Pamela Said:

how can i make my GCSE english original writing coursework from a B to an A?

We Answered:

I think I owe you some help.

Firstly; I would proof check it. Things like have you used discursve markers (however, therefore, furthermore, moreover...), to cross-link points.

I think having ranging sentences is important, too.

E.g. The man quietly sipped his tea.

or Quietly, the man sipped his tea.

Quietly sipping his tea stood the man.

So you can play around with the topic sentence, and the emphasis you want to stress on. Play on active and passive voice to evoke interest.


Newspaper articles are very interesting, I am sure you have covered tabloids, broadsheet, etc. Think about the language. If you are writing for 'The Daily Mirror' make it really emotive, dramatic. ''Yobs'' not ''Adolescents''. Consider the audience too. A reader of 'The Guardian' is likely to be fairly intellectual (ignore my hopeless stero-typing!), so bring out points that would apply to them.

Play on the purpose of the story. Would this story aim to frighten/warn readers? Give them some humour? Inform them of statistics? Show that you can apply this to a real situation. I know this might be sad, but think of the reporter. What would they want to achieve by writing this story?

Paragraphs would be quite short, and if you vary sentence lengths and give interesting verbs and adverbs, people are going to pay attention. Use intriguing punctuation, like semi-colons in mid-sentence to give a dramatic pause. Be creative, let the words be your own.


Focus on the elements of , um, you might know what I mean, lol. The triplety things. ''Inform, Explain, Describe'', things like that. Make sure your piece offers a source of each one.


I hope my rambling didn't make you fall asleep!!!



xoxoxoxxxx


P.S. It might sound a bit swotty, but if your teacher's mark your coursework, then for god's sakes soften them up a bit, lol. A friend of mine takes her to other teachers/adults to review, and so gets a range of answers and ideas.

Just be really critical of yourself, and it should feel more natural and successful.




I hate English coursework, too. They totally hog the syllabus. I have more important things to do than write an essay about friggin' 'Over the Hedge'!