Question 4 - Presentational Features

Question 4 always asks you to look at the PRESENTATIONAL FEATURES of a text.

You also have to COMPARE one text to another.

Because of this, you might think that this is the most difficult question to answer. It is, in fact, the easiest.

To answer this question, just remember CLIFF H

Look at both texts, and think of something to say about each of the following:

C - Colours (Which colours have been used and why? What effect will they have on the reader?)

L - Layout (What can you say about the layout? How will it make the reader feel?)

I - Images (What are the pictures and diagrams like? What do they tell us? How do they make the reader feel?

F - Font (What sort of fonts have been used? How does this affect the reader?)

F - Formality (Does the text look formal or informal? Will this appeal to the Target Audience?)

H - Headings (Do they stand out? Will they appeal to the target audience?)


Work your way through each of these things, comparing each text and saying which one you think is best.

And that is it.

Here is an example of some paragraphs for this sort of question...

The first way that we can compare these texts is by the COLOURS that have been used. Text 1 uses a colour photograph of Johnny Depp dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. This appeals to the target audience, who are children, because it makes them look at the picture where they will recognise the character and be excited about the idea of the character turning up at a school. Text 2 is an advert for a festival, aimed at 18-30 year olds. This advert has used bright blues and greens to remind the reader of summer. This will appeal to the target audience because they will then hope for a bright summer to enjoy the festival. I think that text 2 is better here because the author has made more effort to appeal to the target audience.

The second way that we can compare the two texts is through the LAYOUT. The Layout in text 1 is very neat and tiday. THis is because it is an article from a newspaper. This is what we would expect from a newspaper, but it will not really interest the target audience who are children, because children normally want a bit more colour and variety in their layout to keep them interested as they are used to fun and graphic interactive activities like Ipads. The layout on text 2 is much more interesting with the information not all in straight lines, and different sized bubbles highlighting the main acts. This will appeal to the target audience more than the first text because the target audience of 18-30 year olds will want to go to this festival to have fun, and the layout makes it looks fun.

The next way we can compare the two texts is the by the IMAGES that have been used...

Do you see now how to use CLIFF H?

NW

Question 3 - Language Features

Question 3 always asks you about the LANGUAGE FEATURES that an author has used in one of the texts.

In order to do this well, I taught you a little trick to help you remember what to look out for.

Whatever the text is that you've been told to read, remember to use SWIPES. If you remember SWIPES, then you will know exactly what to highlight with your highlighter.

So, read the text, and look out for any of the following:


S - Sentences (Does the author use a mixture of sentence lengths? Long for adding information, short to grab people's attention)

W - Words (Does the author use and long or interesting words? What do these words make you think? Does the author REPEAT any important words?)

I - Imagery (Does the author use any similes/metaphors/personifications/alliteration/onomatopoeia to have an effect on the reader?)

P - Personal Pronouns (Does the author use you/your, or rhetorical questions to make you feel like the text is talking directly to you?)

E - Emotive Language (Does any part of the text make you feel angry, happy, excited, sad?)

S - Statistics (Does the author use facts and figures, surveys or quotes to back up what they are saying?)

Once you have remembered this, then answering the question is easy.


Highlight at least 5 of these things in the text, then turn them into PEE paragraphs.

So, imagine you have found interesting WORDS, STATISTICS, EMOTIVE LANGUAGE, SIMILES and SHORT SENTENCES in your text...

Paragraph 1 would look like this...

The first language feature that the author uses is INTERESTING WORDS. We see this where it says, 'Johnny Depp was ecstatic to make the visit.' This is a big word which draws our attention to this part of the article, and shows us how happy the actor was to be there.

Paragraph 2 might say...

The second thing the author does is to use STATISTICS. The text says that '60% of people on the island do not speak any English.' Using statistics makes the article sound more believable. It is also a very shocking statistic that so many people can not speak English.


If you write about 5-6 paragraphs like this, your answer will be GREAT!

NW

I will be posting stuff on here til 3!

Just to let you know.

NW

Questions 1 and 2

I will keep these posts simple so that they don't confuse you.

Remember:

1a - Simply asks you to find 4 pieces of information from the text and copy them into your answer booklet. Don't do anything other than highlight the four pieces of information it asks for and copy them in word for word. It is THAT simple!

1b and 2 - Both of these questions require skills of INFERENCE. That means that you have to read the text and WORK OUT stuff based on what you've been told.


Examples:

The first thing we learn from the text is to do with the monster. The text says, ' The monster smashed through the building with ease.' From this we can infer that the monster is big and strong, because the text says 'With ease'.

or

The first thing we learn about Johnny Depp's visit to the school is that it was totally unexpected. The text says, 'everyone gasped when he walked in'. this shows us people weren't expecting him, because you only gasp when you are shocked.

or

The first thing we learn from the text is that the match was very one sided. The text says, 'Manchester United struggled to get the ball.' This proves that the match was one-sided because it sounds like Manchester United couldn't even touch the ball because the other team were so good.

or

The first thing we learn from the text is that Barnford is a rough city. The text says, 'people didn't usually walk home alone in this city.' This implies people are scared about getting mugged.


You need to write about 3 paragraphs for 1b, and 5 paragraphs for 2.

Answering the WRITING questions

Here is a powerpoint that I made for people who want to get B or above in their WRITING questions.

Writing is your strong point in this class, so you should be aiming to get EXCELLENT marks in these questions.

So, read the powerpoint and make sure you follow what it says...

POWEWRPOINT

NW

FIRST - GENERAL RULES

If you obey all of these basic rules, you should be OK.

1. Stick to timings! I Have told you many times how long you should be spending on each question. Do NOT go over you time.

Section A

Reading Time - 15 mins


Question 1 - 12 mins

Question 2 - 12 mins

Question 3 - 18 mins

Question 4 - 18 mins


Section B

Question 5 - 24 mins

Question 6 - 36 mins


2. Take a highlighter (preferably more than one colour) and highlight anything interesting in any of the texts that you see. So, if you see any similes, metaphors, etc ...or even just big words, you have got them marked out on your sheet for later.

3. Always write in PEE for the SECTION A (Except for the first question - 1a) PEE paragraphs are what get you top marks. You MUST include EVIDENCE from the text in each paragraph.  If you don't you're wasting your time.

Blogging for today!

Hi everyone,

I will be putting revision materials on the blog by 2.30PM today.

Check back then to see lots of useful things to help you smash the exam.

Make sure you come to tomorrow's lesson too,

NW