Christian Brothers School

GCSE English
Revision Guide
Contents:

Paper 1 Section A
Responding to a Fiction Text p4

Paper 1 Section B
Writing to analyse, review, comment p19

Paper 2 Section A
Writing to inform, explain, describe p30

Paper 2 Section B
Responding to 2 non-fiction texts p40

2
Examination 60% of your final mark

Higher tier (A*-D) Foundation tier (C – G)

Paper 1 (2 hours)
Section A - Responding to a fiction text. (15%)
Section B - Writing to analyse, review and comment. (15%)

Paper 2 (2 hours)
Section A - Writing to inform, explain or describe (15%)
Section B - Responding to non-fiction/media texts. (15%)

Coursework 40% of your final mark

3
Paper 1 Section A

Responding to a
Fiction Text

4
Paper 1 Section A – Comprehension (fiction)

Questions:

Q1 – Setting
Q2 – Character
Q3 – Writer’s Craft

Reading the Passage (15 minutes)

1. Read the passage once quickly. Scan the questions.
2. 2nd reading – use a highlighter – highlight evidence on setting and
character
3. 3rd reading – use a highlighter (different colour) – highlight
evidence on writer’s craft

Answer the questions using PEE:

Point Explain Evidence

Example answers using PEE:

Setting:

The house is very run down. I know this because tiles are missing from
the roof, windows are broken and the door is hanging off. The writer
describes the house as a “tumble down wreck”.

Character:

John is a very selfish man. We see how selfish he is when he refuses to

give Mary any money when she needs it to pay the bills. Mary calls him “a
greedy, self-centred brute”.

Writer’s craft

The writer creates tension in the passage through the relationship

between John and Mary. They are always fighting and arguing with each
other. The writer uses a simile to describe them: “like a pair of battling
bulldogs“.

5
Your answer should focus on the following language features:

Personification
Repetition
Onomatopoeia
Emotive language
Paradox
Tone
Similes
Metaphors
Alliteration
Assonance
Irony
Questions
Rhetorical questions

Activity:

Create a memorable ACRONYM to remember the features of language in the

list above.

6
1. Character

Question: What do you learn about ________ ?

Character Checklist Example √

What does (character) look like?

What does (character) do?

What does (character) say?

How do they relate to other

characters?
What do other characters say about
them?
What are the strengths of (character)?

What are the weaknesses of

(character)?
What vulnerabilities does (character)
have?
What do you think motivates
(character) in (situation)?
Did (character's) motives change
throughout the passage? How?
Do you agree with (positive or negative
statement about a character)? Why?
Do you think (character) should have...?
Why or why not?
What caused (character) to
(behaviour)?
At (position in story) how do you think
the character feels?
What else could (character) have tried
to (solve or avoid complication)?

7
Activity

“When
“When his
hisdinner
dinnerfinally
finally
arrived,
arrived,
Tony
Tony
ate ate
hurriedly
hurriedly
and and
left aleft
verya small
very
small
tip.” tip.”

What does this sentence tell us about Tony?

Activity

“Danny couldn’t help feeling nervous. He desperately wanted

everything to go well on his first day, but hadn’t known what lessons
to prepare for. Should he have brought a PE Kit? Should he have
brought a lab coat like at Park House? Were calculators allowed? He
still didn’t know why things had gone wrong at Park House. For two
years he’d loved it. Then suddenly the work got harder. His
homework had taken him hours to do and then he’d got bad marks
for it – and for the weekly tests. Then, he’d been asked to leave, just
like that, without warning. The head had written to his parents saying
he wasn’t the ‘right material’. He’d seen the letter, but still didn’t
know what that meant. Not the right material. He fingered the cuff of
his blazer.”

What does this paragraph tell us about Danny?

8
 Sample Character Traits
able demanding hopeless restless
active dependable humorous rich
adventurous depressed ignorant rough
affectionate determined imaginative rowdy
afraid discouraged impatient rude
alert dishonest impolite sad
ambitious disrespectful inconsiderate safe
angry doubtful independent satisfied
annoyed dull industrious scared
anxious dutiful innocent secretive
apologetic eager intelligent selfish
arrogant easy-going jealous serious
attentive efficient kindly sharp
average embarrassed lazy short
bad encouraging leader shy
blue energetic lively silly
bold evil lonely skilful
bored excited loving sly
bossy expert loyal smart
brainy fair lucky sneaky
brave faithful mature sorry
bright fearless mean spoiled
brilliant fierce messy stingy
busy foolish miserable strange
calm fortunate mysterious strict
careful foul naughty stubborn
careless fresh nervous sweet
cautious friendly nice talented
charming frustrated noisy tall
cheerful funny obedient thankful
childish gentle obnoxious thoughtful
clever giving old thoughtless
clumsy glamorous peaceful tired
coarse gloomy picky tolerant
concerned good pleasant touchy
confident graceful polite trusting
confused grateful poor trustworthy
considerate greedy popular unfriendly
cooperative grouchy positive unhappy
courageous grumpy precise upset
cowardly guilty proper useful
cross happy proud warm
cruel harsh quick weak
curious hateful quiet wicked
dangerous healthy rational wise
daring helpful reliable worried
dark honest religious wrong
decisive hopeful responsible young

9
2. Setting

Setting is the time and place of the action of a story. The setting may be
specific and detailed and introduced at the very beginning of the story,
or it may be merely suggested through the use of details scattered
throughout the story. Customs, manners, clothing, scenery, weather,
geography, buildings, and methods of transportation are all part of
setting.

Specific Elements of Setting

• Time and Place

• Mood

Time and Place

Read the following passage:
On a rainy November morning in 1776, a soldier trod a solitary
path along a road in western Virginia. His gait was slow, and his
face—barely visible beneath untold layers of grime—betrayed an
anguished, exhausted expression.

