Common Test post-mortem

I'm sure some of you must be quite unsettled after common test. It's right to feel unsettled -- obviously, there's some work to be done -- but let's not forget that we have an exam to attempt at the end of the year, and there's still some time. As long as you keep pushing on, you will make it. It just depends whether you want to.

I will be organizing all of you into different groups, according to strengths and weaknesses. There is no personal agenda behind this; I only mean for all of us to do better, so please lay aside any feelings of hurt pride or frustration, or even despair. Please remember that any sense of failure is not something to get too emotional about. We need to assess our mistakes, improve on our weaknesses and improve on our strengths.

So here is the game plan:

We need to work on your PC. I will be providing PC passages (different passages for different groups) in my letter tray every week, alternating between prose and drama, from next week onwards. What you need to do is:

1) pick up the passage
2) annotate the passage as much as possible
3) arrange to meet me to discuss the passage (you need to annotate it to the point where you have your thesis and main points ready, with evidence from the text) for
30 - 45 minutes
4) if possible, WRITE the passage out in essay form (for some of you, this is mandatory)

Please avoid putting in 20th century context for now.

I will email more specific instructions to the lit reps.

Please read this blog for more updates.