Comparative Answers

General Writing.
1. Overly complicated sentences and poor sentence structure. Affects your clarity and language
mark.
2. Using words inappropriately or in the wrong place
3. Messy layouts with two or more ideas in a paragraph.
4. Don’t go back to an idea. Move from one point to the next.
5. Not addressing the details in the question. It is not an exercise in regurgitating information but
rather in exercise in presenting your opinions and thoughts in a educated, clear, structured and
capable manner.

Comparative
1. The introduction/ conclusion does not address the specific question asked. When reading both,
an examiner should know what the question or essay is about.
2. The quality of the links are important. Don’t force a point. Equally don’t forget to make the
comparison. Don’t forget yourself and assume the examiner can follow your train of thought.
3. When making links make sure you give details and don’t just stick in phrases like similarly or in
contrast without putting thought into the details. Don’t overuse words.
4. If asked about the ​reader, the audience, or yourself​ make sure you respond in each paragraph.
5. Talk about key moments or moments that serve as evidence but avoid retelling big chunks of
the story. If you find yourself writing a number of lines and you haven’t moved onto another
text or drawn a comparison then you need to ask yourself are you caught in the middle of a
story. *Sometimes you will need to stay on one text to fully illustrate a point but be careful that
you are prepared to balance out the time you spent on that text with the other two (70 mark
question)
6. Assume the examiner is familiar with the texts. ​Be confident with your opinions and avoid
vague sentences that are neither here nor there. They are a waste of time and don’t serve to
strengthen your arguments.
Most of the time we can see how Gatsby always says …..
There are key elements that must be present in your answer:
i.) ​ The name and authors of each of your texts.
ii.) ​ A very clear understanding of the heading you are discussing, whether it is Cultural Context or
Literary Genre. It can be helpful to focus your answer, to write a ​brief ​introduction explaining their
understanding of their chosen heading in relation to the question. (NOT JUST A STOCK PHRASE)
This results in a tighter answer with focused areas that they can discuss further in their answers.
iii.) ​ Regular reference to the question.
iv.) ​ Regular comparisons of the texts – you should develop a grid of key similarities and differences,
but also your opinion about them.
v.) ​ Well-formed personal opinions in light of the question asked.
vi.) ​ Regular use of key moments to support your opinions – 4 detailed key moments for each
comparative heading in each text. (There will be overlap here)
vii.) ​ ANALYSIS. This is the bottom line for every student. Your answer is actually an analysis of
each text, not a summary or a list of similarities and differences. In order to analyse the texts,
consider why these similarities and differences exist within them.
viii.) ​ Comparative link words. These words show the examiner that you are comparing the texts.
E.g. Likewise, on the other hand, similarly (don’t over use this one!) however, in the same way. Your
answer must have a smooth structure that reads coherently and cohesively.