O level Literature Essay

[hodman]

Hello there all, this year i'm taking my O level Literature, and i have no idea how to tackle the essay, i'm constantly doing utterly well in my social studies, but given the fact that i've always constantly been getting borderline for Literature, it totally pulls my combined humanities down! Please ladies and gentlemen, i really need all the help i could get from previous people who did well, and from current people who are doing well in Lit too. My current Lit storybook is 'Island Voices', a rather new storybook, which was only introduced in 2007, so PLEASE! help me! thanks yall! This might not be the right place, but i'm really desperate to score well.

 

[Flowersamurai]

have you tried consulting your teacher?
Did you follow the P.E.E.L (point, link, explanation, elaboration) structure?
Have you memorized your text?
Have you been doing practice questions?
Have you look through your arguments to ensure that they make sense?

 

[hodman]

Oh my I can assure you I've been using peel. I've only been reading the story buy not memorizing. Is there like a certain structure of way I have to use to answer. My problem could be lying within the argument part. I do not know how to use my type wisely and eventually I end up writin a huge load of stuff in question 1 and not question 2. Are there some tips and advices you could give me? I really need all the help I can get. My teacher is currently still a trainee. He doesn't know to access to students needs yet, this is from what I perceive. Nope I've not been reading thru cause I don't think My answers are of any help. Practice questions, I do not even have 1 of them. I'm doing well in all my subjects except lit. Please help me flower...

 

[mero]

The time part is simple. if you have 2 hours for a paper and there are 2 questions, then simply divide it strictly in half. one hour for each question, when your first hour is up, even if the first question is unfinished, just leave it and move on to the second. come back to it if you have time after the 2nd question.

For me I just grouped everything by themes. O level lit is pretty straightforward, usually it's just a bunch of thematic stuff. the novel based stuff is muggable, much more so than the practical criticism part (I forgot what they call it at O level, the usual analyse poem or prose stuff). If you understand the themes and study accordingly, then it's much easier for you to organise and write your essay.

Just my 2 cents worth though, but since I last took A level lit 3 years ago and O level lit 5 years ago, I dunno whether you'll find this useful. The techniques don't change much though, unlike the other subjects with change in syllabus, so I guess it'll probably still apply.

Don't discount your teacher just because he's a trainee though, if he studied lit at a degree level then he probably has a lot to offer. Due to the nature of the subject it's quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what you're doing wrong. Oh and if you're doing combined lit, which I think you are, then it's not that hard to get a decent grade.

*This user took pure lit at O and A levels. However, your mileage may vary.

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

Haha hey bro you doing o levels too? Feeling the stress? Hmm i have been doing okay in lit so far, so maybe i can help. I'm doing pure lit, so i take two books, which are Midsummer's night dream and Curious incident of the dog in the night time. MSND is an absolute killer. Basically you follow the PEEL structure and for the explanation part, just write out a lot on the evidence and explain your POV. In humanities, the plus point is there is no right or wrong-thus make your point sound vaild and professional and VOILA! your lit marks have come. Just my 2 cents, it's what i always do.

 

[hodman]

@mero Hey there, thanks for the kind advice on time management. I'm currently still trying to stable out time properly within all 3 segments of Unseen poem, and 2 questions from the story book which we covered. I'm taking my mid year lit exam this wednesday. argh, hope i do well.
Wow that means you must have some notes that you could still spare me on tackling this essay questions. Alright i'll follow your advice and approach him tomorrow in school...

@Jumpin'Jellybean
Haha hey there, yeah taking Os this year. Been doing fine for everything, including part of my humanities which is SS. Just purely suck in Literature, do you have like any worksheets/notes on how to tackle essays, unfortunately my teacher has never given something like this before. I really wanna see how someone else writes their essay and compare towards mine, and of course pick up everything i could from the model essay. Yes, my teacher says that POV is extremely important. However, never have i ever done that cause i just do not know where do i put it. Before my 'Link'? Or within my elaboration?

Thank you all!

 

[LadyInTears]

Lit = my forte.

did TKAM though.

 

[ymmak]

I did full E Lit when I was in secondary sch. I rmb I did R&J and King of the Castle. Sadly, I cannot rmb any of the stories now, coz...







... I didnt finish reading any of the books, even right up to the day I sat for my O levels. LOL. The best part was that I got A1 for it.

