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Is HL England usually graded harshly?

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  • 05-11-2018 8:48pm
    #1
    naxmax9
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭


    I got my Halloween English exam back and got 73%. Only 4 people got a H4 or higher with the highest being 73% (me) and the other 3 barely getting a H4. It was a test on poetry and we had to write an essay

    I'm in 5th year and the result my class got has really made me terrified of this subject. People who wrote like 6 pages got like 34% and I had to write literally 11 pages to get the grade I got (I'm an extremely fast writer)

    Basically how can I make sure I do well in English consistently?


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    #2
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,160 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Stop worrying about how long your answer is and concentrate on answering the question asked.


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    #3
    Tropical.ing
    Registered Users Posts: 36 ✭Tropical.ing


    I would strongly advise not writing 11 pages. It’s more work for the examiner and most of it will probably just be waffle anyway. You should only really need to write about 5-6 pages with good quality analysis and reference to the question throughout.
    How many poems did you discuss?


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    #4
    ricecake01
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭ricecake01


    I am really lucky with English this year, I have a good teacher and it is one of my better subjects. I write about 4-5 pages on poetry essays and usually get a H2 or above, so far anyways.

    I have a few tips that I hope will make this easier.

    -Keep referencing the question asked. If they ask "How did this poem impact you" frequently say 'I' or 'me'. Throw the words they use right back at them! Use impact, but try to vary the usage, for instance saying that it affected me, instilled in me... etc.

    -Quoting is so, so important, but DO NOT use big blocky quotes! Take out certain words from the quote to break up the poem and give it a good flow. Eg- Emily Dickinson- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.
    Quote: "kept treading-treading till it seemed."
    Instead of using this whole line as a quote, I will use one word.

    Example- Dickinson describes the weight of her mental anguish as mourners "treading" across her brain. The repetition of treading.... etc.

    -A good start and end are vital! Remember the teacher is reading a bunch of these! Make yours stand out! Concisely state what you will talk about, and always tie up your starting and concluding paragraph, link then somehow...

    Anyways I hope this helps! You should be so happy with that grade right now, you can only improve! It will take a while, but stick at it!


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    #5
    naxmax9
    Registered Users Posts: 134 ✭✭naxmax9


    Tropical.ing wrote: »
    I would strongly advise not writing 11 pages. It’s more work for the examiner and most of it will probably just be waffle anyway. You should only really need to write about 5-6 pages with good quality analysis and reference to the question throughout.
    How many poems did you discuss?

    I discussed 6 poems.


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