LAYOUT OF EXAM
There are TWO papers.
Total mark per paper - 200 marks
PAPER 1
2 hours 50 minutes
Roughly 1 hour and 25 minutes for each section
There are TWO sections.
1. Comprehending (100 marks)
2. Composing (100 marks)
Note: Three separate tasks are examined on Paper 1
Comprehension - Part A (50 marks) (roughly 40 minutes)
Functional Writing - Part B (50 marks) (roughly 40 minutes)
Composing (Essay, speech etc.) (100 marks) (roughly 1 hour and 25 minutes)
PAPER 2
3hours and 20 minutes
Roughly one hour for each section
There are THREE sections
1. The Single Text (60 marks)
2. The Comparative Study (70 marks)
3. Poetry (70 marks)
Paper 1
You are expected to read Paper One fully i.e. read all the texts as you would a magazine.
They will give you material for the compositions which are also based around this central theme.
You will actually be rewarded if you creatively use material from the texts in your composition!
Think about REGISTER and the LANGUAGE AREAS (i.e. information, argument, persuasion etc.) in Composition Writing.
For instance, your writing for a "popular magazine" (Composition 3) will be a bit different to that used in a "serious newspaper or journal" (Composition 1).
Paper 2
Know your SINGLE TEXT well - be clear on CHARACTER, THEMES and IMAGERY - above all, learn some apt quotes. They make it obvious that you know the text and this impresses the examiner.
POETRY
You DON'T need to know all the poems of a particular poet equally well. Try to cover a range of his/her poetry - but concentrate on the ones that affected you most and be able to explain HOW and WHY they affected you (even if you hated them!)
THE COMPARATIVE STUDY
Beware of studying the texts as separate works. The skill here is what it says - Comparative - so your job is to find links between the three texts and show how they are either alike or different.
You do not need to make close studies of the Comparative texts - this is a waste of time. After you have read the text go back and select KEY MOMENTS.
Here is an outline of the differences. Make sure you try to put them into practice.
SINGLE TEXT and COMPARATIVE
Read text closely Vs Read for story
Trace Character development Vs Search for key moments
Know Themes Vs Know the modes
Plot and subplot
Revist the key moments
Language and Imagery
Put the similarities and differences together
Role of minor characters
Find links
