Exam Reading
If you are taking an AS in English Literature exam or an A2 English Language and Literature exam or a second year IB English exam, you will be reading a lot of material in the exam room.
For the AS English Literature students you will have read and studied this material during the course. For the A2 English Language and Literature students you should have read and annotated the material for the SECTION B question. Howevr you won't have read the SECTION A material before. The IB students won't have seen the material before.
Here are some tips on reading unseen material in the exam room.
You should read the question very carefully before you start reading the unseen material. With a pen you should underline the key words and phrases in the question. This should help you focus on exactly what you are being asked to do. The way you read the unseen material will be affected by the question.
I strongly recommend that you read the unseen material at least twice.
First reading tasks:
This should be a speedy read.
What is the main topic of the material?
How is the material divided up? Paragraphs are a clue to structure and subject development in a text.
Give each paragraph or section of the text a separate heading or title.
Identify the narrative voice. Consider such things as 3rd or Ist or 2nd person. Objective or subjective? What are the attitudes and assumptions being commuinicated towards the main topic of the text.
Identify the genre and the sub genre of the text.
The genre includes such things as - travel writing, speeches, polemical writing, review, reports, scientific writing, biographical and autobiographical writing.
Sub genres of writng include - descriptive writing, dialogue, scripted interview, factual writing, reflective writing, fictional writing, argument,
Second reading tasks:
This should be a slower more careful reading. This reading is focussing on details.
The key task to this reading is technique. You should underline the key writing techniques used to comunicate the main theme or topic or addresses the questions in your exam paper.
As you do this you should note the attitudes and assumptions being communicated by these techniques.
You must also consider the effects these techniques have on a general reader.
Final tips
Always read within the time frame given in the exam question.
Give yourself plenty of practice at reading unseen material. You can do this easily by reading a good quality weekend newsparer. Check this link.
