Critical Essay – Self Assessment Sheet...Consider the final Norman MacCaig question in the 2014...

N5 Critical Essay Yes/No Comment Introduction

Name of Author Title Key words from question Brief Summary Mentioned techniques and

themes in relation to question

Main Section of Essay.

Topic sentence is related to question.

Topic sentence mentions technique, theme or key idea

A quotation which shows each point made

Analysis which explains how the quote works and links back to the idea of the essay

Linking words or phrases which help show the direction of my argument

Evaluative words and phrases are used

Conclusion Summed up the main points

of my argument Made a powerful statement

addressing the main concerns of the text and what you learnt

Expression Spelling and grammar good enough to be read at first glance Have kept focussed on topic

Critical Essay – Self Assessment Sheet

Mark:

My Comment – what could I improve upon/ what have I done well:

Teacher’s Comment:

Well chosen text

Introduction refers to the question

Establishes a line of thought – an argument

– a clear focus of the essay immediately.

Technical dramatic language used

Embeds longer quotes

shows strong awareness of Miller’s use of

word choice

Tries to embed shorter quotes into

description for analysis.

Sophisticate language

Evaluates with personal respones

Choose a play in which there is a character who is important in

relation to the theme of the play.

Referring to appropriate techniques, explain how this character

affects our

understanding of this theme.

Shows good understanding of characters and how

important they are.

They are a little too focused on word choice and

should try and vary the techniques they analyse

Evaluation in the topic sentence

Analysis of the writer’s sentence structure

Shows awareness of the written nature of

the piece.

Focus on reader is good – could go futher

by acknowledging this is a play.

Shows evaluation in conclusion by talking

about what has been gained from the text.

Shows insight in the essay.

SQA says: the candidate has, at times, a very good understanding of the central concerns of the text. However, a high degree of familiarity is not shown as the candidate’s selections from the text are not wide ranging. Sound awareness of techniques is apparent, and appropriate references are cited Looking at the piece holistically, it is placed in the 17-14 range, and because of its relative strengths, is awarded 17 marks.

Question 36 – 1 mark

Two main ideas from stanza one are needed for this question.

They begin by stating “that he takes photos of the war.” Unfortunately, this is not an identification of

a main idea, and is just a re-wording of the title of the poem.

However, the candidate goes on to observe: “Photos of things that show people being hurt…” This

achieves 1 mark as the candidate clearly understands the photographer want to tel the public about the

pain he has witnessed.

“Developing the pictures,” is simply a repetition of the first point “takes photos of the war,” and again

is not sufficient to gain a mark. 1 mark only.

Question 37 – 4 marks

Quotation from stanza two: “home again to ordinary pain which simple weather can dispel.” 1 mark

The explanation is also appropriate: “This makes us see that the pain of home is pain like the weather

can change. Its not long lasting like the pain people have in the war.” 1 mark

The candidate follows this with a lengthy quotation: “soloutions slop in trays beneathe his hands, which

did not tremble then though seem to now.” Although the quotation is lengthy (and contains errors), it

fits because it answers the question 1 mark

“this shows that the photos must be horrific, that hes actually scared to see them. At the time it was

fine because he was just capturing the image now hes seeing it for the first time. Seeing the pain.”

This explanation is given the fourth, and final, mark because it deals with the idea of the need for the

photographer to control/suppress his feelings while working in the war zone.

(Further comments, “scared,” “for the first time seeing the pain,” would also have been acceptable, but

all four marks have already been awarded.)


Quotation: “A strangers features faintly start to twist before his eyes, a half formed ghost.” 1

mark is given here. The candidate’s explanation does just enough to suggest the dramatic nature

of the photograph being developed, and is given a second mark.


Quotation: “between the bath and prelunch beers,” is given 1 mark.

The explanation “people reading or looking at the pictures feel sympathy for the people but only

for a moment,” is sufficient comment for 1 mark.

Quotation:, “A hundred agonies in black and white which his editor will pick out five or six for

Sunday’s supplement,” is given 1 mark.

Explanation “there is only a few chosen and the rest of the pictures are just forgotten about,” 1

mark.


