Higher English Writing Folio

HIGHER ENGLISH WRITING FOLIO

CREATIVE AND PERSONAL / REFLECTIVE WRITING BOOKLET

Mrs L. K. Simpson HIGHER ENGLISH WRITING FOLIO

CREATIVE WRITING

If you are considering writing a creative piece to include in your Higher English Writing Folio, there are several options open to you within this genre. This booklet contains helpful advice to allow you to make the best choice.

A Chapter of a Novel

This can be a highly effective piece of writing and can create an impact as you could begin right in the middle of a piece of action or an event, and your piece does not necessarily require a definitive ending. Elements you must also consider when writing a chapter are:

 Character development  Plot  Setting in time and / or place  Narrative voice  Sequencing (e.g. use of flashbacks etc)  Descriptive detail  Literary techniques

Monologue

Candidates generally find writing a monologue reasonably straight forward and very enjoyable. Once again, your monologue can begin in the middle of a situation and it does not require a definite ending. Elements you must consider when writing a monologue are:

 Creating a voice  Creating a situation  Conveying whom the voice belongs to indirectly  Engineering the voice in a way that reveals the true personality of the speaker  You can end with a twist or not reveal who the voice belongs to until the very end of the monologue

 There is further information on writing a monologue in the monologue booklet.

Short Story

Many candidates enjoy writing a short story but it is important to ensure that your writing is not only highly effective but also interesting and compelling for your marker. When writing a short story, you must consider the following elements carefully:

 Structure: beginning, middle, end, climax, denouement etc.  Character development  Plot  Setting in time and / or place  Narrative voice  Sequencing (e.g. use of flashbacks etc)  Descriptive detail  Literary techniques Poem

Many candidates shy away from writing poetry in the creative writing genre, but this can form a highly effective and impressive piece that is often awarded highly. It is important to note that poetry is so rarely attempted that if submitted, the piece will be referred to the Principal Examiner of English for his perusal. If you choose to write a poem, you must consider the following elements:

* Structure * Style * Narrative Stance * Situation * Poetic Techniques

The Techniques of Creative Writing

There are many literary techniques that you can utilise in your creative writing piece. The most common ones are listed below:

 Word choice  Imagery  Varying Sentence Structure  Tone – as appropriate to task  Rhetorical questions  Alliteration  The Rule of Three  Emotive Language  Repetition  Paradox  Etc.

 The structure of your creative writing piece should be appropriate to your task. You can use flashbacks and alter the sequence of events as you wish to. Remember to be careful with the tense(s) of your writing. SQA Exemplars

The SQA exemplars that will aid you with your own creative writing and provide an exemplification of SQA standards are numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and X1. Pieces 4 and 7 are exceptional pieces. You will also be given the opportunity to look at exemplars of creative pieces written by Williamwood pupils .

PERSONAL / REFLECTIVE WRITING

If you prefer, you can choose to write a Personal / Reflective piece to include in your Folio. Good reflective writing doesn't just tell us about a topic and a person's feelings. It also considers an important issue. You should consider the key criteria for Personal / Creative Writing carefully before committing to write a piece in this genre.

Key criteria for Personal / Reflective Writing

 A sense of your own personality  Expression of your thoughts and feelings  Thoughtful / Entertaining ( not necessarily humorous) treatment of the topic  Appropriate style and vocabulary for purpose (Higher) and audience (intelligent adult)  You must remember that the reflective essay at Higher is not simply an account of an experience (SQA). Your piece must contain genuine reflection, that is, a mature consideration of why something has truly affected you or why something continues to make a real impact on your life etc. The Techniques of Personal / Reflective Writing

There are many literary techniques that you can utilise in your personal / reflective writing piece. The most common ones are listed below:

 Enigmatic opening  Anecdote  Word choice  Imagery  Varying Sentence Structure  Tone – as appropriate to task: must include genuine reflection  Rhetorical questions  Alliteration  The Rule of Three  Emotive Language  Repetition  Paradox  Etc.

 The structure of your personal / reflective writing piece should be appropriate to your task. You can use flashbacks and alter the sequence of events as you wish to. Remember to be careful with the tense(s) of your writing. Once again, your piece must be filled with genuine reflection.

