Revising Pigeon English - Part Two
Need some pearls of wisdom on how to revise Pigeon English for your GCSE exam? Well, step then read this way!
5) Practise completing exam questions
What questions have been asked on Pigeon English already? Below are two:
- In Pigeon English, Harrison says, ‘Somebody dies on the news every day. It’s nearly always a child.’
How does Kelman present Harrison’s daily life?
Write about:
- what we learn about Harrison’s daily life
- how Kelman presents Harrison’s daily life by the ways he writes.
- How does Kelman present ideas about being a teenager in the modern world in Pigeon English?
Write about:
- how Kelman presents being a teenager
- how Kelman uses some of the teenagers to explore ideas about the modern world.
Yes, these questions won’t appear in a similar form, but the exam will pose you questions of a similar style that require a similar skill-set, so answer as many past exam questions as you can, and get your teacher to create new ones for you.
Better still, work with other classmates to create and respond to your own.
6) Practise the skills
When you revise for English Literature, you need to revise and practise the skills of writing a Literature essay just as much as you need to know your text. Your main objective is to demonstrate your knowledge of a text’s main themes, characters, and setting(s), and to comment with accuracy on the structure and language the author uses to present these.
Practise quoting specific examples and evidence, then analysing these quotations critically – single-word analysis, specific language devices used, tone, shades of meaning, etc.; commenting on structure – think of all the structural devices used in PE – the pigeon, use of graphics, narrative voice, etc.; and so on.
7) Respond to your progress
Alongside your teacher, identify what you do well and what you need to improve on in your literature essays, then tailor your remaining revision time to target any weaknesses.