A2 Unit 6 Synoptic Paper

Advice on completing the Edexcel A2 Unit 6 Papers

Unit 6(a) Listening & Writing

1.The comprehension questions are designed to prevent you from lifting material directly from the original passage – lifting material will gain no marks.

2.Look very carefully at the tense of the question and reply appropriately. You may have the correct information in your answer but writing it in the wrong tense will often result in no marks being awarded at all.

3.Some questions will require comprehension of material at a straightforward level but others will require you to draw inferences.

4.There is no requirement for you to express yourpersonal opinions on this paper.

5.The summary exercise should be written as a continuous piece of prose with due attention to grammar, punctuation and spelling which must be checked thoroughly at the end. You must cross out rough work or notes.

6.For the summary, writing fewer than 100 words is considered self-penalising. Work of over 100 words will be marked up to the end of the nearest sense phrase after 100 words; anything written beyond this point will be ignored. Inaccurate word-count is the commonest cause of marks being lost on this paper.

i.The comprehension will be marked out of 15 with no separate mark for quality of language.

ii.The summary will be marked out of 20: 15 marks for summary skills and transfer of meaning; 5 marks for grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Unit 6(b) Reading & Writing

1.Achieving a top mark on this paper will usually require an ability to draw inferences, make logical deductions and express them clearly in your own words (Question 1) and an ability to show a good command of grammar, structure and idiom (Question 2).

Read through the prose before beginning the paper, so you have an idea of the theme of the passage.

2.For Question 1, you should remember that accuracy is extremely important. For example, a subject + infinitive verb will not convey meaning and will be awarded no marks; tenses must be correct to gain marks and you should identify or highlight the tense of the questions before answering them. Syntax must be correct too, e.g. an active verb where a passive is required is incorrect. You must use the material to frame your answers: lifting verbatim from the stimulus will be awarded no marks.

3.For Question 2, you should expect to find some of the more difficult lexical items contained within the source passage in Question 1. You should identify or highlight elements from the stimulus passage which can be used or adapted before beginning your translation.

Study the passage for translation carefully and try to identify features of the language being tested. You must perform a rigorous and systematic check of basic grammar, especially word endings, agreements, mood (indicative or subjunctive) and tense of verbs.

Any alterations, additions or deletions must be obvious to the examiner.

i.For Question 1, 8 marks will be available for the answer, and 7 marks for quality of language.

ii.The summary will be marked out of 20: 15 marks for summary skills and transfer of meaning; 5 marks for grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Unit 6(c) Writing in Registers – See How to do 6c

Most importantly, you’ll have plenty of time to complete this paper (1h15): this can be to your advantage, but only if you make full use of the time available to you. My advice would be not to leave the venue early under any circumstances – save a cataclysm beyond your control – no matter how satisfied you may be with your answer.

Firstly, before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), spend at least 10 minutes looking through the choice of questions. This will give you the opportunity of thinking through your argument and planning your answer.

Once you’ve decided on the question which most easily matches the skills you have at your disposition, write a plan. Examiners have reported that those candidates who have clearly spent time planning their work are often those who score more marks.

Once you’ve highlighted the necessary information on the question paper, begin a plan in your answer booklet including the information you’ve highlighted – this will not only show the examiner that you’ve given the question due thought but will also help structure your answer. Remember that, once everything has been written out in long hand, your answer should be within 200-225 words.

Once you’re happy with the plan and you’re confident that you’ve included all necessary information from the information provided on the question paper, draw a single diagonal line through your notes: this will still allow you to read the material when writing up the essay but will indicate to the examiner that it is rough work only and not for marking: do this before starting the neat version of your letter; if you forget to cross out rough work, a ruthless examiner may mark your notes – and is indeed entitled to do so – as your definitive response to the question.

Once you’re satisfied that you’ve included everything, do a word count. (Remember that answers over 225 words will be marked up to the end of the nearest sense phrase after the 225 word limit, usually a full stop; anything written beyond this point will be ignored and will gain no credit).

If you need to make amendments, additions or deletions following your word count, make sure these are clear to the examiner.

Now is the time to make a systematic check of your grammar, including subject-verb accord, adjectival agreements, correct tense and mood (subjunctive vs. indicative), substitution of synonyms, rephrasing repetitive clauses, etc....

Follow the above points carefully and you should find plenty to do in the 1h15 allocated for this paper!

If you think this paper requires less effort than other A2 Units, then consider carefully the Edexcel marking criteria the examiner will be using to award maximum marks when s/he reads your script (marked ex. 40):

i. Content (17-20 marks): Very good response. Implications of question fully grasped. Extremely clear and effective organisation of ideas. Very imaginative use of stimulus, where appropriate.

ii. Accuracy of target language (5 marks): Almost flawless.

iii. Range and Appropriate of lexis (9-10 marks):Rich and complex language. A wide range of appropriate lexis. High degree of sensitivity to nuance. Tone and register wholly suited to the chosen task. Very able to handle the language of ideas and abstract concepts where appropriate.

iv. Manipulation of Language (5 marks):Fluent, showing a high degree of sophistication in the manipulation of the structures of the language.