Answer the following questions:

• Where does the story take place? What details tell you this?
• When do the events of this story take place? What clues tell you so?

Mood
The setting can help develop and establish the mood of a story. A vivid
description of the setting will help the reader to see, hear, smell, taste,
and touch the environment of the story.

Read the following passage:

It was a cold and cheerless evening. The fog seemed to hover
over the street, clutching the buildings, the streetlamps—the
entire city—in a damp, icy grip. If one were to stand still, passers-
by would emerge briefly from the gloom, only to disappear from
view after taking just a few steps. These ghostly apparitions
tormented James as he impatiently waited for his valet to return
with his carriage.

10
Answer the following questions:
• What sensory details does the author use to draw the reader into the
setting?
• What mood do these details help create?

Activity:
Write a list of ten basic things that might be found in the room of a teenager.
Write a description of these items, setting a cheerful mood. Use adjectives
and adverbs, verbs and nouns that evoke a positive feeling. Then write a
paragraph describing the same basic items, but creating a sad or depressing
mood. Again, use words that will evoke the intended mood in your reader.

Spatial Order
There are several ways to organize a description of a place. You could
start at the right and move to the left. You could start at the top and
move to the bottom. Or you could start at the place closest to you and
move to the place farthest from you, as in the following passage:

The door of the mansion dwarfed anyone who approached it. Even
the tallest visitors had to reach up high to grasp the ornate door
knocker (which surely was made of solid gold). The door swung open
into a grand hallway, with floors of spotless pink marble. The walls
were covered in gigantic mirrors, so that the foyer appeared to be
at least three times larger than its already impressive size. At the
end of the hallway, a grand white staircase spiralled up and up—so
far that you might have expected an angel to greet you when you
reached the top. But that was not so. The stairs actually led to a
large, but surprisingly ordinary looking hallway with slightly worn,
green carpeting and a long row of nearly identical doors. It almost
resembled a hotel.

11
The Purpose of Setting
A writer chooses a particular setting for a short story, not because it is
realistic or accurate, but because of what it accomplishes in the story.
Setting is used for a number of reasons:

1. The setting can provide important information about the main

character, whether he or she is connected to the setting, at home in
it, an outsider, or a guest.

2. A setting that is vivid increases the credibility of the character and

the action. If the reader accepts the setting as real, then the reader
is more likely to accept the characters who live there, and their
behaviour as real. On the other hand, "mistakes" in setting may cause
the reader to give up on the story as "fake". This applies to fantasy
settings as well as realistic settings.

3. The setting of a story often has a direct connection to the story's

meaning. For example a description of a house can help illustrate an
overall feeling of loneliness and isolation. Or the intense activity of a
city setting might be linked to excitement. These feelings can be
connected to a character or to the theme.

4. Sometimes the setting will hold keys to understanding one of the

characters. Where a person lives is often very much a part of who
that person is.

5. The setting can be used to create mood and atmosphere, if these are
important to the story.

12
Analysing Language: Setting

Example:

A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was
very narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy
odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in
trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of
night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the
inside. The sole places that seemed to prosper amid the general
blight of the place, were the public-houses. (from Oliver Twist)

Question: How does the writer’s description of the PLACE create a sense of
bleakness/ happiness/ unfriendliness, etc?

Setting Checklist Example √

Powerful Words

Interesting Images

Meaningful Comparisons

Key Details

13
3. Writer’s Craft

Sample question:

How has the writer tried to capture and sustain the reader’s interest?

You should consider how the writer:

• makes the events dramatic/humorous/frightening, etc

• creates interesting characters
• uses descriptive words and phrases.

Match the feature of language in the table below with the correct example:

1. Simile a) Insecurity held her ransom

2. Alliteration b) The taste of sweat slowly trickled down his
brooding, now grief ridden lips
3. Use of short sentences to c) Home seemed such a beautiful comfort to
create a mood of tension her, especially as she now considered the
glowing fire, the welcoming hug of granddad
and the luxurious carpeted lounge, just longing
for her arrival.
4. Use of the senses d) Her eyes were a blue ocean of sparkling
blue diamonds, simmering in the summer
breeze.
5. Personification e) Bernarbia Boost for bewildered Blues
6. Use of longer, complex f) He was as isolated as a lighthouse
sentences to create a mood of without the beam of hope.
calm
7. Metaphors g) Who was it? Stop thinking about it, the
footsteps, the footsteps getting louder, louder
by the minute. Who is it? Who’s there?
8. Description of setting h) The air was sweet with sunshine, homing in
on my eager limbs.
9. Description of character’s i) Facially, she was a strange combination of a
thoughts and feelings witch’s frown and a cry for help
10. Description of character’s j) But wait – this was it. I have finally made it. Is
background, appearance, this the end?
personality
11. Range of punctuation used for k) His guilt seemed to be invading him, yet his
dramatic effect inner strength pushed it to one side once more.
12. Use of repetition l) The forest was thick with black, sickly
fog which reflected the inhabitants.

14
 Writer’s Craft Checklist Example √
1. Simile

2. Alliteration

3. Use of short sentences to

create a mood of tension

4. Use of the senses

5. Personification

6. Use of longer, complex

sentences to create a mood of
calm
7. Metaphors

8. Description of setting

9. Description of character’s
thoughts and feelings

10. Description of character’s

background, appearance,
personality
11. Range of punctuation used for
dramatic effect

12. Use of repetition

15
Some Humorous Techniques Used by Writers:

1. The “Double As” technique

Where the word “as” is used twice in a sentence: “He was as hungry as a
toothless man in an apple orchard.”

