year 11 revision guide for english

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Year 11

Revision Guidefor

English


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Contents

Page Number(s) Focus

3 Overview of English Language exam4 Unit 1: Tackling Question 1

5 Unit 1: Rhetorical Device Toolkit

6 Unit 1: Non Fiction and Media Reading/How to analyse

7 Unit 1: Media Text to Analyse

8 Unit 1: How to Analyse Presentational Features

9 Unit 1: Guide to Surviving the Writing Section

10 Unit 1: Argue and Persuade

11 Unit 1: Writing an Argument12-16 Unit 1: Practice Questions Reading Paper

17 Example paragraphs from students work on Language

18 Writing Well Advice

19 Overview of English Literature exam

20 Unit 2: Comparing the Place poems

21 Unit 2: How to Mind Map for Revision

22 Unit 2: An alternative to Mind Mapping

23 Unit 2: How to analyse poetry

24-25 Unit 2: Exemplar Paragraphs and an A grade Poetry Essay

26-27 Unit 1: To Kill A Mockingbird Revision

28 Unit 1: Example To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

29 Unit 1: Writing about An Inspector Calls as a performance

30 Unit 1: An Inspector Calls Essay

31 Literature terminology lists

32 Student Friendly Mark Scheme

33-34 Example Exam Questions Literature

35 Last Minute Advice from the Department

If you see this at the top of the page, this shows that there is a task for you to

complete on the page in question. Enjoy!


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Overview of English Language Exam

Exam

Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fiction texts

40% of total GCSE 2 hours 15 minutes

Section A: Reading

You will be given three reading sources. Spend 10 15 minutes reading the material and an

hour answering the four mini-essay questions based on the sources. The questions rangefrom summaries of the articles to mini-essays analysing its language and imagery. Pay

attention to the marks given for each question here (some are worth 10 marks, others

16).

The texts will all be non-fiction and could come from a variety of sources (newspaper

articles, informative leaflets, travelogues, biographies etc).

Section B: Writing

You will have to write two compulsory tasks one shorter task worth 16 marks and one

longer task worth 24 marks.

The first task will ask you to write to Inform, Explain, Describe.

The second task will ask you to write to Argue or Persuade.


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Approaching Unit 1: Question 1

What are the rules for Question 1?

Look at how many marks you are allocated: this will guide the amount you need towrite

Use your own words as far as possible Do not analyse the quotations from the text Do not include specific stories (anecdote) or statistics that are not in the text Use clear, straightforward English Do not use I or refer to the article Organise ideas into paragraphs according to the bullet points in the question; if there

are two points in a question, then write two paragraphs

Do not include irrelevant information that the question does not ask for

What is summary writing?

The first question on paper usually asks

you to read a text and to outline

(summarise!) its key points in your own

words to show that you understand it. The

text given could be a news article, an

extract from a non-fiction text, a review, a

speech or a travel guide. Read a newspaper

on a regular basis before the exam to get

some practice at exploring different texts.

Your answer must be

SHORTER THAN ORIGINAL!

NO MORE THAN A4 PAGE!

Only outline the key

information asked for

by the question!

USE YOUR OWN

WORDS!


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Rhetorical Devices

Spotting them in others writing

On Questions 2, 3 and 4, you must spot and comment on the ways the writer communicates with

the reader. To do this, you must learn the persuasive devices in the toolkit pictured below. A

writer may use a selection of these devices to persuade, entertain or inform you. Learn them and

look for them in the exam texts!

Using them in your own writing

When it comes to the second task on the writing section (B), you should use these devices in your

own writing. They can help to convey a powerful message, argue your point or inform your reader.

Alliteration

Facts and Statistics

Repetition

AnaphoraRhetorical Questions

Direct Address and Pronouns (us, we, you)

Hyperbole

Imperatives (command words like eat and give)

Quotations from experts

Tripling (or tricolon/lists of three)

Parallelism

Imagery (metaphor, simile, personfication)

Anecdote

Pathos (making your reader feel sympathy)


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Responding to a Non-Fiction Media Text

The most challenging part of the English exam is not being able to predict which text will appear on

the paper. It can be anythinga webpage on animal rightsan extract from an autobiographya

travel article on Benidorm! The trick is to have a general guide to reading and analysing thesetextsand here it is!

What question types can I expect to see on this section?

How does the writer persuade the reader to Explore how the writer uses language and presentation to convince the reader to Explore how the writer presents their point of view on How does the writer set out to argue that Examine the ways in which the writer presents their views of

Skim-read the text first and then read the question, underlining any

key words.

Read the text again and underline, circle or highlight any

rhetorical devices, interesting words or images which may help you

to answer the question.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who has written it? Why have they written it? Who is the intended audience/reader and how do you know? How are the ideas structured and ordered? How are the sentences put together (short or complex)? Has the writer used any rhetorical devices and why? Are there any images or presentational devices in the text

and how do they link to the text?

