This document provides a personal reading list with over 50 book recommendations organized by author and title. For each book, it lists the genre, number of points earned for reading it, suitable year group, and a brief comment on the book. The purpose is to encourage students to read more books and develop their reading skills.

1. Developing students’ writing: how to improve pupils’ original writing skills – writing for
specific audiences and purposes. The importance of relevance.
Encouraging students to assess their own writing.
By Francis Gilbert www.francisgilbert.co.uk
1

2. Firstly, before you start writing, read some GOOD BOOKS!!! Here’s a personal reading list:
Points
earned
First for Suitable
Surname of Name of reading Year
author author Name of book Genre of book book group Comment Ranking
The Big Sleep
and other Year Chandler was the first and best tough
Chandler Raymond novels Thriller 20 10-12 private eye writer in the world. 1
Romance/other Year A classic contemporary novel set in East
Ali Monica Brick Lane culture 15 10-12 End of London. Highly readable. 1
Historical -- Year A quiet, tough American soldier tries to get
Fraser Charles Cold Mountain romance 30 10-12 home to his loved one. Will he make it? 2
Wow! This is a great novel. If you like sex,
Year death and weird parties, this is the one for
Easton-Ellis Brett Less Then Zero Teenage angst 20 10-12 you. 2
Year
Austen Jane Emma Classics 15 10-12 Great film, even better book 2
Love of Fat Year All of Dunmore's novel are great. Sensitive
Dunmore Helen Men Romance/comedy 30 10-12 novels with a female perspective. 3
House of the Magic Year One of the great magic realist novels. A
Allende Isabelle spirits realism/thriller 15 10-12 real page turner. 3
Year I greatly enjoyed this love story. Teenage
Turgenev I First Love Classics 30 10-12 angst and rivalry with a father! 4
A Zoo in my Year Comic recollections of an amazing animal
Durrell Gerald luggage Animals 30 10-12 lover 4
I love Carter. Sexy, witty, poetic coming-of-
The Magic Magic Year age story set in the strangest toyshop you
Carter Angela Toyshop realism/thriller 20 10-12 ever read about! 4
2

3. Year
Waterhouse K Billy Liar Fantasy 20 10-12 A loser is always day-dreaming. Good film. 5
The Bloody Fairy stories for Year
Carter Angela Chamber adults 20 10-12 Violent and sexy fairystories. Adults only! 5
This is a fantastic but frightening novel
Thriller/ other Year about a lecturer whose daughter is brutally
Coetzee J Disgrace cultures 20 10-12 raped. 6
Historical -- Year Made into a good film. It's about writers,
Cunningham Michael The Hours romance 30 10-12 romance and modern life. 7
Great Year
Dickens C Expectations Classics 30 10-12 The original coming-of-age story. 8
Year
Grisham John The Client Crime/Thrillers 10 10-12 Grisham makes you turn the pages. 9
The Way
Through the Year All of Dexter's Inspector Morse stories are
Dexter Colin Woods Crime/Thrillers 10 10-12 gripping. 10
Year Recently named the best novel about war
Heller J Catch 22 Humour 40 10-12 ever written. 10
Year Superior office romance from a leading
Doughty Louise Crazy paving Romance/office 20 10-12 British author. 11
Portrait of the
artist as a Year The utimate book about life, the universe
Joyce James young man Teenage angst 30 10-12 and education 11
The
Poisonwood Year Very popular family drama about a family
Kingslover Barbara Bible Africa/ romance 50 10-12 who try to preach Christianity in Africa 12
Year All of Le Carre's novels are good but this is
Le Carre John A Perfect Spy Adventure 30 10-12 the best 13
Year
McEwan Ian Amsterdam Romance 30 10-12 Won the Booker prize! 14
Year
McEwan Ian Atonement Romance/historical 30 10-12 Nearly won the Booker prize! 15
Selected Short Year Shocking and bizarre, no writer has
Poe E Stories Crime/Thrillers 40 10-12 bettered Poe. Much imitated. 16
Rowling JK Harry Potter Adventure 5 Year If you haven't read it yet, do so. 17
3

4. 10-12
I love Jeeves and Wooster. They are the
Right Ho, Year funniest. I always read them when I am in a
Wodehouse PG Jeeves Humour 50 10-12 bad mood because they cheer me up. 18
A very bad man takes lots of drugs and has
The Picture of Year lots of sex, but never grows old. But his
Wilde Oscar Dorian Grey Classics 30 10-12 picture does! 19
Slaughterhouse Year
Vonnegut K 5 War 40 10-12 Weird, freaky stuff. 20
A hundred
years of The most important novel written by a
Marquez Garcia solitude War and love 60 South American 21
I'm A Teacher,
Get Me Out of Year
Gilbert Francis Here Classics 500 10-12 The great book ever written. 22
Kingdom by the Year All of Westall's books are top notch. Read
Westall R Sea War 30 10-12 the lot! 23
The Rise and
Fall of Reginald Year
Nobbs D Perrin Humour 30 10-12 Man fakes his own suicide. 23
Year Horrible teenage boys play war-games in
Litt Toby Deadkidsongs Teenage angst 30 10-12 Bedfordshire with tragic results 24
Playing the
Moldovans at Year This is a very funny account of a
Hawkes Tony Tennis Travel/comedy 20 10-12 comedian's trip to a very poor country 25
The Year
Kunzru Hari Impressionist India/romance 60 10-12 Fantastic modern novel 25
Year
Shelley Mary Frankenstein Classics 40 10-12 The first science fiction story 26
Year Schindler saves Jewish people from the
Keneally T Schlinder's Ark War 50 10-12 Nazi death camps. 27
Year A man wakes up to find out that he is a
Kafka F Metamorphosis Classics 70 10-12 giant insect. 28
Year Very famous short stories that virtually
Joyce James Dubliners Short stories 60 10-12 invented the realistic story. 29
4