2. The “So” technique

“It was SO hot out, chickens were lining up in front of Kentucky Fried
Chicken and begging to be plucked!”

3. A serious-sounding sentence made humorous by adding a comment

in brackets:

“The secret to my quick weight-loss is that I drank 10 glasses of water

every day (and then my bladder fell out).”

4. The most popular technique is exaggeration.

The house was so large, the occupants had to hire a taxi just to go to the
bathroom.

5. Then there is the opposite of exaggeration, which is the

“understatement” or “shrinking” technique.

This technique describes things as much smaller and less significant than
they actually are: “The guy who painted our house charged by the hour
and used a brush that had only two hairs on it.”

Identify some of these techniques in the paragraph below:

It was raining so hard the night we went to the restaurant, Carnival Cruise
Lines pulled up next to us in the parking lot. We were seated at a table that was
no bigger than a deck of cards and it was so close to the table behind us, when
I reached up to scratch my head, I scratched the guy’s head behind me and
panicked, thinking I’d suddenly gone bald. Everything on the menu looked
delicious (especially the blob of gravy stuck on the front and the smear of
mashed potatoes on the back). We finally ordered the chicken dinner. When
our food arrived, not only was it as cold as a snowman’s behind, the portion
was so small, it looked as if a hummingbird had died on the plate. After our
meal, which we downed in 1.5 seconds, we ordered dessert. My chocolate cake
was so sweet, my teeth continued to ache even after I took them out for the
night.

16
Different Types of Verbal & Written Humour:

Banter: good-natured teasing back and forth; exchange of witty remarks.

Blunder: wit based on a person who makes a mistake, which makes them
appear foolish.

Caricature: exaggeration of a person’s mental, physical, or personality

traits.

Conundrum: a word puzzle that can’t be solved because the answer is a

pun, e.g. Why do cows wear bells? Their horns don’t work.

Exaggerism: an exaggerated witticism that overstates the features,

defects, or the strangeness of someone or something.

Freudian Slip: a funny statement which seems to just pop out, but which
actually comes from the person’s subconscious thoughts.

Hyperbole: extreme exaggeration.

Irony: a leading part of humour. Irony is using words to express

something completely different from the literal meaning. Usually,
someone says the opposite of what they mean and the listener believes
the opposite of what they said.
• Verbal Irony: what is said is opposite of what is meant (“Lovely
day out” when the weather is the opposite).
• Situational Irony: an outcome that turns out to be very different
from what was expected.
• Dramatic Irony: the audience realizes implications of words or
acts that the characters do not perceive.

Joke: short story ending with a funny climactic twist.

Parody: humorous version of any well-known writing.

Practical Joke: a joke put into action. You hear an oral joke, sees a
printed joke, and feel the practical joke. The trick is played on another
person and the humour comes from what happens.

Recovery: a combination of blunder and wit, where a person makes an

error, and then saves himself with a fast correction.

Repartee: includes clever replies and retorts. The most common form is
the insult.

17
Satire: wit that is critical humour. Satire is sarcasm that makes fun of
something.

Situational Humour: this is comedy that comes from your own life. This
type of humour is based on a humorous situation that you have
experienced.

Understatement: making something that is regular or large seem

extremely smaller or less. Intentionally down- sizing a large object.

Wisecrack: any clever remark about a particular person or thing.

Wisecracks are quick wordplays about a person.

Wit: humour, irony, sarcasm, satire, repartee. Wit is funny because of

the sudden sharpness and quick perception. Wit can bite. Verbal wit is a
type of humour known as Wordplay.

18
 Paper 1 Section B

Writing to analyse,
review and comment

Revision tips

• Practise writing as many different text types as you can

• Find a method of planning that suits your writing style

• Practise making brief plans for writing tasks, and repeat them over and
over again.

• Time your writing carefully - spend 10/15 minutes planning and 45/50
minutes writing

19
The examiner wants to know if you can do the following things:

ANALYSE:

Can you think critically about a topic? Can you get information together
on a topic, and reflect on it? Can you break a topic down into manageable
chunks in order to better communicate your ideas about it?

REVIEW:

Are you able to structure your writing effectively so that the reader
feels that they have gained an overview of a topic? Are you able to see
the big picture (cliché!) rather than getting bogged down in little details?
Can you make sure that you don't get side-tracked?

COMMENT:

Can you shape an effective personal response to a topic? Can you show
yourself to be someone who doesn't just rely on other people's ideas and
thoughts?

Analyse Review Comment

Can you consider Can you summarise and Can you give your
different viewpoints give your opinion on personal response
about an issue? something? about something?

ANALYSING, REVIEWING and COMMENTING

These types of writing are very similar. They are all based upon:
• a thoughtful and well-considered analysis of the topic in question
(given for coursework or exam)
• a careful selection of the information revealed by the analysis
• a piece of well-structured, lively and personal writing based upon the
analysis.

What varies between them is, largely, the blend between fact and opinion
– that is, how subjective or objective your writing needs to be.

20
Writing to Analyse
Analysing means breaking your topic down into its key parts to learn about
their individual meaning or qualities in order to be able to write a
discussion of these that shows how they contribute to the whole. An
analysis is usually written in the form of an essay.

Writing to Review
Reviewing requires you to break a topic down then to write a lively and
authoritative account that is well judged, carefully considered and
entertaining for its audience. A review is usually written with a media
audience in mind, such as a magazine article.

Writing to Comment
Commenting is a more personal and opinionated style and needs to be
more subjective. You might be asked to write a comment for a magazine
or newspaper article or as a speech.

A commentary needs to be a well-considered personal assessment, one

that remains focused tightly throughout on its topic, sticking with just
this: it is your individual view of what you consider important about the
topic.

Commentaries must never be a mere summary of their topic.

