Helpful Hints for writing an exam commentary or essay

1
Helpful Hints for writing an exam commentary or
essay

• Remember that unlike your oral commentary, a
  written commentary is NOT chronological you
  DONT write about the first line, second line and
  so on you must write thematically
• This means you have to use the 5 part structure
  youre familiar with formal introduction, 3
  sections and formal conclusion
• As a guide, your three section headings might be
  as follows S1. First Impressions, S2. Language
  and Structure, S.3 Tone and Attitude (see the
  following frameworks to give you an indication of
  what to write about in each section)
• You should carry a set of highlighter pens into
  the exam each highlighter pen should represent
  either a section heading, or, if you want to be
  more specific, a particular topic in each section
• Each section should have at least 2-3 paragraphs,
  and each paragraph should include a quote and
  follow the rule of three
• Remember in the explanation sentence you should
  try to focus on 1-2 KEY WORDS to help you analyse
  the quote it isnt enough to say This quote
  suggests.. or This indicates be specific!
• Time management is crucial if you follow the
  given frameworks, you shouldnt finish the exam
  in absurdly quick times
• Always give yourself AT LEAST 5 minutes to
  re-read your work this could make the greatest
  difference between borderline grades
• What follows, gives you a 7 step guide to how to
  prepare yourself for writing in the exam
• DONT PANIC !

2
Structure for Writing a Commentary on an Unseen
Passage Poetry (2 hour Paper)

• 1. Choosing the task
• Read both the prose and poetry text then choose
  one of these to attempt the task
• (10 mins)
• 2. Reading and annotating
• Read the title of the poem and the poem itself
  re-read the poem highlighting key words and
  phrases making marginal notes
• (20 mins)
• 3. Planning
• Note down ideas of what to write in your
  introduction, main essay (3 sections) and
  conclusion
• Include quotes in your planning
• Planning should take a third of your total
  writing time (ie. (120-30)/330 mins)
• (30 mins)
• 4. Introduction paragraph
• Start with the word When, giving one specific
  example of what the poem is about (eg. When the
  poet writes thatthis reveals)
• Explain briefly the effectiveness of your example
  (what effect it produces)
• Announce the three sections of your commentary
  (first impressions, structure/ language, poets
  attitude)
• Maximum 15 lines

Tips Use a different highlighter pen to
represent each section when annotating Avoid use
of 1st person I Avoid contractions cant,
wont etc. Avoid referring to poet as him or
her Avoid slang Avoid phrases such as
basically, it is obvious Use the Rule of 3
Point, Evidence, Analysis for main part of
answer Use literary terms to identify effects of
language
3
Structure for Writing a Commentary on an Unseen
Passage Prose (2 hour Paper)

• 1. Choosing the task
• Read both the prose and poetry text then choose
  one of these to attempt the task
• (10 mins)
• 2. Reading and annotating
• Read the title of the prose extract and the
  extract itself re-read, highlighting key words
  and phrases making marginal notes
• (20 mins)
• 3. Planning
• Note down ideas of what to write in your
  introduction, main essay (3 Sections) and
  conclusion
• Include quotes in your planning
• Planning should take a third of your total
  writing time
• (30 mins)
• 4. Introduction paragraph
• Start with the word When, giving one specific
  example of what the extract is about (eg. When
  the writer describesthis reveals)
• Explain briefly the effectiveness of your example
  (what effect it produces)
• Announce the three sections of your commentary
  (first impressions, structure/ language, writers
  attitude)
• Maximum 15 lines

Tips Use a different highlighter pen to
represent each section when annotating Avoid
generalities in the introduction Avoid use of 1st
person I Avoid contractions cant, wont
etc. Avoid referring to writer as him or
her Avoid slang Avoid phrases such as
basically, it is obvious Use the Rule of 3
Point, Evidence, Analysis for main part of
answer Use literary terms to identify effects of
language
4
Structure for Genre Essay Poetry (2 Hour Paper)

• 1. Preliminary
• Read both questions carefully, highlighting the
  key words phrases
• Choose your question re-write it in your own
  words (jot down the poems you might use)
• (10 mins)
• 2. Planning
• Planning should take up one third of your total
  writing time (ie. approx 30 mins)
• Jot down all your ideas for the intro, main essay
  (3 sections), conclusion
• Jot down useful quotes as you plan
• (35 mins)
• 3. Introduction paragraph
• Start with the word When and give a specific
  example from your reading that immediately links
  your essay to the question
• Refer back to the quote in the question (if there
  is one) or re-phrase the question to show how
  your example is relevant to the question
• Announce the three main areas of your essay (this
  will depend on the question)
• (10 mins max 10-12 lines)
• 4. Main essay
• This should include a three part structure your
  headings will depend on whether youre writing on
  poetry, prose or drama texts

Tips Avoid generalities in the introduction
Avoid use of 1st person I Avoid contractions
cant, wont etc. Avoid referring to poet as
him or her Avoid slang Avoid phrases such as
basically, it is obvious Use the Rule of 3
Point, Evidence, Analysis for main part of
answer Use literary terms to identify effects of
language
5
Notes on the Preliminary

• This part of your exam will set you up for
  planning and writing your essay
• It is worth investing in a set of highlighter
  pens so as to help you break down the meaning of
  the questions
• Choose your question carefully and re-write it in
  your own words if this helps
• Try to jot down the poems you might use in the
  essay

6
Notes on Planning Your Essay

• Planning is crucial because it is difficult to
  structure your essay and think about what you are
  going to write at the same time
• Once you have planned in detail what you are
  going to say, how you say this should come more
  easily and fluently
• Spend a third of your total writing time on
  planning
• In general total exam time (120 mins) -
  preliminary re-reading time (30 mins)
• Total writing time is 90 mins a third of this
  makes 30 mins for planning
• Remember the way you manage your time during the
  exam is very important

7
Notes on Writing Your Introduction

• Avoid all generalities in the introduction
• If the essay asks you about the way women are
  portrayed in poetry, do not start by writing
  Women are portrayed in many different ways in
  poetry.
• Your first sentence should always give a specific
  example from your reading, in a way that links
  the essay immediately to the question (one way is
  to begin with the word When)
• So, regarding the above example, When Thomas
  describes the farm wife in the first sentence of
  his poem Farm Wife, he gives the reader a
  stereotypical view of a woman busying herself
  with day to day routines.
• Be brief, to the point and clear about what you
  intend to write about in your main essay

8
Notes on Writing the Main Essay

• The main essay should always have a three section
  structure
• Why? Because two sections will not allow you to
  write with the necessary detail, and more than
  three sections would make the essay top heavy
  and unbalanced besides you would not have the
  prescribed time to write with enough detail in
  further sections
• So, regarding the previous example, the three
  sections of the essay on women in poetry could be
  as follows women portrayed positively women
  portrayed negatively women portrayed in
  ambiguous/indifferent terms.

9
Notes on Writing Your Conclusion

• Avoid over-elaborating in this paragraph
• You simply need to review what you have said in
  the three sections of your essay and summarise
  these in a sentence or two
• You should also attempt to suggest other ways in
  which you might have approached the question or
  alternative perspectives on the question
• For example, In this essay we have looked at the
  positive and negative roles of women in poetry
  written by men. Other approaches are possible.
  For example, to study in more detail how women
  portray themselves in poetry.