How to Study for English?

Imaginary Friend

So, should you/can you study for Paper 1? I got 83% in the Mocks in English overall, and I think it was developing points too little that let me down on the A. I've won plenty of essay competitions so I think the essay should be alright, but everyone is saying that they're cramming/studying (coughcough) for English....

How do you do it?

I know the quotes from the play (or at least I know what I have to learn), I know 4/5 poems off by heart and I'm familiar with the novel.

So what else do you have to study for? Also, is it unheard of to do a novel other than the one you studied in class in the exam?

Thanks.

Jijsaw

Imaginary Friend wrote: »

So, should you/can you study for Paper 1? I got 83% in the Mocks in English overall, and I think it was developing points too little that let me down on the A. I've won plenty of essay competitions so I think the essay should be alright, but everyone is saying that they're cramming/studying (coughcough) for English....

How do you do it?

I know the quotes from the play (or at least I know what I have to learn), I know 4/5 poems off by heart and I'm familiar with the novel.

So what else do you have to study for? Also, is it unheard of to do a novel other than the one you studied in class in the exam?

Thanks.

Jeez I'd love to do a them on "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" or one of the Harry Potters But they're set books I believe (unfortunately ) I just look over my poems and notes on them, I know my quotes for The Merchant of Venice(Shylock better come up I'm fecked if Portia comes up ). And "To Kill a Mockingbird" is grand just know your quotes and your poems and you should be grand

MmmPancakes

Jijsaw wrote: »

Jeez I'd love to do a them on "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" or one of the Harry Potters But they're set books I believe (unfortunately ) I just look over my poems and notes on them, I know my quotes for The Merchant of Venice(Shylock better come up I'm fecked if Portia comes up ). And "To Kill a Mockingbird" is grand just know your quotes and your poems and you should be grand

you can write on whatever novel you want.

Jijsaw

MmmPancakes wrote: »

you can write on whatever novel you want.

Seriously? Haha that's brilliant but I'd better stick to Harper Lee, it' look a bit odd if I did "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and everybody else did "Mockingbird"

MmmPancakes

Jijsaw wrote: »

Seriously? Haha that's brilliant but I'd better stick to Harper Lee, it' look a bit odd if I did "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and everybody else did "Mockingbird"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we discussed this around October last year :P

Cr4pSnip3r

Jijsaw wrote: »

Seriously? Haha that's brilliant but I'd better stick to Harper Lee, it' look a bit odd if I did "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and everybody else did "Mockingbird"

Well, if I was an examiner, I'd feel refreshed with something different, but it's probably not safe to change course a day and a half before the exam.

Jijsaw

MmmPancakes wrote: »

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we discussed this around October last year :P

Cool, are you doing your class book or a different one?

MmmPancakes

Jijsaw wrote: »

Cool, are you doing your class book or a different one?

Mice and Men, or the Curious incident of the dog on the night time, both class books.

DublinArnie

I just keep practicing, I got an A on paper two on the mocks but paper one let me down big time, I think I have improved on paper one so lets see hope for the best .

Imaginary Friend

Thanks for the help guys Yeah, I run a book review blog (I get sent prerelease books from publishers) and I'm a huge reader so it's frustrating to have to focus on Kit's Wilderness for over a year but I suppose I'd better stick with it!

LawdyLad

To study for paper 1 is possible but at the same time there's lots of elements to the paper that you can't really prepare for. Section 1 Reading takes practice, just like any other comprehension/unseen section. Most of the time it deals with a debatable topic or about a celebrity so outside knowledge can help you here. Section 2 is really the only part that takes preparation. Learn 3/4 essays and you are almost guaranteed to be covered (for the short stories anyway!). Next is media studies. Get familiar with all the terms e.g copy, slogan, logo etc. Also, be able to identify a target audience so revise that. Finally functional writing is really just based on what comes up on the day. Learn the structures and tone you should be writing in as that carries quite a few of the 30 marks available. Overall, just focus mainly on the essays as they are by far the most important section to the whole English exam.

KatieG6

Is anyone doing a speech/debate instead of the essays? I can't write an essay to save my life. I'm no good on descriptive writing. The speech/debate is my only hope! Anyone have any tips on writing a speech/debate

examstress

KatieG6 wrote: »

Is anyone doing a speech/debate instead of the essays? I can't write an essay to save my life. I'm no good on descriptive writing. The speech/debate is my only hope! Anyone have any tips on writing a speech/debate

Im 99% doing the debate all I can say if you have a good opening it will make yours stand out, and Maybe take the opposite to be different from anyone else hehe;)

OisinLAD

yo any chance of you throwing up some Merchant of Venice notes? :?

sotisme

Please help!

Ok ive done no study for functional writing, can someone please tell me what i need to know??

Thanks

exovoomnia

Is it wise to learn about just one poem for studied poetry section?

Pwee2029

exovoomnia wrote: »

Is it wise to learn about just one poem for studied poetry section?

No. Some have learnt 2. My teacher advised us to learn 5. If that one poem have many different themes, you might be lucky

DublinArnie

exovoomnia wrote: »

Is it wise to learn about just one poem for studied poetry section?

If the poem is Mid-Term Break, it's possible. Make sure you know it in great detail and maybe know the entire poem off by heart, make sure you know all the universal themes and figurative styles in the poem. I wouldn't risk it though, some questions require you to talk about a poet (requires two poems by one poet) and sometimes you have to talk about war, which Mid-Term Break doesn't have. On a good day, one poem is more than enough in my opinion.

Pwee2029

sotisme wrote: »

Please help!

Ok ive done no study for functional writing, can someone please tell me what i need to know??

Thanks

Know how to write diaries, letters, reviews and reports

sotisme

Pwee2029 wrote: »

Know how to write diaries, letters, reviews and reports

Ok thanks! How do you write a diary entry? Im guessing:

Date in the Top right hand corner

Dear diary,

(Blah blah blah)

Fred.

And for reports and reviews when it says that your answer should include an introduction, description, evaluation and recommendation, do you write these as headings or do you just start off a new paragraph?

Thanks everyone for your help

Pwee2029

sotisme wrote: »

Ok thanks! How do you write a diary entry? Im guessing:

Date in the Top right hand corner

Dear diary,

(Blah blah blah)

Fred.

And for reports and reviews when it says that your answer should include an introduction, description, evaluation and recommendation, do you write these as headings or do you just start off a new paragraph?

Thanks everyone for your help

just start off a new paragraph. for the diary, it is about recording your thoughts and feelings for your own private pleasure so write it in the first person singular. should deal with encountering specific moments in your life. they are dated. the sequence of entries is chronological. and when they ask you to write a diary, you dont just write it for one day, usually for a month. you can skip days e.g start on the 1st may, go on to the 3rd of may, 6th, 10.. etc

sotisme

Pwee2029 wrote: »

just start off a new paragraph. for the diary, it is about recording your thoughts and feelings for your own private pleasure so write it in the first person singular. should deal with encountering specific moments in your life. they are dated. the sequence of entries is chronological. and when they ask you to write a diary, you dont just write it for one day, usually for a month. you can skip days e.g start on the 1st may, go on to the 3rd of may, 6th, 10.. etc

Thank you so much!

AulBiddy

Don't worry too much over Paper 1, just remember things like similes and media studies and whatnot, that's not too bad

Paper 2 learn lots of quotes and learn off your notes really well , for example romeo and juliets relationship