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Ed Excel English Language Paper 1 Guide

Apr 30, 2025

Lecture Notes: Ed Excel English Language Paper 1, Question 3

Overview

  • Presenter: Mr. Everything English
  • Focus: Ed Excel English Language Paper 1, Question 3.
  • Subjects Covered: English, Maths, Science.

Key Points about the Question

  • Worth: 6 marks.
  • Time Allocation: 15 minutes.
  • Structure: Write two paragraphs, each called a 'pretzel paragraph.'
  • Focus: Analyze both language and structure. Do not choose one over the other.

Question Requirements

  • Section of Extract: Lines 24 to 38.
  • Task: Discuss how language and structure show the narrator's thoughts and feelings about the Count.
  • Marking Criteria:
    • Analyze both language and structure.
    • Discuss the effect of language and structure.
    • Use quality evidence and references that support your argument.

Language Devices

  1. Simile: Comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
  2. Personification: Giving human traits to non-human things.
  3. Onomatopoeia: Sounds (e.g., crack, boom).
  4. Oxymoron: Contradictory terms used together.
  5. Juxtaposition: Two contrasting ideas placed together.
  6. Zoomorphism: Giving animal traits to humans.
  7. Sibilance: Repetition of 's' sounds.
  8. Pathetic Fallacy: Weather reflects the mood.

Structural Devices

Bulletproof Structural Devices

  • Long and short paragraphs.
  • Long and short sentences.
  • Zooming in/out: Shifting focus on different elements.
  • Introducing something new of significance.

Other Structural Devices

  • Lists (4 or more items).
  • Dialogue (direct speech).
  • Pathetic fallacy as a structure: Repeated weather reference.
  • Repetition: Repeated words/phrases.
  • Foreshadowing: Hints about future events.
  • Flashback: References to past events.
  • Juxtaposition over time: Contrast in different parts of the text.
  • Semantic field: Words linked to a central theme or idea.

Answering the Question

Pretzel Paragraph Structure (PREZEL)

  • Point: State the writer's thoughts/feelings.
  • Reference: Provide a quote or lines from the text.
  • Technique: Identify a structural device first.
  • Effect: Explain the effect of the structural device.
  • Zoom in: Focus on a language device and explain its effect.
  • Link: Connect back to the main point.

Example Planning

  1. Paragraph 1

    • Reference: Lines 28-31.
    • Point: The narrator feels afraid of the Count.
    • Structure Technique: Long sentence.
    • Language Technique: Simile ('cloak spreading out like great wings').
    • Effect: Long sentence creates a sense of numerous threats; simile emphasizes Count's bat-like, threatening nature.

  2. Paragraph 2

    • Reference: "What manner of man is this..."
    • Point: The narrator is confused.
    • Structure Technique: Repetition ('What manner of').
    • Language Technique: Rhetorical question.
    • Effect: Repetition and question highlight the narrator's confusion and fear of the unknown.

Tips for Success

  • Always integrate structure and language in the same paragraph to maximize marks.
  • Use point and link sections to avoid going off-topic.
  • Focus on the effects of the devices used, as this is crucial for achieving full marks.

Final Recap

  • Exam Strategy: Write two detailed paragraphs, incorporating both language and structure.
  • Evaluation Criteria: Focus on references, techniques, and effects to score well.
  • Goal: Gain top marks by effectively analyzing the given text lines.

Full transcript