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Grade 7 English
examination study guide

What is the purpose of the MS examinations?

These end of year tests are designed to help you develop your skills in writing
examinations in a formal setting with time-limits. Hand written (without spell-
check) examinations remain the major instrument of assessment in most
systems and it is important you get practice at taking them. Remember that
your other major assessment tasks are also important, and you should make
sure you spend time and effort on those as well.

What will I do in the examination?

In the exam you will need to write a literary essay. You will be given two
ballads to read and you can choose to either:

•write an essay that analyses one of the ballads

•write a comparison of the two ballads.

The comparison is more challenging but gives you more opportunity to

demonstrate your skills.

Which ballads should you study for the examination?

Ballads will be used in the examination. As you should know, ballads are often
sung or told aloud, with a definite pattern of rhyme and rhythm to help the
narrator remember the story.

Stories within ballads are usually about feats of heroism or endurance, and
can be tragic, romantic or swash-buckling adventure tales.

Two ballads will be chosen for the exam from the following list that all the
classes have studied.

The Griesly Wife by John Manifold

Miller's End by Charles Causley
The Lesson by Roger McGough
The Gresford Disaster (Anon)
Lord Ullin's Daughter by Thomas Campbell

What can I do to revise?

• Look through your folio pieces (especially your responses to literature) and
work out ways to improve upon your weaknesses

• Review and think about the process of writing a good literary essay?
• Work on your spelling and punctuation (practise, test yourself, have people
test you)

• Review and think about literary devices and figurative language.

• Use the attached assessment criteria to work out what you skills you need
to work on

• You can use the following questions to help you revise the ballads

Story: What happens in the ballad? Who are the main characters?
What sort of narrative is it?

Moral: Is there a message in the ballad? What is the writer trying to

teach us?

Chorus: Are certain words, phrases or lines repeated? Pick out some
examples. Is there a pattern to these repetitions? Try to describe
the pattern.

Rhythm: Try to describe the pace of the ballad. Does the pace change at
different points in the story? Why? What is the mood of the
ballad?

Rhyme: Is there a pattern to the rhyming words? Try to describe this

pattern and say where these rhyming words occur.

Remember good literary essays will explain not just what the author
does, but why the author might have made those choices and the
effect they have on the reader.

How will the exam be assessed?

Below are the assessment criteria that will be used to assess your essay.
Use this as a resource to help prepare for the exam.
 Self and teacher assessment for exam

Level Ideas Structures Style & language

9-10 I skillfully analysed the ideas in I used sentences accurately and My language is accurate and varied
the poem/s smoothly (Spelling, punctuation)
S
T I always supported my ideas I used topic sentences to introduce Word choice demonstrates a wide
R with good quotations or my ideas vocabulary
O reference to the poems
N My paragraphs are unified
I was able to find meaningful I wrote in the appropriate style for a
G formal literary essay
links between the poems if I I was able to develop a line of
chose 3) b thought effectively

7-8 I analysed the ideas in the I used sentences accurately My language is accurate and varied
E poem/s (Spelling, punctuation, word choice)
F I used topic sentences and
I always supported my ideas I wrote in the appropriate style for a
F paragraphs effectively (obvious
with good quotations or formal literary essay
E sign-posting used)
references to the poems
C
T I was able to find links between I was able to develop a line of
I the poems if I chose 3) b thought clearly
V
E

5-6 I analysed the ideas in My essay is well organized My language is generally accurate
D
E
the poems I used sentences accurately most of and somewhat varied (Spelling,
V punctuation, word choice)
E I supported my ideas with the time
L quotations or references to the I used paragraphs effectively most I make some errors but they do not
O
P poem/s of the time impede understanding
I
N
G

3-4 I attempted to analyse My essay is generally organized My language is not always

E the ideas in the poems easy to understand.
M I used sentences accurately some
E I supported some of my of the time I may have made a
R ideas with references to significant number of errors
the poem/s I used paragraphs effectively some in spelling, punctuation or
GING
of the time word choice
I understood parts of the poem
I did not always use the
appropriate style

1-2 My ideas showed a limited I am unsuccessful in organising my There are significant weaknesses
NOT understanding work with the style and language I have
YET used
I attempted the task