Paper 1 prep

• Engels
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

MPO

Multiple paragraph outline

Complete your MPO using your thesis statement and the language and/or dramatic techniques that you identified. 

Do not fill in the introduction or concluding statement at the moment. 

Complete the table in your MPO with  literary and dramatic devices that you identified and their effects.

Textual reference (quote)

Language/dramatic  technique

Audience effect  (author/audience relationship)

General statement 

Specific statement(s)

Thesis statement

Thesis statement 

Specific statement(s)

General statement

INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION 

Hook 

The name of the extract is stated

The author or originating source is given

The text type is clearly identified without elaboration

where the text appeared is stated 

When it was produced is stated

The content is discussed: what does the text actually say (briefly)

The intended audience/reader is stated (if definable) 

The purpose(s) is stated

The social, cultural and temporal context is addressed (if available)

The thesis: what you find most important about the text (without elaboration) (main idea/main theme)& plan of development is stated 

Hook
The name of the extract	Absent Friends
Author or source	Alan Ayckbourn
Text type	Play / drama
where appeared	Opening of act one
when produced	1975
content discussed	Scene is set in a (upper) middle-class, very comfortable home. The opening of act 1. Diana and Evelyn are introduced as characters and their relationship starts to be established. The relationship with off-stage characters is also explored.
intended audience	audiences who like the work of Alan Ayckbourn. Audiences who enjoy attending plays.
purpose	Entertain
social cultural & temporal context	Middle-class, England, suburban, 1970s (context of composition)
Thesis statement
Plan of development

Conclusion 

A literary essay should analyze and evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. A strong conclusion will restate the thesis statement and broaden the scope of the essay in four to six sentences. You should also have an effective last sentence in the essay so you can wrap it up on a high note.

Rephrase your thesis statement

Rephrase your thesis statement. Avoid repeating your thesis statement as it appears in your introduction. Change the language and word choice in the original thesis statement so that it reflects the analysis that you have shown in your literary essay.

Another option is to revise your thesis statement to be more clear, making  edits to it. Go back to your introduction and read your thesis statement again. Then, keep your thesis statement in mind as you read over your body paragraphs. Consider whether your thesis statement still feels relevant to your essay, or if it could be revised. 

Rephrase but do not repeat

Start with your revised/ rephrased thesis statement. The middle section of your conclusion should be three to five sentences long. It should broaden the scope of your essay. 

• Important themes or ideas 
• summarize your most important findings 
• No new information in your conclusion 

Answer the question 'so what?'

Think about why someone would care about what you are addressing in your essay and why the focus of your essay is important. Answering the question “so what?” can help you generate interesting things to finish your essay within the conclusion. Possible final sentences: 

• Finish with a powerful image or detail from the text
• End with a simple or straightforward sentence
• Set your findings in a larger context

Read the student response 

1. Read the student response

2. Highlight or underline the following in different colours or different techniques :

  a. Claims (statements)

 b. Evidence from the text

 c. Literary terminology

d. Analysis of the stylistic features

Then grade this exemplar using the grading criteria

Crit A 

CRITERION A: UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETATION = 5 points 

How well does the candidate demonstrate an understanding of the text and draw reasoned conclusions from implications in it? 

How well are ideas supported by references to the text?

4 out of 5

This response shows a thorough understanding of the literal meaning of the text and responds to the question with a sustained and convincing interpretation of the relationship as presented in the extract. References to the text are all relevant and used precisely, although more could have been integrated in order to more effectively support and develop the ideas.  

Crit B 

CRITERION B: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION = 5 points 

To what extent does the candidate analyse and evaluate how textual features and/or authorial choices shape meaning?

3 out of 5

There is a clear awareness of the genre and at times there is insightful analysis of the dialogue and stage directions, with good evaluation of how these are used to establish the relationship. The student would benefit from further study of dramatic conventions in order to be able to comment more on aspects such as the set, props, costume, action, on-stage/off-stage characters etc. 

Crit C 

CRITERION C: FOCUS AND ORGANIZATION = 5 points

How well organized, coherent and focused is the presentation of ideas?

3 out of 5

This is a hard one to place - if looking at the band descriptors, it could be argued to get 3 or 4 here. The analysis is certainly "adequately focused" (band 4); however, while it has a clear organisation, the two long paragraphs cover similar ground and it is best described as "adequately organised and generally coherent" (band 3) rather than "well-organised and mostly coherent" (band 4). As such, taking a best-fit approach, 3 out of 5 here. 

Crit D 

CRITERION D: LANGUAGE

How clear, varied and accurate is the language? 

How appropriate is the choice of register and style?

4 out of 5

The student is articulate with register and style consistently appropriate and effective. There are lapses with sentence construction in places, however there is a good degree of accuracy overall and the student's often varied and precise use of language means that 4 out of 5 is the best fit here.  

Total 14 points = 5

Write two body paragraphs 

Write in your class notebook two body paragraphs using your thesis statement, topic sentences, stylistic features and the author/reader relationship to construct your paragraphs. 

Your body paragraph contains 

An insightful idea

Key language from your guiding question

textual references/ quotes

stylistic features

the author/audience relationship (effect on the reader)

transition words

evaluative language 

All these features appear several times and not in a specific order. For example; the words "Phelps/the author" and "the audience" highlight that you are going to discuss the author/audience relationship. 

The infamous run-on sentence

Lesson objectives 

Know where you can find terminology to review

Annotate, in pairs, an unseen poem through the use of a focused approach 

Share your findings with the class 

Construct a thesis statement 

Focused annotation 

Use the "Approaching a Poem" information to make a focused annotation of the text.

On the left collect ideas for your 'theme statement'. On the right literary and stylistic techniques 

* In the content library of our Teams there is a list of poetry terms.* 

What 'big idea(s)' or concept(s)
are central to this poem?

Upload an image that reflects the mood of this poem

What thesis statement
have you created?

INTRODUCTION 

Hook 

The name of the extract is stated

The author or originating source is given

The text type is clearly identified without elaboration

where the text appeared is stated 

When it was produced is stated

The content is discussed: what does the text actually say (briefly)

The intended audience/reader is stated (if definable) 

The purpose(s) is stated

The social, cultural and temporal context is addressed (if available)

The thesis: what you find most important about the text (without elaboration) (main idea/main theme)& plan of development is stated 

Introduction