1. Folio of writing

2. Your Folio two pieces of original writing: – one broadly creative – one broadly discursive. Each piece will be marked out of 25, and the two marks will be averaged to provide a total of 25

3. Creative writing personal/reflective imaginative, in the form of prose, a drama script, or a set of poems

4. Discursive writing persuasive argumentative

5. All your own work! You will have to sign a declaration that your two pieces of writing are original, and not copied from any other source. It is very important that you comply with this rule. If you are found to have used material which is not original in your folio, your whole award in English is likely to be withheld.

6. What is discursive writing? An essay where you explore an issue or question. Possible choices are – Cloning - a tremendous medical advance or an ominous development? – Has abortion become too widespread? – should the police have greater powers? Two main types – Argumentative – Persuasive

7. Argumentative Examine both sides of the question in a balanced way. Take a less personal stance (be objective). Use a formal neutral tone.

8. Persuasive Put forward your view and try to persuade the reader to agree with it. It is basically one-sided. It may have a personal stance (it is subjective). It can use a variety of tones to persuade the reader. It could, for instance, take a humorous approach.

9. Stage 1 - Research Everything you write will be based on your research so spend some time getting to know your chosen topic. Look for information on: – The internet – The LRC – Your local library

10. Possible sources on the net News websites – www.guardian.co.uk www.guardian.co.uk – www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk Wikipedia - www.wikipedia.orgwww.wikipedia.org – Remember wikipedia is written by the people who use it so it can be biased. You shouldn’t use wikipedia as your only source, but it’s good for ideas and examples. Websites of charities and pressure groups who have an interest in your topic. For example, if you are writing about the environment you could visit the sites of WWF, Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. Debate websites – http://www.idebate.org/ http://www.idebate.org/

11. Organise your research Make a list of all the arguments on both sides of your chosen topic. Sort them into “FOR” and “AGAINST”. Group related points together. Rank points in order of importance.