English A Language and Literature

Preparing for Paper TwoWhat must you be able to do?

Paper Two

• Answer one essay question only. • You must base your answer on at least two of

the Part 3 works you have studied.

Instructions on exam paper

Answer one essay question only. You must base your answer on at least two of the Part 3 works you have studied. Answers which are not based on a discussion of at least two Part 3 works will not score high marks. Your answer should address the ways in which language, context and structure contribute to your reading of each work.

The Assessment Criteria

Know them. Know what to do.

Criterion A: Knowledge and understanding

• 5 pointsKnowledge of the part 3 works and the way context affects their meaning is thoroughly and persuasively illustrated and the understanding shown is perceptive.

The essay demonstrates an understanding of the works and knowledge of the contexts in which they were written. The student shows how context affects interpretations of the texts.

Criterion B: Response to the question

• 5 pointsThere is excellent understanding of the expectations and many of the subtleties of the question; the response is relevant, focused and insightful.

A Paper 2 essay should focus on the question chosen. The implications of the exam question need to be explored in depth, and the student's

response must be relevant to it.

Criterion C: Understanding of the use and effects of stylistic features

• 5 pointsThere is excellent awareness and illustration of the use of stylistic features, with very good understanding of their effects.

In the Paper 2 exam, a connection needs to be made between the author's use of stylistic features and the effect of them on his or her audience. As Paper 2 questions invite students to explore how meaning is shaped by context, answers will have to explain why authors choose a certain genre, narrative technique or structure.

Criterion D: Organization and development

• 5 points

There is precise focus and excellent structure; the work is coherently sequenced and thoroughly developed.

The essay must develop an answer to the question coherently and effectively. Topic sentences should guide the ideas of paragraphs. Illustrations should be integrated well and explanations should shed light on the subject matter.

Criterion E: Language

• 5 points

Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure.

The language of the Paper 2 exam should be effective and accurate. The choice of vocabulary and use of grammar should be consistent and appropriate.

The text-by-text approach

Introduction• Start with a sentence that grabs attention: a bold statement,

quote by a famous person (one of the authors would be perfect), an anecdote.

• Next a sentence which explains why the first sentence is relevant to the works you have studied. This sentence also includes the titles of the novels, the authors and the year of publication for each.

• The Thesis Statment in which you explain why each of the books can be used to answer the question. Basically, the thesis is your one-sentence answer to the question. It is the MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE ESSAY.

Body paragraphs

Structure each paragraph like this:1. Topic sentence: explain how the first novel can be

used to answer the question. Comment further on the importance of context to this answer.

2. Illustrations/examples from one novel. How does the writer use language, style and structure? Is he influenced by context?

3. Explanation: how do these examples illustrate the author’s message or purpose? How is context important to understanding this text?

Conclusion

1. Answer the question again. State your thesis in other words.

2. Re-tell how the authors conveyed their message through language and structure.

3. What you and readers could learn from studying these books (in connection with the essay topic). OR

4. End with a question which neither of the books answers.

The criterion-by-criterion approach

Introduction• Start with a sentence that grabs attention: a bold statement,

quote by a famous person (one of the authors would be perfect), an anecdote.

• Next a sentence which explains why the first sentence is relevant to the works you have studied. This sentence also includes the titles of the novels, the authors and the year of publication for each.

• The Thesis Statment in which you explain why each of the books can be used to answer the question. Basically, the thesis is your one-sentence answer to the question. It is the MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE ESSAY.

1st Body paragraph

• Topic sentence: Explain how the novels can be used to answer the question. Focus on the texts only.

• Illustrations/examples from both novels. Where in the plots do we see the authors commenting on the thesis?

• Explanations: how do these examples illustrate the author’s message or purpose?

2nd Body Paragraph

• Topic sentence: how has the knowledge of the context influenced your interpretation of the novels? How did it influence and shape the authors’ intentions?

• Give examples of how the context of the authors can be seen in the novels.

• Explanation: how do these examples illustrate the authors’ message or purpose?

3rd Body Paragraph

• Topic sentence: Give more detail about each author’s style. How has context influenced his style?

• Examples of the use of language and its effect on its audiences.

• Explanation: how do these examples illustrate the authors’ message or purpose?

Conclusion

1. Answer the question again. State your thesis in other words.

2. Re-tell how the authors conveyed their message through language and structure.

3. What you and readers could learn from studying these books (in connection with the essay topic). OR

4. End with a question which neither of the books answers.

P I EThe Approach for good paragraphs

•Point• Illustration• Explanation

P O I N T

• The main idea for the paragraph. The POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE.• Make a strong, clear statement or claim which connects your interpretation of

an aspect of the novel to the essay topic.

PointThere are several themes that run throughout the work. One of them is that Changez feels he is betraying his country and its people by working for a nation which does not respect its culture.

I L L U S T R A T I O N

Use quotes, paraphrases of passages to support your POINT. Integrate these well into your writing, using a suitable phrase:

IllustrationHe comes to believe that American culture and its economy slyly recruits the brightest from around the world to, in effect, become “Janissaries” for the American empire like the young Christian boys captured and trained to be soldiers of the Sultan. After his talk with Juan-Bautista in Chile where he ….Changez thought “It was right for me to refuse to participate any longer in facilitating this project of domination … I resolved to look about me with an ex-janissary’s gaze …”

E X P L A N A T I O N

Explains how the example illustrates the main point.

Explanation

Changez is repulsed by the idea that he has been co-opted to undermine the interests of his countrymen, neighbors, and fellow Muslims; that he is fighting for the powerful against the powerless. As a result he decides …

T I P S

Paper 2 exam is asks you to do just two things in order to answer the question:

1. Show that you know at lot about the novel and the context. 2. Comment on the author's use of language, style and structure.

T I P S

Do research on the time period when the work was written and the authors that you have studied for Part 3 works. Find 3-5 points from his/her life that may be relevant to the work you read.

T I P S

Write about these three things in the essay in order to score well on Criterion C:

1. Setting - How important is it to understanding the context? 2. Plot - Was there a twist, a climax, a conflict that was of particular importance?3. Narrative technique - Who is telling the story? How does the narrator tell the story? Why did the author choose to tell it this way?

Revision

Make notes on each of the books under these headings• Language and typical stylistic features• Context• Narrative technique• Plot and Structure• Characters• Themes

Revision

• Read through all the sample essays and try to identify the approach and useful language.

• Study Chapter 3 in OSC IB Revision Guide for English A Language and Literature