OBJECTIVITY?
It’s worth remembering that all writing must reflect, to some degree, its
writer’s attitude towards the topic – that is, be subjective. When it’s
important to reduce the subjectivity of a piece of writing, such as in an
explanation, this natural personal bias can be reduced by providing a
variety of different points of view.

For example, if your topic is smoking, you should think

about its ‘pros and cons’; even with such a contentious
topic, there are always two or more sides.

21
A CAREFUL ANALYSIS IS VITAL…
A key aspect of this kind of writing is the need to break down – that is,
analyse – your topic so you can identify which key individual aspects are
important, relevant or interesting for your audience’s needs.

It will be your ability to be able to sort out what is from what is not
important that will determine, in part, the marks you are awarded. Having
sorted out what you believe is important, you then need to discuss and
evaluate your topic at several levels:

• As an introduction, you’ll need to cover the topic as a whole, concisely

and with a ‘broad brush’, e.g. in a film review, mention its genre, its
storyline, its director and its main stars.
• You’ll need to discuss its key individual parts and comment on how
these contribute to the effect of the whole.
• You’ll need to discuss how the parts have been combined to create an
effective overall structure.
• In a review, you’ll need to be careful not to create a ‘spoiler’ by giving
away too much of the plot and risk ruining the audience’s enjoyment.

A CLOSE AWARENESS OF AUDIENCE

This points to another key aspect of this writing: you need to show in the
writing a close consideration of the needs of your audience. This means
that what you write must be useful, interesting and clear.

Because your readers will be relying on what you say another key quality
of this writing is its authoritative tone. You will need to sound convincing,
knowledgeable and certain.

PLANNING!
A further important aspect of mark schemes is to award marks for the
quality of the organisation of your writing. The examiner is looking for
evidence that you have consciously shaped your writing to allow its
meaning to unfold clearly, usefully and in an interesting way for your
audience.

Releasing the details you give in a controlled way, in ‘bite size chunks’, will
help your reader understand and enjoy reading about your topic.

22
 Checklist for Analyse/ Review/ Comment √
Have you broken your topic down into its key segments and written
about only these?
Is your writing lively as well as easy to understand and follow?

Have you shown from this analysis how the individual parts work
together as a structure?
Have you taken account of what or how much your reader already
knows?
Have you given your readers what they need to know in a way that
can be easily digested?
Have you tried to interest and involve your reader by writing in a
lively style?
Have you organised your writing so its structure is effective, logical
and clear?
If needed, have you used a technical vocabulary?

Have you used examples and explained these and their effect and
purpose in sufficient detail?
Have you drawn comparisons with other similar things to clarify
points?
Have you drawn on similar events or used an anecdote to create a
clear and lively piece of writing?
Have you given relevant facts, descriptions, examples or, if
relevant, statistics?

Consider the following issue:

"In the future we will all be slaves to things like personal stereos,
computers and mobile phones”.

23
Analyse the following response. Annotate, identifying successful features.

It has been suggested that having 169 TV channels and building motorways through
the countryside is ‘progress’. Analyse this view of progress, commenting on why
things are developing in this way and what reasons people might have to disagree.

Ever since Neanderthal man first rubbed dry sticks to make fire or figured out that
wheels work better when round, mankind has sought progress. It’s just another form
of evolution: Darwin should be proud. However, the greater our advances, the more
controversial they can become; to the extent that many might question whether they
are ‘progress’ at all. When progress ameliorates life, that is one thing; but when it
simply improves lifestyle, that is something else entirely.
Interestingly, Dr Robert Oppenheimer must have understood this debate all too well.
In the 1930s, he was the chief scientist in charge of the development of the USA’s
nuclear technology. Only a few years later, the American government harnessed this
very same technology to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Oppenheimer spent the rest of his life campaigning against nuclear proliferation so
much that the American government started to restrict his personal freedom. What
would he have said if asked if any ‘progress’ had really been achieved?
Nonetheless, it is important for us to acknowledge the complexity of the issue, and
few could argue that some progress is unequivocally good. In medicine, for example,
advances in technology have led to the eradication of diseases which, as little as fifty
years ago, claimed victims every day. Even AIDS, until recently thought invincible,
may now have a cure or vaccination in sight.
Similarly, computer technology has totally transformed the way in which we live our
lives today, and many of us rely on our trusty PC to organise everything from our
finances to our daily routines. I defy anyone to argue that my iPod is not a good thing
– six hours driving to the Lake District over the summer would have been toddler hell
without the entire Horrid Henry back catalogue playing over the car stereo. And
where would we be in schools, without computers to improve both teaching and
learning?
However, it is not difficult to flip the coin of progress to the other, less shiny side. For
example, how many channels do we really need on our TV sets? I have free access
to dozens of channels now, and there is still, invariably, very little worth watching.
Instead, television’s hold over our lives is becoming more and more intense, and, to
the benefit of whom? In the words of Bruce Springsteen, there are “57 channels and
nothing on”.
It is also hard to dispute that the increasing industrialisation of society is placing our
planet in grave danger. A new motorway might cut the journey time from A to B in
two; but it cuts the countryside in two too. Cheap plane travel might send thousands
more people into the sky; but that sky is choking as a result. When progress is at the
expense of the planet we inhabit, some would say that it is not progress at all. After
all, what is the point of improving life on earth, if there will be no earth to host it?
When you think about it, it is easy to sympathise with those who favour a more ‘no-
nonsense’, ‘back to basics’ approach to life. If you were to remove all technology
from your life, would you really be worse off? I would miss my iPod, but I managed
before I first bought it; and there are few ailments I fight off through a trip to Boots
that a decent shaman couldn’t cure with a few crushed leaves and a nice hot
poultice. And as for roads and interminable television, they may well spruce up my
lifestyle – but my life could probably do perfectly well without them.

