1. Unit 1 revision
Read through the following slides which contain information about your Unit 1 exam.
Make notes from the first set of slides and then complete the activities.

2. About the exam.... The paper is two hours and fifteen minutes long.
You have 15 minutes reading time
You have 1 hour for the reading section (section A)
You have 1 hour for the writing section (section B)

3. Unit 1: Reading

4. Reading Improving students’ grades
Typically, D-grade students might find an interesting feature in a text but fail to develop the point or fail to link it to the writer’s intention. To improve, they should always come back to the GAP and always select details that are effective in meeting that intention.
At C grade, students will show that they understand a text and can sometimes comment on language choices and how these meet the writer’s intention.
An A* response will be an informed, critical response to the text and the language devices used to appeal to a particular readership. They will offer their own interpretation of the writer’s ideas, selecting supporting detail imaginatively.

5. Tips: Some advice for candidates Candidates should:
 read the entire question paper through once
 read each source text a second time before attempting to write an answer
 note the allocation of marks – some questions carry more marks than others
 allocate time; rushed or unfinished answers will lose marks
 focus their response on the question which is actually being asked
 present their own comments, explanations and analysis about the texts in their answers
 support all of their ideas with appropriate quotations from the text, making sure they quote in full.

6. Unit 1: Writing Constructing a response
Planning is key to a successful response. Having identified the GAP they need to address in their task, students need to plan a brief structure, making sure they have a coherent starting and ending point.
They will need material for about four ‘points’ that they wish to expand. Each ‘point’ should form the basis of a paragraph. They should also think about the type of vocabulary that will work in their piece, maybe mind mapping the kind of words they will want to include somewhere.

7. Unit 1: Writing Improving students’ grades
• Typically, D - grade students might make an interesting point in their writing but fail to develop the point or fail to link it to their intention as a writer. To improve, they should always come back to the GAP and always include details that are effective in meeting that intention. Their work will generally be accurate although there may be some grammatical errors. Concentrating on sentence control will help move them to the next band.
• At C grade, candidates will show that they can make language choices that meet their intention as a writer.
Their work will be accurate except perhaps where they have attempted to use complex structures or vocabulary.
An A* student will write effectively with all language choices made to appeal to a particular readership and with a sustained and sophisticated authorial voice.

8. Unit 1: Writing
There are two writing questions. There are no choices to be made, so candidates need to time themselves for both questions.
There are 16 marks for question 5 and 24 marks for question 6. The specimen question paper on the AQA website gives an example of the Writing questions
How the Paper is structured and the Assessment Objectives
 the first writing question is focused on writing to inform, explain or describe
 the second writing question is focused on writing to persuade or to argue a point of view.

9. Advice about the writing questions
Candidates should:
 read both questions through carefully and understand what is being asked
 notice who is the audience or reader
 note that Question 1 earns a possible 16 marks, Question 2 earns 24
 allocate time carefully between the questions, including time for planning
 remember that there are three ways to get marks; content, organisation, accuracy
 decide on the voice, register, tone of the writing and keep it going, this might be different for each question
 make a plan for each piece of writing, paragraph by paragraph, including a conclusion

10. Revision mind map task
maps/index.shtml
Use the website above to create a mind map to revise the terminology needed for your unit 1 exam.
The list of terms are on the next three slides. You need to write a definition and find an example of each term.

11. Sentences Simple Compound Complex Declarative Interrogative Imperative
Exclamatory
Short sentence or minor sentence for impact

12. Language with positive/negative connotations
Language Devices
Alliteration
Simile
Metaphor
Sensory description
Language with positive/negative connotations
Fact
Opinion
Rhetorical Question
Emotive language
Statistics
Triadic structure
Adjective
Adverb
Comparative
Superlative

13. Remember, when you are writing...
You need to start every sentence with a different part of speech.
Use the next slides to add to your revision mind map.
You can use the acronym REPTILE to remember a selection of these words.

14. R
REASON / RESERVATION
Although… Though… Even if… Whereas… Despite… If…

15. E
ED VERBS
Shocked by…Delighted by… Angered by… Excited by… Worried about… Moaned at… Concerned by… Considered for… Deprived of… Alarmed by… Disgusted by…

16. P
PLACE
Inside Within Outside Throughout Near Beyond Among Below Beneath Towards From Into Out of On

17. T
TIME Before During Later Since Meanwhile Whenever Already Earlier Until Now Today Tomorrow Yesterday Till At_O’clock

18. I
ING VERBS Gripping Looking Following Running Laughing Thinking Hoping Needing Wishing Dashing Clutching

19. L
LAZY ADVERBS Quickly Swiftly Slowly Sorrowfully Desperately Anxiously Carelessly Decadently Politely Horribly Sadly

20. E
EASY ADJECTIVES Blue with cold… Frantic… Lonely… Isolated… Overwhelming… Large… Small… Fat and proud… Green… Pathetic… Sad… Happy about… Kind and generous…