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Help! Edexcel English literature and language genre studies paper

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
If anyone else is on this course and is also doing the genre studies paper on Friday, help me!

I'm doing a pratice paper now and the analysis of the individual texts is fine, but as part of the answer you have to talk about how your knowledge of literature and language and the techniques involved helped you answer...I'm stuck on that bit. Now I know you have to put some reference in to books you've read, but I'm really unsure as to what to put. The texts on the paper I'm doing are mostly from 19th century, so I'm don't know if I write that I recognised the archaic language because its different to what we use today or what.

I have to do well on this paper because I seriously bolloxed up yesterday's paper.

If anyone has done this already or is doing it this year, any tips would be greatly appreciated. I also want to read a past answer so I can know if I'm doing the right idea, so if anyone knows where I can get one from I'd be really grateful. I've tried google, but just uni stuff turns up.

Argh. Help someone please, I'll love you forever. :)
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I only take English Literature on its own but also have an exam on Friday, on Comparing Texts or something!

    We have Assessment Objectives so I wonder if you have a similar structure. Are you asking about the techniques of the author and why they are used in the text?
    Eg - for archaic language, you could mention this throws back to medieval periods, used by the author to give a gothic element to the text. It reminds us of darkness, and adds to the dark atmosphere. Then comment on the setting or something from the text to back this up?
    Or if its historical text then that may have some other significance.

    I don't know if that's the type of thing you're looking for or not! But saying stuff like that hits multiple objectives such as techniques and context, and they like that!

    Are you doing The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner 'cos I got an A on that!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This is A level, right?

    I'm doing the Poetry and Drama paper on Friday, English Lit A level. We have assessment objectives to cover too.

    I don't quite get what you're asking so I don't know if I'll be able to help but do you mean you get an unseen poem or piece of prose to look at and have to discuss it/write a critical commentary on it? If so, that's what I have to do on Tuesday. I would give you lots of tips but I'm not sure if that's what you're asking, so... can you clarify?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I did WJEC lang/lit so we didn't have this paper, but we did have to include what we found 'useful' for commentaries and I've just done something similar for my degree

    Basically as far as I can tell they want to know that you understand how to apply techniques and haven't just learnt something parrot fashion.
    So you write something like
    " in (insert name of text) the study of lexis was particularly useful as it highlighted the archaic vocabulary resulting form the period in which the text was written", then give some egs of archaisms (and explain WHY they're archaic if you can) and voila!
    This pretty much goes for any technique really - highlight it, give examples, explain why it's there and why you found it interesting

    Also just a general tip - NEVER write 'word' on a critical paper - always adjective, noun, modifier etc - trust me on this - my lecturer at sixth form college was a chief examiner!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well it's tomorrow!

    I've been studying my english language text book and am now armed with terms etc. I did a practice paper this week and my English teacher said I had the right approach.

    It's Lit and language, so more based around english language, but thank-you lit students.

    cymruangel - Thanks. Yeah I think I'm just going to say what in the text helped me identify the approach and how language used is specific to that style of text. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for texts that would be fairly easy to analyse! I need to pull my grade back up after the dismal exam on Tuesday.

    Just have to remember to write intelligently and concisely.
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