5. Year
Herriot J Vets might fly Animals 20 10-12 to endure all sorts of humiliations 30
Far from the Year A sheep farmer hopes to win the heart of
Hardy Thomas Madding Crowd Classics 40 10-12 local rich girl. 31
The Year Poor country boy hopes to win the heart of
Hardy Thomas Woodlanders Classics 60 10-12 the local rich girl. 32
Jude the Year
Hardy Thomas Obscure Classics 60 10-12 A couple live in sin, and have children. 33
Tender is the Year Naughty men and women go to far too
Fitzgerald Scott F Night Classics 40 10-12 many parties and drink far too much. 34
Many critics think this is the greatest novel
Year of the 19th century. Read it and find out
Eliot G Middlemarch Classics 50 10-12 why. 35
The Ark's Year Comic recollections of an amazing animal
Durrell Gerald Anniversary Animals 30 10-12 lover 36
A gorgeous mother, horrible step-father,
David Year eccentric aunts and real trouble from the
Dickens C Copperfield Classics 60 10-12 grovelling Uriah Heep. 37
A marvellous mystery story about a very
The Woman in Year strange woman whose past is full of dark
Collins W White Classics 50 10-12 secrets 38
Year The essential book about mad wives in the
Bronte C Jane Eyre Classics 20 10-12 attic, governesses and engaging masters. 39
The Ice-Cream Historical -- Year Boyd has not written a bad book. Read the
Boyd William War romance 15 10-12 lot! 40
Jonathan
Livingston Year
Bach Richard Seagull Adventure 5 10-12 Very spiritual but mesmerising 41
Year All of Bainbridge's books are great. Weird,
Bainbridge B Young Adolf Humour 6 10-12 funny, short! 42
Empire of the Year The great childhood story about the
Ballard J Sun War 10 10-12 Japanese war camps. 43
A Good Man in Year Boyd has not written a bad book. Read the
Boyd William Africa Comedy 15 10-12 lot! 44
Doyle Arthur Sherlock Adventure 20 Year The one and only detective with great 45
5

6. Conan Holmes stories 10-12 powers of deduction.
Paddy Clarke Year A wonderful account of a young boy
Doyle R Ha Ha Ha Humour 30 10-12 enduring the bitter divorce of his parents. 46
The
Neverending Year A fantasy story which is a real winner and a
Ende M Story Fantasy 20 10-12 good film. 48
Madame Year Disaffected French housewife looks for
Flaubert G Bouvary Classics 50 10-12 sexual adventures 49
Tess of the Year Hardy's fantastic story about a dairy maid
Hardy Thomas D'Urbervilles Classics 60 10-12 who is raped. 50
School, teenage Year Great story about a boy whose face is
Zephaniah Benjamin Face angst 20 10-12 horribly scarred
I loved reading this when I was fourteen.
School, teenage Year Hard-hitting drama about bullies at school.
Cormier Robert Chocolate War angst 40 10-12 All Cormier's books are good. Read them.
School, teenage Year
Almond David Skellig angst 30 10-12 All of Almond's stories are excellent.
School, teenage Year Swindells has not written a bad book. Read
Swindells Robert Dosh angst 20 10-12 all of them: they are short!
Noughts and Year
Blackman Malorie Crosses Racism 10 10-12 If you haven't read it yet, do so.
Across the Year All of Lingard's books are very readable.
Lingard Joan Barricades Love 10 10-12 Read them!
The Cats of Year All of Westall's books are top notch. Read
Westall Robert Seroster Animals 30 10-12 the lot!
Year All of Westall's books are top notch. Read
Westall R Fathom 5 War 30 10-12 the lot!
Year All of Westall's books are top notch. Read
Westall R Echoes of War War 30 10-12 the lot!
Charlie in the Year
Welford S pink Green Issues 20 10-12 Save the environment
The Moon is Year American grit. All of Steinbeck's novels are
Steinbeck J Down War 10 10-12 good
Year
Schlee The Vandal Adventure 20 10-12 Good adventure story
6

7. Year All of Rendell's fiction is fantastic. She also
Rendell R Mysterious Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 writes as Barbara Vine.
Year
Rankin J Only one left Crime/Thrillers 40 10-12 Rankin never writes a bad thriller.
Spring-heeled Year
Pullman P Jack Crime/Thrillers 40 10-12 Pullman is always amazing.
The Ruby in Year
Pullman P the Smoke Crime/Thrillers 40 10-12 Pullman is always amazing.
A Morbid Taste Year
Peters Elias for Bones Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Good thrillers set during medieval times.
Where Eagles Year
Mclean A Dare Crime/Thrillers 10 10-12 Jolly good chaps fighting the Nazis
Where Eagles Year
Mclean A Dare War 10 10-12 Jolly good chaps fighting the Nazis
Challenge in Year
Leeson R the Dark Adventure 40 10-12 Good teenage book
Selected Short Year Lawrence's short stories are his finest
Lawrence D Stories Classics 40 10-12 writing: sex, death and miners.
Year
Grisham John The Firm Legal thriller 20 10-12 Grisham makes you turn the pages.
The Owl Year
Garner A Service Fantasy 40 10-12 Strange supernatural happenings at night.
Pride and Year
Austen Jane Prejudice Classics 10 10-12 Great TV series, even better book.
Sense and Year
Austen Jane Sensibility Classics 10 10-12 Great film, even better book
Northanger Year
Austen Jane Abbey Classics 10 10-12 Gothic comedy.
When the
Green Woods Year
Bates H.E. Laugh Adventure 11 10-12 Very engaging autobiography
Fair stood the
Winds for Year
Bates H.E France War 11 10-12 Very engaging autobiography
Bates H.E The Triple War 11 Year Very engaging autobiography
7

8. Echo 10-12
Wuthering Year Passion, death, hatred and love all on the
Bronte E Heights Classics 15 10-12 Yorkshire moors.
Year
Bronte A Agnes Grey Classics 16 10-12 Lesser known Bronte classic
The Canterbury Year
Chaucer G Tales Classics 50 10-12 Rude, witty stories set in medieval times
The Best of Year
Chesterton GK Father Brown Classics 15 10-12 Comic detective stories -- a little dated now
Poirot Year The classic detective stories. The French
Christie A Investigates Crime/Thrillers 10 10-12 detective discovers skullduggery!
The great mystery story about a precious
Year gem which brings ruin to anyone who
Collins W The Moonstone Classics 50 10-12 handles it.
Robinson Year
Defoe D Crusoe Classics 40 10-12 The ultimate castaway book.
A Tale of Two Year Revolution in France, trouble on the streets
Dickens C Cities Classics 40 10-12 of London
The Old Year A horrible, evil dwarf, an innocent girl and a
Dickens C Curiosity Shop Classics 60 10-12 bizarre shop.
Year Trouble up North with nasty factory
Dickens C Hard Times Classics 50 10-12 owners.
Year
Dickens C Little Dorrit Classics 60 10-12 Debtors' prison and lashings of mysteries.
Nicholas Year
Dickens C Nickleby Classics 60 10-12 School! And what a terrible one it is!
The Three Year Loads of adventurers with these
Dumas Alexander Musketeers Adventure 40 10-12 squashbucklers.
The Man in the Year More marvellous adventures in France.
Dumas Alexander Iron Mask Adventure 40 10-12 Good Leonardo Di Caprio film too.
The Queen's Year
Dumas Alexander Necklace Classics 40 10-12 Another fantastic French adventure.
Menagerie Year Comic recollections of an amazing animal
Durrell Gerald Manor Animals 30 10-12 lover
Eliot G The Mill on the Classics 50 Year Victorian adventure. The story of a brother
8

