1. To plan or not to plan.
All of the experts have finally agreed on one thing. Students usually go up by at least one grade only by planning their answers.
If you are a non-believer in answer plans you need to catch up with the technique pronto. Get hold of as many past exam questions as you can and work your way through them making a plan for every answer.
If you are already a dedicated planner things will only get better, continue what you are doing and search for your other weaknesses to further boost that grade.
2. Make you teacher earn their keep.
If you know what your other weaknesses are ask your teacher or tutor to help you eradicate them. Don’t forget that is what they get paid for. If you don’t know what your weaknesses are please read on. Hopefully you will recognize your weakness/weaknesses from the frequently occurring weaknesses that I have identified in my students’ work.
3. I can get by just watching the film about the book.
There are these things called books. You can borrow them free from libraries.
On a more serious note, watching the film of the book you are being examined on is simply not enough. Please read the books you are being examined on. In the exam you will need to be able to quote the book and comment on how characters are described in the book. You cannot do this by simply watching the film about the book.
4. I cannot understand.
Try to understand the significance of the important passages and motifs that occur in the book. For example try to understand the significance of commonly occurring objects like the conch or piggy’s glasses in the Lord of The Flies. Also it is important to try and understand how and why characters change during the story.
5. I don’t read around the subject.
Please read around the subject. Read other people’s views on texts you’re studying: use the internet but be selective with the sites that you read. In a good site the spelling and punctuation will be good and there won’t be any abbreviations like you use when you text your friends on the mobile.
6. I am shy.
Don’t be shy share your interpretations. Tell a friend or parent who doesn’t know the books that you are studying what it’s about. Tell them about the main characters and why the play/book is good. Let your listener ask you questions about the books and answer them. This should consolidate your understanding and show you what you need to find out.
7. I won’t get credit for that.
Read your finished work through. Are your capital letters and full stops in the right place? You will be credited for linking your paragraphs, accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. Also make sure you understand the marking scheme. An “A “grade is usually given for answers that are well supported with persuasive writing and evidence and a good measure of original thinking.
So what is it going to be? Are you going to sit there and be miserable or are you going to take action? That is, plan your answers and put into place the things I just told you and join the ranks of students that consistently achieve high grades.
About Sara Connerton