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How it works Twenty-five PowerPoint slides designed to help students to achieve the C grade at GCSE English. Try this! Rather than simply showing the whole thing in one go, it can be usefully divided into sections. Looking at PALL
first, and then focussing on how to PEE would give students a clear focus for their analysis of non-fiction and media texts. Slide 9 gives a mini example of a text for analysis – print it out and ask them to do a PALL analysis of their own on it, then compare it with the samples on slide 10.
Then this! Once they’ve done the business on a mini text, why not give them a selection of texts from past papers and ask
them to analyse them in the same way? Better still, put them up on sugar paper round the room as a sort of giant toilet postcards activity (see [Revision skills & exam preparation] Toilet postcard revision activity).
Or this! PALL also works for the writing sections, along with [Writing to argue, advise and persuade] Revising persuasive
techniques and students had obviously taken that on board this year, judging from the exam papers I marked. I would, however, alter slide 16 slightly to reflect all of the possible purposes – argue, persuade and advise as well as those to be found in paper 2. I’d also add some paper 1 type questions to slide 18, and then give different students different questions to plan. If you have an IWB or an OHP, it’s a good idea to model planning an answer – most students still don’t plan in exams, and it really does make a difference.
Complex, technical or simple. Formal or informal (such as using slang and
abbreviations). Literal or poetic / figurative. Factual/objective, or opinion based or emotive. Read the text thinking about the choice of words. AIM to pick out language details when you are
reading through the text – highlight words and phrases that stand out.
This is where the most marks are because it is a challenge. Explain whether the writing is:
There are two women in a picture and there is some green text. Also you can see the name Oxfam so this shows also the name of the charity.
The advert is persuasive and positive as it uses images of two women helping themselves to get out of poverty. The rhetorical question at the top is addressed to the reader to draw them into the advert and the colour green has been chosen because it is a positive colour that connects with the idea of a fresh start. Overall it is effective.
Exam questions Use the way of planning that you find easiest.
It might be a list of bullet points or some kind of diagram. Put all your ideas down quickly, then cross out what you don’t like and organise the rest into the best order.
Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? are questions that can help to get ideas.
Respect the reader. Include all the information they need. Make it make sense.
Exam writing questions 1. Explain how an incident from your life affected
you in an important way.
2. Teenage life can be fun but can be difficult, too; write an article for a school magazine in which you explain what it is like to be a teenager.
3. Many people have hobbies. Write about one of your hobbies discussing what it involves and means to you.
4. Write an article for a teenage magazine in which you explain one of the following: Friendship is ...; Bullying is ...; Success is ...; Growing up is ... .
Write an article for a teenage magazine in which you explain some of the pressures on young people today.
Being a teen is top! … … ISN'T IT?
You can’t open a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing about ‘terrible teens’. Apparently they don’t respect their family, their environment, their teachers, their uniform, or anyone or anything. The only thing they respect are celebrities, and of course teens are only focused on their selfish selves.
Exams and families do create stress but the greatest pressure is surviving all the negative press about teens.
According to the shock stories in the press, we all wear hoodies and baseball caps, never move without a gang surrounding us and we are never happier than when intimidating older people or hanging around on street corners.