SQA Exemplars

The SQA exemplars that will aid you with your own personal / reflective writing and provide an exemplification of SQA standards are numbers: 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 and 21. Piece 17 is an exceptional piece. You will also be given the opportunity to look at exemplars of personal / reflective pieces written by Williamwood pupils . The last pages of this booklet outline the SQA Marking Instructions for Creative and Personal / Reflective Folio Pieces. You must study the guidelines carefully to help you achieve as high a mark as possible.

SQA MARKING GUIDELINES

Content Content is relevant and appropriate for purpose and audience, reveals depth and complexity of thought and sustained development. Structure Structure is effective and appropriate for purpose, audience and genre; content is sequenced and organised in ways which assist impact. Expression Capable use of techniques relevant to the genre and effective choice of words and sentence structures sustain a style and tone which clearly communicate a point of view/stance consistent with purpose and audience.

Confirming Technical Accuracy A piece of writing which does not satisfy the requirement for “consistent” technical accuracy cannot pass. If, however, technical accuracy is deemed “consistent”, then there are no penalties or deductions for any errors. Consistently accurate Few errors will be present. Paragraphs, sentences and punctuation are accurate and organised so that the writing can be clearly and readily understood. Spelling errors (particularly of high frequency words) are infrequent.

Broad Descriptors Pieces of writing which pass (ie meet the minimum requirements of the Performance Criteria) should be assigned to one of four categories as follows: Category Mark(s) Broad descriptor I 25 Outstanding II 21 or 23 Very sound III 17 or 19 Comfortably achieves the Performance Criteria IV 13 or 15 Just succeeds in achieving the Performance Criteria Category I (25 marks): A sophisticated and stylish piece of writing in which the content is particularly well selected and shows qualities of insight/imagination/sophisticated thought. The structure is highly appropriate and there is skilful organisation which significantly enhances the overall impact of the writing. Expression is concise and effective. Word choice is consistently apposite, and sentence structures are skilfully varied to achieve effects. Techniques associated with the genre are used very effectively. Imaginative writing in this category will be characterised by a strong sense that the writer has command of and insight into the genre and is skilfully introducing and developing thematic concerns; the writing has flair and individuality which permeate the ideas and use of language. Personal/Reflective writing in this category will be characterised by a strong sense of mature reflection; the writer’s personality and individuality permeate the ideas and use of language.

Category II (21 or 23 marks): A very sound piece of writing in which the content is well selected and shows evidence of insight/imagination/sophisticated thought. The structure is appropriate and the organisation of content enhances the overall impact of the writing. Expression is skilful and confident. Word choice is apposite, and sentence structures are varied to achieve effects. Techniques associated with the genre are used effectively. Imaginative writing in this category will be characterised by a clear sense that the writer has command of and some insight into the genre and is able to introduce and develop thematic concerns; the writing is skilful and language is deployed to create a strong impact. Personal/Reflective writing in this category will be characterised by a clear sense of mature reflection; the writer’s personality and individuality come across strongly; the writing is confident and language is deployed to create a strong impact.

Category III (17 or 19 marks): A clearly competent piece of writing in which the content shows some evidence of insight/imagination/sophisticated thought. The structure is appropriate and contributes to the overall impact of the writing. Expression is controlled. Word choice is mostly apposite, and there is suitable variation in sentence structures. Techniques associated with the genre are in evidence. Imaginative writing in this category will be characterised by a sense that the writer has some insight into the genre and is attempting to introduce and develop thematic concerns; the writing is controlled and language is deployed to create some impact. Personal/Reflective writing in this category will be characterised by a clear sense of reflection; there is a clear sense of the writer’s personality; the writing is controlled and language is deployed to create some impact. Category IV (13 or 15 marks): A sufficiently competent piece of writing in which the content shows some signs of depth of thought and there is sufficient development. The structure is appropriate for the genre. Expression is adequate. There is evidence that choice of words and sentence structures has been made to achieve some effect, and there is use of some of the techniques associated with the genre. Imaginative writing in this category will be characterised by some sense that the writer has an understanding of the genre; the writing is mostly controlled and there is some evidence the writer is trying to deploy language to create impact. Personal/Reflective writing in this category will be characterised by a limited sense of reflection; there is some sense of the writer’s personality; the writing is mostly controlled and there is some evidence the writer is trying to deploy language to create impact.

Word Limit: 650 words minimum; 1300 words maximum