Commonality

Makes a correct identification of a main

character from another Duffy poem “The

character in Originally is feeling pain and has

to move on,” and this is worth 1 mark. The

candidate goes on to say “as for the war

photographer he also feels pain when hes

looking at the photos.” This is also worth 1

mark.

the candidate identifies here two aspects of

similarity between the characters in

“Originally” and “War Photographer” (ideas of

pain and “moving on”).

Extract

“and hasn’t just been to the one place.” Here,

the reference from the extract is given 1

mark, and the explanation is just sufficient to

be given 1 mark also.

Wider Text

Links the idea of “moving on” to “Originally.”

Quote 1 Mark

Explanation 1 mark

The candidate stays with “Originally,” and makes a

comment on the effects of “moving on”: “in originally

she gets over it fast and realizes shes changing.” This

appropriate comment is given 1 mark, and the

reference which accompanies it is also given 1 mark:

“I remember my tounge shedding its skin like a

snake.”

The writer has made more points. However, all 8

marks have been awarded, and no further credit can

be given.

s

My Comment

Positive: Area for development

Teacher Comment


Overall Yes/No Comment

Have I used bullet points wherever possible?

Have I included a quote with in every analysis question?

Have I made the correct number of points per mark (1 bullet point per mark)

8 Mark Question : Commonality

Stated how the focus of the question relates to the extract

Stated how the focus of the question relates to the rest of the text/another text

Made a statement about the ‘big message’ of the concept identified in the question

Extract Made one detailed comment,

relevant to the question with reference to the extract.

Wider Text Discussed in detail two further

examples relevant to the question from the wider text/another text, and quote or give detailed reference to support.

Detailed discussion of two examples should aim to achieve 2 marks each (one mark for quotation/reference; one mark for comment), totalling 4.

Scottish Text – Self Assessment Sheet N5

Critical Reading: Scottish Text

National 5: how to answer the 8-mark question

The 8-mark question is broken down as follows:

Up to 2 marks for commonality Up to 2 marks for extract (a maximum of 1 mark for relevant

quotation/reference) Up to 4 marks for wider text (a maximum of 2 marks for

relevant quotation/reference)

Commonality

Relate the question to the extract Relate the question to the wider text Make a statement about the ‘big message’ of the idea

identified in the question Tip: don’t just give back the words of the question

Example:

Consider the final Norman MacCaig question in the 2014 National 5 exam which was:

MacCaig often describes his personal experiences in his poetry, using these to explore wider themes. Referring closely to this poem and to at least one other poem by MacCaig, show how he uses personal experience to explore wider themes.

The extract provided was ‘Basking Shark’ and the response should therefore focus on MacCaig’s use of personal experiences to explore key themes in this poem and in at least one other. A 2 mark commonality answer could look like this:

In ‘Basking Shark’, MacCaig uses his personal experience of encountering one of these huge sharks to reflect on the nature of human evolution and who, ultimately, is more civilised: man or beast.

Similarly, he makes use of a significant personal experience in ‘Assisi’. In this poem, he reflects on the hypocrisy of the church after he encounters a poverty-stricken beggar outside the cathedral in Assisi.

Overall, MacCaig’s personal experiences often lead him to explore wider significant themes.

Extract

Make one detailed comment about the extract

So a 2-mark answer on the extract could look like this:

In ‘Basking Shark’, MacCaig describes how his encounter with the shark was something that happened only once but that the experience ‘displaced more than water.’ It prompted his reflection about the extent to which humans’ evolution has developed their brains and influenced their actions for the better. As primitive as the shark’s ‘matchbox’ brain is, MacCaig wonders whether man, despite his supposed sophistication, is more of a ‘monster’ because he is responsible for terrible acts such as war.

Wider Text

You could make two or four further comments about the wider text

You could choose to make:

2 detailed comments (2 marks each)

4 basic comments (1 mark each)

Here is an example of 2 detailed comments of 2 marks each. They are very detailed so don’t be put off!

