1. Romeo and Juliet Love in Difficult Circumstances Essay Advice

2. The easy to fix problems: Not reading the whole question!!! Too much narrative – Imagine that the marker already knows the story (which they will!) – All you need to do is point out the bit of the play you’ll be referring to in each paragraph, not retell the entire scene Better knowledge of the play – Time to start rereading! You need to reread the play (and perhaps rewatch the film) at home. Even just rereading important scenes would be worthwhile. – Considering the play as a whole – a lot of people are struggling with this. You really need to know the play better so that you can start to make better links in your essays.

3. ANALYSIS There is just not enough analysis going on across the board. If you are telling the story, you’re simply not analysing. Many people make simple yet interesting points but do not develop them in any kind of detail. This is a shame because you’ve already done half the work. Instead of describing what is going on, think of the following: – How does this scene/moment reflect the theme? – How does it affect the characters involved? – Is it a result of something that has already happened or will it have consequences later on? – What impact does it have on the audience? How does it make them feel?

4. Technical Accuracy You can be failed on this alone. Spelling and grammar must be consistent. – That means that you’re allowed the odd wee mistake in an exam situation but if you are making the same mistakes over again, you’ll get a big fat fail. Expression must also be consistent. – That means you must proof-read and double check your work. – Your writing must make sense on first reading (for a pass) – And you must have a stylish and fluid manner (for an A or B) – You must be using topic sentences!!! It shows a clear line of thought and the markers love this.

5. Technical Accuracy The big ones that drove me crazy: – Capital letters – both the lack of and the random using of. It’s not “romeo and juliet” or “capulet” or even “their Love in Difficult circumstances makes things Really hard and i feel Sorry for them”. This is not a Facebook post!!! (Although if you write like this online I hope someone shamelessly mocks you for it) – Apostrophes – Good God Y’all. You use apostrophes for contractions and possession – that’s it!

6. What the SQA think… Expression must be mostly consistent (but will allow some slips due to time constraints). Quality of ideas must be good – good knowledge of plot, themes, characters, etc. Analysis must be in-depth and techniques must be clearly stated. While microanalysis is okay, it should not be the primary focus in prose and drama. Quotations must be contextualised. Students should empathise with characters.