English Unit One Exam Section B: Writing

The mark distribution is the same for each tier. QuestionMarksSuggested Time (minutes) 516 (10 + 6) (16 + 8)35 Total4060 REMEMBER! The questions ask you to use techniques you identified in Section A of your exam! They may ask you to inform or persuade; just think of the relevant language features to meet the PURPOSE and appeal to the AUDIENCE of the writing you’ve been asked to produce. Read the question carefully! These numbers show the marks for your content and writing style, and then your spelling, punctuation and grammar.

General Tips for Writing To achieve the high bands, you must make your writing ‘convincing and compelling’. This means engage your reader, and use as many techniques as you can to explain your points. Make sure it grabs their attention and doesn’t let go! Always use paragraphs! If you don’t, you will not get above a band one! Try to vary your sentence structure, use language devices, and be careful of your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Leave yourself time to check your work. Look for errors in capital letters, common spelling mistakes such as missing letters, and ensure the basics are correct. Full stops, capital letters, commas etc. Spend two or three minutes planning your work. A spider diagram with five points will give you plenty to write about, and also remind you of how to structure your work.

Question 6: 16 marks. This is the shorter of the two questions, and so should not take as much time as question seven.

Example question 6… What problems do you have with pets or wild animals where you live? Write a letter to your local council explaining what the problems are, how they’re affecting your life and how they could improve the situation.

Paragraph Plan for Question 6: Wild animal and pet problems 1.Intro. Look at the Question It’s a formal letter; lay it out appropriately. Dear Sir / Madam, I am writing to you to explain… This word was used in the question, make sure you use it! 2. Explain the problems. Too much dog mess Scavenging animals in bins Howling keeping people awake. Make sure you use details; you’re trying to explain to them. Make it clear! 3. How they are affecting you. Can’t take children to the park Bins get knocked over Can’t sleep at night; more grumpy. Each of these points develops one of the bullet points in your previous paragraph. You’re showing cohesion in your work. 4. What the council could do. Employ ‘poopscoop’ people High fines for owners Give people secure lids for bins. You’ve suggested three solutions to your three problems. 5. Finish it in the appropriate way. Give a short closing paragraph, and finish your letter in a formal style.

This is the mark scheme for the content. Look at the expectations for band 3. You can do all of this!

These are other six marks. Look at how you can achieve them.

Noadswood School, North Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton SO45 4ZF 17/04/12 Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform and explain to you the problems with wild animals in my local area. Vicious animals, such as crazy cats and dangerous dogs are terrorising my neighbourhood, causing many problems for people in the local community. I hope this letter will force you into taking some action. There are three main problems with the animals. Firstly, there are issues with dog and cat mess all around the streets and parks. Our parks used to be safe and clean, now they are absolutely disgusting! The areas are littered with muck, and this is a severe risk to health and safety. Secondly, cats and dogs are scavenging in uncovered bins for leftover food. This makes the place untidy, as bins are knocked over and their contents become scattered across the paths and streets. We have to stand on tip toes to avoid standing in the rubbish. Thirdly, they howl loudly at night, keeping people awake making them more tired for school and work the next day. It also affects the sleeping of young children. They are affecting because I cannot now take my children to the park through fear of them getting covered in dog dirt. If a child was to get the mess in their eyes, it could cause blindness and this is extremely dangerous. Also, it is frustrating having a park for children which isn’t suitable for them! The bins keep getting knocked over, spreading rubbish everywhere. This is unhygienic, and I witnessed a friend of mine slide on a banana skin into a pile of dog muck. This clearly shows how much of a problem these animals are! There are too many stray cats and dogs, and so they howl, keeping people awake. This makes people angry in the mornings, putting them in a bad mood which could increase violence. Only this morning I punched a horse to death because I was so tired and angry. I have some suggestions for you to fix these problems. Firstly, you should employ ‘poopscoop’ people to ensure that the streets are clear of animal mess. There should be high fines for owners that do not clear up after their pets. Stray animals should be rounded up and kept in kennels, so they are not a nuisance. You should also provide covers for the bins, to prevent animals scavenging and spreading litter and diseases everywhere. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Yours faithfully, Mr. P. Oop. Sample answer: See if you can see how it links to the plan and where the marks would be awarded.

Question 7 examples: Write an argument either for or against keeping a pet. Write an article for your school newspaper persuading your readers that we should buy less and value what we have more. Write a magazine article describing the most interesting journey you have made. Explain what made the journey interesting. Write a speech explaining the benefits and drawbacks of trying new experiences.

Question 7… You need to look at the key words in bold. These show you what the question is asking. The mark scheme is the same, only there are more marks available (16 for content, 8 for accuracy. Practice planning and answering the questions on the previous slide…it’s excellent training for the exam!