What is the content of the text (what message is beingcommunicated)?

What language (words) does the writer use to communicateto the reader?


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A Media Article to AnalyseThis is an extract from the edited text of a speech by John Taylor Gatto accepting the New York

City Teacher of the Year Award on January 31st

1990.

I accept this award on behalf of all the fine teachers Ive known over the years. Men and women

who are never complacent, always questioning, always wrestling to define and redefine endlessly

what word education should mean. This is their award as well as mine.

Ive noticed in my twenty-five years of teaching that schools and schooling are increasingly

irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes anymore that scientists are

trained in science classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools dont really teach

anything apart from how to obey orders. Although teachers do care and do work very hard, the

institution they work in is psychopathic- it has no conscience. It rings a bell and the young man in

the middle of writing a poem must close his notebook and move to a different cell where he must

memorise that man and monkeys derive from a common ancestor. Schools are intended to

produce formulaic human beings whose behaviour can be predicted and controlled.

Explore the ways Gatto presents his ideas and the language uses to persuade his audience

that the reform of schools is necessary.

Some of the most persuasive quotations from this speech have been underlined. Underneath is

your chance to develop your ability to analyse these quotations. Explain in the right hand columnhow the selected quotations persuade the audience that reform is necessary.

Quotation How it persuades

my twenty-five years of

teaching

This implies that Gattos views are accurate as he has spent nearly

three decades in schools; this adds authority to his argument.

cell

the institution they work in

is psychopathic


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How to Analyse Presentation On Question 2, you will be asked to analyse the use of images, headings and sub-headings in an

article. But how are you going to do this in an interesting way? Its important to avoid vaguestatements like it is a nice picture which puts an image in the readers head. Youve got to do the

following:

Explain the effect of the images how do they reflect the content of the text? Analyse the effect of the headline any puns or other devices used? How does it link to the

content of the text?

Look at the images which accompanied this web article persuading people to become

vegetarians. Why did the writer choose these images? What do they show us? How do

they affect the reader and link to the content of the article?

The use of the

word heart

creates an

emotional tone,suggesting that to

give up meat is to

show compassion

and love for

animals. It also

reminds us that

animals were once

alive with a heart

which may

persuade us toavoid seeing them

as just lumps of

meat.


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Guide t

1. Inform, Explain, DescribInforming is about giving inform

something they dont know much ab

Its very im

Lets take an example task:

Miss Gibbs Plan

Example tasks to have a go at

Write a letter to current Year

secondary school and explaining h

Write a brief article for a websi

unusual journey or travel experie

Write an article for a national bro

by teenagers today.

You are a principal of a secondary

celebrate the end of their exams.

the arrangements for t

Start positively reward fhard work

Details why were going,when, how much, times,staff

Describe park luncharrangements, supervisiorides

End with what parentshdo next

9

Surviving the Writing Tas

tion to your reader imagine you are teachout. You want to give them as much informa

ortant to go into detail and cover all corner

at your local primary school, descri

ow to survive the change.

te of your choice telling your readers

ce you have had. Explain why it was me

adsheet newspaper informing readers a

school. Staff are planning to take Year 11 t

Write a letter to parents informing them a

he day and describing the facilities availabl

Top Tips!

Always considerand why this wil

word choices.

Use clear standarand understanda

Try to order yourchronologically an

who, what, why

Give plenty of detexplanations.

You get marks forand grammar so

Link statements tto avoid a disjoint

r

uses,

n,

ve to

ks

ing your reader abouttion and detail as you can.

.

ing what life is like at

about an interesting or

orable.

out the problems faced

an amusement park to

out the visit, explaining

at the park.

ho you are writing to

l affect your tone and

English, well expressed

le.

information

d logically use the 5 Ws

where and when.

ail, facts and

spelling, punctuation

roof-read with care.

gether using connectives

ed response.


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More on the Writing Task What happens if you are asked to write your opinion?

A piece of argumentative writing requires you to do the following:

offer personal opinions and judgements;

use the first person narrator I think, In my opinion, I really like this;

explain the strengths and weaknesses of an issue;

use evidence to support ideas;

draw a conclusion;

gives personal opinion with authority.

But dont forget that it is also a good idea to consider other peoples views in your answer.

offer a balanced examination of an issue or text;

try to explore others views;

investigates an issues key points;

tries to draw a fair conclusion.

Example task and response

Write a speech, to be given at a School Governors' meeting, explaining the advantages and

disadvantages of making school dinners healthier.

Here is an example opening to the speech written by a student:

I'm sure you've all heard the saying "we are what we eat". Have you been into the school

canteen recently? The selection is similar to that in many schools: a main meal which is

usually meat-based, a variety of burgers and pizzas, a dessert and, for the health-conscious,

jacket potatoes with one or two cold fillings. The question we are here to consider today is

whether this is a reasonable selection, or whether changes could be made in Grange High

School's canteen.

What do you think? Is this an effective start? Why? Can you do better?


