10 Tips for Paper 1

1. Be prepared

While there is no content to revise for this unseen paper, that does not mean you cannot prepare for it: those who do best on this paper are those who work hard on the transferable skills and understandings that are assessed.  Practice reading and annotating extracts; practice planning and writing responses; revise literary terminology and concepts; work on developing your vocabulary and written expression; read sample responses and literary criticism.

2. Use your 5 minutes reading time to read over both texts and make choices

Read through both extracts. SL students: decide which text you will write on. It is usually best to choose the text you like the most, as long as you think the extract and guiding question give you the scope to demonstrate a detailed appreciation of the writer’s techniques.  HL students: decide which text you will write on first  - this should probably be the text you feel most interested in or confident with. 

3. Note down your first impressions.

Once reading time is over, jot down your first impressions of the text - your emotional response to the text. Is it moving? funny? shocking? confusing? Then read the guiding question, make sure you are clear what is being asked, and read the text again through the lens of this question, making connections to your initial reactions.

Don’t lose sight of these first impressions/reactions – they are most likely a crucial part of what the author is aiming to achieve in their writing.  The most successful commentary writers combine rigorous analysis with personal, emotional engagement, as well as a metacognitive ability to reflect on this personal response, considering how and why the text evokes it.

4. Don’t ignore the literal meaning!

Briefly note down what occurs in the extract and what, on the surface of it, the extract is about (the 5 w’s - who, where, what, when, why). This overview should come in your introduction and all interpretation of ‘deeper meanings’ should be rooted in a clear understanding of what literally happens.

5. Be careful with symbolism.

Make sure you have good grounds for arguing something is symbolic and avoid grandiose, sweeping and reductive symbolic readings. Also avoid assuming symbolism (e.g. white symbolises purity etc.) Consider symbolism in context (e.g. what could the colour white mean in this specific context?)

6. Make sure you see the woods, not just the trees!

Consider the ‘woods’ of the extract before you begin looking at the ‘trees’ – this means consider the whole meaning, tone and movement of the text so that when you look at details they are in context.  Annotate each stanza, section or paragraph with one or two words that you feel capture the tone of that section. Mark in key turning points.  For poetry, mark in units of sense (by punctuation). 

7. Be clear and precise about tone and mood.

Tone and mood are different: tone is the attitude of the voice as expressed in the writing; mood is the feeling the reader gets from reading the piece. Look out for changes in tone and mood in the text  - a shift in tone and/or mood will always be significant.  

8. Look at details and look for patterns.

Once you are confident about the ‘woods’ (i.e. the whole text), look closer at the ‘trees’ (details), focusing on those that are most relevant to the guiding question. As you look at these techniques look for patterns across the text. How do these patterns create meaning?

Consider how different literary aspects combine to produce certain effects.  Even if the guiding question focuses on one literary aspect (e.g. imagery), the best analyses will connect other literary techniques to this central focus (e.g. how does syntax, sound etc. impact the imagery?)

9. Stay focused and watch your language!

25% of the marks go towards focus and organisation: you do not have a long time to plan but do decide on the structural intelligence of your response to the guiding question before you start writing. You have choices here and these often depend on how your mind responds to the particular text.   Sometimes you may feel comfortable moving into a thesis-led response where you foreground what you feel to be the key concern(s) of the piece in your introduction.  However, there is no expectation that you will, at the outset of your response, have this complete understanding of the text, so what is important is that your approach is clear and logical in the way it responds to the guiding question. 

Another 25% of the marks go on your language. As such, make sure you leave time to proofread carefully and edit any mistakes. You should know yourself as a writer by now so you know what to look for. Some suggestions: read sentences ‘out loud’ to yourself to make sure they make sense, are clear and grammatically correct. Check spellings, especially common words that are often misspelt (e.g. separate, beginning, definite…) Check apostrophes (it’s or its? The author’s use of…)  Paragraphs - make sure they don’t become too long. If you think you should have broken for a new paragraph mark that in //.  It is fine to footnote or asterisk in new sentences or paragraphs but try and do this as clearly as possible. 

10. Say something in your conclusion.

Often students just repeat what has gone before in their conclusion, essentially wasting a paragraph. Keep a summary of your main points brief - one or two sentences. Then, in simple terms, you are asking yourself a “so what” question. You’ve said everything you’ve said in your analysis and now “so what”? This might be a further consideration of the ideas raised by the text and guiding question, or further thinking about the impact the text could have on a reader.