English help

ImRebecca

I got a disappointing English result from the mocks. I'm not sure whether it was marked harshly or something but I want to improve for the real thing. Are there any good revision books that I can buy with good notes and tips?
I'm doing Romeo and Juliet for the play
and the book thief for the novel.

Junokevv

Hmm.. there's only so much revision books and the likes can do for you in English.

It's more important to give your own opinion; according to my teacher if you can express yourself clearly, have sufficient quotation/knowledge of studied texts and give plenty of your OWN opinion, there's no way that the examiner can give you a bad grade.

I find it helpful to comprise an A4 page or 2 of quotes and learn them of coming up to the exam so they're fresh in your head.

KirkCheated09

Hello, I got the only A in my school in the mocks. And I got it without studying much at all!
..Basically what I do is I focus on, for Romeo and Juliet;
-One character - For character question which are quite common.. I did Benvolio, and got full marks.
-One Scene of tension - this is also common enough, act 3 sc1 is good or ac1 sc1.
-Example of affection - example how a character shows his love for another.
-How a character affected the play is quite common too.
I don't know about you but I'm going to see the play in a theatre, you should see if you can do this, if not watch the film.

For studied fiction;
-Summarise the themes and work on a question on them, that's quiet common.
-A character, be able to describe their thoughts and emotions aswell as loks and personality.
You should re-read it before June maybe start it in May so it will be fresh in your mind.

For reading comprehensions;
Answer one out of the exam papers (all of it) Then if you have edco exam papers, go to e-xamit.ie and type in the code, look at the sample answer and how it differs from yours.

For personal writing;
Practise either debates or short stories, theirs always one of them. I personally do the essay's, I find them easier but it's hard to prepare for it. For example you could learn off a whole short story, then pick the last topic and just add in 5 random words somewhere. Keep your essay/story interesting, think to yourself would I enjoy reading this? And for the debate, stick to the point, you should have atleast 4 points, and only 1 point per paragraph. This is a 70MARK question and you should spend the most time on it and write a good deal.
For example (you may not have had same mocks) I did ''someone who inspires me''... I did Mark Zuckerberg and got 68/70 and wrote 3 and 1/2 pages.


From my experience revision books are great, but not for English. Go over your studied fiction, poems and drama and work on essays/short stories and reading comprehensions.

BoomSha

Hi there! English is a subject I'm confident in, so I hope this helps. Keep in mind, I've done my JC.

The two most important things to remember in the comprehensions is length and opinion. Each answer should be one quarter of an A4 page. Always give a personal response when asked for one. The examiner wants to see you express thought clearly, and not just regurgitate what you've just read. I would approach the comprehension by reading the questions first, then the piece, as then you can pick out what you need.

A key thing about the essay and the letter is structure. Speeches should read like speeches, and the letter should have addresses, appropriate greeting and sign-off. Try to take one clear side in a speech, I find it easier that way. Don't be afraid to make either of them humorous, if the topic allows for it.

Media studies is a little easier. Read lots of papers and note how each article is presented, depending on the topic. Know your terms, and you'll do fine.

I didn't do Shakespeare for my JC, but from what I know, you can quote a little less from that than an ordinary play. Make sure you know a few key things about the plot and theme. I can't tell you much beyond that, I'm afraid.

For poetry, know the theme, alliteration, tone, assonance, metaphors, similes and pace. Phew! Big list, I know. You should have two poems from each theme. We did two themes for ours, but it might be best to have more than that. A common question is 'do you recommend this for the syllabus yadda yadda". Again, they're testing your ability to give personal response. Don't be afraid to be honest.

As for studied fiction, know the theme, setting and some key quotes. Go for quality as opposed to quantity, but no five-line answers! Be succinct, if you can.

Finally, don't skip questions! This is a common mistake, which costs you marks.

spurious

Read more books.
Seriously.
Experience many styles of good writing.