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GCSE English Practice Reading TasksExample Question 1

Rachael Oliveck was a committed vegetarian and animal rights activist for 14 years. But on

Christmas Day she finally cracked, and tucked into some turkey - and she hasn't looked back since.

It wasn't specifically the thought of roast turkey that changed my mind, but this year's Christmas

dinner was notable for marking the moment I gave up vegetarianism after 14 long, virtuous years.

And, to save me answering the same three questions over and over again, yes it was delicious, no

my body didn't seize up in shock and, yes, I have eaten meat at least once a day since.

I originally gave up meat for ethical reasons, and have always missed the taste of it. As an animal-

rights activist, I was primarily concerned about the conditions of animals reared for meat, and I

was also put off by the routine feeding of antibiotics and growth hormones to livestock.

In 1989 these were not widely understood views, and spreading the word on animal cruelty was

perceived as scaremongering at best and downright bonkers and unnatural at worst. Supermarkets

stocked "veggie grills" (yellowish, cutlet-shaped minced vegetables) which were a barbecue staple

in the summer, and restaurants routinely offered plates of vegetables as the meat-free option.

Since then, meat, and indeed food production, has changed enormously, as have eating habits in

general. Humanely reared meat is widely available, eating less meat is the norm, supermarkets

offer huge veggie ranges and restaurants have wised up to what non-meat eaters want. Following

the public furore surrounding BSE and to a lesser extent the foot-and-mouth outbreak, the horrorsof modern meat production have become widely known, and vegetarians feel they have been

proved right. Meat is now much more traceable and, it is hoped, of higher quality.

That said, I wish I was noble enough to claim that it was simply a question of ethics. If I am honest,

it was just as much a question of gluttony. I have always loved food, and my cookbook obsession

was being stalled by my (ever more resentful) refusal to eat meat. I had taken to staring at the

meat sections of my favourite Nigel Slater book and watching food programmes in a desperate

attempt to sate a growing desire for the flesh of defenceless animals. Meat didn't repel me

anymore.

So, along with the nut roast, I had turkey and ham. And sausages and bacon. And the next day my

mother welcomed me back into the fold with sausage casserole. And it continued.

Some ethical principles remain - so far I have tried to buy humanely-reared meat wherever

possible. I still find the idea of veal or foie gras distasteful, and doubt I will be tempted by them for

some while yet. Essentially though, I did not go back to make a point, but for my own selfish,

personal satisfaction, and I am sure other meat-returnees would say the same thing.

Outline in your own words what the article says about changes in Rachel Olivecks feelings about

vegetarianism (10 marks)

Example Question 1


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In his book, The Pillars of Hercules, travel writer, Paul Theroux, describes a visit he made

to the Spanish resort of Benidorm in the 1990s and his journey on the ferry to Palma in

Majorca.

Benidorm was a mass of beachside high-rises, the worst place I had seen on the coast so

far, worse than Torremolinos, which was slap-happy seaside tackiness of a familiar and

forgivable kind. But Benidorm was ugliness on a grand scale tall blocks of apartments,

hideous hotels, winking signs, the whole place badly built and visually unappealing.

Everything that Spain was said to stand for charm, dignity, elegance, honour, restraint

was denied in the look of Benidorm. And because this was wet chilly winter; the streets

were empty, most of the hotels were shut, no one sat on the beach or swam in the sea: the

useless horror, naked and raw in the low season, was demoralised and awful. In 1949,

Benidorm was a tiny impoverished fishing village, said to be an open door for smugglers,an English visitor wrote. I walked around it. I had pizza. I sat on a bench surveying the

Mediterranean, and then the wind picked up and the rain began.

The rain delighted me. It whipped against the sea. It darkened the stone of the hotels and

tore at the signs. It coursed down the empty streets and flooded the gutters and cut gullies

through the beach sand. A bit more wind and the lights would fail, a bit more rain and it

would be a real flood. And that would be a cure for Benidorm natures revenge, an

elemental purifying storm that would wipe the place out. It lifted by spirits to imagine the

destruction of such a place, and I boarded the onward train feeling joy in my heart at the

prospect of wholesale destruction. The rain swept loudly against the side of the railway car

like a shower of gravel. I was the only passenger. Darkness fell as we shuttled towards

Denia in the storm. The rain was torrential. I could not see Denias famous lighthouse.

There were flooded streets in the little town, the station was drenched, the rain glittered in

the lights of the port where the ferry was moored by an empty puddle quay.

What do you learn about Paul Therouxs feelings about Benidorm? (10 marks)


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A Non-Fiction Article to Analyse Q2

Giles Coren is a food critic who writes for The Times and Guardian newspapers.

I didnt go to Winchester to review a restaurant. One wouldnt. I went for a party, or a couple of

parties, and booked a room for the weekend in a pub I used to love there called the Wykeham

Arms. The Wyk is an old coaching inn on a quiet, cobbled corner of the ancient part of town, with

vast log fires, very decent food and, when I last reviewed it (for The Independent on Sunday in

1999), a staggeringly loquacious wine list whose 88 bottles took fully 19 pages to describe.