>In “Assisi”, MacCaig’s experience of visiting a beautiful cathedral in the Italian city prompts his reflection on the hypocrisy of religious faith as he witnesses those who should be spreading the word of God and developing people’s compassion for those less fortunate ignoring their duty. MacCaig is visiting the cathedral built in honour of St Francis, the patron saint of animals and universally known for his compassion, when he witnesses a badly deformed beggar sitting outside the cathedral. MacCaig’s experience prompts him to reflect on the tourists’ lack of interest in the beggar. They have spent time visiting a religious site of some importance but they haven’t learned anything about Christianity because they come out of the church and just pass the beggar without giving him any care or attention:

“It was they who had passed

The ruined temple outside…”

>MacCaig criticises the priest who takes the tourists on their guided tour of the cathedral. He fails in his duty because rather than preaching the word of God and encouraging compassion and love for the less fortunate, the priest is rather pompous and only concerned with pointing out the beautiful ‘frescoes’ and lecturing people about their ‘cleverness’. He completely fails in spreading the Christian message because the tourists don’t learn anything about being better human beings, demonstrated by their complete lack of interest in the beggar who needs help and support.

Commonality

In ‘Basking Shark’, MacCaig uses his personal experience of encountering one of these huge sharks to reflect on the nature of human evolution and who, ultimately, is more civilised: man or beast. Similarly, he makes use of a significant personal experience in ‘Assisi’. In this poem, he reflects on the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church after he encounters a poverty-stricken beggar outside the cathedral in Assisi. Overall, MacCaig’s personal experiences often lead him to explore wider significant themes.

Extract

In ‘Basking Shark’, MacCaig describes how his encounter with the shark was something that happened only once but that the experience ‘displaced more than water.’ It prompted his reflection about the extent to which humans’ evolution has developed their brains and influenced their actions for the better. As primitive as the shark’s ‘matchbox’ brain is, MacCaig wonders whether man, despite his supposed sophistication, is more of a ‘monster’ because he is responsible for terrible acts such as war.

Wider Text

In “Assisi”, MacCaig’s experience of visiting a beautiful cathedral in the Italian city prompts his reflection on the hypocrisy of religious faith as he witnesses those who should be spreading the word of God and developing people’s compassion for those less fortunate ignoring their duty. MacCaig is visiting the cathedral built in honour of St Francis, the patron saint of animals and universally known for his compassion, when he witnesses a badly deformed beggar sitting outside the cathedral. MacCaig’s experience prompts him to reflect on the tourists’ lack of interest in the beggar. They have spent time visiting a religious site of some importance but they haven’t learned

anything about Christianity because they come out of the church and just pass the beggar without giving him any care or attention:

“It was they who had passed

The ruined temple outside…”

MacCaig criticises the priest who takes the tourists on their guided tour of the cathedral. He fails in his duty because rather than preaching the word of God and encouraging compassion and love for the less fortunate, the priest is rather pompous and only concerned with pointing out the beautiful ‘frescoes’ and lecturing people about their ‘cleverness’. He completely fails in spreading the Christian message because the tourists don’t learn anything about being better human beings, demonstrated by their complete lack of interest in the beggar who needs help and support.

A3 National 5 Persuasive Essay Guide/Plan

Name: _______________ Class: ____ “Fail to plan, plan to fail.”

Maintaining the flow

Write topic in the form of statement or question i.e. Should animal testing be banned?

Introduction – introduce your topic Hook reader in – use rhetorical

questions/humour/exaggeration/interesting facts/mockery/quotations/ statistics/anecdotes

Background information Clear stance on the topic Vary sentence length/structure Be creative with your language i.e.

effective imagery/word choice

Main Body – develop your arguments logically

At least 5 main points Evidence to support each point (i.e.

statistics/facts/quotes) Linking words/phrases to connect

arguments and signpost your line of thought (i.e. therefore, on the other hand, another)

Persuasive/rhetorical techniques (i.e. emotive language, rhetorical questions)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Conclusion Sum up main points Strong final statements – perhaps link

back to an idea/image in the introduction

Successful discursive has a clear line of argument – this is called the flow. Creating a flow gives your writing a clear, logical structure. As you write you create paragraphs with ‘signals’ to the reader where your line of thought is going. Markers look out for these signals so it’s important to use them correctly.

