Sally Jones - How Do I Improve My Grades in GCSE Writing?

Title Page

HOW DO I IMPROVE MY GRADES IN GCSE WRITING?

by

Sally Jones

and

Amanda Jones

Publisher Information

Published by Guinea Pig Education

2 Cobs Way, New Haw

Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3AF

www.guineapigeducation.co.uk

Digital edition converted and distributed in 2014 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright 2014 Sally Jones and Amanda Jones

Written by Sally A Jones, Amanda C Jones, Annalisa Jones

Illustrations and photographs by Annalisa Jones

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or copied for commercial purposes and profit without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Dedication

For Ana-Maria, Vlad, Rahan, Katie,

Mahir, Serene, Nisha and Caroline

Getting Started

LEARN SOME

BASIC GCSE LANGUAGE

ON THE NEXT FEW PAGES.

Hi guys,

In this book, I am going to show you how to interpret what the examiner requires in a typical writing task; how to gauge the right tone and the right language; and the techniques you can use to write a well structured response.

What do I mean by this? Well, lets take a look at a typical writing task that might appear in your GCSE exam: Write an article for your school magazine, persuading students to join in an extra curricular activity, working with young disabled children. This may seem a fairly simple question, but it is important that you identify what the examiner wants and what is going to get you those extra marks. What form will your writing take? Will it be a report, an article, a letter or a biography? What will be the purpose of your writing? Well, there are several purposes: you can write to argue, persuade, advise, inform, explain, describe, review or even entertain.

The purpose of our question is to persuade, therefore, you must use persuasive language to convince your reader, to get him or her on your side and to see your point of view. For example, you could write: It would look extremely impressive to have this community volunteer work on your C.V. or We have no doubt that many students will wholeheartedly support the project. Both these examples are very persuasive and will convince the reader to support your cause. It is also essential that you identify with the reader, getting him or her to think in a certain way, whilst using, different stylistic techniques. For instance, the following example uses a group of three and alliteration to reinforce the writers message: We are positive that working in the community as a volunteer will be rewarding. We know it will enable you to become a caring, cooperative and compassionate individual.

To impress the examiner, you must use all those persuasive, rhetorical techniques: groups of three, anecdotes, emotive language and rhetorical questions. You will also need to use pronouns like you and we, that speak directly to the reader and encourage him, or her, to get involved. Therefore, it is extremely important that you use high level vocabulary, including powerful adjectives, verbs and adverbs. Use some repetition, some exaggeration, some linguistic devices, like alliteration. You can also use emotive words: The group is desperate for your support. The word desperate is extremely emotional; it tugs at your heartstrings, making you want to help.

What else do you need to consider before you start writing? Well, you need to ask, who are my target audience? If you write a blog on the internet for young people, it may be quite informal; you might use some non-standard English or colloquial language. You might write, Are you up for some volunteer work? This chatty style of writing is the way you write to friends. However, in your exam, you must always write in standard English , using good grammar and punctuation; this means, if you have to write informally, it is essential that you adapt the tone of your writing to target a teenage audience without using any slang, street talk or text language. Similarly, if you are writing to the head teacher, chairman of the governors or your local MP, you should write in precise and formal language. Remember, you must aim the content and style of your writing at your target audience, making sure, your choice of language and vocabulary suit the age and status of your reader.

I hope that wasnt too difficult. Carry on reading through this book and work through the activities, so you learn to identify what the examiner wants and what is going to get you those extra marks.

Step 1

If you are aiming for a C grade or above, take time to READ this book...

It would be disastrous if you could not read the longer words. Can you read the word disastrous?

To practise reading, you can dip into novels, magazines and newspaper articles?

Take time to EXPAND your vocabulary.

Record a list of words that you stumbled on the first time you saw them...

Step 2

Next, be aware of the importance of these two words:

Audience

Make sure you know what kind of people the writing is aimed at. A target audience could be:

• teenagers
• adult readers of a newspaper

Make a list of some more audiences.

Purpose

Make sure you know the PURPOSE of your writing. Is it to argue, persuade, explain, advise, inform, describe, review or entertain?

To get good grades your writing must suit the purpose and target audience. There must be clues in the language you use.

Writing can be:

FORMAL

Formal writing uses standard English. This is the way a newsreader speaks. Use formal language when addressing an adult audience.

It is essential that...

INFORMAL

Informal language uses non-standard English. It uses local dialect, colloquial English or slang.

That is cool...

If you have to write an informal piece in your writing task, you must not use colloquial language or slang. Instead you must use standard English, good grammar and punctuation. You must adapt the tone of your writing to target a teenage audience.

Step 3

To show off your analytical skills, use the:

POINT EVIDENCE EXPLANATION

technique. Use this for the understanding non-fiction examination tasks and for English literature essays, when you write about novels, Shakespeare plays or poetry. Do not use this technique in your short or long writing assignments.

Or alternatively use:

PETER

Example

POINT - The writer uses language to show strong emotion.

EVIDENCE - An example of this is when the narrator refers to, ....

TECHNIQUE - The writer uses figurative language, a metaphor to show...

EFFECT - This shows that something sinister is going to happen.

RESPONSE - The reader experiences a dark atmosphere and sits on the edge of his or her seat wondering what will happen.

To achieve a higher grade you can give a more sophisticated response.

Step 4

Know the stylistic techniques writers use to grab the interest of their readers.

1. Read the list of techniques and their meanings on the next pages.
2. Read the list again.
3. Now, cover it over and on a rough piece of paper jot down as many techniques as you can remember.
4. Repeat this task until you can write all the techniques from memory.
5. Finally, get someone to test you.

LITERARY TECHNIQUE -> Meaning

RHETORICAL QUESTION Is a question that does not need a reply. Are social networking sites all they are cracked up to be?

ANECDOTE Is a short personal story to illustrate a point. Even my gran keeps in touch with her friends on...

GROUPS OF THREE Three powerful adjectives are used together for effect. The internet is a powerful, effective and innovative tool.

SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE READER Use of second person pronoun you involves the reader.

USE OF PRONOUNS Using inclusive pronouns like we helps the reader to identify with the writer. We all know...