The old guy who ran the place and put together the legendary list was fat and fun and always

drunk. And now hes dead. Which is a terrible shame, because whoever the hell is running the

place now has made a terrible mess of it. Not in the sense that it looks different, or that it isnt

pretty much permanently full. Its just that the food has gone utterly down the khazi.

Its not as if they failed a terribly complicated challenge, either. The day after the first party, 12 of

us arrived at the Wykeham for lunch and ordered steak and kidney pudding all round, only to be

told it was finished. So, instead, ten steak sandwiches were ordered. Some rare, some medium

rare.

What arrived were ten stinking, grey slabs of gristle. When asked which were the rare ones, the

waitress said: Chef cooked them all the same because they were thin.

But they were not thin. They were thick as a sewage-workers hands, and twice as smelly. The

meat was grey and chewy and appeared to have been boiled, having none of the charred

crispiness or blood-savour a piece of meat develops on contact with proper heat. There was some

suspicion round the table that it was not even beef.

I dont see how it can be, said one girl.

It tastes like it lived on fish.

Maybe its walrus, said another.

One or two of the boys managed to swallow their sarnies with several tablespoons of mustard

gurning and retching like Japanese game-show contestants but none of the girls could bear to try

even a mouthful. Its not often you see a tableful of hung-over twentysomething party kids leave a

pile of steak sandwiches untouched.


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How does food critic Giles Coren reveal his views of this restaurant? (16 marks)

A Non-Fiction Article to Analyse


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How does Stephen Fry set out to persuade his audience that history is

important? (16 marks)

One more Non-fiction Text to Analyse

By referring to the presentation of the article and the language used by the

eyewitnesses, explore how the website conveys to the reader the horror of the

experience. (12 marks)


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Examples of Students Work from Language Paper

Analysis of a writers feelings

Firstly, the hyperbolic language in this article helps to suggest the writers impressions.

Verbs such as zipping and buffeting not only give a sense of the enormous speeds

experienced, but also the insecurity that one may feel flying along in a small metal capsule.

This appeals to people who like dangerous sports and exciting experiences. One hell of a

buzz implies that Townley found the whole experience impressive and exciting, particularly

emphasised by his use of a colloquial term like one hell which may show his passion.

Furthermore, the tone of sarcasm throughout the article reveals the writers annoyed

attitude towards flying. He states that the fact that Colmans mustard had to be

confiscated from a man at customs was in violation of the humiliating restrictions

introduced at our airports. This implies that thick-skinned jobsworths, an incredibly

offensive term to use to describe the airports employees, do not care about inherent

pleasures that come with flying and holidaying abroad. The writer also contrasts the image

of a sunny Spain with its soft sibilant sounds with the crowded bustle of Stansted at 5am.

He describes the place as merciless, as though the airport is a personification of hell itself.

Analysis of presentational features

Certainly, the most striking examples of Townleys enthusiasm for flying are the images that

accompany the article. The shot of the Pitts Special upside down particularly contributes to

the awed tone of Townleys piece, its precarious position a testament to the skill and

courage of those involved, but also a display of the sheer exhilaration that must be

experienced when in control of several tonnes of metal flying at 200mph. The photograph

that conveys a deeper impression that being airborne doesnt get much better than this,

however, is the shot of Townley, grinning in the aircrafts cockpit. The stylish helmet that he

has donned carries connotations of Top Gun-esque fighter pilots, contributing to a sense of

the huge exhilaration and adrenalin he experienced.

Read over the students responses. What have they done well? How have they analyse

the quotations?

Can you use this work to improve your own writing? What will you take from it?


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Writing and Expressing Yourself Well

Some of your feedback from your Year 11 exams suggested that although you have good ideas,

you cant always get them down on paper clearly. It is vital for the examiner to be able to

understand your point. That is why your answers must be clear and well expressed.

You must not forget the basics:

plan your responses before to ensure you know what you will write before putting pen topaper;

start sentences with capital letters; end sentences with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark (not commas);

proof read every paragraph in your head to make sure it makes sense; try to use the best vocabulary you can (words like good and bad are weak).

Dont forget that in order to make sense, a sentence needs to have:

a subject (a name of a person, place or thing doing the verb) a verb (an action or doing word) and an object (a name of a person, place or thing having the verb done to them)

These sentences do not make sense:

And the writer says that the earthquake was blazing which tells the reader.

Living long lives and arent eaten by humans, this makes me feel sad about eating meet.Here are some examples of good, clearly expressed paragraphs from students work:

Firstly, the writer uses personification to get across the horror of the earthquake. They describe

the flames as seething. To suggest that the fires in the city were angry is really powerful as it

makes them seem unpredictable and alive, as if the flames were attacking the city.