Continuation Signals Sequence Signals First of all Again Other Another And Next Similarly Moreover Likewise A final reason As a result of this

a, b, c For one thing Then Until After While Now Last

Change of direction signals Emphasis signals Nevertheless However Conversely Still Rather (than) In contrast Yet Despite Otherwise Even though Instead of Although

The chief outcome It all boils down to A distinctive quality Remember that Most of all A vital aspect A primary concern The key feature The crux of the matter More than anything else The basic concept A significant factor The most substantial issue

Illustration signals Conclusion Signals For example In conclusion

To illustrate Such as In the same way as Much like Similar to

To sum up Finally On the whole Considering all the above points

Persuasive Writing Word Bank

Must Do you really… Shocking Obviously It seems clear to me that…

The real truth is…. An intelligent person like yourself…. I strongly believe….

It is disgraceful that…. Just think about…. How can we…. Consequently….

This is outrageous! Really!

The combination of children being “given too many options” and

having “too many things” (✔) is just about shows that they

understand the writer thinks that kids have it too easy.

Also looking for candidates to explain idea of ‘wretchedly’

Good answer. “When I was little” (✔) is correctly selected, and

its relation to “the previous paragraph which discussed how

parents think back to their own childhood” (✔) correctly

identified. Two marks

Have followed the link formula well.

“mainly spent ‘wooding’” (✔) 1 mark

Explanation: “activities which costed [sic] money” (✔) 1 mark

Quote “never” (✔)

“’shell out’ is normally associated with spending lots of

money” (✔) is enough to show understanding. 1 marks.

Candidate should have explained both parts of the question. No mark for the repetition

of “neglect”,

The explanation that shows that parents “left the children to their own devices” (✔)

does explain the idea. No addressing of “benign.” 1 Mark

Quotation of “manic” (✔) 1 Mark

Explanation “suggests that the person is crazy and mad” (✔) 1 Mark

“Traumatic” (✔) 1 Mark,

Explanation that show the the writer thinks parental involvement (✔) is

unhelpful. 1 mark

. Selection of “mummies and daddies” (✔) 1 mark,

Explanation that this indicates childishness (✔). 1 Mark

Quote: “Great scheme” (✔) 1 mark

Explanation: that this suggests the father was “ecstatic [sic] and

happy” (✔) 1 mark.

Explanation that the father disapproved of the plan (✔), 1 mark

No quote for an overall Three marks

Quote: “super kids” (✔) 1 mark

Explanation: ”pretty much perfect,

which is never achievable”) is

suggested by it (✔). 1 Mark

“Sessions you go to” (✔) 1 mark

“the government set you goals and recommend ways to do it” (✔) 1

mark

Candidate has used bullet points and own words.

Opening point doesn't get a mark

“Parents are more over-protective and are to [sic] involved in their children’s lives”

(✔) refers to line 53-4, 1 mark.

“Parents give their children far too many choices these days” (✔) is the opposite of

“we were given no choices”, children in the past not being given options. 1 mark

“When the writer was a child she had to pre-occupy herself and her parents

weren’t responsible for busying their children whereas parents now are” (✔) is

about the idea of children having to entertain themselves. 1 mark

“Children nowadays have more technology” (✔) refers to children having modern

devices. 1 mark

Overall: Four marks

Green – Answered all these type of questions correctly

Amber – Answered some (or some parts) of these questions correctly

Red – Struggled to answer these question correctly

Comment/Area for development

Understanding

Own Words

Summary

Linking question

Context question

Analysis

Word Choice

Imagery

Tone

Contrast

Sentence Structure

Evaluation

Effective as an introduction

Effective as a conclusion

My Comment Positive: Area for development

Teacher Comment


N5 RUAE Self-assessment sheet

Assess how well you have done with each question type and tick the relevant box

Answering N5 and Higher Reading Questions Formulae and Strategies Help Sheet

General Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation Advice

Look at the title and any information at the top or bottom of the passage.

Highlight the key works in the questions first.