9. Floss 10-12 and sister who have a terrible falling out.
The Great Year A marvellous mystery story about a man
Fitzgerald Scott F Gatsby Classics 20 10-12 whose past is full of dark secrets
Wives and Year Stepmothers and daughters who attempt to
Gaskell Elizabeth Daughters Classics 50 10-12 get important men's attention.
Goodbye to all Year
Graves Robert that Classics 50 10-12 First World War Drama.
Tales of the Year
Green Roger Greek Heroes Classics 50 10-12 Classic retelling of the Greek myths.
Year
Griffith H.V. Foxy Animals 30 10-12 Animal magic.
Grimm's Year The first and the best fairystories to be
Grimm J Fairytales Fantasy 40 10-12 written down
A drunk man sells his wife and becomes a
The Major of Year respectable mayor. Then his past catches
Hardy Thomas Casterbridge Classics 60 10-12 up with him.
The dividing Year
Harris R Sea War 50 10-12 Lots of guns and explosions
The Scarlet Year A woman has to wear a scarlet letter
Hawthorne N Letter Classics 30 10-12 because she has had sex before marriage.
Starchild and Year
Henshall D Witchfire Adventure 30 10-12 Spooky stuff!
It Shouldn't
Happen to a Year Comedy about a poor vet who has to
Herriot J Vet Animals 20 10-12 endure all sorts of humiliations
The Turn of the Year Great mystery story about a governess
James H Screw Classics 20 10-12 who thinks her pupils are talking to ghosts
The Black Year
James PD Tower Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Good, suspenseful thriller
Year
James L Running back Sport 30 10-12 Good adventure story
The Constant Year
Kennedy M Nymph Classics 20 10-12 Love story
The Jungle Year
Kipling R Book Animals 50 10-12 Famous fantasy
9

10. Year
Kipling R Kim Classics 40 10-12 Great film, even better book
Year
Kipling R Stalkey and co Classics 20 10-12 Boys much around at school
Plain Tales of Year Tales about life in India during the time of
Kipling R the Hills Classics 40 10-12 British rule
The Russia Year
Le Carre John House Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Good comedy thriller
If Not Now, Year All of Levi's book about the Holocaust are
Levi P When? War 50 10-12 amazing
The Scarlatti Year
Ludlum Robert Inheritance Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Action-packed thriller
Year
Melville H Moby Dick Classics 70 10-12 A whale of a book!
Year
Miss Read Village school Green Issues 60 10-12 Lovely village drama
The Fortune of Year
O'Brien P War Adventure 30 10-12 Lots of gun battles at sea.
Desolation Year
O'Brien P Island Adventure 30 10-12 Lots of gun battles at sea.
Year Great film, good TV programme and even
Pasternak B Doctor Zhivago Classics 70 10-12 better book.
Year
Peake M Gormengast Fantasy 60 10-12 Weird, freaky stuff.
All Quiet on the Year The ultimate anti-war book set in the
Remarque E Western Front War 60 10-12 trenches.
Sackville- The Year
West Vita Edwardians Classics 60 10-12 Great history.
Busman's Year
Sayers D honeymoon Crime/Thrillers 40 10-12 Great detective stories.
Blott on the Year Comedy about a poor lecturer who has to
Sharpe T landscape Humour 30 10-12 endure all sorts of humiliations
Year
Shute N Most Secret Adventure 30 10-12 Romance
Shute N Pied Piper War 30 Year Romance
10

11. 10-12
Year
Shute N Most Secret War 30 10-12 Romance
Year
Sleigh B Winged Magic Fantasy 30 10-12 Interesting fantasy
Year
Somerville E The Irish RM Adventure 30 10-12 Comedy set in 19th Ireland
The Abesse of Year
Sparke M Crewe Humour 30 10-12 Trouble with the nuns.
A Horse of her Year
St. John C C own Animals 5 10-12 Good animal stories
Gullivers Year
Swift J Travels Classics 40 10-12 The most famous allegory ever written
Year
Trollope A The Warden Classics 40 10-12 Gentle 19th century comedy
Barchester Year
Trollope A Towers Classics 40 10-12 Gentle 19th century comedy
The Eustace Year
Trollope A Diamonds Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Gentle 19th century comedy
Twenty
Thousand
Leagues Under Year
Verne J The Sea Classics 30 10-12 Submarines and nasty Captain Nemo
Where nobody Year
Watson J sees Adventure 20 10-12 Good adventure story
Year Girl has hare-lip. No wants to be her friend.
Webb M Precious Bane Classics 20 10-12 What does she do?
Year
Wilde N Death Knell Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Great thriller
The Complete Year
Williams G Molesworth Crime/Thrillers 30 10-12 Funny school story
The Day of the Year Scary sci-fi thriller about plants who attack
Wyndam J Triffids Adventure 50 10-12 people
Year
Zola Emile The Earth Classics 60 10-12 A classic novel I haven't read yet.
11

12. A Specific Reading List For Year 12 English Language Students
Comprehensive reference books
The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language: David Crystal (CUP)
The Oxford Companion to the English Language: ed. Tom McArthur (OUP)
Suitable for use in the classroom
Discover Grammar: David Crystal (Longman) – very clear and user-friendly *
Rediscover Grammar: David Crystal (Longman: 3rd edition) – good for revision **
Making Sense of Grammar: David Crystal (Longman) – a valuable resource **
Mastering A level English Language: Sara Thorne (Macmillan) – thorough and
systematic **
Varieties of English (2nd Edition): Dennis Freeborn (Macmillan) **
Living Language: George Keith & John Shuttleworth (Hodder & Stoughton) – very
practical
Working with Texts: Ronald Carter, Angela Goddard et al. (Routledge) – student-friendly approach
Your Own Words: Judith Wainwright and Jackie Hutton (Nelson)
General books accessible to students
The Story of Language: C.L. Barber (Pan Books)
Introduction to English Language: Blake and Moorhead (Macmillan)
The English Language: ed. W.F. Bolton and David Crystal (Sphere History of
Literature)
Mother Tongue - The English Language: Bill Bryson (Penguin)
The English Language: Robert Burchfield (OUP)
The English Language: David Crystal (Penguin) *
Style - Text Analysis and Linguistic Criticism: Dennis Freeborn (Macmillan)
Introducing Stylistics: John Haynes (Routledge)
The State of the Language: Philip Howard (Penguin)
The Story of English: McCrum, MacNeil & Cran (Faber)
Variety in Contemporary English: W.R. O'Donnell and Loreto Todd (Routledge)
12

