Image taken from Google images on 12/09/12
After having read through all of your practice essays and the posts you have made on your blogs, here is a list of feedback points that you can all use as you prepare for your test:
1. Please ensure you always underline the title of the text: Pride and Prejudice
2. Make sure your thesis statement is direct and concise
3. Make sure your introduction gives the reader a clear indication of what the essay will be exploring
4. Focus your argument on what happens within the novel rather than what you know about the time period
5. Make sure your quotations are relevant to your argument
6. Make sure your quotations are related to the individual characters you are referencing
7. Keep language formal
8. Quote is the verb (you quote an author/character/etc.) whereas quotation is the noun (the piece of evidence you are using)
9. Make sure your paragraphs provide clear links back to the thesis statement and therefore the question - clear, effective topic sentences and closing statements should be able to help you with this
10. Reference your evidence
11. Plan your time effectively so that you give yourself the best chance of completing the task
12. Focus on analysing rather than describing - the reader knows the storyline
13. Write in blue or black pen only please - no pencil
14. Ensure your paragraphs are clearly developed - consider the TEC structure we have discussed
15. Make sure your answer the question!
16. Learn the difference between woman and women
17. Don't leave large spaces on your page at the end of sentences
18. Make sure topic sentences provide a clear overview of the paragraph's focus
19. Your introduction shouldn't include statements like, "This essay will..." You are writing an analytical essay, not a report
20. Watch expression and sentence structure
21. Ensure your integrate your evidence
22. Make sure you know how to spell each characters' name - also needs to be consistent
23. Avoid judgment based statements
24. Avoid sweeping statements
25. Watch your hand writing - if it is too messy you are likely to be penalised for spelling mistakes, etc. that you may not have actually made
26. Avoid superlatives (e.g. "Wickham is the worst person in the novel")
27. Avoid oxymorons
28. Be aware of your punctuation
29. Learn how to use apostrophes
30. Do not go beyond what the question is asking
31. Synthesise your evidence
32. When you use a word, make sure you know what it means
33. Keep your topic sentences 'to the point'
34. Avoid waffling!
35. No first person!
36. No second person!
37. Be clear what themes you are actually talking about
38. Be vigilant with your use of capital letters
39. British spelling please, not U.S. spelling
40. Be aware of subject-verb agreement (i.e. singular nouns with singular verbs and plural nouns with plural verbs)
41. Do not use quotations as topic sentences
42. Unless you know Jane Austen personally you cannot refer to her as Jane, she is either Jane Austen or Austen!
43. Write numbers in full please, i.e. five rather than 5
44. Introductions and conclusions generally need to be longer than one or two sentences
Image taken from Google images on 12/09/12
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