24
SYNONYMS FOR “ANALYSE”
51
• Estimate
• Evaluate
• Examine
• Interpret
• Investigate
• Judge
• Break down
• Think through

Activity:

Signposts/ Discursive Markers:

Some examples:

• There are undoubtedly some major advantages

• To begin with
• Furthermore

Read through the previous passage on “Progress” and identify the discursive
markers and why they were used.

25
Writing Template for Analyse, Review, Comment

Paragraph/ section Write here any notes, key words,

sentences you might use:
Paragraph 1:
Introduction
Show that the topic is
understood.
Write a topic
sentence.
Section 2(several
paragraphs):
Use your sources to
explain the benefits
of e.g. travel.
Use discursive markers.
Make a general/ moral
point.
Use extended
vocabulary.
Section 3 (several
paragraphs):
Use your sources to
explain the pitfalls e.g.
travel.
Use discursive markers.
Make a general/ moral
point.
Use extended
vocabulary
Last Paragraph:
Conclusion.
Write an engaging
Conclusion.

26
Writing to Analyse/Review/comment

The answer is marked out of 30. Marks are split into 20 for content
and organization and 10 for sentence structure, punctuation and
spelling.

Content & Organisation

• Have you shown understanding of the purpose and format of the task?
• Have you shown sustained awareness of the reader / intended
audience?
• Is the content coverage well-judged, detailed, and fitting for the
purpose?
• Are the arguments convincingly developed and supported by relevant
detail?
• Have the ideas been selected and prioritised to construct a
sophisticated argument?
• Do the paragraphs have a topic sentence linking to the argument?
• Have you used a range of stylistic devices (rhetorical questions,
emotive language etc) adapted to purpose / audience?

For top marks:

• Is there a wide range of appropriate, extended vocabulary and is it
used to create effect or convey precise meaning?

Sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.

• Is there appropriate and effective variation of sentence structures?
• Is there a sophisticated use of simple, compound and complex
sentences to achieve particular effects?
• Is there accurate punctuation used to vary pace, clarify meaning, avoid
ambiguity and create deliberate effects?
• Is virtually all spelling, including that of complex irregular words,
correct?

Sentence structure and punctuation

• variety, clarity and accuracy of sentence structures.

• variety and accuracy of punctuation.

27
Text structure and organisation

• coherence – how the whole text hangs together, including order and
sequence, and structural features such as openings and closings.

• cohesion – how different sections of the text are organised,

including grouping of material, connecting and elaborating within
paragraphs / sections.

Composition and effect

• adaptation to purpose, form and reader.

• viewpoint – establishing and maintaining the position / stance of

author, narrator, characters and others.

• style – rhetorical effect, choice of language and technical or

literary devices.

Using PEE for writing:

POINT EVIDENCE EXPLAIN

Firstly for example we can conclude

Initially as revealed by that
Furthermore this is shown it appears that
Also when it is possible that
To begin with demonstrated by this suggests
In addition for instance this makes it
To start with an instance seem
Additionally to show that which makes us
Moreover such as think
Then perhaps
To conclude the reader can
Finally infer

28
CONNECTIVES AND DISCOURSE MARKERS

also equally
as well as similarly
moreover likewise
too as with
next whereas
then instead of
firstly alternatively
secondly otherwise
thirdly unlike
finally on the other hand
meanwhile for example
above all as revealed by
in particular however
especially although
significantly unless
indeed except
notably if
so yet
thus apart from
therefore because
consequently

29
 Paper 2 Section A

Writing to inform,
explain and describe

Revision tips

• Practise writing as many different text types as you can

• Find a method of planning that suits your writing style

• Practise making brief plans for writing tasks, and repeat them over and
over again.

• Time your writing carefully - spend 10/15 minutes planning and 45/50
minutes writing

30
 Writing to Inform
Key Terms

Did you know……. Were you aware that…..

There are many kinds of……………. There are many ways to……….

Not many people know that/about……..

By far the most interesting/enjoyable/exciting aspect is………

Features of writing to inform

• a clear, precise and effective opening

• explain the context
• write in the present tense
• include relevant detail – examples, statistics, proof
• use specialised/technical language where appropriate
• cover a range of relevant points about the topic
• coherent, logical structure
• effective paragraph links
• style which interests the reader in the topic

Activity

1. Imagine your French exchange partner is coming to live in your

town for a term. Write to inform him/her about the town. You
could include details about :
i. local tourist attractions
ii. sports and leisure facilities
iii. local transport and places to visit nearby

2. A magazine is requesting information from its readers about

incidents that have had a significant effect on their lives. Write
about an occasion when you made a serious mistake.
Exploring writing to inform

31
 Read the following question:

Write a letter to a friend who is planning to visit a place you know well.
Make your letter informative, useful and interesting to read.

This is a section from an ‘A’ grade answer. Annotate the answer identifying
the successful features of informative writing.

A lively start that So you’re going on holiday to KL! It’s a brilliant

addresses the place, a real mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian
reader directly culture. There’s so much going on that you won’t
‘you’. want to go to bed at night. Now you’re probably
thinking, ‘I hope she’s not going to bore me writing
some tedious travel guide.’ Well I’m not. You’ll find
your own way, but here are a few suggestions
about things that you can say or do.
Your first adventure will be negotiating the airport.
I don’t like it, even if it is very modern and
impressive. I went there when it was first built and
got lost it was so big. Every time I tried to find our
departure lounge I ended up wandering into a
different shop. Apparently the airport was designed
so that people could be channelled into retail
outlets to buy more goodies.
Anyway, if you manage to get through the airport,
you’ll need to get a taxi into the city centre, which (I
say should) will take about an hour. Have you been
to the Far East before? If you haven’t, the traffic
might come as a shock. Sometimes it gets
gridlocked for hours on end and nothing moves
except the meter on the taxi. If you’re lucky,
though, you’ll end up in the middle of town in time
to see some of the city before dark. There are so
many things to do, like going to Petronas Towers,
visiting the National Museum, taking a trip on the
elevated railway – or simply indulging yourself in a
delicious local meal from a hawker stall.