13. Language: the Basics: R. L. Trask (Routledge)
General books more suitable for teachers
Investigating English Style: Crystal and Davy (Longman)
Analysing Talk: David Langford (Macmillan)
Systems of language and grammar or specific aspects suitable for individual use by students
The Frameworks of English: Kim Ballard (Palgrave)
The Structure of English: Handbook of English Grammar: Michael Newby (CUP)**
Explorations in Language: A.J. Tinkel (CUP)
English Accents and Dialects: Hughes and Trudgill (Edward Arnold)
International English: Hughes and Trudgill (Edward Arnold)
Listen to Your Child: David Crystal (Penguin) – acquisition of language
See also David Crystal's publications on grammar listed above as 'Suitable for use in the classroom'
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LANGUAGE 50
More suitable for teachers
The Oxford English Grammar: Sydney Greenbaum (OUP)
English Grammar for Today - a new Introduction: Leech, Deuchar, Hoogenraad
(Macmillan) provides a very clear model of grammar
Describing Language: Graddol, Cheshire and Swann (Open University Press)
An A-Z of English Grammar and Usage: Geoffrey Leech (Edward Arnold)
A Communicative Grammar of English: G. Leech and J. Svartvik (Longman)
13

14. Writing to entertain, explore and imagine
The importance of structure and theme
You need to have an idea of what it is you want to say or explore: what is your theme?
MAKE IT PERSONAL!!! Here are some pointers to help you FIND YOUR THEME:
The Story Of My Life
The details of your birth? Where were you born? Was it a traumatic birth?
Caesarean section?
Your first memories: your first smell, your first accident, your first day at school, sisters,
brothers.
Your parents: their jobs, their personalities.
14

15. Traumatic incidents: being told off, teachers you liked and teachers you didn’t,
Moving to secondary school
Your friends at Coopers’
The time when you got into the most trouble
Popular themes arising from personal investigations are:
Parental conflict (Catcher in the Rye, The Curious Incident Of The Dog)
Hatred of school, of politicians, teachers, doctors, of life (Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Great
Expectations)
15

16. The nightmare of growing up – think about WHY growing up is such a nightmare (Great
Expectations and Catcher in the Rye)
The wonder of early memories
Genre
You need to read widely in your chosen genre. WORK OUT WHAT THE CONVENTIONS
ARE OF YOUR GENRE.
16

17. The importance of planning
Here’s an outline for a novel I’ve been attempting to write. The plot is now much changed, but it
gives students an idea about what’s involved with planning an extended piece
Plot Outline for Last Day Of Term 16th August 2007
The two narrators: John Pongrácz, a sixteen-year-old boy, pupil at Gilda Ball Academy. His first person narration is denoted by bold
type.
Martin Hick, Head of English at Gilda Ball Academy. His first person story is denoted with ordinary type.
Other characters:
Sam Ndlova – the Headteacher, called the Principal
Helen Holmes – Martin Hick’s wife.
Letitia Ndlova – Sam’s wife.
Henrietta Duncanson – the exams secretary and governor of the school.
Pupils: Moose, Azizur, Gary Hart,
17

18. Act 1
The Last Day Of Term July 18th 2002
John Pongrácz narrates in the first person. He tells how he steals the Headteacher’s mobile phone and then follows Sam after school and
finds out that he is having an affair with Martin Hick’s wife. He illustrates how he has been inspired by Martin Hick but also talks
about the pupils who have been humiliating Hick, who are Abdi and Mosul, Gary Hart and Candy Crabtree. Anecdotes showing their
humiliation of Hick. Details about Pongracz’s homelife: his great-uncle, the Count Zoltan, and his mother, Magda. The lack of a father.
The way he is bullied by his friends, Moose and Azizur, into stealing the laptop.
We learn that the old Principal has retired and is being replaced by his protégée Sam Ndlova. The old Principal was liberal and weak,
and didn’t have a grip on the school.
The Last Day Of The Holidays September 1st 2002
Hick’s targets for the holiday: to get his marriage back on track. We learn about his city break to Budapest with Helen. Hick enjoys the history of
the town, but Helen hates the miserable brutality of the history. She’s fed up with her job in publishing, wishing that Hick would get promoted
and liberate her to do her pottery, to live her life a bit with the children. She feels trapped by work. Hick does not. She would have much rather
go away to the Alps (where Sam has gone with his wife).
Hick spends the rest of the holiday with Helen’s mother, Jos, in her coastal house. He has a close relationship with her. He has set himself the
target of improving his seven-year-old’s reading and maths, which he manages to do. To his astonishment
On GCSE results day, he is called by Sam in a panic stricken fashion. The school is going into Special Measures because of its poor results.
Martin is harassed by Henrietta Duncanson for his poor results and feels ashamed to look some of his failing students in the eye. He feels he has
failed them. With renewed vigour, he draws up an action plan to improve their attainment. He works with Sam to improve things.
The Last Day Of Term 18th October 2002
18

19. Assembly: Sam talks about how everyone should work harder and does a juggling act for the school, which would be impressive except
for the fact that he drops the balls at the last moment.
First lesson: More humiliation of Hick by Abdi and Mosul, as he is being observed by Ofsted. Pongracz observes this and feels sorry for
Hick. Hick uses Pongracz’s biography of his great uncle as an example of great coursework. Ofsted think Pongracz was cheating –
which he wasn’t
Then Pongracz is informed he has to see the head about the incident at the war museum. This leads into:
Memory: A few week earlier, Pongracz goes on a trip to the war museum with a lesbian Marxist teacher, Miss Renton. He steals the
bags of Abdi and Mosul and pretends to be a suicide bomber as a joke outside the museum. He also talks to Miss Renton about his
great-uncle questioning whether Pongracz’s mother was making it up about the Count being in the Holocaust. This sounds as though
Pongracz thinks the Holocaust was made up, which he doesn’t. He also asks to see Miss Renton’s tattoo which she interprets him as
asking that she should take her clothes off. At the time, Pongracz isn’t aware he has done anything wrong but the next day he is accused
of being a Holocaust denier, a racist for pretending to be a suicide bomber, a thief, and guilty of sexual harassment for asking Renton to
take her clothes off.
Pongracz waits behind to see Hick, who is teaching another Year 9 class. Gary Hart and Candy Crabtree humiliate Hick.
Pongracz observes that Hick is very nervous about Ofsted.
The day ends with Pongracz being suspended from the school. The reader thinks he is out completely. Hick goes home with Pongracz,
meets the Count and learns that Pongracz was in fact Jewish from the Hungarian story.
The Last Day Of Term 20th December 2002
Interview day for the Deputy Head post at the school. Hick is prepared and ready. Nervous. It is the last day of term, but an emergency interview
has been held because the person who got the Deputy Head post previously, has refused to take the job, getting a post at a better school. So there
are “re-interviews”. Atmosphere of chaos.
19

