1. Achieving A/A* in the writing
section of the exam

2. Objectives
• 1. To answer any questions you may have
about this section of the exam.
• 2. To offer you tips which will help you to
tick the top end of the mark scheme.

3. The question…
• Students will:
• • demonstrate their skills in reflecting on ideas, issues,
• experiences and events, rather than on their narrative or
• descriptive skills
• • write in a form such as a newspaper article, formal
report,
• magazine review or a contribution to a media
programme.
• The target audience for the communication will be given
• • reflect and comment on contemporary issues,
situations or
• problems that are within their general experience – such
as
• lifestyle, school/college life, local issues or national
issues that
• affect young people.

5. Mark Scheme

6. Structure
• This is not just talking about ‘writing in
paragraphs’. This is taken for granted.
• The STRUCTURE that the mark scheme
is talking about here is COHESION
between paragraphs.
• This is a feature that usually only the more
able students are able to implement.

7. Cohesion
• This basically means that when you begin
a new paragraph, you think about what
your last paragraph said, and you try to
link them together.

8. For example…
• And its not just that!
• But look at it another way.
• So what should you do next?

9. Sentence lengths/types
• One of the most important things you have
to do in writing tasks is to vary your
sentence types and lengths for effect. Like
this:
• “As teenagers, we often have the rough
end of the deal, and are forced to walk the
streets like lions on the prowl, searching
for the slightest morsel of entertainment
on a cold and wet winter’s evening. This
will not do!”

10. Sentence types
• We are not happy. = SIMPLE
• Because of this, we are not happy. =
COMPLEX
• We are not happy and we will not put up
with it. = COMPOUND

11. However…
• All of these things are pretty basic. In
order to ACHIEVE a the highest level, we
have to be BRAVE and SHOW OFF
again.

12. Tip 1 – Pretend someone is there!

13. Pretend someone is there
• I know this sound stupid, but I believe it really
works.
• Don’t see this exam as a ‘pointless exercise’.
• Whoever you are told to write to, actually
imagine them reading your letter/article etc when
you are writing it.
• Imagine their reaction to your words.
• Imagine any arguments/questions they may
have and make sure you have answered these
in your writing.

14. Tip 2 – Pretend to Care

15. Pretend to Care
• Whatever the question is that is thrown at
you, you CARE DEEPLY about it.
• Why?
• Because if you pretend you care, just for
45 minutes, it will show in your writing.
• I realise many of you don’t care about
litter, or youth clubs etc.
• But if you PRETEND that you do, it will
make your writing far more impressive.

16. Example…
• When I walk around my local area and see
the beautiful canal choked up with
discarded bottles and cans, it makes my
blood boil!

17. Tip 3 – It is OK to cheat

18. It’s ok to cheat
• English is probably the only subject in school
where it is OK to cheat. In fact, all of the best
students do it.
• What I mean by this is that you can lie, make
stuff up, exaggerate…
• And you get rewarded for it!
• By putting made up facts, figures and quotations
into your writing, it makes the writing far more
interesting and convincing.
• No one cares if you’re telling the truth or not!

19. Example…
• And it is not just me who thinks this. Last
week, our local newspaper (The Maghull
Champion) published a startling statistic. A
survey carried out amongst local youths
reported that 74% of youths aged 11-16
drop litter because ‘they do not feel there
is enough punishment for those who do’.
In a town where some 1,324 residents fit
into this age bracket, it would appear that
we have a major problem on our hands!

20. Tip 4 – Don’t be afraid to be OTT

21. Over the top…
• It is hard to be OTT in this exam. Any
attempt you make to be EMOTIVE or to
use IMAGERY will simply be seen as
effort to make your writing stand out.
• There is nothing worse than reading a
bland response where you can tell that the
candidate is simply counting down the
minutes.

22. Example…
• When I was given the opportunity to write
this article, I simply could not pass it up. I
feel so passionately about this issue, and I
believe that you should too…

23. Tip 5 – Get the introduction right

24. Introduction
• It is absolutely essential that you allow
your intro to make an impression on the
reader.
• You may want to begin with a rhetorical
question to involve the reader directly.
• You may want to start on a mysterious
note to leave people wondering (making
them read on)
• My tip is, leave the ‘purpose’ of your letter
til the END of your first paragraph.

25. Example…
• Carrier bags. Used needles. Dog faeces. Hardly
things which we would associate with our ideal
English country scene. Yet, increasingly, these
and other ‘blots on the landscape’ are becoming
increasingly commonplace for residents in areas
such as ours. Once upon a time, this area would
have been seen as desirable – even enviable!
But do people think about it the same way now?
I’m Jessica Brown, a local resident, and I am
writing to you to discuss my concerns about litter
in our local area, and what I think needs to be
done about this growing epidemic.

26. Tip 6 – Use imagery
• Metaphors, similes, emotive language.
• It is all good, so make sure your writing is
FILLED with it!
• ‘out of control’
• ‘makes my blood boil’
• ‘brings a tear to my eye’
• ‘epidemic’
• ‘blot on the landscape’
• Etc
• We all know tons of ‘sayings’, so get them in
there. It shows that you are thinking!

27. Tip 7 – Plan, plan, plan
• One of the main problems that people
seem to face when completing a writing
task such as this is that they ‘run out of
steam.’
• Do not let this happen to you.
• Use a spider diagram in order to help you
structure your work.
• Each leg is a paragraph, and each hair on
the leg is a sentence or focus.

28. • Often, the problem is that people can think
of points to make, but they can’t think of
ways to ‘pad the paragraph out’.
• There are loads!
• Quotes from residents
• Surveys
• Anecdotes
• etc

29. Plan in advance
• Those of you who are more able will be able to
make a rough plan before you even know the
question.
• If you know you are going to start off
‘mysteriously’ or with a rhetorical question, you
should be able to make this fit any topic.
• Likewise, if you know that your first paragraph is
going to be discussing the findings of a recent
survey, then this should be interchangeable too!

30. Task!
• There have been a number of serious
traffic accidents involving
• children on a busy road in your area.
• Write a letter to your local Council,
suggesting ways in which such
• accidents could be avoided.
• 10 minutes, write the first two paragraphs.
• Go!