32
 Writing to Explain
Key Terms

The most important aspect of… The value of………………….

In order to……………… The priority is to………….

The next stage…………… You will find that…………..

The first thing to do is…………………. As a result……………………

Another reason…………………. Although……………………

Above all……………… Inevitably………….

Consequently……………………… The results will be……………..

An unexpected outcome …………………..

Features of writing to explain

• a clear, precise writing style

• appropriate vocabulary
• specific examples
• explanations of ‘why’
• explanations of ‘how’
• clear links between points
• clear and logical structure
• a concise and effective conclusion

Activity

1. Think of a time when you decided on a particular course of action.

Explain why you made the choice you did, giving reasons.

2. Choose a particular interest or hobby that you have. Explain how your
interest has developed and why it is important to you.

33
 Exploring writing to explain

Read the following question and answer

Lots of people have favourite places – rooms, buildings, places outside.

Write about some favourite places of your own and explain what makes
them so special.

The following extract is the first paragraph of an ‘A’ grade answer. Annotate,
identifying successful features.

Unusual choice One of my favourite places is the bus shelter outside

of location school. Most people would not think a bus shelter is very
grabs the interesting, and would expect a favourite place to be
reader’s somewhere exotic. I suppose the main reason I like it so
attention much – at least in the winter, is because it is one of the
few places anyone can keep dry and reasonably warm
on a main road when you need to get off the school
premises at lunchtime. If you think a bus shelter is an
odd place to choose, there are others who seem to
share my odd choice. The other day for instance, the
shelter was packed full of people chatting and nobody
got any of the buses that pulled up. You’ll see now that it
is not the décor or the architecture that makes the
shelter a favourite place; it’s the company and the social
diary. Yesterday I met up with three of my closest friends
who I hadn’t seen for three days. We solved the world’s
problems, swapped gossip and sorted out the weekend
before getting back to Maths in Lesson 4. If you had to
face Maths Lesson 4, you’d begin to see why the bus
shelter is a favourite place

Write the next paragraph yourself about a favourite place of your own.

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

34
 Writing to Describe
Key Terms

The memory of… To hear/see/feel/touch/see always evokes…

The effect of…. upon me always…

My feelings were… Emotionally, I…

This was reinforced by… The impact was greater because…

Suddenly, I understood that… I became aware of…

Features of writing to explain

• an effective and interesting opening

• effective use of adjectives and adverbs
• attention to detail
• appeal to the senses – touch, sight, sound, smell, taste
• vocabulary which describes atmosphere
• vocabulary which describes feelings and reactions
• imagery – similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification,
onomatopoeia
• more involved language
• effective sentences – balance of simple, compound and complex
• appeal to the audience
• effective conclusion, perhaps emotive

Activity

1. Describe your ideal school. You could include details about:

• buildings and environment
• resources and teachers
• subjects

2. Describe the atmosphere in a shopping centre when it is open and describe it

when it is closed.

35
 Descriptive tasks are often where candidates do best! Look at the text below
and see if you can spot and add any more annotations of successful features.

Successful description

Adjectives build
up a misty, Metaphor
Simile
desolate feeling

Abbreviated Late November. The centre of the city lies still as a

sentences for tomb, grey in the cold earth. Silent buildings are
effect gravestones to the living cemetery beneath. A chill
wind blows the hair across my face. Dust and dirt
swirl from the gutter and in a tin can rattles down
the pavement, its half-consumed contents dribbling
Adverbs create stickily behind. A cheeseburger carton limps Personification
‘sleazy’ unwillingly along before lodging beneath a bench.
impression The smell of stale onions lingers from an
abandoned hot dog stand, and beside me, in the
wide shop door, a sign of life. A cardboard box Alliteration
shifts in the gloom and a dark shape shuffles. A
cupped grey hand extends, yet I move away
ashamed.

In the distance, the cars on the by pass busily hum

Strong, well chosen

verbs in the present
tense.

Using the descriptive techniques above write your own brief description of a
city at night:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

36
Writing to Inform/Explain/Describe

The answer is marked out of 30. Marks are split into 20 for content
and organization and 10 for sentence structure, punctuation and
spelling.

Content & Organisation

• Have you shown understanding of the purpose and format of the task?
• Have you shown sustained awareness of the reader / intended
audience?
• Is the content coverage detailed, and fitting for the purpose?
• Do the paragraphs have a topic sentence?
• Have you used a range of stylistic devices (rhetorical questions,
emotive language etc) adapted to purpose / audience?

For top marks:

• Is there a wide range of appropriate, extended vocabulary and is it
used to create effect or convey precise meaning?

Sentence structure, punctuation and spelling.

• Is there appropriate and effective variation of sentence structures?
• Is there a sophisticated use of simple, compound and complex
sentences to achieve particular effects?
• Is there accurate punctuation used to vary pace, clarify meaning, avoid
ambiguity and create deliberate effects?
• Is virtually all spelling, including that of complex irregular words,
correct?

37
Checklist for improvement:

Grade E> D> C

• Do you consciously and deliberately construct, for example, plot, mood,
and setting, atmosphere and characterisation, using detail, control and
shape?
• Is there is a sense of purpose and audience?
• Are the ideas clearly and logically organised and is there some use of
devices to achieve effects?
• Is your grammar generally appropriate and is there some variety of
vocabulary?
• Is it mostly spelled correctly?
• Is there control of tenses, agreements and punctuation and a variety
of sentence structures?