20. First lesson: culmination of the humiliation of Hick by Abdi and Mosul in Sixth Form lesson. Not listening at all. We notice though that
Pongracz is back in the class. Hick has fixed things for Pongracz by really sticking his neck out. Hick has shown that Pongracz is Jewish and that
it would be absurd to think he is a Holocaust denier. He also engineers an apology with Renton.
Second lesson: Year 9, Gary Hart and Candy Crabtree really humiliate Hick and lead a mass riot.
He has to go from this lesson to the interview, which goes badly with Sam. Sam says that Martin has gained poor results, has a poor discipline
record. Martin is virtually in tears at the end of it.
Martin walks out of the interview. Thinking all is lost. He hates Sam, knowing that Sam is shagging his wife. For the first time in his life, he
feels really violent.
He lies in wait for Sam after school and accosts him. They get into a fight. Sam easily beats Martin, saying you’re finished. You’ll never work
again. We truly think Martin has had it.
Act 2
The Day Of The Christmas Holidays January 4th 2003
Pongracz is observing Martin and Helen’s house. He hasn’t seen Helen at all. He’s seen quite a lot of Hick over the holidays. They’ve
become real friends. Hick has become like a surrogate father to Pongracz. On the first day of the holidays, Martin has told him that he
probably won’t be working at the school anymore. Things haven’t worked out. A little later on in the holidays, Martin tells him that he
may be back at the school. He seems excited, happier: Pongracz doesn’t believe him, he thinks Martin is only saying that to give some
hope. Magda, Pongracz’s mother, is very grateful for all Martin has done for Pongracz. There is a sense of mystery here, but also a
sense of developing relationship with Pongracz.
The Last Day Of Term February 18th 2003
20

21. Hick is now, surprise-surprise, acting Principal of the Academy. We see him walking around the school with the governors of the school, and
Gilda Ball, who has supplied the money for the academy. Sam is not mentioned. He talks to them about how he is going to improve things: his
talk is full of jargon. He is going to raise standards by listening to the students, meeting their concerns, and introduce more “democratic”
structures into the school so that the pupils feel they have a real stake in their school. He will introduce more courses that “meet their needs”.
Flashbacks: Sam coming to see him after the fight, apologising and saying that he has actually given Martin the Vice Principal job.
He says that he is in love with Helen, that he hates working at the school, that he’s leaving. Martin receiving a distraught call from Letitia, Sam’s
wife, saying that Helen has ruined everything. Very tense during the holidays with Helen. Martin and Helen have Christmas at her mother’s, but
agree to split after that.
Sam comes into school on the first day of term and briefly tells the staff he is leaving. He apologises but says he has personal reasons for this. He
doesn’t anticipate he will ever return to teaching.
Helen and Sam disappear. They have gone travelling.
Jos, Helen’s mother, comes and looks after the kids. At weekends, he goes to the coast where Helen’s house is. He feels OK about the new
situation.
During the holidays Martin meets the governors. He tells them that Sam was spreading a lot of lies about him and that he should be given a
chance to be Acting Principal, giving them time to conduct interviews.
Next meeting, democracy in action. A tour of the school with Pongracz, Azizur and Moose, who are now School Captains. They give him a hit
list of all the drug dealers in school, the bullies, the trouble-makers, the crap teachers. Martin asks them for solutions. At first their solutions are
quite reasonable, but then they become more and more vague, like “we could sort them out if you like”. Martin says that they should never, ever
resort to violence.
The Last Day Of Term March 30th 2003
21

22. Pongracz and Moose have got hold of Gary Hart before school starts and have told him that he will die if he plays up in the lessons.
Ofsted are back in school. Pongracz and Martin give them a tour of the school. Everything is in perfect working order. Sixth Form
Prefects are monitoring everything.
The teachers are subdued but getting on peaceably. The teachers are frightened of Pongracz and of Martin. Martin has boosted results
by insisting upon coursework being of top quality.
At the end of the day, Martin visits Pongracz at home. He is now a very regular visitor. He is flirty with Pongracz’s mother. Martin feels
the only problem they now have are the exams.
Pongracz complains about Henrietta Duncanson the exam secretary. Martin says, “Yes she is awkward, isn’t she?”
The Last Day Of The Easter Holidays April 13th 2003
Martin visits Magda, Pongracz’s mother and tells her that the situation for exams secretary is now vacant. He sleeps with Magda. Pongracz is
incredibly happy. They go holiday during the holidays and it feels like finally they all have a real family.
Bush has “won” the Iraq war.
Martin has niggling concerns about the school. Staff absenteeism and an annoying union rep.
Act 3
The Last Day Of Term May 30th 2003
22

23. Pongracz is sitting his AS exams. He is very confident. He has photocopied all the exam papers. He has given copies of the papers to the
relevant pupils. They have used the internet to find the correct answers. He is absolute top dog of the school. The pupils are terrified of
him. He loves bullying them.
Martin is now living with Magda. Pongracz finds he feels jealous of Martin’s real children who he sees at weekends at Jos’ house on the
coast. Jos doesn’t like Pongracz, he is too much of the street, too poor for her. She resents losing Martin herself.
Trouble in Iraq rumbles on.
Pongracz confides in the Count. He has no one else. He feels guilty about all the bad things he has done: he has beaten in a lot of kids. He
feels bad about Abdi and Mosul in particular, who were basically stabbed because of him.
The Count tells him the last section of the Hungarian story. The bit set in the Holocaust, where there was an orgy of violence.
The Last Day Of Term 19th July 2003
Martin has won. He has been told that day that school is out of Special Measures and he has been made permanent Principal of the school. His
teachers are efficient and do their jobs properly. He feels confident to harass any teacher who does not attend the school properly. He has sacked
the annoying union representative.
Trouble in Iraq has rumbled on.
He meets Pongracz and asks him to be Head boy next year (again). John shakes his head. He doesn’t want to. Martin asks whether it’s because
he has now split up with Magda (which he has). John shakes his head. He just doesn’t believe in it all anymore. John is going to go travelling
with the Count during the summer.
The parting of the ways: John will finish his time at the school next year but it’s clear that Martin will have to find another henchman. Up steps
Moose.
23

