PREPARING FOR THE HIGHER
EXAM
Some advice on what and
how you should be revising
1. GET YOURSELF ORGANISED
• Tidy your folder.
• Organise your notes.
• Allocate time to study.
• Have a particular focus for each study session.
2. SELF-REFLECT
• If you do not honestly reflect on your strengths and development needs
then you will not improve.
• Look back at the feedback that you have been given by me on your work
this year. Identify the main areas that you need to improve on. Target these
areas.
• Look the self-evaluation you did after the prelim. Identify the main areas
that you need to improve on. Target these areas.
• Take on-board the feedback that you have been given this year. Act on it.
3. ASK ME FOR HELP, ADVICE,
GUIDANCE
• If there is anything that you are unsure about or worried about,
come and see me or email me.
• Make sure that you know exactly what you are doing in the exam.
If in any doubt, ask me!
• Feel free to send me or bring in any revision work that you have
done in your own time and I will be happy to mark it etc.
4. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE READING
FOR UNDERSTANDING, ANALYSIS AND
EVALUATION PAPER
THOROUGHLY REVISE THE STRATEGIES
FOR THE MAIN QUESTION TYPES
1.
Own words.
2.
Summary.
3.
Context.
4.
Linking.
5.
Word Choice.
6.
Imagery.
7.
Tone.
8.
Sentence Structure.
9.
“Language”.
10. Effective opening paragraph.
11. Effective conclusion.
12. Compare both passages.
Make sure that you know
exactly how to answer
each question type
Make sure that you know
exactly how marks are
awarded for each question
type
THOROUGHLY PRACTICE THE
STRATEGIES FOR THE MAIN QUESTION
TYPES
• Do past papers (there are some on my blog)
• Practice individual question types.
• Make use of revision books that are available to buy.
• Give yourself time limits when doing these tasks!
5. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE
CRITIC AL READING PAPER
1. Textual Analysis
2. Critical Essay
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
PREPARATION:
“THE CONE GATHERERS”
Ensure that you have a very solid knowledge and understanding of
all aspects of the text
• Remember, you could be asked about anything.
• Revise and learn all the notes that you have been given on the text.
• Make sure that you understand and learn the main aspects of the novel:
-setting
-theme
-symbolism
-plot
-main characters
-the relationships between the characters
THOROUGHLY REVISE THE STRATEGIES
FOR THE MAIN QUESTION TYPES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Own words.
Make sure that you know
exactly how to answer
Summary.
each question type
Word Choice.
Imagery.
Make sure that you know
exactly how marks are
Tone.
awarded for each question
Sentence Structure.
type
“Language”.
10 mark question (very important!)
THOROUGHLY PRACTICE THE
STRATEGIES FOR THE MAIN QUESTION
TYPES
• Do past papers (there are some on my blog)
• Practice individual question types. Particularly the 10 mark
question.
• Make use of revision books that are available to buy.
• Give yourself time limits when doing these tasks!
EXTRA ADVICE…
One particular area that you should focus on is Step 3 of
the 10 mark question (“From the rest of the text”)
In this part of the textual analysis you are being tested
on how well you know the entire novel. This is worth 6
marks!
1. Choose an aspect of the text that you want to revise. e.g. The theme of
social class.
2. Give yourself 12 minutes.
3. Complete this table:
Point about the text
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Evidence from the text
CRITICAL ESSAY
PREPARATION:
-“THE CRUCIBLE” (DRAMA)
-“THE HORSES” (POETRY)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH TEXTS
• You must thoroughly revise both texts, even though you only have to
write one critical essay.
• You must go into the exam and demonstrate in your essay that you
know and understand the text inside and out.
• Ensure that you have thoroughly learned all teachers’ notes and
relevant resources and handouts for both texts.
• Ensure that you have learned all your quotes by heart for both texts
• Ensure that you know exactly how you are going to plan your essay,
no matter which essay question that you choose. Learn the plans I
have given you for both texts.
CRITICAL ESSAY SKILLS
Over the course of the year, you have been given a huge amount of handouts and
resources relating to critical essay skills, for example:
• SQA success criteria
• Structure of a critical essay
• How to write introductions and conclusions
• How to use PQE
• Example introduction and conclusion
• Model PQE paragraphs
• Essay plans
• Example essay
etc, etc, etc…
You must read these
resources
You must revise these
resources
You must use the
advice in these
resources
WRITE PRACTICE CRITICAL ESSAYS
1. Choose a text.
Try to do your essays
with as little support as
possible
2. Choose an essay question.
(there are past papers on my blog)
3. Write an essay in 50 minutes.
I will mark your essays
if you bring them in or
email them to me
PRACTICE P.Q.E SKILLS
1. Choose a text.
2. Choose an essay question.
(there are past papers on my blog)
Try to do your tasks
with as little support as
possible
I will mark your work if
you bring it in or email
it to me
3. Choose a paragraph from one of your essay plans.
4. Practice specific P.Q.E skills.
(see next slide)
PRACTICE P.Q.E SKILLS
P.Q.E skills you could practice:
• Writing full P.Q.E paragraphs
• Topic sentences
Give yourself time
limits.This will help you
improve your time
management.
• Putting quotes in context
• Fully answering the question
• Detailed analysis and evaluation
• Linking words and phrases; evaluative words and phrases
• Critical terminology.
• Technical accuracy.
PRACTICE INTRODUCTIONS AND
CONCLUSIONS
1. Choose a text.
2. Choose an essay question.
(there are past papers on my blog)
3. Write a practice introduction or conclusion.
Give yourself time
limits.This will help you
improve your time
management.
Try to do your tasks
with as little support as
possible
I will mark your work if
you bring it in or email
it to me