Giles Coren shows his disgust at the food at The Wykeham Arms by describing the food in horrible

detail. He says that the steak sandwiches were like stinking, grey slabs of gristle. This is a revolting

image. The idea that the steaks are grey and made of gristle makes them sound unappealing.

Also, Coren shows his anger at the poor food by repeating s sounds with stinking and slabs,

making it sound like he is spitting out the words.


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Overview of English Literature Exams

Exam 1

Unit 1: Exploring modern texts

40% of total exam 1 hour 30 mins

Section A Modern Drama

An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley(45 minutes)

Section B Exploring Cultures

To Kill A Mockingbirdby Harper Lee(45 minutes)

Exam 2

Unit 2: Poetry Across Time

35% of total exam 1 hour 15 mins

Section A (23% 45 minutes)

Moon in the Tides Anthology Place

Section B (12% 30 minutes)

Unseen poetry analysis


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Comparing Poems from Place sectionMans relationship with nature

The Wind

Place and memory

Cold Knap Lake

Darkness in Place

Below the Green Corrie

The Wind

The City

London

A Vision

Make links between the poems by comparing:

Titles: do the titles tell you anything about the poem? Content: what are the poems essentially about? What is the poet telling us? Form and Structure: how are the poems arranged? Are there breaks in the poems (do the

poets employ caesura and enjambment for example)?

Imagery: do the poets use similes, metaphors, and personification? Is there any sensoryimagery in the poems, for example visual (sight) and aural (sound)? Is symbolism used?

Language: does the poets use of language help us to share their feelings? Is the languageemotive, evocative, powerful, vivid?

Sounds: are sound devices such as onomatopoeia, sibilance, alliteration or assonance usedand to what effect?

Themes: what themes and issues do the poets explore in their poetry? Do the poems have asub-text a deeper theme that lies behind the main one: a wider meaning beyond what is

obvious on first reading?

Task

Think of any other groupings for the Place poems and make similar boxes to the ones

above, listing the poems which fit into that group. This will help you to compare as you

revise.


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How to Mind MapMind mapping is a really good way to make links between texts you have to compare in your exam

map, ideally on A3 paper, where you draw arrows between the poems, linking them through themmap exploring the themes of the Place poetry. Some students may not like revising like this; it prob

So, on the next page, youll see an alternative way to map out links between the poems. Try and co

yourself: it encourages you to see connections.

The Wind

Spellbound

Darkness and

violence

The Power ofNatural Places

Citysc

Cold Knap Lake

Memory and

Place

Hard Water


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An alternative to mind-mappingMemory and Place

Hard Water

Link between childhood and experience,

memories of growing up, images of

places in memory

Natural Imagery in Places

The Wind

Extended metaphor of storm at sea,

isolated place, violent and wild

Spellbound

A pla

peop

b

Violence of nature Relationship between man and place


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Help sheet: AnalysisYou are all very good at saying the poet has done namely, spotting the

techniques he or she has employed.

To get your target grades, you must also explore the impact of the language, considering

the words have and how the quotation links to the task.

DO NOT JUST SAY WHAT THE QUOTATION MEANS: EXPLORE WHAT EFFECT IT HAS!

Take for example the following two comments on personification in Margaret Atwoods

The Moment:

What?

What effect?

In Atwoods The Moment, the voice says that the time you return home after a long tripaway is the same moment when the trees unloose their soft arms from around you. Thisis an example of personification. Personification is where the writer gives humancharacteristics to something which is not alive. It is very effective here.

The examiner knows what personification is so there is no need to tell them. This

candidate just spots features: they dont actually analyse the personification and consider

why it has been used.

In Atwoods The Moment, the poet uses personification to show that human beings do notown nature. For example, the voice suggests that on their return home, they own theplace. However, the second stanza personifies the trees as they unloose their soft armsfrom around you, implying that nature rejects the persona and removes its protectionfrom them. It is almost as if, through using the words unloose and takes back, thathumans do not own nature; that nature is relinquishing its role as protector over humanbeings, reinstating its control and powerful position.

This is much better. The candidate explores the use of personification and explores what

the language used suggests about nature. They analyse the words and develop an

understanding of why Atwood uses personification.


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Exemplar Paragraphs from Poetry Essays

Compare how the relationship between man and nature is shown in Below the Green

Corrie and one other poem.

At the beginning of the poem, the mountains are personified as bandits; this symbolises

how intimidating they are to MacCaig and therefore, mankind, as if the mountains will

attack. The leader of the bandits is then described as swaggering up in the dark light.

The verb swaggering is used to describe the confident attitude which the mountain has in

its own domain, and the oxymoronical phrase dark light implies that the place is one of

both fear and beauty. Through this extended metaphor of the mountains being bandits,

MacCaig is able to convey how nature as a whole is dangerous and violent; something to be

fearful of, yet something free and uncontrollable, unharnessed by society.

