Literary purpose

What is your marker looking for in an excellent essay?
The most obvious thing that the marker is looking for is the completion of all the assessment objectives, but this can take the magic away from English Literature. In my opinion, an excellent essay shows you have thought deeply about what the author intended with their writing, and that you have come up with your own opinions rather than simply regurgitating what your teacher has said. It’s all well and good to talk about colour, but an outstanding essay could talk about colour specifically applied to nature, or gender, etc in order to display opinions of the time. Your marker will be looking for the ability to read carefully and deeply, to analyze, and to be able to express your ideas fluently and cogently. In preparation for your assessments: read and absorb as much as you can. Look over past exam questions, brush up on your vocabulary – all the useful words you’ll need for exams, and practice your writing skills as much as possible. In your coursework, be sure to structure your essays properly and form coherent arguments. Use the text and surrounding criticism; all the information is there for the taking. In an excellent essay, you would need to hit all the Assessment Objectives. These vary from including context, analysis, and correct punctuation and grammar. The essay would need to flow fluently and have a good and clear structure. It is sometimes difficult to prepare for controlled assessments and coursework, however, writing out quotes so you can begin to memorize them. To make your essay stand out, even more, you should research a few critics that can be used in your controlled assessment or coursework.
How do I prepare for my controlled assessments and coursework?
Everybody has their own different ways to prepare for exams. The trick is finding what works best for you. Here are some examples of revision techniques:
mind-maps,
brief essay plans,
cue cards,
recording your own notes and playing them back
writing out practice essays
word association

One of the chief purposes of literature is a means of exploring what it is to be human. It is also a way of communicating with others about a huge range of ideas and concerns. The writer does intend to convey certain meanings and will be aware of audience interpretation, the rest of the interpretation will be up to us as readers. Once the piece of literature is out in the world, it is open to the reader to try to understand it with the information available to us. At A Level you will be expected to think in a more critical and sophisticated way about a text, in preparation for university. You will be expected to understand more of the social, historical and political contexts surrounding the making of a work of literature. Your essay writing skills should improve, as will your ability to think about wider issues in relation to what you are reading.Your marker will be looking for the ability to read carefully and deeply, to analyse, and to be able to express your ideas fluently and cogently. In preparation for your assessments: read and absorb as much as you can. Look over past exam questions, brush up on your vocabulary - all the useful words you'll need for exams, and practice your writing skills as much as possible. In your coursework, be sure to structure your essays properly and form coherent arguments. Use the text and surrounding criticism; all the information is there for the taking.Literature at degree level is challenging but so rewarding. Your mind will be opened to a huge variety of authors, ideas and concepts. You will be expected to read, a lot! You will also be required to research your ideas and think independently - the tutors will only give you so much - the rest of the work is up to you to discover in your own studies.

Hi Tayo, The first is an interesting question. There can sometimes be a discrepancy between intention and what the teacher or students read into a novel or piece of literature. However, it is argued that anything is valid and whether the author intended the reading is neither here nor there. A-level English Literature often looks into literature much more deeply, with a focus on analysis. There is no creative writing usually, and there is also more of a focus on context. In an excellent essay, you would need to hit all the Assessment Objectives. These vary from including context, analysis, and correct punctuation and grammar. The essay would need to flow fluently and have a good and clear structure. It is sometimes difficult to prepare for controlled assessments and coursework, however I would recommend writing out quotes so you can begin to learn them if the controlled assessment is closed book. Also, research a few critics that can be used in your controlled assessment or coursework.At degree level, the breadth of literature is a lot wider. The depth of analysis is less as you are studying more books in a shorter amount of time. You are expected to do a lot more individual study.