When responding to a comparison question, it's easy to fall into simple descriptive writing. You can't do that if you're aiming for a Band 4 or higher response! We've recently been looking at writing comparisons, and how to do this in a way that shows a wide range of ideas and comparisons whilst still remaining succinct - and all in 15 minutes! I can't emphasise enough just how strict this exam is for time. It's basically a mark a minute - and it's relentless. You need to make sure you're sticking to your time frames religiously, or you risk running out of time before you even get to this question. BUY A DIGITAL WATCH. Having a watch with clear time display is really valuable; having a watch that is digital is even better as it allows you to write your times at the top of the page. This question is worth 14 marks - equivalent to a couple of grades - so it's important you complete it. Anyway, here's the mark scheme: You'll notice that it's much more simple than the other mark schemes. I want to draw your attention to the middle bullets, though. Notice:
Basically, you're being marked on two things: 1. How many comparisons you can make; 2. How in-depth those comparisons are. Consider:
This is a basic mock-up of the five tiers of analysis - you need to ensure that you do the same in your writing. If you simply list comparisons, you're never going to get past 'comment'. Remember, you need to look at the writer as an architect who has made very specific choices! How to Respond - Planning You also need to make sure that your chosen comparisons are relevant to the question you've been asked. That itself isn't always easy. Take the question: In these two extracts, the writers present their feelings about the plight of the gorilla. Compare the ways in which the writers do this. I always recommend re-writing the question in order to fully understand what it is you're supposed to do. Take that question, which has been deliberately worded to catch you out, and play the examiners at their own game: Compare how the writers show their feelings about the gorilla's plight. See? It's almost a thousand times easier to understand. Annotating Annotation is your friend here. You're pushed for time, so you really don't want to waste any of it re-reading and trying to locate things because you're stuck for something to say. Go over your two texts, keeping in mind at all times exactly what you've been asked to look for (in the case of the question above, it's the feelings about the gorillas). Highlight the points and then look at them objectively - what are the similarities? You're looking for:
Make a plan, noting down at least three similarities that the texts share. Turn these into 'both' statements - these will be the basis of your answer. Top Tip! In your plan, don't bother writing quotes out. Instead, number the quotes on the sheet and refer to the numbers instead - then just use the quote when it comes to writing the essay. Writing the Response As always, open with an overview of the two texts: Both of these texts show a sense of frustration with how the gorillas are being treated by poachers and zoo visitors. Both writers feel a sense of frustration at the way gorillas are treated, although this frustration is presented in different ways. Once you've completed your overview question, you can clearly begin your 'both' statement responses, using the analysis guidance above (Miss Bradley v Mrs Vitty). Exemplar Response - 12 marks - Ria First, let's look at Ria's annotations: This is what a well-annotated piece looks like. Colour-coded, loads of selected ideas and clear annotations to guide her. There is absolutely no doubt that this in-depth annotation allowed Ria to spend more time crafting her response rather than thinking about what to say next. As you can see, this response goes into analytical depth - it tells us the effects of the writers' choices and compares the level of influence each writer has on the reader. What stops it getting 14 is that at times, it shifts too far into the effect on the reader, rather than focusing on the writers' intentions. The question is actually asking her to compare the way the writers present their feelings, so it would have been better to focus on their ideas and aims. Overall, an excellent example and not bad at all. Exemplar Response - 10 marks - Harrison Another example of good annotations here: Again, you can see colour-coding and a lot of quick notes that help Harrison understand what he has read. When it comes to writing the piece, he wouldn't even need to think about it - all of his ideas are already written down. I really like Harrison's overview paragraph at the start - it clearly shows his understanding of both writers' attitudes and feelings before he goes into deeper explanation.
Harrison's piece isn't as long as Ria's, but notice how he takes the time to embed his quotes - paragraph 2 does this particularly well. He manages to look at a range of quotes in a short space - he clearly supports his ideas. However, whilst there is lots of exploration, there isn't yet enough analysis - enough focus on why the writers have chosen specific things - to get him into Band 5. However, again, another good response with a clear understanding of how to use those 'both' statements. I also like how Harrison numbers his paragraphs so that he can keep track of the points he has made. So, what can we take from this? Here's a TL;DR:
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This paper is going to try to intimidate you. Don't let it. All you need to do is answer the questions using the skills you've learned. It's as easy as pie... If the pie is contained within a barbed-wire box guarded by wolves at the bottom of that dark, deep well full of skeletons from The Ring. Just kidding. You've got this.
Some key tips to remember:
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In a Nutshell...Paper 2 is a BEAST of a paper. In it, you have to read two non-fiction pieces, before analysing the language and structure of one and evaluating the success of a writer's techniques in the other. To finish, you have to compare the two texts thoroughly, looking at methods and techniques. Archives
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