EnglishQ&A by dot point

Analysing a Scottish set text drama: reading a printed extract for dramatic technique (dialogue, stage directions, conflict, characterisation) and answering the final question that links the extract to the whole play.

Analysing a Scottish set text poem: reading the printed poem for poetic technique (imagery, sound, form, structure, tone) and answering the final question that links it to other poems by the same poet in the selection.

Analysing a Scottish set text prose: reading a printed extract for prose technique (narrative voice, characterisation, setting, structure) and answering the final question that links the extract to the wider text or the writer's other work.

Working through the set text analysis questions: recognising how the lower-tariff analysis questions and the final commonality question are marked, and managing references, quotation and timing across the 20 mark section.

Writing the creative portfolio piece: choosing a genre (personal or reflective essay, short story or poetry), shaping it for purpose and effect, and using the techniques of creative writing with control and a clear voice.

Writing the discursive portfolio piece: choosing between a balanced discursive essay and a persuasive essay, structuring an argument, using evidence and rhetorical technique, and acknowledging audience and purpose.

Working through the writing process: planning, drafting, seeking feedback, redrafting against the criteria, and proofreading for technical accuracy so each portfolio piece reaches its best form.

Answering analysis questions on language: identifying word choice, imagery, sentence structure and tone in a passage, then explaining the effect each technique has on meaning rather than just naming it.

Answering the comparison question: identifying the key ideas and attitudes shared or contrasted between the two passages and showing agreement or disagreement with reference to both.

Answering evaluation questions: judging how effectively a writer achieves a purpose (such as a strong opening or a memorable conclusion) and justifying that judgement with specific evidence and analysis.

Answering understanding questions in your own words: identifying the marks available, selecting the right points from the passage, and re-expressing them in your own words rather than lifting from the text.

The spoken language requirement: the internally assessed talking and listening performance (individual presentation, group discussion or debate) recorded as achieved or not achieved, what the assessment standards demand, and how to meet them.

Structuring a critical essay: building a relevant introduction, a thesis or line of thought, developed paragraphs that address the question, and a conclusion, all under exam time pressure.

Using evidence and technique: selecting and embedding short quotations, naming the relevant technique accurately, and analysing its effect so that every point links evidence to the question.

Writing a critical essay on drama or prose: selecting the right techniques to discuss (characterisation, structure, narrative voice, conflict, stage craft) and analysing them in response to the question.

Writing a critical essay on film and television drama: analysing media technique (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound and performance) in response to the question, tracing how meaning is constructed visually rather than narrating the story.

Writing a critical essay in the language genre: analysing a variety of language (persuasive, dialect, register, the language of a group or medium) in response to the question, explaining how its features create effect and serve purpose and audience.

Writing a critical essay on poetry: analysing imagery, sound, form, structure and tone in response to the question, and tracing how the poem develops rather than paraphrasing it line by line.