It is true. I am not bragging. How I did it? Memorize some of the thematic stuff (and their relevant references) which the teacher kept on repeating in class, then regurgitate all of it. I agree with mero that E Lit at O levels was (not sure about now) quite thematic, and it was actually muggable. I studied E Lit much like the way I prepared for History (by memorizing lotsa dates and events and their significances), only that in E Lit, I memorized exact phrases, sentences and even paragraphs quoted from the book(s). Yes, you have to memorize, there is no two-way about it.

 

[ymmak]

I suggest drawing a table to summarize all the important quotes and events in the book, and their corresponding significance and possible links to one another. If I am not wrong, there should be study guides for your text, similar to the study guides for your SS, and I suggest you buy them. It is worth it.

 

[hodman]

Unfortunately the only notes, i have left are the ones my teacher gave us. Currently there is no notes out there i could find. Due to this story book being newly introduced within the syllabus. But yes, i'm gonna follow the way you said by drawing tables to memorize. THANKS!

 

[teleplayer]

Read the whole book first.

When the teacher is explaining some of the details, listen too.

Read and read.

Try to understand what the author is trying to convey.

Do your homework.

That's all.

LOL.

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

Haha we should start a softie o level batch 2010...
Anyway pov is the most most important, because evidence, you don't have to have the exact words. As long as similar can already. Agree, have to memorize certain significant events.
just state your pov very very very clearly. the rest comes with practice and of course, constructive criticism.

 

[loldude333]

I did E Lit at 'O' levels 2 years ago, the same book as ladyintears, TKAM. I think you're a bit unlucky in that you're doing a relatively new book, because for an older book like TKAM:

1. Teachers have taught the book many times before, hence they're more likely to get the 'teaching formula' right
2. There are ample guidebooks available (i used the 2007 Cliffnotes guidebook and my mum's 1971 guidebook LOL)
3. There are many people out there who've done it, and are able to offer you help
4. There are only so many questions Cambridge can set without having to reuse. Hence its easier to spot questions and themes

However, for me, combined humans was always a just-pass or fail subject. My SS was absolutely terrible, i hated it. Lit was my saving grace, i often got A1s. I guess its always first and foremost knowing your material. Lit requires you to know your material, then to formulate arguments/opinions based on the situations. You need to know which opinions/arguments apply to which situation and which are irrelevant. You also need to know how far to argue, i used to go too in-depth, where spending the time used to further the argument could've been used to argue another point, of which the latter would have gotten me more marks. Perhaps that's your problem.

Or, it could be the more common problem of 'I don't know what to write.' There's no magic formula for this, i was always good at bullshitting though, and the things i wrote usually got me out of jail whenever i didn't know what to write. I even bullshitted during 'O's itself. If you're doing well in english, this shouldn't be a problem.

Oh and did i mention that i got A1 for combined humans in the end? Hahahahaha. My SS failed all the way to prelims. I'm so thankful that it all somehow turned out well in the end. I regret not being able to offer more info here, i'm now a science student, the only 2 humans related subjects i take are econs and GP. However, i hope that all i've said helps in one way or another. And feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. Enjoy your 'O' level year man, if ya go into JC its gonna be a drag. Cheerz!

 

[LadyInTears]

I really liked TKAM, i even watched the old movie based on the book.
My peers just studied the notes, but i read the whole book, and really enjoyed it.


BUT, i studied venice for SS, and it didnt come out hahahahah, there goes my A1

 

[loldude333]

Hahaha its ok man. Think we were in the same batch right? Lol i studied everything BUT Venice. And prayed VERY hard. And well i guess i managed an A1. Somehow.

 

[teleplayer]

Yeah the TKAM movie was damn good.

 

[loldude333]

Yeah, Gregory Peck's an awesome actor.

 

[OpenMountain]

my teacher always tells me to ask yourself this question. "So what?" or "Why?". and they want to hear your opinions, not tell them bout the story. i've been getting a2's, b3's for lit, depending on my mood for the day. but always ask yourself these questions and always link back to the book.

 

[e'zar]

i just did my essay just now.......
quite easy, though im in sec 3!


all important point must ask teacher........
remember, ur teacher is ur bestfriend!

just now, i did what my teacher told me.......
all the points she said is important in there.......

so, see ur teacher and ask