AO6 is your Everest. It's the mark scheme where students the country over consistently lose a vast number of marks due to simple, fixable errors. It's the mark scheme where teachers bang their heads against tables, weeping due to a careless mistake costing a student an entire grade (yes, it is that strict). It's the mark scheme that could mean the difference between a Grade 6 and a Grade 8 (really).
AO6 counts for 40% of your creative and transactional writing marks. Overall, it's a significant part of your GCSE; this is because the government are keen for students to leave full-time education with the ability to communicate ideas clearly and accurately. This is not a bad thing; a student with the ability to put across ideas eloquently and appropriately is going to achieve much more than someone who communicates with a prospective employer the same way they do their friends on Facebook. However, SPaG can be a difficult thing to master, especially if you suffer from dyslexia or another composition difficulty. The good news is that if you know what to do and you can use basic punctuation accurately, you can still achieve a good portion of the marks. The Mark Scheme
Notice that for Band 3, the only real requirements are:
In layman's terms, you just need to get it right to hit at least 9 marks. This is great news; it just means that you need to get your commas, semi-colons, capital letters and question marks in the right places, and you're still capable of getting more than half the available marks. However, also notice that for Band 1, the main idea is that of basic control. This means capital letters... Meaning that your mark will be severely affected if you forget to use these. Hitting Band 4 or Higher From the upper realms of Band 3 to Band 5, focus changes from accuracy to management. This means that you are making a jump from just using punctuation well and correctly, to using it specifically for effect. Compare: I hesitated. Was he out there? I didn't know what to do; I was lost, without hope. to I hesitated - was he out there? I didn't know what to do; I was lost - without hope. Both are accurately punctuated sentences, but note how the second writer manipulates and manages the hyphens in order to create the hesitation described in the sentence! This is an example of conscious crafting and examiners love it, because it shows that you have total control over the construction of your work and understand the relationship between punctuation and language. Band 4 and higher also requests a range of punctuation, meaning that you need to experiment with a wide variety of punctuation marks, including semi-colons and commas. Finally, it asks you to manage your sentences for deliberate effect. Again, compare: I went to the park. It was a beautiful day. I was with my friend Mike. He was glowing with happiness. to I went to the park; it was a beautiful day! I was with my friend Mike. He was glowing with happiness. The first uses simple sentences accurately, but in a boring manner. Note how the second adapts to create a rhythm and tone for the writing. Vocabulary A Band 4 or 5 writer has an extensive, often technical vocabulary. They will not always use the obvious vocabulary choices. However, be careful of this: Remember! Less is often more. You must ensure that your vocabulary is professional, clean, clear and impressive, but don't use too many 'posh' words or you'll lose the meaning of what you want to write. Think about swapping 'boring' words, such as good, bad, big, small, nice and said for better synonyms as a jumping-off point. Remember - the aim of the game, especially when writing a transactional piece, is to sound as little like a teenager as possible, and as much like a professional person as you can. This exam rewards formality and beauty, not slang. How to Get Better It's really easy to improve your punctuation:
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In a Nutshell...40% of your creative and transactional writing; 100% likely to affect any future job applications you make. Archives
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