AICE English Language AS Paper 1 and Paper 2 Review Notes

AICE English Language Exam Overview

  • The exam consists of two papers: Paper 1 (Reading) and Paper 2 (Writing).
  • Assessment Objectives:
    • AO1: Understanding of a wide variety of texts.
    • AO2: Effective, creative, accurate, and appropriate writing.
    • AO3: Analysis of how writers' and speakers' choices create meaning and style.

Paper 1: Reading

  • Paper 1 has 2 sections. Each section is worth 25 points.
  • Directed Response and Comparative Analysis
    • Read a text extract (550-750 words).
    • Part A: Write a directed response (150-200 words) based on the extract, given a specific purpose, audience, and genre.
    • Part B: Comparatively analyze the original text and your directed response in terms of form, structure, and language.
  • Text Analysis
    • Read a text extract (550-750 words).
    • Analyze the text in terms of form, structure, and language.
  • Divide your time equally between the two sections: 1 hour, 7.5 minutes per section.

Paper 2: Writing

  • Part A: Write an original text (400 words), given a purpose, audience, and genre (form).
  • Part B: Write an analysis, reflecting on the choices you made in your shorter writing
  • Extended Writing
    • Choose one prompt:
      • Descriptive/narrative
      • Discursive/argumentative
      • Review/critical
    • Write 600-900 words.

Word Counts

  • Directed response: 150-200 words.
  • Shorter writing: 400 words.
  • Extended writing: 600-900 words.
  • No word count for any type of analysis.
  • Always multi-paragraph.
  • Deal with form, structure, and language.

Paper 1 by the Numbers

  • Directed Response: 10 points
  • Comparative Analysis: 15 points
  • Text Analysis: 25 points
  • Total: 50 points
  • AO1 (Reading): 15 points
  • AO2 (Writing): 45 points
  • AO3 (Analysis): 40 points

Paper 2 by the Numbers

  • Shorter Writing: 15 points
  • Reflective Commentary: 10 points
  • Extended Writing: 25 points
  • Total: 50 points

Key Elements of Analysis

  • Form: The external shape of a text, including presentation, organization (stanzas/paragraphs), lines, syllables, rhyme, and justification; characteristics that define a genre.
  • Structure: The way a text is organized and ordered.
  • Language: Register, diction, grammar, tense, narrative viewpoint, figurative language, and other devices.

Annotation Strategies

  • PGTPOWER
    • Purpose
    • Genre (form)
    • Tone
    • Point of View
    • Organization (structure)
    • Word Choice, diction
    • Elements
    • Register (Audience)
  • PAGES
    • Purpose
    • Audience
    • Genre (form)
    • Elements
    • Structure
  • SPLITS
    • Sentence structure
    • Point of view
    • Lexis, diction
    • Images, metaphors, analogies (figurative language)
    • Tone and register
    • Structure

Analyzing Diction, Lexicon, and Register

  • Precise, scholarly diction and a formal register
  • Medical lexicon that is heavy in jargon such as "amytriptyline" and "tricyclic antidepressant drugs."

Syntax

  • Syntax is sentence structure, the ways words are arranged within sentences.
  • Types of Sentences:
    • Telegraphic: less than five words (e.g., "I summitted Mount Everest.")
    • Inverted word order: "Summitted Everest I did."
    • Loose: independent clause comes at the beginning.
    • Periodic: independent clause comes at the end.
    • Balanced: phrases or clauses balance each other.
    • Amplified: a sentence extended to explain, emphasize, exaggerate
  • Sentence Structures
    • Simple: subject-verb (I went to the store.)
    • Compound: 2 independent clauses joined by a conjunction (I went to the store, and I bought candy.)
    • Complex: independent clause and dependent clause (While traveling to the store, I saw my friend.)
    • Compound-complex: 2 independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (While I traveled to the store, I saw my friend, and she gave me money for candy.)
  • Sentence Functions
    • Declarative: statement (I went to the store.)
    • Exclamatory: strong feeling (What a wonderful candy store!)
    • Interrogative: question (Is this a store?)
    • Imperative: command (Go to the store.)

