Higher Close Reading Intro, tips and revision on last question!

nIn  English, the Close Reading part of the course aims to test fully your understanding of language. 

The text will be prose and it will be a piece of non-fiction, such as a newspaper article. 

nThe questions on the text will focus on three aspects of it:

1. nWhat the writer is saying (Understanding);
2. nHow the writer is saying it (Analysis);
3. nHow effectively he is saying it (Evaluation).

nIn the exam, you will see the letters U, A or E after each question. (Occasionally a question will test a combination of these.) This is to help you know what kind of answer is wanted.

nThe art of answering test questions in the correct way is called ‘exam technique’.

 

nOften, marks are lost not through lack of real understanding, but through a failure to grasp exactly what is wanted by the examiners in certain types of question.

Directed Questions

nThe questions in the texts of Close Reading in English are always ‘directed’. 

This means you will be told to look at a particular section of the text to find the answers. For example, you will be given pointers such as ‘in the first paragraph’ or ‘Look at lines.

nIt is very important that you follow these instructions carefully. It can be helpful to mark off the directed section in some way - with brackets, underlining or by means of a highlighter pen.

nDirection to a section of text is helpful as it saves time searching though the whole of it. 

nHowever, you must be sure to supply an answer from within the section you are directed to. If you choose an answer from outside the section you will get no marks. 

IMPORTANT!!!!

nFind the answer within the lines you are directed to in the text.

nNote the number of marks available and give an answer of a suitable length and amount of detail.

nLook carefully at what the question instructs you to do. Use your own words unless the answer asks you to quote. 

nNote carefully what type of answer is required:

nunderstanding (what is said),

nanalysis (how it is said) or,

nevaluation (how effectively it is said).

For revision on last question: Please see powerpoint at https://msbellamyenglish.wordpress.com/