It's important that, in order to achieve more than half marks in questions 2, 3 and 4, you realise that you need to think like an examiner as the exams approach. An examiner is marking your writing and allocating you marks, it's important you know what they are looking for and how to achieve it.
To pass each question you need to achieve Level 3 - clear and relevant. To progress to the top Level - Level 4 - you need to be detailed and perceptive in your responses.
When an examiner marks your answers they will go into your work thinking 'is this a Level 3 response?' If your response is clear, unarguable, specific and correct. You have covered the mark scheme: a good understanding of the story overall, a clear explanation of the characters (paper 1)/narrators (paper 2) in detail and a clear exploration of the writer's methods of creating the texts using language and structure.
If your response is clear and relevant the level will stand and a mark will be allocated. If it's better than this it will move up to Level 4 and if it's weaker than Level 3 it will be move down to Level 2 ('some understanding').
YOU MUST ENSURE THAT YOUR ANSWERS ARE CLEAR AND RELEVANT BEFORE YOU MOVE ON TO YOUR NEXT PARAGRAPH OR NEXT QUESTION!
To do this, don't rush; take your time and remember the system required to answer the question (questions 2 and 3: x3 P.E.E. Question 4: x3 P.E.T.E.R.)
The key element to remember is the factor that makes your answer different from everyone else taking the exam and takes it into more clear and relevant places: YOU.
You need to move through the mark scheme to achieve a passing grade:
Level 2 - some understanding - you have commented on the story but missed something important or just re-told the story to the examiner without developing your explanations fully.
Level 3 - clear and relevant - you have explained your views and opinions on what you have read specifically. Your answer is relevant and answers the question fully. You have achieved the correct system of P.E.E. or P.E.T.E.R. to answer it well. Your point is unarguable.
Level 4 - detailed and perceptive - you have analysed the story and questioned why it has been created the way it has; the power of the techniques the writer has used to get their points across to the reader; you have told the examiner in full detail with lots of quotes exactly what you think of the writing in extreme detail and your answer is correct throughout.
Your explanations are where you will pass or not pass GCSE English...
Make sure that you explain your opinions fully. Don't move on until you have done so. You can achieve a good explanation by making sure that you comment (in your OWN words) fully on the quotes that you find in the stories.
Read the question.
Know how to answer the question correctly and fully.
Find quotes.
Think about what you want to say about the quote and then explain the quotes fully in your own opinion: WHY?
Remember to give the examiners what they're looking for - a clear answer to the question that uses terminology, quotes, compares when required to and can't be argued against.
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