3.1 School Exam Feedback

General You need a strong argument from the opening. You can use the statement in the wording of the introduction eg This essay will argue that the most valuable texts expose us to universal ideas. It should develop through each body paragraph right through to the ending. Turning your statement into a question can lead you to a clear argument eg Why are cautionary tales significant texts?

Make sure you address all of the key words of the topic. Use synonyms and the key words throughout your essay Thread perceptive comments throughout the essay. Do not leave them as an afterthought at the end of a paragraph. Refer to the author’s purpose throughout. Use author’s surname throughout eg Bradbury suggests …

Refer to the author’s purpose throughout. Use author’s surname throughout eg Bradbury suggests to us that …. It is great to incorporate quotes from the author discussing their work and its purpose. Weave your evidence and quotations into your own explanation.

1. The most valuable texts expose us to universal ideas This was a popular topic Many divided their body paragraphs into different ideas BUT students who simply wrote about 3 different themes did not reach above Achieved. The best answers wove references to ‘universal’ throughout each paragraph The idea of ‘most valuable’ was often neglected

2. A successful text has a character to admire and another to scorn. Some students simply described a positive and a negative character BUT failed to address the ‘successful text’ part of the question.

3. A consoling text allows us to soar above the darkness. No candidates chose this question

4. The most significant texts are cautionary tales. This was a very popular choice of question Many divided their paragraphs into 3 different warnings Most could discuss warnings presented in their texts BUT did not address the idea of ‘the most significant texts’

5. The most rewarding texts allow us to use an interpretative lens to make meaning from them. Not a popular question A good topic to discuss the effect of a chosen narrator in a text, eg Death in The Book Thief or Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby or Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale

6. The most dramatic texts confront readers with a disturbing atmosphere. This was not generally well answered. The texts discussed needed to be both dramatic and disturbing in order to be useful here.

Creating empathy for the plight of characters is the most important purpose of texts. This question demanded: more than one character that the reader feels for the characters because of the situation they are in discussion of purpose and that the empathy was the most important purpose

8. The most effective texts establish the themes at the beginning. Many students were able to discuss the openings and the themes introduced The idea of being ‘most effective’ must be acknowledged. The best answers addressed the idea of being ‘effective’ throughout their essay Discussion needed to be confined to the beginning of the text.

9. The most thought-provoking texts allow readers to pose questions which do not have simple answers. Many students discussed questions posed in the text BUT did not address the idea of ‘not having simple answers’ The idea of ‘the most thought-provoking’ must also be addressed. This question was not popular but did lead to some very thoughtful responses.

Reading is most absorbing when texts have well-chosen words, which allow readers to create the pictures. No one did this task 