Critical Reading Paper: Scottish Text
This paper makes up one half of the Critical
Reading Paper in the exam.
In the Scottish Text section you will be asked to
read an extract from a text you have previously
studied in class (Carol Ann Duffy poem), and
then answer questions on it.
This paper will be worth 20 marks.
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Read the poem through before you start,
even if you know it well.
Read the questions carefully.
Work out exactly what they are asking before
you answer.
Check how many marks each question is
worth and think about how these marks will
be allocated.
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Identify two of the main concerns in the
text…
‘Identify’ means finding an idea and putting it
into your own words.
When asked about the main ideas / concerns
of the text show your understanding of
poem’s story and the main messages /
themes it is conveying.
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Show how one example of the poet’s
language helps to clarify or illustrate her
meaning…
There could be up to 6 marks awarded in this
paper for this type of question.
To answer successfully you will have to quote
a word / image / technique (1) and then
comment on its effect in relation to the
question (1).
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How effective do you find…
These questions are asking how well you
think the writer has done something.
Generally speaking, you say the writer has
used language well and then go on to show
how by quoting a word / technique and
commenting on it.
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Generally, conclusions sum up the key ideas of a text
and leave us with something to think about.
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In poetry, poets use a number of techniques to
effectively conclude their work.
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These include: a continuation of the ideas from earlier in
the poem; a continuation of language from earlier in the
poem; a continuation of imagery from earlier in the
poem; a link / echo of the opening lines; a striking /
dramatic final line which highlights one of the poem’s key
ideas; rhetorical questions.
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How effective do you find any two aspects of
the final stanza as a conclusion to the poem?
In this type of question you will need to show
an understanding of the term ‘conclusion’
and show how the last lines continue the
ideas / language / imagery from the rest of
the poem.
Marks are allocated: example(1) + comment
(1)
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The final question is worth 8 marks.
It will ask you to compare or contrast the
poem you have in front of you with at least
one other you have studied by the same
writer.
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This should be set out in bullet points.
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The following slide provides guidance on how
to do this.
Organise your answer into 4 bullet points, each worth 2 marks:
1. Refer to another text and say what it has in common / in contrast
with the given text. (2)
(e.g. theme, central relationship, importance of setting, use of imagery, development in
characterisation, use of personal experience, use of narrative style, any other key feature…)
2. Refer to the extract you have been given in relation to the question.
(2)
(1 x relevant reference to technique/idea/feature (1) + 1 x appropriate comment (1))
3. Refer to the second text in relation to the question. (2)
(1 x relevant reference to technique/idea/feature (1) + 1 x appropriate comment (1))
4. Repeat stage 3.
Question: With close textual reference, show how the ideas and/or language
used when presenting the theme of love in ‘Havisham’ are similar and/or
different to the way love is explored in another poem or poems by Duffy.
Answer:
 Both ‘Havisham’ and ‘Valentine’ explore the painful side
of love (1). They both discuss the hurt that can be
caused when relationships go wrong (1).
 In ‘Havisham’ the word “b-b-b-breaks” (1) illustrates
that love can break your heart, but also your spirit and
your mind. (1)
 Similarly, in ‘Valentine’ Duffy says “it will blind you with
tears” (1), showing that love can cause hurt and upset
(1).
 Also, in ‘Valentine’, “lethal” (1) has connotations of
death, suggesting that the end of relationships can be
devastating (1).