Grade C>B>A>A*
• Have you shown skill in creating plot, atmosphere, mood and
characterisation?
• Is there a consistent awareness of purpose and chosen audience?
• Is there effective use of devices for particular effects?
• Do you use a wide vocabulary, appropriately used, which you have
spelled correctly?
• Is there secure control of tenses and connectives?
• Is there secure control of punctuation?
• Are your sentences and paragraphs coherently linked?

38
PREPARING A SPEECH/ TALK

PLANNING

If you are writing a speech/talk think about your audience, your voice,
your body language and making pauses.

CONTENT
• Write a plan. List and number points to get best order
• Don't include too many ideas
• Include about 6 main points
• Introduce your argument
• Put forward your arguments clearly
• Try to interest and entertain your audience
• Use short dramatic sentences
• Try to anticipate and destroy any arguments that might be put
forward against your own
• Sum up and repeat your main idea

Tips
• Make the audience believe you
• Exaggerate for effect
• Shock (emotive language)
• Entertain (anecdote, funny examples)
• Involve your audience (ask rhetorical questions, include detail they can
relate to)
• Repeat points (Use anaphora - 3 part list)
• Use language to grip your audience
• Don't shy away from being biased: if you want to persuade your
audience to think like you, use every trick in the book!

39
Paper 2 Section B

Responding to non-
fiction texts

40
Paper 2 Section B

In this part of the exam you will be asked to answer questions on a media
text and a piece of personal writing. You have an hour to answer questions
on each text and to compare the differences and similarities between
texts.

Top Tip 1 - The first time you read the exam texts, answer these
questions briefly on each text:

Who wrote/published it?

What is it about?
Where would you find it?
When was it written?
Why was it written?

Top Tip 2 – Learn the meanings of the key terms below.

Key terms for analysis of media and non-fiction texts

Layout How a text is laid out on the page

Fact Something that can be proved
Opinion A personal point of view
Headline The large text introducing an article
Statistics Facts, figures and graphs
Caption The information under a photograph/image
Photographs Photographs used for effect e.g. to show what a place looks like,
to create drama, emotion, etc.
Long distance/close Distance from which the photo is taken
up
Emotive language Words or phrases that appeal to your feelings
Rhetorical question Questions asked for effect rather than an answer
Pun A play on words for humorous effect
Slogan Catchword or phrase e.g. Just Do It!
Tone The way in which the text is written e.g. angrily
Alliteration Repeating sounds for effect
Repetition When a word or phrase is repeated for effect
Formal Official style of writing
Informal Chatty or casual style of writing
Bullet points A big dot to highlight key points
Bias The opinion that the writer wants you to agree with
Presentational Ways of presenting things on a page
devices
Content What the article is about
Article Non fiction writing in a newspaper or magazine

41
Logo Easily recognisable company design e.g. Nike tick
Masthead The name of the newspaper on the front page.
Representation The way in which a group, person or place is presented by the
media
Target Audience A group of people ‘targeted’ by the media

For each passage, questions may cover:

• The viewpoint - who is writing? Is the narrator biased?

• The audience (who it was written for) and purpose (why it was
written).

• The content/ideas eg use of facts – “Belfast is a large city in

Northern Ireland” and opinions – “Belfast has the best shops in
Northern Ireland”.

• The structure - how it is put together. Look for:

o Introduction of topic.
o Development of argument/ideas, paragraph by paragraph.
Look how this is done using examples, statistics, advice,
expert opinion, details, anecdotes, interview, questions.
o Conclusion or summary finishes the piece.
o
• The language - Look at how words are used to create certain effects
eg. outrage, persuasion, humour.

• The presentation - ie. layout, headings, font size, colour, photos,

logos, etc.

Activity

Read the following two texts, annotate them using as many of these key terms
as possible. See how many features you can find. When you annotate focus
on the effect of these features on the reader e.g. The headline of this article
introduces the theme of the article in a clear and amusing fashion.

42
Text 1

43
Text 2

Tiny changes make big difference to planet

Paul Brown, environment correspondent
Tuesday December 30, 2003
The Guardian

As Britain throws away the extra 2.5m tonnes of rubbish generated by Christmas, the
Environment Agency is urging people to make a pledge to help save the planet.
Taking a shower rather than a bath, planting a tree, and cutting down the daily car mileage
are among its 60 suggestions for reversing the trends destroying the British environment.

In its annual report it says that small efforts by a sufficiently large number of people can make
a big difference. And, by counting the pledges, it hopes to calculate how big a difference the
country is making.

For example, if every driver took one fewer car journey a week, average nine miles, it would
cut carbon dioxide emissions from traffic by 13%.

Recycling and composting waste, rather than throwing it away as rubbish, can reduce council
tax bills as well as saving the environment. Many of the trends which make life more or less
pleasant are made up of millions of individual actions by people who do not think about the
consequences.

Barbara Young, the agency's chief executive, said: "Some aspects of the UK's environment
are improving. Air and water quality is better now than it has been for decades.

"The 20th century's peasouper smogs and toxic rivers are gone for good. But in some areas
progress is slower. And some things are getting worse. If we all resolve to do something
where we live for a healthier environment, then together we can make a difference."

One of the more serious and increasing local problems is flytipping, reported cases of which
rose by 20% last year. The agency hotline for reporting fly tippers is 0800 807060.

The blackspots are Stratford, Harrow, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Rotherham, Bracknell,
and Preston.