24. Martin is left with a feeling of emptiness, but there is a sense that John has a sense of jaded hope for the future. He wants to explore and
investigate, not be trapped by the institution. Listening to his great uncle’s story has made him see that.
Part One DRAFT ONE
The Last Day Of The Summer Term – July 2003
1am
My s snap open. Yellow light dribbles thru the thin curtains, making the fabric look like spit thats bean on the pavement 2 long.
Theres this familyur horse, rasping noyse in the darkness. I try 2 block my ears but it aint no good, the words keep coming thru in
my great-uncle’s old-style Hungarian: “Anna, Anna, theres no need 2 go! There’s no need, I can arrange it for you! Laszlo has sed
he will look after u…”
And a little later: “My socks are falling down! Where r my suspendas?”
And then a few minutes after that: “János, is Laszlo’s jeep ready?”
24

25. The thing is, I’m bovverred, I’m very bovverred, and I know I shuldnt b. Its at times like these that I wish I had a MP3 player, or even
a Walkman, or even better, a Gameboy. Just imagine the amazing feeling of playing Pokemon thru out the night. Then I’d have
something else 2 occupy me through the night. But I dont. And I am forced 2 listen.
2 distract myself, I txt Preshus. “U up? Im playing on GB. Pokemon. Gtin nr Mewtoo. Wot u doing? Lol. Xxxx.”
I wait. My great-uncle continues growning about hs sister Anna and his friend Laszlo, and somefing called the Arrow Cross. I put
my head over the pillows, trying to block out the noyse, waiting 4 a reply from Preshus. Shes normally up at this time, usually on
MSN and watching TV. She always tells me 2 go on MSN but since we don’t have a computer in the house, or internet or anything,
I have to tell her that my mum wont let me go on the computer and the only thing I got is the GB and my fone.
Then, the cry cums. The one Ive been dreding. My greatuncle has stopped having his nightlynightmare and halfwoken up. Even
though the covers r drawn over my head, I know his big, dark eyes are peering at my bed and his big, bony hand is reaching across
to my bed. We only have a tiny room and he always reaches, shaking the frame of the bed. He says softly in that posh English-
Hungarian accent hes got: “Just a little cup of richly textured cocoa if you please.”
I pull the covers more tightly over my head and think 2night, it’s gonna 2 be different, 2night I am not going 2 make him his cocoa.
I am not.
25

26. Just then Preshus txts me: “U gotta meet GMF by bins 2mrrw. We miss u :( Cum :) Lolxxx.”
I breefe in deeply. Since I finished my GCSEs, I aint seen the Preshus or the GMF hardly at all. Been stuck with the Cunt -- who
won’t stop rattling my bed.
“János, János, just a little cup of richly textured cocoa if you please,” he croaks.
It’s always the way he says my name which drags me out of bed. You see, he says it with such feeling, he says it in such a way
that you think I could save his life. It also makes me think: he used 2 have a butler called János. Is he calling for him or for me?
When he’s half asleep like this, it’s difficult 2 know.
Swinging my legs out of the bed, I think about Preshus, her missing me. That gives me a sort of warm feeling. The GMF need me.
That makes me think more nicely about my great-uncle. I stare down down at his long nose, his sad, moist eyes and gently nudge
him. This strange thing happens 2 me when I see him: I s2p hating him. When I’m lying in bed forced 2 listen 2 his coughing, his
snorting, his humming, his grumbling, I really hate him: I hate his old man smell, his old man talk, his old man complaining, but then
when I look at him, this sliver of pity stabs through me like I’ve trod on a shard of broken glass.
It’s his face. In the dribbly yellow darkness of the cramped room, the shadow cuts up his cheeks, making him look painfully thin –
even thinner than he actually is – and his long, sharp nose has this droopy quality which reminds me of a toucan that lost its perch.
26

27. Slowly, his s flutter open as I keep nudging him. “Your Excellency, your excellency, it’s all right, it was only a bad dream,” I say. I
have 2 call him “your excellency” cos he’s actually a “Cunt” – a Hungarian Cunt.
Eventually, he wakes up and his s stare at me.
The Larst Day Of The Summer Term – July 2003 DRAFT TWO
1am
-- Anna!
The name crackles in my mind -- fizzing n spitting -- morphing in2 a person -- a booteful purson -- a gorejus woman rippling in a
white dress billowing at the waste -- larffing in the SePia light of Buda-Pest -- her smile twinkling as she twurls her parasol along the
street -- I larff too -- Im so happy -- Im holding her hand -- Its tight and warm and Ive never-ever bean so happy cos this aint the
Buda-Pest I new when I woz small -- the scuzzy, boring, blocky Buda-Pest of high-risers and drizzle -- this is the amazing pre-war
27

28. Buda-Pest of my great uncles dreams-- Its miraculous cos Ive time travelled and Im back their -- walking with Anna -- who looks
alot like mama -- a happier mama than Ive ever known -- dancing and singing in the blackandwhitemovielight of Andrassy Avenue
-- buttery wafts of pastry billowing out of the bakery doorways -- horses clipclopping down the Vasttree-lined avenue--
-- Lazslo!
The name plastocines into a handsome name walking towards us -- glossy black hair swept to one side CaryGrant Style -- his keen
black eyes surching the ambling crowd for us -- he runs towards us in his grey flannel suit when he sees us -- his brogues shining
in the scratchylight -- We Wave -- We Run to meat him--
And then suddenly I am watching Lazslo kiss Anna and Ive never felt this happy cos this is what Ive wanted like
nuffinkelseintheuniverse--
28

