EXAM DATES: SUMMER 2011

EXAM DATES : SUMMER 2011

AS COMMS & CULTURE: 20 MAY 9.30AM
A2 COMMS & CULTURE: 22 JUNE 2.00PM
AS LITERATURE: 23 MAY 9.30AM
A2 LITERATURE: 16 JUNE 9.30AM







Sunday 31 October 2010

A2 LITERATURE - Some hints for the TPT essay!

If you are feeling a bit worried about how to approach the essay on The Pardoner's Tale (due Thurs 4th) then here are some tips:
  • Start your essay by clarifying the terms of the question and setting up your argument. The key to a good opening is to find the balance between putting the  significant ideas (moral blindness or ambition) at the centre of your essay whilst including some relevant contextual comment too.
  • You are being asked to adopt a position in relation to the statement & question ... to what extent do you agree? It is standard practice to accept that the viewpoint offered has some validity - don't just reject it as worthless. Explore it and see what evidence you can find to support it.
  • However, you will hopefully feel that there is more to the text than the statement in the question suggests. Perhaps the viewpoint offered is a bit simplistic or presents only a narrow reading of the text. Now is your opportunity to counterargue  or offer other interpretations. For example, you may feel that the Pardoner's ambition is actually fuelled by greed.
  • Having explored the options, end your essay with a considered response to the question & refer explicitly back to it. The more successfully you focus your response on the key question words, the better...
Hope this helps!

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