract/how the readers’ understanding of character changes over the course of an extract /how different readers may respond in different ways Try to cover the breadth of the extract – something from beginning/middle/end ‘Steinbeck highlights/emphasises/suggests/creates/implies/hints/…’ Essay question: (20 ...

Unseen Poetry Cheat Sheet and Moth's plea link

Unseen Poetry Cheat Sheet:  How to get an A/A* 1 Hour – 20 Marks PLAN FIRST  - spend 10-15 mins thinking DEEPLY about the poems Circle the most interesting language techniques –3 per poem Try to use the following structure: Ideas Mood + Atmosphere Language Compare + Respond Paragraph 1:  State concisely what both the poems are about. What are the ideas of the poems? (Brief) Paragraph 2:                                                                         Atmosphere Poem A Describe the atmosphere/mood of Poem A with mini quotations to back it up. Suggest how different readers might respond in different ways. Is there any kind of ambiguity in the poem? Surprises? Puzzles? Paragraph 3                  ...

Success Guide for Paper 2

1. Manage your time well – you have to read quickly – make sure you underline/circle/mark the text as you read in a way that will save you time later.  Suggested timings: 2. Read, identify KEY WORDS and THINK about the question before you read the texts. Highlight all the information for each bullet point in the text in a different colour and write good words to describe that point in the margin. Q1 Writing a response to Passage A • Correct form- letter/article/interview transcript • Detailed and comprehensive content for 15 marks • Inference/own ideas • Impressive and advanced vocabulary • Capture the appropriate tone – what would this character sound like? Is there a sense of mockery or exaggeration in the passage? Can you get this across in your answer? Q2 Commenting on effective language from specified paragraphs in Passage A • Language techniques • Stay very close to the meaning – use synonyms, state what the word means and the associations/...