Read the passage – you must read the whole passage to get an overall sense of it in its entirety (candidates who don’t do this generally fail).

Generally use all your own words to answer unless asked to quote or analyse a language feature.

Use bullet points. Always check the available marks to determine how

detailed your answer should be. At Higher – ensure you make an equal number of

points to the marks available

Understanding Questions This type of question is designed to check you understand the meaning, language and ideas of the passage. Own Words Questions

Find the correct lines – highlight or underline on passage.

Check number of marks. Re-write in your own words ensuring you explain all

important words. Check you haven’t copied key words from the

passage. (Find it, Underline it, Change it)

“Quote” (word/phrase/expression) Questions

Find the correct lines. Check whether it is a word or phrase (expression)

you are being asked for. If the questions states one word you need accuracy. Write down exactly as it is in passage.

Context Questions

Locate the word/s being asked about. Find two words or phrases from the surrounding

sentence(s) that clarify the meaning. Explain what ‘clues’ they give you about the word’s

meaning. Write down the word’s meaning.

‘___________’ means ____________ The word/words ‘_______________’ helped me

understand this because it/they suggest(s) ___

Linking Questions

Find the linking sentence/phrase. Quote from the linking sentence. Show how that quote makes a link back to earlier in

the passage (usually the previous paragraph) and quote.

Quote again from the linking sentence. Show how that second quotation introduces/links forward to what is to come in the passage (new paragraph) and quote.

You also may get a mark for commenting on the turning point function of words in the linking sentence. Eg “But”, “Therein lies the rub”, “However” etc.

The words . . . (quote from link sentence) refer back to the idea of . . . (give the idea) which was mentioned . . . (say where) The words . . . (quote from link sentence) introduce the idea of . . . (give the idea) which comes up in . . .

Summarise Questions

Identify the key points/ideas/issues from the relevant paragraphs/section.

Highlight the relevant section. Change these points into your own words. Bullet points are very helpful. Check the marks available as a guide to how many

points you are required to summarise.


Analysis questions ask you to explain the language techniques being used.

These techniques could be: Word Choice (why the writer has used cetain words) Imagery (metaphors, similes, personification) Sentence structure (Long/short sentences, repetition) Contrast Tone

Questions that ask for “features of language” and ask for “word choice or sentence structure or imagery“ - choose one then use the techniques as headings in your answer. Eg

Imagery – then your answer

Questions that ask for more than one feature eg “word choice and sentence structure” - you must deal with both and bullet point them. Eg Word Choice – then your answer Sentence Structure – then your answer

DON’T FORGET: MARKS ARE FOR ANALYSIS, NOT IDENTIFICATION OF FEATURE.

Word Choice Questions

Quote the word and give basic meaning – denotation. Give the ideas/associations the word creates –

connotations. Explain how the word’s connotations develop the

reader’s understanding of the passage ie why it is an effective/clever word choice.

Key words to use: “has connotations of” or “suggests”

‘inexorably into Cowell’s web’ (1) Suggests we are being relentlessly lured into the

famous dream maker/tv producer’s trap as web has connotations of spiders, suggesting Cowell is a predatory, entrapping animal(1)

Sentence Structure Questions Comment on

Sentence type Sentence length Punctuation Repetition Lists Sentence Patterns

It may be helpful to remember – RIPPLES (Repetition, Inversion, Parenthesis, Punctuation, Length/lists, Ellipsis, Sentence type)

Quote the sentence structure technique and say what it is.

Explain what effect the sentence structure has. A key word to use is “emphasises”

Long and complex/short simple sentences Complex sentences may mimic complex ideas; short sentences have impact

Repetition of words or phrases Repeated ideas will be emphasised or spotlighted

List Provides detail, complexity, etc.

