| FRONT
PAGE
 Look
at the cover of the exam paper and READ all of the instructions
very carefully. This page contains a lot of important information
that you need to be aware of:
- the amount of time you have for the exam
- which questions you should answer
- how long you should spend on your answers
It
is really important that you take notice of this information -
you could lose marks if you don't read this page carefully.
SECTION A
This
section tests you on your ability to READ information which you
have not seen before and using that information, respond to a series
of questions.
You
will often find that the material which you have to read is attached
to, or slotted into, the exam paper. CHECK that you have this information
- it will tell you at the beginning of the section exactly what
you should have.
Read carefully the bullet-points at the top of the section. Again,
this information is there to HELP you and make sure you are answering
the question correctly. DON'T IGNORE IT because you think it's
a waste of time reading it. It's not!
In order to answer Section A as fully as possible, you must READ
the materials you are given. Don't fall into the trap of looking
at the question, and then trying to find the answer in the article.
You won't be successful - examiners want to know that you have
read and understood the material. The questions are designed to
make sure that you can only answer them if you have read the whole
lot first.
Look at the marks you can be awarded for each part of the question
- the more marks you can achieve, the more detailed your answer
must be.
Look also at how the questions are divided up - there will probably
be two or more parts to a question. Make sure you don't miss out
any answers.
Look for words or phrases in bold type - these gives you clues
about answering the question. Don't ignore them!
Any information which is presented in a list with bullet points
is also very important. This is a list of what the examiner will
look for in your answer. In other words, provide this information
because it is the answer!
Section B
This section tests your ability to WRITE in a particular style
and you are given a choice of three different styles. Think carefully
about which question you choose to do. It's no good choosing a
question that you don't feel very confident about.
To make the right choice, do the following:
- Read the instructions very carefully at the top of the section.
Notice you only have to answer ONE question. Don't do any more
than one - you won't get marks for it!
- You are advised to spend about an hour on this section. You
could achieve 54 marks on this section. This means that you will
be expected to plan and write quite a lengthy answer - about
2 sides.
- Look at the information in the box. If it's there on the exam
paper, it MUST be important, so make sure you read it and take
notice of it. Take particular notice of the fact that you are
actually told to PLAN and CHECK your work - examiners know if
you have done this, and if you do it well, you can pick up very
valuable marks.
- Each option tests a very different skill of writing - read
them carefully and decide which one you feel most confident about.
Look at the 'clues' given in the question - if you are told to
write a letter, make sure you know how to set a letter out on
the page. If you are told to write a newspaper article, make
sure you know what a newspaper article looks like and what you
need to include on your exam paper, to make it look convincing.
THIS SECTION REALLY IS WORTH A HUGE AMOUNT OF MARKS, S0 IT IS
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND
THAT YOU SHOW EVIDENCE OF A PLAN AND THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE CHECKED
AND CORRECTED YOUR ANSWERS IF NECESSARY.
If you finish before the 2 hours are up, don't be tempted to put
your head down and have a rest, or doodle over your exam paper.
It's worth going over your answers again, when you're not rushing
or trying to think while you write. The odd mark picked up here
and there through checking, can often be enough to move you up
to the next grade. |