29. And Ive made it happen--
My s snap open--
Yellow light dribbles thru the thin curtains, making the fabric look like spit thats bean on the pavement 2 long-- Theres this familyur
horse, rasping noyse in the darkness-- I try 2 block my ears but it aint no good, the words keep coming thru in my great-uncles old-
style Hungarian:
-- Anna, Anna, theres no need 2 go! Theres no need, I can arrange it for you! Laszlo has sed he will look after u…
And a little later -- My socks are falling down! Where r my suspendas?
And then a few minutes after that: -- János, is Laszlos jeep ready?
The thing is, Im bovverred, Im very bovverred, and I know I shuldnt b-- Its at times like these that I wish I had a MP3 player, or even
a Walkman, or even better, a Gameboy-- Just imagine the amazing feeling of playing Pokemon thru out the night-- Then Id have
something else 2 occupy me through the night-- But I dont-- And I am forced 2 listen--
2 distract myself, I txt Preshus-- U up? Im playing on GB. Pokemon. Gtin nr Mewtoo. Wot u doing? Lol. Xxxx.
29

30. I wait -- my great-uncle continues growning about hs sister Anna and his friend Laszlo, and somefing called the Arrow Cross -- I put
my head over the pillows, trying to block out the noyse, waiting 4 a reply from Preshus -- Shes normally up at this time, usually on
MSN and watching TV -- She always tells me 2 go on MSN but since we dont have a computer in the house, or internet or nuffink, I
have to tell her that my mum wont let me go on the computer and the only thing I got is the GameBoy and my fone --
Then, the cry cums -- The one Ive been dreding -- My greatuncle has stopped having his nightlynightmare and halfwoken up --
Even though the covers r drawn over my head – I no his big, dark eyes are peering at my bed and his bigbony hand is reaching
across to my bed -- We only have a tiny room and he always reeches shaking the frame of the bed -- He says softly in that posh
English-Hungarian accent hes got: “Just a little cup of richly textured cocoa if you please --”
I pull the covers more tightly over my head and think 2night, it’s gonna 2 be different, 2night I am not going 2 make him his cocoa --
I am not --
Just then Preshus txts me: U gotta meet GMF by bins 2mrrw. We miss u :( ave u hrd abt hicky?! Cum :) Lolxxx
I fiddle with my fone, txting back: -- Wot abt hicky?
30

31. Theres a pause during which I wonder more about what she could be talking about -- Hicky never normally associated himself with
the GMF --
Then the text cums: He gt sacked!
KEY QUESTION: How and why have the drafts changed? What can you learn about your own writing from this drafting
process?
31

32. The importance of audience and purpose
Read this piece written by me in the TES 27 August 2007 and consider the audience and purpose
The re-marking lottery
Any experienced Head of Department knows that results' day can be a nightmare. The worst problem
to deal with is the sobbing student, often accompanied with the angry parent, brandishing a
tear-stained results' slips, exclaiming in loud and outraged tones that there's no way he or
she could have got their sub-standard score, and that the examiner must have got it wrong. It's
usually at this point that many teachers might suggest that the candidate should apply to the
examination board to have the exam re-marked. In my current school, a large comprehensive in
outer London, candidates have to pay to have their script assessed again: the school simply
cannot afford the cost of re-paying for re-marks. This is the case in most schools: re-marking
is a very expensive business. Depending upon the board and the exam, fees for GCSE remarks are
usually £23 or more while A Level re-marks are £35+. This is merely the cost for having a script
re-assessed for the first time: if a candidate isn't happy with that re-assessment and asks for
their script to be looked at for a second time by a more senior examiner, the fee rises yet
again usually to £78. If, after that, a candidate still isn’t happy, then he or she may have his
script scrutinised by the independent Examination Appeals Board, and this will cost in the
region of £130. If a script’s mark is changed, then the fees are waived, but nevertheless it is
quite nerve-wracking to “gamble” all this money on a mark being changed.[1]
Year on year, the demand for re-marks has increased by thousands. In 2003, 38,440 GCSE scripts
were re-marked[2]; last year, the figure was 62,397[3]. That's an increase of 23,957. I expect
this year the figure will be even higher. Savvy and wealthy pupils, parents (and schools) have
32

33. noticed that while the number of candidates asking for re-marks has ballooned, the percentage of
candidates having their marks changed has remained approximately the same. In 2003, roughly 25%
of students -- just over 10,000 candidates -- had their grades changed because of re-marks[4].
In 2006, the figure was more or less the same at 23% with 14, 197 candidates having their grades
altered[5]. Either that means exam marking has become a lot worse, or a vigilant candidates have
unearthed a great deal more sloppy marking. These statistics give every incentive to a
disgruntled candidate to contest their marks if they have money to burn: nearly a quarter of
grades are changed when they are challenged.
The only way to stop the rot is to ban individual re-marks altogether. At the moment, the system
overwhelmingly benefits wealthier students who can afford to pay the exorbitant fees that are
required to have a script re-marked. They are beginning to milk the system in ever increasing
numbers, playing the re-mark lottery in the hope that their grade will go up. Instead, there
needs to be a much fairer system all round. With A Levels, candidates need to secure places at
universities much earlier, perhaps gaining acceptance to colleges with their AS results and so
there isn’t this mad stampede for re-marks if they fail to attain the right grades for their
preferred institutions. And with all of the exams, the Examination Appeals Board (EAB) should
step in much earlier if there has been slip-shod marking. At present, the EAB only listens to a
tiny handful of cases.
Currently, a partisan inquiry into a batch of scripts, conducted by the exam board itself, only
happens if a number of individual scripts have had their marks altered. Of course, schools or
parents have had to pay a great deal of money to the exam boards before an inquiry into a group
of scripts is instituted. More often than not this never happens -- and poor examiners are not
rooted out.
33

34. At the moment, we have a chronically unfair system whereby everyone benefits except the
economically disadvantaged student. The exam boards rake in the money from the re-marks and the
wealthy student takes a punt on getting his grade put up. Meanwhile, the rest are stuck with
their grade, right or wrong.
How is this article different in audience and purpose from the following?
How you can win your school appeal – The Times March 2008
In despair after your child didn?t get the first choice? For parents who won?t take no for an
answer, here's some advice
The Government’s announcement this week that parents who have not got their child into their
first-choice school should appeal promises to cause mayhem in educational establishments
throughout the country.
I should know, because I teach in a top-achieving comprehensive in outer London. In the past,
parents angry that their child has failed to gain a place have phoned sobbing, shouted abuse at
staff and, in one extreme case, staggered around drunk on the premises raging against the
“injustice” of the system.
During the research for my book Parent Power — The Parents’ Guide to Getting the Best Education
for Your Child, I spoke to a number of parents whose children had been rejected by popular
schools. They all told me about their bitter disappointment. Most of them felt that their
34

