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English Paper 1

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  • 23-05-2010 3:55pm
    #1
    caroline1111
    Registered Users Posts: 224 ✭✭


    Ok, so in my school, we've done absolutely nothing for paper 1 except the mocks... Any general advice? If a letter comes up, how long should we have it? How much are yis planning to write for each section? Is it true that its impossible to get a high mark with a short story, you're better off just making up an essay on the spot? :confused:


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    #2
    zam
    Registered Users Posts: 829 ✭✭✭zam


    For the Section B (letters etc.) I usually do a page of exam paper front and back and that suits me fine.
    For the essay I recommend exploring each type of essay you can do - I used to do short stories until I realised that I was TERRIBLE at them and that I was much better off doing another type. I personally like doing the persuasive essay/speech/debate/article, for me personally it's a lot easier to write and, unlike short stories, it's easier not to go off on a tangent and completely deviate from what you originally planned to write.
    Our teacher hadn't done any Paper 1 with us either but I practiced a few essays and comprehensions which helped. Look through the past papers to see the sort of things you're asked. Maybe hand your teacher up a couple of sample answers if you get the chance. Read newspaper articles/short stories to help you, trust me it really does help to read read read!


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    #3
    Reckoner91
    Closed Accounts Posts: 94 ✭✭Reckoner91


    zam wrote: »
    For the Section B (letters etc.) I usually do a page of exam paper front and back and that suits me fine.
    For the essay I recommend exploring each type of essay you can do - I used to do short stories until I realised that I was TERRIBLE at them and that I was much better off doing another type. I personally like doing the persuasive essay/speech/debate/article, for me personally it's a lot easier to write and, unlike short stories, it's easier not to go off on a tangent and completely deviate from what you originally planned to write.
    Our teacher hadn't done any Paper 1 with us either but I practiced a few essays and comprehensions which helped. Look through the past papers to see the sort of things you're asked. Maybe hand your teacher up a couple of sample answers if you get the chance. Read newspaper articles/short stories to help you, trust me it really does help to read read read!

    I actually prefer to do short stories for that particular reason. I find that once I start on a short story, my creativity starts to really work overtime and I start to get more and more ideas as I'm going along, while still keeping my original story the same, just with a few more twists that, in my opinion, help the story.


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    #4
    zam
    Registered Users Posts: 829 ✭✭✭zam


    Reckoner91 wrote: »
    I actually prefer to do short stories for that particular reason. I find that once I start on a short story, my creativity starts to really work overtime and I start to get more and more ideas as I'm going along, while still keeping my original story the same, just with a few more twists that, in my opinion, help the story.

    Sounds good! May work for some people, but I personally just start to get silly :P


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    #5
    fauxshow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 108 ✭✭fauxshow


    I think the key to Paper I is just practise practise practise! If you have a spare half hour/ forty five minutes do a Section A or B, they're worth the same amount of marks as the prescribed poetry question! There's a very good revision book Shortcuts to Success: English Essay Writing that covers all of Paper I in detail, I recommend buying that and spending a few hours reading it cover to cover, it seriously helped me. Good luck!


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    #6
    fufureida
    Registered Users Posts: 716 ✭✭✭fufureida


    fauxshow wrote: »
    I think the key to Paper I is just practise practise practise! If you have a spare half hour/ forty five minutes do a Section A or B, they're worth the same amount of marks as the prescribed poetry question! There's a very good revision book Shortcuts to Success: English Essay Writing that covers all of Paper I in detail, I recommend buying that and spending a few hours reading it cover to cover, it seriously helped me. Good luck!

    I might buy that just for a read before the exam. And yeah we havnt done paper one stuff either I got 94# in tge mocks though,.. I got seriously lucky with the short story I feel and I need help on question B's lol. I hate writing letters so I probs won't do that. I can't remember where the address goes half the time. I normally score high in the paper 1... An A1 in paper 1 and a c1 in paper too can give you a B1 overall! That sounds nice doesn't it? :D

    Would the letter be easy to get marks in? :/


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