Climax / anticlimax following a list Creates suspense/shows easing of tension

Questions / exclamations / commands Achieve a particular tone, e.g. emotive (arousing strong feelings)

Sentences without verbs (minor sentences) Create a colloquial (informal) style or build tension

Unusual word order, e.g. inversion Alters emphasis; may build tension


Sentences with symmetrical pattern of structure but with contrasting (opposite) ideas

Provide contrast

Parenthesis Adds extra information, comment or clarification

Punctuation is often a good signpost for sentence structure, so you should also remember the ‘jobs’ done by the following kinds of punctuation:

Commas Separate items in a list or clauses in a sentence

Pairs of brackets, dashes or commas Create parenthesis (see above)

Colon (or dash) Introduces a list, example, explanation or quotation

Semi-colon Separate complex items in a list (usually a very long list); separate two distinct, but connected, sentences

Inverted commas Indicate quotation or speech; sometimes used to indicate irony

Imagery Questions

Identify image and quote. Say what is compared to what. Write: Just as…so too… (showing what they both have in common) This shows/is effective … (say what the comparison

adds to the reader’s understanding of the passage).

The variety of superstitions that exist is being compared to a spectrum

This is effective because just as a ‘spectrum’ suggests a wide range of colours

So to there are a wide range of different severities of superstitious beliefs

Contrast Questions Remember this means two opposing/different ideas, words, images…

Pick out one side of the contrast and quote and summarise it.

Pick out the other side of the contrast and quote and summarise it.

Tone Questions

Identify the general tone of the section you have been asked about Formal/Informal – Positive/Negative

Then identify the specific tone. Quote words or phrases that show this. Analyse/Explain how these words/phrases create

the tone.

Tone Bank Informal (Conversational/chatty/colloquial) Formal (Standard English – few contractions, sophisticated language/register) Humorous; Light Hearted; Whimsical; Gently Mocking; Sarcastic - Mocking; Ironic; Scientific, Pompous, Archaic, Questioning; Outraged; Angry; Critical; Sinister; Nostalgic; Sentimental; Reverential; Reflective; Awed; Disappointed; Uncertain; Doubtful etc


Evaluation Questions This type of question can ask you to consider:

How well a paragraph or line acts an introduction/conclusion.

How a title relates to the passage. How an anecdote, image, illustration or other

technique helps convey the writer’s overall argument or attitude.

Evaluation The key to answering these questions is to identify an appropriate feature or technique and show how it relates to the writer’s purpose, attitude or overall line of argument.

Conclusion (or Introduction) Questions Eg

How is this paragraph an effective conclusion to the passage as a whole?

To what extent do you agree that the final paragraph is an effective conclusion?

To what extent do you find the lines x – y effective as a conclusion to the line of thought?

Explain, with close reference to the writer’s word choice, to what extent you find the last six lines fitting as a conclusion to the passage as a whole.

Think IDEAS, TONE, IMAGERY

Conclusion Questions

Look for the writer repeating/summing up/coming off the fence on the ideas they have been unpacking throughout the whole passage. Think about whether the tone is similar or different to the rest of the passage. Has a clever image been used?

Start by summing up what the ideas of the final paragraph are.

Then tie them to a quotation from the final paragraph and explain what they mean.

Then make a link back to an idea that was similar from the rest of the passage (often found in the introductory paragraph).

If you have time, do this with another quotation.

QUESTIONS ON BOTH PASSAGES (HIGHER) This final question is testing your ability to summarise and compare the main points and ideas in both passages. 3 of the 5 available points are awarded depending on the quality of the comments you make, and any supporting evidence you use. It is best that you try to write more than 3 developed points so if you get one or two wrong you might still get the available marks.

QUESTIONS ON BOTH PASSAGES (HIGHER)

Check if the question is about areas of agreement or disagreement.

Identify at least 3 overall areas on which the passages agree/disagree.

Bullet point these areas, then add further explanation to each bullet point by identifying specific ideas, images, anecdotes, illustrations, statistics or analogies which support these areas of agreement/disagreement.

When developing your bullet point, you may quote or paraphrase from the passages.

QUESTIONS ON BOTH PASSAGES (HIGHER) You can display your answer as a three column table

Area of Agreement or Disagreement

Author 1 Author 2

1 2 3 A fourth/fifth point is optional but is a very good idea if you have time.

Remember to summarise/quote and develop

Scottish Candidate Number

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Scottish Candidate Number

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