Coursework planning

COURSEWORK

Planning

TASK

The emphasis in this unit is on your own independent research

and reading around a chosen topic to develop your skills as a

writer.

you will:

• Choose a topic area and one core text as a focal point.

• Read widely around the topic

• Use your study of your core text and your wide reading as a

stimulus to create your own texts.

TASKS:

Three pieces of writing (80 marks):

One piece of literary writing (21 marks)

One piece of non-fiction writing (21 marks)

One analytical, evaluative commentary (38 marks)

Word limits:

2500-3000 words maximum for the writing

1000 word maximum for commentary

FICTION TASK

Produce a piece of Dystopian fiction that explores a theme of

your choice. This could be a short story or extract from a

novel.

Make sure you choose a theme that you can also write a non-fiction article about

GENRE AND CONTEXT

Remind yourself of the conventions of dystopian literature, then make notes on how

your text will conform to each convention.

GENRE AND CONTEXT

Dystopia is the result of someone’s utopia going wrong. For example Gilead is

supposed to be set up to protect women and increase a falling birth rate. Ingsoc is the

Socialist ideal of an equal society.

What was the utopian vision that has led to your dystopia?

GENRE AND CONTEXT

Remember, an effective dystopia is one where the audience recognises elements of our

current society. What elements of our current society/real life will yours have?

What real life events from history could you include?

PLOT

What scene/s do you want to present to the reader? This should help you explore your

theme above.

RESEARCH AND WIDER READING

What reading/research will you need to do to make your writing convincing?

E.g ‘read up on process of cloning’; ‘research CCTV technology’; ‘examples of

naturalistic dialogue’

Browse the ‘wider reading’ section of Blackboard for help.

WHAT LIT/LANG. TECHNIQUES WILL I USE?

• Narrative point of view and voice (first, third person etc.)

• Structural techniques – flashback, suspense, non-chronological order

• Imagery

• Dialogue

• Neologisms (new words)

• Suspense

A2 LANG/LIT COURSEWORK

Themes

THEME

The exam board rules:

• “The Human Experience”

• Has to be present in your source text

• Same theme in your non-fiction task. E.g. Theme of surveillance –Dystopian world

where poor are watched by Rich in their homes plus article discussing the effect of

widespread surveillance in the UK.

Top Tip:

• The more links to source the easier and better your commentary will be.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

• Loss of Identity

• Pain and Suffering

• Sexual discrimination

• State control of the individual

• Group and individual identity

• Language and Power

• Oppression

• Rebellion

1984

• State control of the individual

• Totalitarian regimes

• Surveillance/technology

• Group and individual identity

• Language and thought

• Oppression

• Rebellion

• Pain and suffering

WHAT NOW?

Find one or two extracts (approx. half page to a page) from your source text that explore

your chosen theme. If you want smaller extracts find more than 2.

Use them:

• To provide you with ideas to explore in your theme (e.g ideas about language and

thought in 1984)

• As a style model (copy the lit/language techniques used then write about these in your

commentary)

• Photocopy/print out your extracts so you can annotate them

DEADLINE

•Draft of fiction piece: due in

FRIDAY 10th OCTOBER (next

Friday)