study tips for english language and english literature in y11

STUDY TIPS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE IN Y11 By the end of Y10 you should have completed all of your written Controlled Assessments: English Language (40% of the overall mark)   

Imaginative Writing - Story and Newspaper Article Spoken Language – Tony Blair’s Speeches ‘Of Mice and Mice’ – The significance of violence in the novel

English Literature (25% of the overall mark) 

Literary Heritage – Poetry of Wilfred Owen and ‘Macbeth’

Check your grades with your teacher as soon as possible and decide if you need to re-sit any Controlled Assessments

Studying for your English Language and English Literature Exams English Language   

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You will have 1 exam in June 2015 There are 2 papers – Reading and Writing The Reading Paper tests several skills: can you read and understand; interpret; support your ideas with evidence from the texts and do you understand how a writer uses language and structure to support their ideas The Writing Paper – gives a choice of things to write about to show you: understand who you are writing for and why; you can structure your writing appropriately and can use a range of vocabulary, punctuation and sentences structures for effect

English Literature   

You will have 3 exams in May 2015 There are 3 questions: Prose from Other Cultures - ‘Of Mice and Men’, Modern Drama - ‘An Inspector Calls’ and Contemporary Prose and Poetry ‘Lord of the Flies The questions will test your understanding of the texts and how the writers use a variety of literary devices to present character, setting, mood etc

Study Tips for English Language Reading        

Read non-fiction texts: e.g. adverts, newspapers, film or game reviews – don’t forget reading online counts too (but not Facebook!) Read as often as possible to increase the speed of your reading As you read look closely at the punctuation writers use to create different effects in their writing As you read think about the words and phrases writers chose and why they choose them Look at how different texts are set out on the page – e.g. how are pictures, fonts, text boxes used? Practise following an argument in a piece of writing – can you tell what the main points are? Practise PEE chains – particularly focus on how you explore the points you make Compare different texts on the same subject – e.g. read articles about a celebrity and think about how the writers may have similar or different ideas

Writing 

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Make sure you understand how to use all the important types of punctuation – fullstops, commas, question marks, semi-colons, colons, exclamation marks, parenthesis/brackets, ellipsis, dashes Make sure you understand when to begin a new paragraph TiP –ToP! Re-write/draft sections of the work you do in class to improve them and then check with your teacher If you find spelling difficult – look back in your work and practise spelling the words that you frequently get wrong or are common spelling mistakes e.g. their/there/they’re Make sure your handwriting is readable – if you find this difficult practise writing out passages so that you get faster and neater

English Literature       

Re-read your exam texts: ‘Lord of the Flies’, ‘Of Mice and Men’, ‘An Inspector Calls’ and Carol Ann Duffy poetry as often as you can You cannot rely on just reading the books in class! Watch the film versions – but do not rely on them; they are slightly different, so make a note of any differences so you don’t get confused! Don’t just read your exam texts - read other books too (there are some good ones – talk to your friendly Librarian or English teacher) As you read make notes about the type words and phrases the writers use and the effect it creates Make notes about the characters – e.g. what they are like, how the reader might react to them, how they interact with other characters Make sure you understand ‘Literary Techniques’ and why a writer would use them: e.g. metaphor, simile, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, structure, stanza etc

General Tips       

You will learn all the skills you need in lessons but the best way to do well is to practise Complete homework when it’s set Use appropriate web-sites to help you revise e.g. BBC Bitesize Start revising at the beginning of Y11: the exams aren’t until May but you have lots to remember! Do as many practice papers as you can – you teacher can give you them Make work done in MFT T Star classes count, this is a time to develop your skills Attend revision classes every week