Paper 1 Section 1 Tips (1 Viewer)

[John Andrews]

Hey all, first post
I have my half-yearly's in a week and it is on paper 1. Im reasonable at sec 2 and 3, its just section 1 which I am currently struggling with. If anyone has any tips that would be great. Also when I attempt practice papers, should I mark myself through looking at the answers or should I get someone else to do it for me.

Thanks, any help is much appreciated.

 

[RivalryofTroll]

The 2 markers or 3 markers tend to be straight forward.

Just answer the question, in regards to notions from your area of study i.e. belonging, and back it up with textual evidence (quotes, techniques and whatnot).

The 5 marker should be set out like a mini-essay to answer the question. A short introduction, 2 body paragraphs (they'll ask you to select 2 texts from the 3 or 4 that are there to analyse so 1 body per text) and a 1 line conclusion is usually sufficient.

There's usually a visual text (picture, photograph, cartoon or whatever) so make sure you know your visual techniques...

e.g. layout, salience, colour, proxemics, vectors, light/dark, images, medium and text (look at font, the actual words, whether its bolded, etc.)

You should ask someone else to mark it for you. E.g. your school teacher or a tutor.

Also, look at the marking criteria of trial papers like CSSA + Independent. They tend to give you really good marking guidelines so you kinda know the expectations coming from most teachers.

 

[Sammy Robinson]

My other "tip" would be to look at the wording of that last question. It's easy to misread it under exam conditions. Sometimes you are asked to COMPARE an idea running through the texts, at other times to DISCUSS a concept. This makes the response a bit different. Remember that the reading task is all about HOW things are being said/represented, not so much (especially in the later questions) on WHAT is being said about belonging. Features such as register, tone, person, structure, imagery in written texts will often give clues as to the writer's attitude to belonging. In visual texts, it's usually aspects such as colour (or its absence), salient feature, nearness of characters to each other, expressions on faces, background, shading and size that reveal the composers feelings about the subject. all the best.

 

[strawberrye]

You should definitely get a teacher to mark your practice responses whenever possible, try to do these exams under exam conditions as well as make sure you answer the question(s) and nothing but the given question(s). It is only by answering the questions firmly and as closely as you can that allows you to get the best marks possible

 

[typingtimtam]

- Okay, firstly with the 1 markers, make it as small and simple as you can, only 1 technique is needed.
- for 2 and 3 markers just answer the question and back it up with techniques. Always quote the line. However many marks the question is worth, use that many examples.
- for the last 5 marker, it's a mini essay. A couple of sentences for an intro (do a mini thesis type, have a sentence of an idea that you're going to represent in relation to the question) first body paragraph discussing the first text which represents the idea, the second body paragraph that discusses the second text and compare and contrast it with the first text. Then do a conclusion.

PM if you need more help