It is crucial to make optimum use of your time on exam day. The following timings are allocated on the basis of weighting of marks. It doesn't make any sense, for example, to spend 40 minutes on the unseen poetry question, which has a weighting of 20 marks and only 30 minutes on the comparative study, which is worth 70 Marks.

The following timings are not set in stone. However, don't deviate from them by more than five or ten minutes or you run the risk of not having enough time to finish your final question, which in the case of Paper One is your essay. Keep your watch or timer where you can see it and check regularly to make sure you are on track. When you are practising answers at home, try to write the answer in the approximate time allocated to it. If you are given a question on Othello for homework, study your notes; then close your book and try answering the question in 60 minutes. A hundred metres runner can't expect to run under ten seconds in a race if they have never even come close in training!!

Likewise you can't expect to answer your Othello question in 60 minutes, if you haven't managed it when you are doing your homework. It is likely that you will run out of time on your first attempts but regular practise will help you to reach your goal. Regular practise of writing answers in the allotted time is crucial.

Paper 1

Time: 2 hours 50 minutes (170 minutes) Marks: 200 Aim to leave up to ten lines of space at the end of each answer. You can use it if you want to add something extra when you are checking over your paper. Allow 15 minutes at the start of the exam to read through the paper completely. There is a lot to read in this paper. During this time:

• Note the theme of the paper;
• Note the title and instruction of the seven compositions. Mark options that you like;
• Read the A& B questions before reading the texts. This gives focus to your reading;
• Read the texts quickly.

Answer the questions in the following order:

1. Question A
2. Question B
3. Write Composition

Doing the comprehension first allows your subconscious mind to mull over ideas for your essay and Question B. Yes, really! When you come to do your composition, having completed Questions A&B, you will have more ideas for it than if you begin by doing your composition. Remember that the compositions are generated by quotations from the texts and you are becoming familiar with two of those texts in answering Questions A& B.

Section 1 Comprehending (100 marks)

Question A (50 Marks) Allow 35 minutes
Answer length; ½ - ¾ page approximately for 15 marks; ¾ page approximately for 20 marks

Question B (50 Marks) Allow 35 minutes.
Answer length: 1- 1½ pages approximately

Section 2 Composition (100 marks)

Answer 1 of 7 options on Composing.
Allow 70 minutes
Essay length: 3-5 pages approximately

Take 15 minutes at the end to read over your paper and correct any spelling or grammar mistakes or to finish anything you ran out of time for earlier. Spelling and Grammar are worth ten per cent of the marks. It is worth taking time to make corrections where necessary.