Excellent use of terminology Plenty of short, sharp quotations Entirely focused on the question Sophisticated vocabulary

The random stanza length and line length in Storm in the Black Forest emphasises how

unpredictable nature truly is. In this poem, nature if portrayed through lightning, which is

turn, epitomises nature. The random line length could symbolise the broken, jagged edgesof the lightning and the unpredictability of its strikes. In addition, the enjambment used

throughout could represent the never-ending violence of a storm.

What does the student do well here? Could they have improved this paragraph?

Have a go at writing an analytical SEE paragraph for this essay question, using this

students work as inspiration.


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Example Poetry Essay

This student has been studying the poetry of Irish writer, Seamus Heaney. Although this is a

different poem to those you have studied, you can still read this essay to improve your

understanding of how to write and structure an A grade poetry essay.

In what ways does Heaney vividly convey feelings of disappointment in Blackberry

Picking?

Without even scratching the surface, the reader can see that the poem is divided into two stanzas,

later discovering that the first focuses on the excitement of picking fruit in his youth and the latter,

the disappointment when things decompose and perish. This poem, through its use of the conceit

of blackberries, clearly highlights for the reader a move from childhood innocence into experience,with a young Heaney slowly realising the truth that all things will decay and rot away in death.

In anticipation of the consumption of the blackberries, the poet describes being sent out with milk

cans, pea tins, jam pots, all very homely, idyllic objects. The hoarding of the fruit in the cans feels

quite childlike; the objects seem to have been given to them by a maternal figure in order to

pursue their adventure into the woods. It all seems very exciting until the second stanza where

Heaney, as a child, finds that the glut of fruit he has collected begins to rot. He describes it as a

rat-grey fungus that has appeared on the berries. The potency of the word rat carries

connotations of disease and illness, as if the new and promising life the children have collected has

become plagued and dangerous to them. What emphasises Heaneys disappointment in response

to this is the contrast made here between the warmth and purity of the milk cans, a liquid

associated with nurturing and the cold, unnerving nature of the rat which has so swiftly robbed

the children of their enjoyment.

Despite this, the first stanza is not all child-like playful imagery, as

the reader can clearly see when observing Heaneys choice of

lexis. He describes that the blackberrys flesh was sweet. The

word flesh turns the dynamic on its head: the tone suddenly

becomes menacing and animalistic, the children gorging on flesh

instead of fruit. The word also carries connotations of sin and

sexual desire, which again is frightening to associate with children.

This almost Gothic imagery is joined by Heaneys apparent lust

for picking, lust implying themes of sinfulness and unbridled

desire. It creates a sense of an uncontrollable urge that, as with

the word flesh, insinuates a more demonic and unholy nature

that is almost perversely sexual. When this is applied to the final

stanza when the fruit becomes inedible, it almost seems like the

childrens urges cannot be satisfied, like an animal who cant

perform the basest of functions. This suppression of desire can betranslated as Heaneys childhood disappointment conveyed

through darker undercurrents.

Using

correct

poetic

terms

Close

single

word

analysis

Using

analysis

words like

implying

Referenceback to the

question

Analysing

the

words,

not just

saying

what they

mean


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Studying a novel at GCSE

Consider the following concepts when revising and writing about To Kill A Mockingbirdat

GCSE. Try to work through these points as you re-read and revise the novel:

General Considerations

narrative structure narrative voice characterisation language, imagery, tone and

atmosphere

moral and philosophical content social, historical and cultural context genre and style themes

Characterisation

how characters are presented direct description of them through language and

imagery

their dialogue and reported speech their actions and reactions their attitudes and beliefs comparison with other characters

Narrative Structure (how the story develops/what happens and when)

o Narrative voice: the effect of the child narrator, Scout;o flashbacks: transition (movement) to an earlier event or scene;o foreshadowing: hints about plot developments to come later in the story;o recollections and memories of characters.


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Narrative Voice (who is speaking)

first person narrative: the narrator speaks directly to the reader using I andme. The first person narrator seems to be taking you into his/her confidence

and inviting your sympathy. Is Scouts narrative always reliable?

Language and Imagery

Is symbolism (using symbols to express ideas)used?

Do the words in parts of the text carry certainconnotations or evoke particular feelings?

How is language used to create tension andsuspense?

What kind of atmosphere does the languageused create?

What is the effect of similes, metaphors,personification and other figurative language?

Historical Context

What does Harper Lee

have to say to us about

race relations and

bigotry in the South?

How does she do it?

A few tips for revising the novel:

Re-read it, and againand again. The more you know the text and the order of

events, the better!

Select key episodes (moments) in the text and examine them closely, looking at

themes, characterisation and language.

Learn 15 or so important quotations off by heart; that way, you wont spend the 45

minute exam searching though your text instead of writing!

Use websites like Sparknotes, BBC Bitesize and the CGP Revision Guides to help

you form your own opinions of the text.


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StudyingAn Inspector Calls as a play

Things to consider when answering an exam question about the play.

