1. KEY STAGE THREE EXAM TECHNIQUES-PAPER ONE

2. Have a WATCH and TIME yourself!
SECTION A Comprehension: 40 minutes
READING TIME: 10 Minutes
Section A, Question 1: 3-5 Minutes
Section A, Question 2: 5-7 Minutes
Section A, Question 3: 20 Minutes

3. READ OVER QUESTIONS AND
HIGHLIGHT KEY WORDS AND
PHRASES.
MAKE SURE YOU FOCUS ON THE LINES GIVEN, e.g., Lines 1-10 etc.

4. READ THE PASSAGE ONCE, THEN READ IT AGAIN TO FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE CONTENT.
USE POINT-EVIDENCE STRCUTURE, i.e., USE EVIDENCE!
READ OVER WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN.
DON’T SPEND ALL YOUR TIME ON ONE QUESTION-move on and you can come back to it later if you have time!

5. Have a WATCH and TIME yourself!
SECTION B Creative Writing: 35mins
BRAINSTORM your title, think of possibilities for your plot: 3 mins
PLAN your work-know where your story will begin and end. 2mins
Write from personal experience-this makes it easier to relate to and write about.

6. STRUCTURE YOUR STORY! INTRODUCTION-grab your reader’s attention!
Introduce the characters and setting.
MAIN BODY-includes more detail on the plot and reaches the climax of your story.
CONCLUSION-finishes up your story. Any loose ends are tied up and the main problem is resolved.

7. How do I create Atmosphere?
We experience everything through our senses, use each sense; smell, touch, hear, see and taste; to describe feelings and settings.
E.g., . I could feel the ground tremble beneath my feet.

8. How do I Make my Writing Interesting?
Vary your verbs to make your writing interesting for your reader.
E.g., His head throbbed…A drowsy numbness in his stiff limbs
Shimmering…Slurred…Gaping…Lapping…Slushing… Drifted…Sprawled…Frisked….Sloshing

9. How can I make my Writing Descriptive?
Similes-when you compare one thing to another using like or as.
E.g., As cold as ice.
Paint pictures in your reader’s head.
…delicate fish, like shimmering splinters…
…white clouds lingered like meringue peaks…

10. How do I draw my reader in?
Rhetorical Questions are questions asked in written/spoken texts that do not require an answer.
E.g., Who do you think you are?
How do I describe myself?
This technique draws the reader in and makes them want to find out more about what you are talking about.

11. Introductions
Open up with a direct conversation or dialogue. E.g., “It’s all my fault Johnny, what am I going to do?”
Open up by talking directly to the reader.
E.g., Hello, my name is Stephen. Let me tell you my story….
Open up with the narrator (person telling the story) giving us a rundown on their day from their point of view.
E.g., “Well folks, this is another good morning on WK5 FM.”
Aghhhh, I’m late for school…I raced down the stairs and sent the dog basket flying into the air and broke a mirror in the process.
Describe the setting. E.g., The maroon and navy flags flew high in the sky.

12. Main Body
What happens next? Having introduced your problem or the main plot of your story, rising actions should add complications or problems to the story and so increase our interest.
Reach the exciting part or climax of the story. Create atmosphere using feelings to help you convey this to the reader.
Find a solution to the problem in the story. This is also known as resolution. How do things work out in the end?

13. Conclusion
DO NOT END YOUR STORY WITH ‘They lived happily ever after’ OR ‘And then I died/drowned/was killed’ OR ‘And then I woke up…’OR ‘to be continued…’
Rounds up your story, it ties up any loose ends.
Bring the title back into the ending of your story by saying something like, ‘…from that day on I learned that everybody deserves a second chance’ OR ‘it really was all my fault.’

14. Describing Characters
Describe their physical appearance in detail.
Explain a little about their personalities.
Use similes and detailed descriptions to reveal your character to the reader.
Reveal your character to the reader by making subtle suggestions rather than just telling them.
Bad Example: Homer was lazy.
Good Example: Homer often fell asleep at work, posing a threat of a nuclear meltdown on a daily basis.