N5-Close Reading - Weebly



National 5: Close Reading – A Guide

Exam Time: 1 hour

Marks Available/ % Of Final Grade: 30

General Guidelines

1. Read the whole passage first. Then have a scan through the questions. Make sure you have an overall sense of what the passage is about/ the writer’s point of view/ attitude.

2. Make sure you read each question carefully and think about what you are being asked. Sometimes questions will ask you to do more than one thing. In order to achieve full marks you must answer all parts of the question.

3. Look carefully at the number of marks each question is worth. As a general rule, you will need to write one things for one mark. So for a 3 mark summary questions, you should make at least three points.

4. On the front of the paper you are told to “use your own words as far as possible”. Do not just copy out bits of the passage – you need to show your understanding by putting things into your own words/ using your own vocabulary.

5. You will, however, sometimes be expected to quote from the passage. If you are asked ‘how’ a writer has achieved a particular effect, or if you are asked to explain imagery, word choice, sentence structure or any other technique, then you will need to quote. You will also need to identify techniques and provide a detailed analysis/ explanation of what you have quoted.

Summary/ Key Ideas/ Own Words/ Understanding Questions

1. Make sure you identify what it is the question is asking you to summarise/ what you are being asked to put into your own words

2. Avoid unimportant points and don’t include examples – pick out the main ideas only

3. Check that the number of points you make match the number of marks for the question.

Questions about feature of language

1. In these questions you are expected to identify and comment on imagery, word choice, sentence structure and tone – ensure you know what all of these are about before the exam.

2. Pick out a relevant language feature (you may have to give an example so use quotations marks for any quotations from the passage) and comment appropriately about its effect. Be specific about the image. Think about the denotation and connotation of specific words and make sure you properly explain your answer to the question.

3. Sentence Structure – identify and explain the effect of the technique in that particular sentence. (Consider the length of the sentence. Consider the order of words – has the sentence been inverted? Think about the punctuation uses – parenthesis etc. One you have identified the technique, try to explain what the effect is/ why the writer has chosen to structure the sentence in this way.

4. Imagery – Identify the technique used then explain the literal meaning of the image, explain the connotations – what is the author comparing and what is the effect/suggestion?

5. Tone – use an adjective to describe tone – eg humorous, sarcastic, etc. Try to imagine the passage read aloud and try to work out how the language, structure, etc affect how it is read – which tone has the author used?

Finally, if time allows, check your answers.

• Check you haven’t missed any

• Make sure you have written something for all questions – remember a blank gets no marks

• Check that you have written enough to be awarded the marks allocated to each question

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