Final Words

With the Literature exams looming, we thought it would be apt to give you some final words of wisdom and tips for the exam.
Remember, it's Unit 1 on Tuesday (modern texts) and Unit 2 (poetry) on Thursday. If you DO NOT bring your copy of your novel to the Tuesday exam, you WILL have to sit the exam without a copy so do not forget it! See your English teacher as a matter of urgency if you do not have your exam copy.

General advice:
1) Read the question 2 or 3 times.
2) Highlight the key words in the question and make sure you're really clear in your head what you're being asked to write about. Don't be the person who doesn't answer the actual question.
3) Once you're really clear in your head what the question is asking, begin your plan.
4) On your plan, you should roughly plot of what you're going to write about, and use this time to locate the quotations you're going to use. DO NOT start writing until you have your quotes and your ideas clear in your head.
5) Remember, you need to be writing about the following things, regardless of text or question: key words, alternative interpretations, personal response, etc. If you think you might forget this, use the PEEKIIE mnemonic to remind you: Point, Example, Explanation, Key word analysis, Interpretations, Intentions (the writer's intentions behind their language choices etc) Evaluation. 


Other words of wisdom:
1) Don't write about what isn't there. For example, when comparing poems, don't write about one poem having a simile and the other not. You look like a fool. Only write about what IS actually there. There is no significance to what isn't there.

2) Don't make generalized comments such as 'The writer used this to have an effect', 'It makes you want to read on' and anything else that is completely meaningless. The reason you want to write this is because you can't think of anything better. Take a couple of minutes to think of something to say. It's far better to produce a shorter answer with some really great points than it is to write a meaningless 3 page essay.

3) Ignore what everyone else is doing. We know it's hard. Just because they're doing it, doesn't mean that you should be too. Each person works differently. Do what you need to do. Don't worry if others have started writing and you're still planning. Don't worry if everyone else has finished and you haven't. Remember, this is YOUR exam. You do what's right for YOU.

4) Don't over react when you read the question. If it's not what you're expecting or it feels like something you can't write about, take a moment to work it out in your head. If it's really thrown you, do the other section first and come back to it. You'll work it out - go with your gut instinct.

If you need any help or advice, please just come and see us, email us, tweet us, leave a comment here - we'll do everything we can to support you in the coming days if you need it.

As ever, good luck, work hard, do your best and that's all anyone can ever ask of you.