Stage directions (given in italics) which explain what is happening on stage Actions and gestures of characters, including their reactions to each other Sounds, including what can be heard, but not seen Setting and staging the action of the play never moves from the dug out Characters entrances and exits and their significance (importance) Tone of voice and dialect/accent when characters deliver their lines Structure and organisation of the play, considering the scene lengths and time as a theme Reaction of the audience to particularly moving or dramatic moments on stage

Examples from work where a student has considered An Inspector Calls as a play

The setting and lighting are very important in Priestleys play. The playwright describes the

scene in detail at the opening of Act 1, so that the audience has the immediate impression

of a "heavily comfortable house." The setting is constant as all action happens in the same

place. This creates a sense of intensity which is mirrored in the intimidating presence and

questioning of the Inspector. In addition, the stage directions suggest that the lighting

should be "pink and intimate" before the Inspector arrives - a rose-tinted glow - but it

becomes "brighter and harder as the Inspector begins his interrogations. Here, the lightingreflects the mood on stage which is one of tension and allegation.

Mrs Birling continually refers to Sheila and Eric as children. On stage, this would be spoken

with a condescending and patronising tone to suggest that the character refuses to see the

two of them as adults with independent thought and separate lives from her.

*For your revision, make a list of key moments or scenes from the play which you would

consider to be particularly powerful or emotional. Consider how Priestley creates a sense

of drama using stage directions, movement and tone.

Yes An Inspector Calls is not a novel or a

book, but a play, written to be performed by

actors and viewed by an audience. So although

youve read the play in a classroom, it is vital

for you to regard it as a performance,

something very visual and dramatic.


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Extract from an essay on An Inspector CallsExplore the ways Priestley presents tensions between the generations.

In addition, the younger generation are more adaptable to change. For the initial years of

their lives, the Birling children would have been raised by their parents with capitalist ways

of thinking; however, as soon as the Inspector begins to preach his socialist message, the

children warm to it and see it as superior to their parents perspective on life. Because of

this, by the end of the play, Priestly almost presents Sheila as the Inspectors accomplice intrying to convert her parents to be more open minded.

Tasks

Why did this essay receive an A grade?

What makes it so impressive?

Annotate and underline interesting comments or vocabulary to help your own writing.

Is there anything to add here which would make this even stronger?

The younger generation, on the other hand, are more

willing to change than their elders. The audience can

tell this because rather than referring to the lower

classes as animals using it and them they respect

that they are people too with emotions and needs. This

is most keenly presented after Eva Smith is sacked

when Sheila feels regret for her actions. Also, Eric stole

money in order to attempt to aid her, offering hermarriage as a way to solve her problems. The audience

can also see how the younger generation hold different

attitudes towards others in the way in which Sheila

reacts coolly to news that Alderman Heggarty is a

womaniser. This reveals to us that the younger

characters have different expectations of people and

the way in which they live their life; almost as if it is not

a shock to Sheila that a respected public figure could

simultaneously treat women badly. They are, overall,presented as far more realistic than their elders.

Using topic

sentence tointroduce

focus of

paragraph Single word

analysis

References

to several

moments inthe play to

show links

Referringto the

audience

rather than

the reader

Using

analysis

words like

reveals

Link back

to thequestion at

end of

paragraph


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Literature Terminology

*Remember that a successful student does not just spot these features, but comments on

why they have been used and their impact on the reader or audience.

C grade

Stanza or verse

Line (not sentence)

Imagery or image

Simile

Alliteration

Repetition

Rhetorical question

Verb

Adjective

Voice (poetry) and Narrator (prose)

Oxymoron

Metaphor

B grade

Hyperbole

Assonance

Irony

Sonnet form

Rhyming couplet

Alternate rhyme

ImperativeBallad form

Anaphora

Satire

A and A* grade

Fricative

Sibilance

PlosiveEnjambment

Caesura

Synecdoche

Pararhyme

Allusion

Elision

Quatrain

Semantic field

Example

A metaphor is then employed to liken letting the childgo to a fish returning to its element. This is effective

because the reader can associate this with the child

returning to where he feels secure and peaceful. This

suggests that currently, the child finds reading unnatural

and uncomfortable.

Example

One of the most striking uses ofdramatic irony is when

Duncan arrives at Macbeths castle; he declares This

castle hath a pleasant seat; the air/Nimbly and sweetly

recommends itself. In essence, he talks highly of the

place where he is about to be murdered. Here, the

audience are already aware that the Macbeths are

planning to murder King Duncan as he sleeps, so this

example of irony implies that there is a hidden meaning

to the scene that only the audience and the two

murderers are aware of.

Example

His use ofenjambment throughout the poem shows the

flow of life and trade from his grandfather, to his father

and then finally on to him. However, he also usescaesura to demonstrate how he has broken with this

tradition in becoming a poet, ending years of practice in

his heritage. The abruptness of this pause may also

serve to highlight his disappointment that he cannot

continue this tradition.