The worst air pollution is in Redcar and Middlesbrough, Cleveland; Blackpool, Lancashire;
Thurrock, Kent; Southend, Essex; Brent, north Kensington, Bexley and Eltham, London; and
Norwich, Norfolk.

Some of the agency's comments will make uncomfortable reading for ministers.

For example, it points out that aircraft contribute about 3.5% of the pollution that causes the
greenhouse effect, and that if the polluter pays principle, which in theory is government policy,
were applied, it would add £280 to the price of a return ticket to Australia.

Another area where government intervention and policies are still insufficient is farming
methods and land use.

Sediments from soil erosion have harmed more than half the trout spawning beds in 51 river
reaches in England, and farming practices are still damaging soil. Flooding, particularly
muddy floods, are increasing because farmland is left bare of crops and grass.

The director of Friends of the Earth, Tony Juniper, said: "It is crucial that we all do what we
can to improve the quality of our environment, but it is also important that business and the
government take the agency's advice, too.

"Unfortunately, as the recent decision to massively expand British airports shows,

environmental issues are frequently marginalised in order to promote outdated and
unsustainable economic policies."

44
Comparison grid for non-fiction and media texts

Features Text 1 Text 2

Form

Purpose

Audience

Main
argument/point

How is it
developed?

Language
devices

Structural
devices

Presentational
devices

Which is more
successful?
Why?

45
Techniques that writers use to make texts persuasive:

Anecdotes Short personal stories which help prove a point and

provide interest.
Assertion Something stated as though it must be true but
not backed up with facts e.g. ‘GCSE exams are
obviously becoming easier’
Discourse Words which link points and develop a line of thought
Markers e.g. `although...' `as a result of...'
Emotive Language used to make a reader feel a particular
Language emotion e.g. anger, pride, pity.
Facts Things that can be proved to be true. Useful for
supporting an argument, e.g. Belfast has a population of
approximately one third of a million.
Humour Makes your writing lively

Imagery Creates an image/picture in your mind

Language i.e. metaphors and similes
Opinion Things that one person believes but which somebody
else might not believe. Opinions of `experts' are useful
in persuasive writing e.g. Belfast is the greatest sports
city in the UK.
Repetition Repeating key words or ideas to emphasise
Rhetorical Questions which raise the emotions of the reader and
Questions do not expect an answer, e.g. `We all know that things
need to change, don't we?' They are used in persuasive
writing to encourage the reader to think in the same
way as the writer.
Slogans Powerful, maybe witty phrases to sum up key ideas.

Features of The way words, pictures, graphics, paragraphs, lines of

layout and text, headings, subheadings and symbols are arranged
presentation on the page. This affects the way something is read,
especially in leaflets, adverts, newspaper articles etc.

Opening/ To grip your reader e.g. an anecdote e.g. a final

Ending powerful point

46
Defining Style

Style describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's
word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence
arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in
the text. Style describes how the author describes events, objects, and
ideas.
One easy way to understand literary style is to think about fashion styles.
Clothes can be formal and dressy, informal and casual, athletic, and so
forth. Literary style is like the clothes that a text puts on. By analogy,
the information underneath is like the person's body, and the specific
words, structures, and arrangements that are used are like the clothes.
Just as we can dress one person in several different fashions, we can
dress a single message in several different literary styles:
Informal
"Nothing like that ever happened," Tony replied.
Formal
"With great fortune, that happenstance did not become a reality,"
Tony stated.
Journalistic
"It did not happen," Tony said.
Archaic
"Verily, it was a circumstance, to be noted, that appeared not to so
much have been a reality as to have evolved as a thing that had not yet
come to be," Tony impelled.
Activity:
The style that an author uses influences how we interpret the facts that are
presented. Consider the differences between the following sentences:
1. He's passed away.
2. He's sleeping with the fishes.
3. He died.
4. He's gone to meet his Maker.
5. He kicked the bucket.

The version of the sentence that a writer chooses tells us a lot about the
situation, the speaker, and the person being spoken to (the audience).

47
Elements of Style

Specific Element Examples

Formal/informal dialect, colloquialisms, use of slang
Choice of vocabulary rich in description
Function to discredit, to criticise, to mock or
make fun of, to praise, to support,
etc
Imagery creates an image/picture in your
mind – use of language i.e.
metaphors and similes
Technical Devices repetition/ alliteration/
onomatopoeia
Sentence length and variety/ simple/
compound/ complex/ exclamations/
questions
Variety in paragraph construction short sentences for dramatic
effect, longer sentences to provide
detail

48
A* in English

1. A* writers are fluent, assured, confident and often individual or

quirky. They take risks in their writing.

2. Most importantly, A* writers use a variety of simple and complex

sentences. Sentence variety is the key. They may start a paragraph
with a short, simple sentence. They may use some sentences which
coordinate ideas with “and”, “but” or “or”. They will also use complex
sentences. But the key is variety – no single style dominates.

3. A* writers use vocabulary which is descriptive (but not too flowery),

precise, visual and occasionally unexpected. They use simple, familiar
words as well as more complex ones. Their writing helps us to see what
they are describing or to understand the ideas they are explaining

This is A* writing:
Describe the room you are in.

This room is prison-like. It feels somehow as if I am trapped here,

imprisoned, even though the window is open, the door ajar, and a breeze
drifts in from outside. All the same it is a prison, a place where I am
locked each evening until I’ve completed my homework. It ought to be a
private place of enjoyable study; instead, sadly, with the exams looming,
it’s a place I loathe.
(= variety of sentences, variety of vocabulary)

This isn’t A* writing:

Describe the room you are in.

The room is small and like a prison. I feel as if I am trapped here because
of all the work I have to do before the exams. A window and door are
open and there is a soft breeze but it still feels to me like a prison cell.
(= lack of variety of sentences and predictable vocabulary)

49