35. child’s life would be harmed if he or she attended the school they had been offered. Many of
them followed the Government’s current advice and appealed against the decision.
Then their fun really began. Mounting a “school appeal” is a time-consuming and nerve-racking
business. Furthermore, contrary to government propaganda, statistics show that it is often
unproductive: roughly one fifth of appeals do not succeed. This is largely because many parents
mount emotional appeals that their child needs a place because he likes the look of one school
over another, or because his best friend goes to the school, or because he is too clever to go
to a poorer-performing school.
These reasons will never succeed because they are not based on what are known as a school’s
“admissions criteria”, the rules by which it chooses its pupils. If a parent’s appeal is going
to succeed, he or she must prove that the school did not apply its admissions criteria correctly
or that the problems faced by the child in going to another school outweigh the trouble for the
school in admitting the child.
A third of completed applications are faulty: forms are not filled in fully, vital questions are
incorrectly answered, crucial evidence is not provided. The net result may be that a child is
not offered a place simply because bamboozled parents have not mastered the bureaucracy of the
process.
It is crucial to read the guidance issued by the school to the letter: one tiny slip-up can mean
rejection.
Usually, the school or local authority website provides all the relevant details.
Above all, your appeal will need to show that your child does indeed meet the school’s
admissions criteria. I have known parents measure the distance between the school and their home
with rulers to show that they do indeed live within the catchment area. Other parents trying to
get their child into faith-based schools pester their religious leaders for detailed references,
in some cases attempting to butter them up with “donations”. In one case, a parent actually
pretended to be a pastor in order to get his child into a Christian school.
35

36. My advice is always to be honest but put absolutely everything you can think of into your
appeal. This could mean showing that your child has aptitude in the school’s “specialisms”, such
as drama or sports, or that your child would benefit immeasurably from the unique curriculum the
school offers, or that he has special educational needs that can only be catered for at your
preferred school. With religious schools some are vague, just asking for evidence that you are
practising in that faith. Others are much more hard-nosed, demanding proof of regular church
attendance for at least two years. Appeals are not adjudicated by the school or local education
authority, but independent “lay” people, usually drawn from the local community. They will
consider all parents’ points, including those not part of the school’s admissions criteria. If
there are “special considerations” you will need to spell them out fully. I have known of
parents who have confessed at appeal meetings that they are ill or disabled, which means their
child needs to go a school which is easily accessible by train or bus but not necessarily the
closest school, and have succeeded with their appeal. The panel has the power to ignore a
school’s admissions criteria.
However, parents do have to bear in mind that they are the biggest single influence upon a
child’s results and happiness. A huge amount of systematic and reliable research has shown that
children will do well at more or less any school if they are supported positively by their
parents.
What are the key features of:
Writing to persuade
Writing to advise
36

37. 37

38. A worksheet to assist with the drafting process for coursework
Good rough draft of pieces to Mr Gilbert by 20th December.
Final deadline for coursework to Mr Gilbert: 20th February 2008.
Final outcomes: Purpose: writing to imagine, entertain and explore.
Audience: Year 7 pupils.
Form: short stories.
Commentary on this story, exploring your use of language with reference to the audience and purpose of the story. Include a rough draft which is
MARKED and photocopies of STYLE MODELS.
Purpose: writing to advise.
Audience: Parents of teenagers.
Form: Leaflet.
Commentary on this leaflet, exploring your use of language with reference to the audience and purpose of the story. Include a rough draft which
is MARKED and photocopies of STYLE MODELS.
Process for short story
1. Interview Year 7 pupils about the stories they like. Question them about lexis (vocabulary) they like and enjoy, sentence structures they
like and enjoy (simple, complex and compound) genres they like, narrative structures they like, themes they like, the pragmatics they
enjoy. Take notes.
2. Read relevant style models (YOU MUST READ WIDELY ABOUT THIS) and photocopy them.
3. Plan your story so that it meets the requirements of the genre, thinking very carefully about YOUR AUDIENCE (what they like and what
grips them) and YOUR PURPOSE. Make sure your story has an OPENING, COMPLICATION, CRISIS, CLIMAX AND
38

39. RESOLUTION. Think very carefully about your language choices. Pay GREAT ATTENTION to the requirements of the genre, and how
you are similar and different.
4. Write a draft and show it to pupil. Listen to their response and improve your story as MUCH as you can.
5. Write commentary following the guidelines on pages 187-9 of your AQA B text book. DISCUSS YOUR AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE
IN GREAT DETAIL, referring to how you met the demands of your audience in the language you used, discuss your purpose in the same
way too. MOST OF THE MARKS in your commentary are gathered by showing you have pinpointed and targeted your work at a
specific audience through your use of language.
6. Improve your draft, thinking particularly about language choices. Hand in your draft to Mr Gilbert for marking.
7. Improve your work for a FINAL DRAFT.
Process for leaflet
8. Interview your parent/guardian about topics they would like advice about regarding teenagers. . Question them about lexis (vocabulary)
they like and enjoy, sentence structures they like and enjoy (simple, complex and compound) genres they like, the discourse structures
they like, themes they like, the pragmatics they enjoy. Take notes.
9. Read relevant style models and photocopy them.
10. Plan your leaflet so that it meets the requirements of the genre, thinking very carefully about YOUR AUDIENCE (what they like and
what grips them) and YOUR PURPOSE. Make sure your leaflet is clearly structured and has the proper headings. Think very carefully
about your language choices.
11. Write a draft and show it to your parent. Listen to their response and improve your story as MUCH as you can.
12. Write commentary following the guidelines on pages 187-9 of your AQA B text book. DISCUSS YOUR AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE
IN GREAT DETAIL, referring to how you met the demands of your audience in the language you used, discuss your purpose in the same
way too. MOST OF THE MARKS in your commentary are gathered by showing you have pinpointed and targeted your work at a
specific audience through your use of language.
13. Improve your draft, thinking particularly about language choices. Hand in your draft to Mr Gilbert for marking.
14. Improve your work for a FINAL DRAFT.
39

40. General guidelines: WHEREVER POSSIBLE USE YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE for both the story and leaflet. Avoid WELL-
WORN topics such as DRUGS, SEX and VIOLENCE.
FORMAT FOR YOUR FOLDER:
Put the folder in the following order: TICK OFF THAT YOU HAVE DONE THESE THINGS.
1. Final draft of your short story.
2. Marked rough draft of your story.
3. Commentary on your story.
4. Style models, with highlighted areas indicated what you have based your story upon.
5. Final draft of your parents’ leaflet.
6. Marked rough draft of your leaflet.
7. Commentary on leaflet.
8. Style models.
40