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Do not use words that you dont understand!

Student Friendly Mark Scheme

Although each task requires a different set of skills, when it comes to writing essays, you need to

know what an examiner is looking for in your response. Heres our general guide to what an

examiner expects to see in a range of essay responses.

What do I need to do to get a C grade?

Write in clear sentences Link sentences together smoothly Use the words from the question in my essay

Use three point paragraphs to organise my thoughts Introduce paragraphs using topic sentences Use short, sharp quotations throughout my essay, using more than one per paragraph Use some terms like simile, alliteration and repetition in my analysis Use words like suggests, implies, shows and highlights in my analysis

What do I need to do to get a B grade?

Begin to pay much more attention to the specific wording of a text Consider varied and alternative interpretations of language instead of just sticking to my

own

Always write about how the writers say what they are saying, not just what they say Be insightful aim to say something different to the bog-standard responses Be writing for the whole of the exam in plenty of detail, always maintaining close focus on

the question

Start to use fancy terminology and comment on its effectWhat do I need to do to get an A or A*?

Question the question; challenge it and look for assumptions to unpick Show the examiner that I can be creative and original Write about the hidden meanings or connotations behind an extract or text Ambitious vocabulary and terminology used and explained Impeccable written style nearly flawless grammar, structure and spelling See the drama text as a performance and myself as a member of the audience Trust my own personal response to texts Reveal a sophisticated insight into characters and texts in my essays


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Example Exam Questions

Poetry Place

Compare how the relationship between man and nature is shown in Below the Green Corrie and

one other poem.

Explore an individuals feelings about place in Price We Pay for Sun and one other poem.

Compare how the city is presented inA Vision and one other poem.

Some of the poems in the anthology are as much to do with memory as they are to do with place.

Examine the relationship between memory and place in Cold Knap Lake and one other poem.

Compare two poems which explore the voices feelings about nature.

How does the writer ofLondon and one other poem suggest that their setting is a frightening

place?

Exploring Cultures To Kill a Mockingbird

To what extent is Atticus presented as a good father in Harper Lees novel?

How effective is the first chapter in introducing the characters and the main themes of the novel?

With particular focus on the Finches and the Ewells, how does Lee portray family relationships in

the novel?

What do you think is the importance of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbirdand how does Lee

present him?

Lee wrote that setting is so important in her novel. How does Harper Lee present the setting of

Maycomb?

Children are never completely innocent. Explore the ways in which Lee portrays the children in

the novel.

What is the significance of the titleTo Kill a Mockingbird?

How does Harper Lee present Tom Robinson as a sympathetic character during the trial?


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An Inspector Calls

How does Priestley create a sense of drama in Act One once the Inspector arrives?

Who do the Inspector and Priestley believe is to blame for the death of Eva Smith?

Examine Priestleys portrayal of Sheila Birling in the play.

How does Priestley show the differences in attitudes between the generations inAn Inspector

Calls?

In Act 3 Birling says: He wasnt an Inspector. Shelia replies: Well, he inspected us all right.

Explore the effect the Inspector has on any three of the characters from the play.

How does Priestley show that tension is at the heart of family life in the Birling household?

How does the play portray attitudes toward women at the time?

Inspector Goole merely functions as a mouthpiece for Priestleys ideas . To what extent do you

agree with this interpretation of the Inspector?

Explore the significance of Gerald Croft in the play?

Unseen Poetry Example Question

Masons, when they start upon a building,

Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks wont slip at busy points,

Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the jobs done

Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be

Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall

Confident that we have built our wall.

How does the poet Seamus Heaney use Scaffolding to convey his feelings about his relationshipwith his wife


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Last Minute Advice!

Websites to Use

BBC Bitesize

Sparknotes (for summaries of texts)

How to revise

One of the best ways to revise for the Literature exam is to re-read the key texts, the Place poetry,

To Kill A Mockingbirdand An Inspector Calls. It will be very helpful to you if you can memorise a

few quotations from the texts to use in your essays. This will save you having to spend the entire

exam looking for quotations!

Read a decent newspaper. As you read the articles, try and spot key rhetorical devices. Have a go

at analysing it even!

Always get plenty of sleep and exercise during your revision. Dont stay up on the Xbox! Eat well

and drink plenty of water to keep those brain cells going!

Use this revision guide, of course!

Pack your bag carefully the night before to make sure you have the texts you need. Remember

that all texts should be clean copies!

In the exam, try to stay calm, re-read the question and underline the key words and plan briefly

before you write. You should be writing for the whole time dont waste a second!

If you are anxious about exams or have any questions, you must speak to your English teacher!You can also talk to Mrs Scott from Emmanuel on Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings.

Unpossibleimpossiblerepossibleippossibleinpossible

expossiblelets call the whole thing off!

but we cant call it off, so lets bring it on!

Possible Rules!!!!

Bede Academy English Department 2012

year 11 revision guide for english

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