Unit 3 Cultural Essay

Guidance

The essay forms part of the Unit 3 Listening, Reading and

Writing exam. This paper lasts for 2.5 hours (you should

spend 45 minutes on the listening, 45 on the reading, and 60

minutes on the writing).

You must write a minimum of 250 words. Remember that the

emphasis is on the quality of what you write, not how much

you write!

There will be two questions on each cultural topic, so you will

have a choice of a total of four questions from which you

chose the one question you answer.

Be careful not to write an answer to a question which is not

relevant to what you‟ve studied (i.e. you've studied a

playwright and a film director, so you must not answer the

question on the novelist).

Outline of the Unit 3 Exam

A total of 40 marks are available:

25 marks are for content

15 marks are for your:

a) range of vocabulary

b) complexity of language

c) accuracy

Let‟s look at each of these sections in turn to see how to get

the best possible mark!

How it is marked

Lang

Content

You cannot have a language mark in a band higher than that

which you have been awarded for content. Therefore, even if your language is great but you don‟t show a deep knowledge of the

topic, you can‟t get a good mark!

Focus carefully on the key words in the question (analiza,

discute, jusfitifa etc ..). What is the question asking you to

do?

Does the question ask you to focus on a key aspect of the

topic you‟ve studied (i.e. characters, themes, effects)?

Content

Examiners HATE generic essays. You should avoid the “I‟m going to tell

you all I know about XYZ approach” as it won‟t get you more than a

mark in the sufficient band at best. AQA say that “the emphasis is on

answering 'the question, the whole question and nothing but thequestion'.

You will be provided with a planning sheet: whilst you

are not obliged to use it, you won‟t get a good grade

without careful planning!

You should include an introduction, 2/3 well developed

main points and a conclusion.

In the first line of your intro tell the examiner what text/film

you‟ve studied.

Make sure that you PEE (point, explanation, example).

You also need to show evaluation and personal reaction.

Try to save something nice for the conclusion to leave the

examiner with a good impression.

Content ... cont

Some questions have two elements, the second usually focussed

on the personal response required. Many students often either

ignore this or it becomes the main focus of the essay.

The following are important to get a good mark for language:

Essay writing phrases

Vocabulary specifically related to the topic which you have

studied.

General higher-level lexis (avoid „empty‟ adjectives like )

A range of grammatical structures (tenses, moods etc).

Language

Look at the attached sample essay about Lorca (next page).

What is good about it?

Look at the mark scheme and give it a mark.

What could the candidate have done to improve it?

Example