Edna the Examiner’s Potter Guide to the Exam

Language Paper 1

Key Information

In section B, I want to know if you can create interesting texts,

using effectively:

• Techniques to describe and explain

• Paragraphs• Good vocabulary• Punctuation• Spelling

In section A, I want to know if you can:

• Take information from a text.

• Identify and explain language features

• Analyse structural features• Evaluate a text against a

statement.

Question Marks Time allowed

1 4 8 minutes

2 8 13 minutes

3 8 13 minutes

4 20 20 minutes

5 20 30 minutes

6 20 30 minutes

Spend 5 minutes reading the text and then…

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Voldemort is the villain of the Harry Potter series. In this scene, Harry sees Voldemort for the first time.

“Look—” he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered. . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal’s side, and began to drink its blood.

“AAAAAAAAAAARGH!”

Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted—so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry—unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry—he couldn’t move for fear.

Then a pain pierced his head like he’d never felt before, it was as though his scar was on fire – half-blinded, he staggered backwards. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over him, charging at the figure.

The pain in Harry’s head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone.A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

“Are you alright?” said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.

“Yes – thank you – what was that?”

The centaur didn’t answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar which stood out, livid, on Harry’s forehead.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Question 3 GuideMarks: 8

Time: 13 minsNeed: 3-4 PEEsSkill: Analysing

Structure

Read the first three paragraphs again, from ‘“Look—” he murmured’ to ‘and began to drink its blood.’.

How has the writer structured the text to build tension and engage the reader?

You could write about:

• How the structure tells us how the characters are feeling.• Why the writer has chosen to shift the focuses from confusion about

the unicorn, recognising the animal and then seeing it’s blood being drunk.

(8 marks)

Your question will look a bit like this….

REF SON recap

Question 3

REF SON Explanation questionHow has it been used in

Harry Potter?

RepeatWhat ideas / words

have been repeated?

EndingWhat is interesting about the last line?

FocusWhat is the main focus of the opening? Why?

SequenceHow does the focus

change throughout the opening?

OpeningWhat is interesting

about the opening line?

Narrative voiceHow would you

describe the narrative voice?

For each REF SON technique, how has it been used in the Harry Potter extract?

Question 3 Guide

A key structural device used is the sequencing of information. For example, the text opens with the characters querying what was “gleaming on the ground,” before the realisation something “beautiful and sad” was having it’s blood drunk. This device has been used so the reader initially recognises the confusion the characters experienced, compared with the horror of the experience they had mistakenly found themselves in. This engages the reader, for these fast-moving shifts in emotions (from confusion, to sadness to horror) are a result of Harry’s circumstances changing rapidly and the reader will be keen to find out of they escape safely or if another shift hurts him.

Point -> An interesting structural feature is….Evidence -> As evidenced in the line….General purpose -> This structural device has been used to….. It is key because….Effect on the reader -> This engages the reader because….

Point -> Identify a structural feature used….Evidence -> Give a suitable line of evidenceExplanation -> How has that structural device been used? What is interesting about it?Engagement -> Why does that structural technique engage the reader?

You need to follow this structure in each paragraph…

Below is an example paragraph. Each line has been coloured to match each requirement above.

If you’re really stuck, use these sentence starters below when practicing this question…

Question 3 – Your go!Read the first three paragraphs again, from ‘“Look—” he murmured’ to ‘and began to drink its blood.’.

How has the writer structured the text to build tension and engage the reader?

You could write about:

• How the structure tells us how the characters are feeling.• Why the writer has chosen to shift the focuses from confusion about the

unicorn, recognising the animal and then seeing it’s blood being drunk.(8 marks)

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Question 3 – Your go!

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Question 3 – Your go!

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Question 4 GuideMarks: 20

Time: 20 minsNeed: Introduction

and 4-5 PEEsSkill: Evaluation

For this answer, you need to consider the whole text.

A reader of Harry Potter said “You can tell that Lord Voldemort is evil from the first time Harry meets him”To what extent do you agree that we learn Voldemort is an evil character from this extract?

In your response, you could:

• Write about how you interpreted Voldemort in this extract• Evaluate how the writer has created these impressions• Support your opinions with quotations from the text

(20 marks)

Your question will look a bit like this….