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Content

Ensure you are taking the time to clearly synthesise your evidence. Be clear on why a quotation is significant to the point you are making.

Avoid vague statements. Be definitive.

Make sure the ideas that you identify in your introduction are strong enough to allow you to develop them in your main body. Some of you are selecting main points that you do not have enough to talk about. This is then causing you to inadvertently waste time describing the storyline rather than analysing.

Make sure you meet the work limit.

Ensure that you are taking the time to examine the embedded values, attitudes and ideas of the text. This is just as important as your ability to discuss positioning techniques. Often the two can be discussed in tandem.

Make sure your introduction is broad enough to allow you to expand. However, it should not be so vague that you lose track of your argument.

Remember, Salinger positions the audience, not Holden.

Avoid large quotations. They are difficult to integrate and often detract from your argument. Work on using smaller sections of a larger quotation.

Don't rephrase the quotation and think that this is your synthesis. The reader knows what it means, they want to know how it links to your argument.

Mentioning a positioning technique by name is not enough. You must explore what impact it has on the reader. For example, don't just say that Salinger uses a simile, explain what effect that simile has on the reader's understanding of a character, theme, etc.

DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON!

Do not steer away from the question.

Make sure that your argument is based around analysis, not opinion.

Holden doesn't quote - except for when he is quoting someone else. If you are talking about something Holden says, you need to say, "Holden states/says/explains/etc."

 

It is okay to disagree with a statement if the question asks, "To what extent to you agree?"

 

Make sure you address ALL of the question!

Structure

Always be sure to link your topic sentences back to your thesis statement.

Closing statements should also provide a link back to the overall question.

Try to avoid starting your conclusion with, "In conclusion".

Don't bring new information/evidence into your conclusion.

Conclusion needs to be more than one sentence.

Ensure you are finding ways to integrate your evidence. Don't have large quotations floating in her middle of a paragraph.

Ensure that there is cohesion in your points.

Make sure your topic sentences clearly identify what you will focus on in your paragraphs. If there is something that you are saying in your paragraph that does not fit under the topic sentence, you either need to put it somewhere else or change your topic sentence.

Introduction must have a clear thesis statement. It must address the question. It must outline your argument. It should not be focusing on providing a definition of words/concepts.

Be aware that a poor thesis statement will affect the rest of your argument. A weak thesis statement makes it very difficult to link your topic sentences back. This can affect your overall cohesion.

New idea = new paragraph.

 

Technical

Learn difference between adolescence and adolescent.

Learn how to use commas, particularly to mark the opening clause of a sentence.

Avoid ending sentences with prepositions.

Learn difference between innocence and innocents.

Learn to spell carousel.

The word is recurring, not reoccurring.

Ensure that you are consistent with how you use tense - realistically you should be using present tense.

Underline the title of the novel!

Be aware of issues with subject-verb agreement. If the noun is plural then the verb should be too. If the noun is singular, the verb needs to be singular. E.g. The chairs are comfortable - Correct statement. The chairs is comfortable - Incorrect statement.

Central not centeral.

Be careful of your punctuation when you are including your quotations.

Write in pen please.

Be sure that your handwriting is not impacting on the reader's ability to know what you are saying. Some people are making what look to be spelling mistakes. However, I suspect many of these are actually issues with penmanship.

Learn how to spell losing.

Be aware of when to use plurals and when to use the singular form of a word.

Remember the basic spelling rules, like 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'.

Read over your work after every couple of sentences to ensure that your argument makes sense. Some of you are racing through your essay and the way your express yourself is becoming quite clumsy.

Use British spelling, not U.S. conventions. Many of you are using the letter 'z' where you should be using an 's'.

Avoid colloquialisms.

Don't make up words.

Do not start a sentence with a conjunction: But, And, Because, etc.

Be aware of homophones - words that sound the same but are spelt differently.

Spelling mistakes in quotations are very obvious. Make sure you are copying the quotation accurately.