English Advanced Question Thread

[marynguyen18]

does anyone know any methods that can help you memorise quotes?

[jamonwindeyer]

Do you get marked down on your "opinions" in module b or will you get good marks just as long as you answer the question?

Are paper 1 and paper 2 weighted equally?

Moderator Edit: Merged double posts, please use the 'Modify' button to add questions if you haven't had a reply yet

Hey! No, you won't get marked down for an opinion, as long as the opinion correctly addresses the question and is argued coherently

And no, Paper 2 is worth 60% of your final exam mark, and Paper 1 is worth 40% of your final exam mark!!

[fizzy.123]

What are the chances of bostes specifying the poems we need to write about for Module B?

[ssarahj]

What are the chances of bostes specifying the poems we need to write about for Module B?

I'm not completely familiar with the past trends for poems for Mod B but since its a close study of texts there's absolutely no reason why they can't. So it would probably be best to spend some time seriously preparing for a crappy question like that. But perhaps look at past questions and see how often that has actually happened. 

[jamonwindeyer]

does anyone know any methods that can help you memorise quotes?

I made massive lists of quotes (in tables, posters, etc) and literally just read them a heap! Before bed is the best time to remember stuff (scientifically)

Plus, writing practice essays! Using the quotes is the best way to learn how to use them

[over100]

i had to comment. the number of replies was 666 and ive seen things back in my prime.

[jamonwindeyer]

i had to comment. the number of replies was 666 and ive seen things back in my prime.

Gotta avoid that superstition welcome to the forums!

[lozil]

I'm not completely familiar with the past trends for poems for Mod B but since its a close study of texts there's absolutely no reason why they can't. So it would probably be best to spend some time seriously preparing for a crappy question like that. But perhaps look at past questions and see how often that has actually happened. 

Yeah, at school we were always told that there's no reason they can't specify particular poems/speeches, etc. Like we're doing Hamlet and they can (and have) specified particular scenes you need to talk about...

[vyca]

Hi! I'm having structural issues for MOD A..I studied KRIII & LFR. When they give use Q's like how does pacino enrich a theme in KRIII would it be more effective to talk about pacino first then shakespeare, or the other way around (btw I do block essays)

[ssarahj]

Hi! I'm having structural issues for MOD A..I studied KRIII & LFR. When they give use Q's like how does pacino enrich a theme in KRIII would it be more effective to talk about pacino first then shakespeare, or the other way around (btw I do block essays)

For a question like that, I think it would make the most sense to talk about King Richard III first, and then talk about Looking for Richard because you would establish the theme from KRIII and then go on to explain how LFR actually enriches this theme through the text. Think of your arguments like houses: Shakespeare's text is used to build the bare foundations and then Pacino's text is the bricks and mortar that bring it all together

[vyca]

For a question like that, I think it would make the most sense to talk about King Richard III first, and then talk about Looking for Richard because you would establish the theme from KRIII and then go on to explain how LFR actually enriches this theme through the text. Think of your arguments like houses: Shakespeare's text is used to build the bare foundations and then Pacino's text is the bricks and mortar that bring it all together

Hi ssarahj, thats how I approached that essay Q, but the feedback I received from my teacher is that the essay should be focused on Pacino's LFR, so I was only answering the Q in my paragraphs about LFR. 

[ssarahj]

Hi ssarahj, thats how I approached that essay Q, but the feedback I received from my teacher is that the essay should be focused on Pacino's LFR, so I was only answering the Q in my paragraphs about LFR.

OK that's interesting... Have you considered doing integrated paragraphs (i.e. talk about both texts in each paragraph)? That might help you to show that you are really focusing on LFR.....? With that feedback from your teacher I can't really think of any other way to fix that 'problem', because even if you reversed the order (LFR then KRIII) your teacher may still judge it as though you're not answering the question in your Shakespeare paragraphs.... 

[Elenaa]

Helloo, 

For a module B essay, what should the structure for it be? I'm doing T.S Eliot poems and im integrating two poems in one paragraph and having 3 body paragraphs altogether. But my feedback from trials said that this structure wasn't really working, so i dont know if i should try and make it work or if i should structure my essay differently?

Thanks

[vyca]

OK that's interesting... Have you considered doing integrated paragraphs (i.e. talk about both texts in each paragraph)? That might help you to show that you are really focusing on LFR.....? With that feedback from your teacher I can't really think of any other way to fix that 'problem', because even if you reversed the order (LFR then KRIII) your teacher may still judge it as though you're not answering the question in your Shakespeare paragraphs.... 

True..I haven't really experimented with integrated paragraphs, I only ever do block paragraphs so I'm not really sure how to go about it.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi ssarahj, thats how I approached that essay Q, but the feedback I received from my teacher is that the essay should be focused on Pacino's LFR, so I was only answering the Q in my paragraphs about LFR.

Hey! To weigh in here, this question specifically does demand a slightly different approach than a typical comparative essay. The focus does need to be with LFR. However, you are looking at how Pacino enriches a theme for KRIII, so it demands you make explicit thematic links between the two. So, although the focus is on Pacino, the question requires you to address KRIII to essentially the same level of depth. Here is what KRIII does, this is how Pacino accentuates.

With this in mind, I agree with Sarah, block essay would be better suited to having KRIII first in exactly the way Sarah describes.

However, unfortunately, inking the themes properly between paragraphs is tough. This question is much better suited to an integrated paragraph style (again, completely in agreement with Sarah).

Tackling integrated paragraphs is tough (especially this close to exams), so you might not wish to change your approach this late in the game. If you want to give it a go here however, the principle would be:

Topic Sentence: Identify the theme and link to the texts
First Half of Paragraph: How does KRIII represent the theme?
Second Half: How does Pacino accentuate it (explore differently or the same)?
Conclude

This is what I'd call a semi-integrated approach, because you still divide by the text in the paragraph. This was my preferred approach in most Module A essays, might be worth a try