The final question in the Reading section for Paper 1 is worth a quarter of all the marks available for this paper...it deserves your respect and your time.
20 marks. Around 20-25 minutes depending on your extra time requirements.
This question will focus on the second half of the story. You've already had Questions 1 and 2 which have focused on the first half and Question 3 which looked at the text as a whole.. This one will focus on the second half and ask you for your opinion on an aspect of the story or the character/s in it. Your opinion is required, so have one...
Read the question carefully. Make sure that you have fully understood what it is asking of you. A misreading can be very costly, so read it carefully as you should with all questions.
FOLLOW THIS 4-POINT PLAN: 1) Separate out different elements of the statement of the question; 2) re-read the source; 3) select relevant evidence to fomulate opinion and then links ideas together; 4) draw evaluative conclusions
Make sure that you respond with empathy and sensitivity for the characters and their situations: see them as real people. The deeper you look into what they think, feel, say and do, the further you could be heading towards Level 4: perceptive.
Make sure that you demonstrate consideration of the writer’s craft in constructing the story (structural features) and evaluate the impact of language features in the story.
It's realy important - as it is with all of your answers in all of the questions in both papers - to plan before you begin to write, rather than trying to form an opinion while writing; then focus on WHAT and HOW and WHY?
For this question, we recommend you use the P.E.T.E.R method of paragraphing (and for Question 4 in Paper 2 also):
Point - 1 clear, relevant answer to the statement
Evidence -lots of short quotes
Technique - language/structural features used by the writer
Explain - WHY? Explain the story overall and the characters in full, specific detail
Reader - your opinion in your own words (avoid use of generic statements about the 'reader' - this is about you linking your opinions to the text clearly, specifically, in detail and perceptively.
Try to do 3 P.E.T.E.R paragraphs. 3 is the magic number for how many responses to give in Questions 2-4 on both papers.
Things to avoid in Question 4:
DON’T: Offer general speculation rather than specific interpretation
DON’T: Focus too heavily outside of the given lines of the question. If you have a point from the given lines that you wish to make and something happened earlier in the text outside of those lines which will help you explain your point more fully you can certainly use the quote, but don't focus too much on any point outside of the lines stated in the question.
Remember, you do this all the time! You read for meaning and then you develop an opinion on what you have read. These are not new skills for you, so believe in yourself.
Revise by watching a LOT of films and T.V. dramas. Think about the structure of the stories. How the writer has engaged you to watch on. Read a LOT of stories. Think about language and structure. Think about how the writer has created a new world and people to interest you. Think about backing up your opinions with specific evidence from the stories themselves. Have informed opinions and explain them clearly. If you practise how to do this, you will have all the skills you require to answer this question well.
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