Syntax Terms

  • Juxtaposition: placing dissimilar items close together for comparison or contrast.
  • Parallel structure/repeated syntactical patterning: the use of the same type of word or phrase order.
  • Anaphora: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.
  • Epiphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses.
  • Rhetorical question: a question asked for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer.
  • Hypophora: a speaker raises a question and then immediately answers it.

Structure

  • Structure refers to the organization of the text.
  • Common Text Structures:
    • Spatial
    • Chronological
    • Cause and effect
    • Problem and solution
    • Example/exemplification
    • Division and classification
    • compare/contrast

Point of View

  • First person: the use of "I" or "we"
  • Second person: the use of "you"
  • Third person: the use of "he," "she," or "they"
  • Tone: refers to author's attitude
  • Identify tone changes when they happen in a text.

Text Analysis: Key Steps

  • Read and annotate the text.
  • Introduction: state purpose, audience, and tone.
  • Top-down analysis of key elements.
  • Flow through the text using discourse markers.
  • Embed short quotations.
  • Conclusion: make an evaluation or connection across the text.

Text Analysis: Introduction

  • Be brief.
  • Offer an overview of what is important linguistically in the entire passage.
  • Set up what the commentary may focus on.
  • Focus on purpose, audience, and tone.
    *Do Not
    *Use vague terms like form, structure, language—DON'T RESTATE THE PROMPT
    *List devices used by the author
    *Shut down other possibilities for interpretation
    Do
    *Use Natural Transitions to Move through your Analysis

Text Analysis: Point-Quote-Comment Strategy

  1. Choose a significant point about the language or style of the passage.
  2. Select a quote from the passage that supports the point.
  3. Comment on/explain how the point/quote affects the passage.

Use quotes to exemplify the language for you and for your reader.
Choose short quotes.
Integrate quotes into your own sentence.
Your comment is the meat and potatoes of your analysis. Without quality comments on the effect of the language, you do not have a quality analysis.
The comment may involve some discussion of emotions and/or tone.
Avoid general comments about "emotions' or feelings.
Name the specific feeling or emotion

Directed Response and Comparative Analysis Logistics

*Question Specifications
*1(a) Produce a short piece of your own writing (150-200 words) that uses information from the original, but re-purposes to fit a specific form, purpose, and audience. (10 marks)
*1(b) Compare your writing in 1(a) with that of the original, identifying, analyzing, and comparing characteristic features of the texts and relating these to the purpose, audience, and contexts. (15 marks)
*
*What is assessed in directed response and comparative analysis?
*AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of texts. (Understanding)
*AO2: Write effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately, for a range of audiences and purposes. (Writing)
*AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’ choices of form, structure and language produce meaning and style. (Analysis)

Tips:
*Read the directed response prompt before you read the original text.
*Annotate the original text in two colors:
*BLUE: Information from the original text you can use when writing your re-purposed text.
*BLACK: Text features of the original text that you can discuss in comparative analysis
*Aim for the high end of the word count.
*You may have written 150 words but still have ideas to develop.

Directed Response & Comparative Analysis: Tips

  • No need for a formal intro and conclusion
  • Bounce between the two pieces using comparative and contrasting discourse markers.
  • Compare/contrast form, structure, and language.
  • Identify each text clearly.
  • Do not compare content (it will always be similar) or the length of the texts.
  • Compare/contrast the choices that the authors made (remember, you are one of the authors).
  • When discussing your repurposed text, refer to yourself in first person.

Paper 2: Shorter Writing and Reflective Commentary

  • Shorter Writing
    • Write a short piece (up to 400 words) in a particular genre/form (15 marks).
  • Reflective Commentary
    • Write a commentary on your own writing.
    • Explain the choices you made and how those choices fulfilled the task (10 marks).

Shorter Writing and Reflective Commentary: Scoring

  • Shorter Writing
    Task (Did you do what you were asked to do?)
    Audience
    Structure (organization)
    Expression (language)
    Accuracy (proofreading/grammar)
  • Reflective Commentary
    Analyze
    Form
    Structure
    Language
    Stylistic choices (and how they relate to the audience and shape meaning)

Analyzing Point of View in Your Writing

  • My piece is almost entirely in first person singular point of view.* My piece is almost entirely in first person singular point of view*.
    *I use some first person plural as well--*I use some first person plural as well
    *As the speech progresses, I reference second person*As the speech progresses, I reference second person…..You can refer to yourself in first person.