English Language Arts 30-1
Diploma Exam Preparation – “Part A”
Written Response
Part A – Written Response (50%)
 Personal Response to Texts
 40%
 one
hour
 Critical/Analytical Response to Literary Texts
 60%
 two hours
Personal Response to Texts
ASSIGNMENT
 What do these texts suggest about . . . ?
(texts may be visual, poetry and/or prose selections)
 In your writing, you must
 use
a prose form
 connect one or more of the texts provided in
this examination to your own ideas and
impressions
Initial Planning
 To which of the texts are you responding? What is
the connection between the text and your response?
 What idea do you intend to explore and how does it
address the topic?
 State your choice of prose form. Chose from prose
forms that you have practised in ELA 30-1. You may
respond using a personal, creative, or analytical
perspective. Do not use a poetic form.
prose forms
 short essay
 letter
 rant
 eulogy
 journal entry
 interview
 newspaper article
 rebuttal
 editorial
 screen play
 interior monologue
 speech
 short story
 anecdote
 personal observation
 commentary
et cetera
Critical/Analytical Response to Literary Text
 Do not use the texts provided in this booklet
for the Critical/Analytical Response to Literary
Texts Assignment. Choose from short stories,
novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, films, or
other literary texts that you have studied in
ELA 30-1. When considering the works that
you have studied, chose a literary text that is
meaningful to you and relevant to the following
assignment.
The Assignment
 Discuss the idea developed by the text creator
in your chosen text about _____ .
 In your planning and writing, consider the following
instructions:
 Carefully consider your controlling idea and how
you will create a strong unifying effect in your
response.
 As you develop your ideas, support them with
appropriate, relevant, and meaningful examples
from your choice of literary text.
Initial Planning
 Use this space for your initial planning. This
information assists markers in identifying the
text you have chosen to support your ideas.
The markers who read your composition will
be very familiar with the literary text you have
chosen.
 Literary Text and Creator:
 (Note: Write the title of your chosen literary
text on the back cover of this examination
booklet.)
Personal Reflection on Choice of Text
 Briefly explore your reasons for selecting the
literary text as support for your response.
Markers will consider the information you
provide here when considering the
effectiveness of your supporting evidence.
“N – E – X - T” in your paragraphs!!
 Introduction – title, author, genre – thesis statement
 Body paragraph ONE – supporting reason #1
evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 Body paragraph TWO – supporting reason #2
 evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 Body paragraph THREE– supporting reason #3
 evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 evidence / explanation
 Conclusion

CONNECTIONS – Part “A”
 Each text studied this term was studied in a particular
thematic unit. You will make connections across
these units, reviewing the texts to determine what
each has in common with a text from another unit.
 The connection you make does NOT have to fall
under one of the themes studied - hardship, selfpreservation vs competing demands, or individual
perspectives. The potential for connections between
any two texts is limitless. You may want to use the
Word document "essay questions" for connection
ideas.
PREPARE – Part “A”
1. Choose three pieces of text that were studied this
semester about which you would feel confident to
write.
2. For EACH piece of text list and explain the following:
- title, author, genre
- important characters
- symbols, motifs
- theme
- brief quotations (3-5?) that are central to the piece
texts studied
 Hamlet
 A Streetcar Named
Desire
 The Kite Runner
 The Shawshank
Redemption
 “The Iron Road”
 “Grinning and Happy”
 “Shining Houses”
 “The Painted Door”
 “On the Rainy River”
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“Dulce Et Decorum Est”
“Guilt”
“Field of Vision”
“Where There’s a Wall”
“The Uninvited”
Refugee Mother & Child”
“Students”
“The Lady of Shalott”
REVIEW
theory unit
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CARL notes
CARL rubric
CARL exemplars/rationales
personal response notes
personal response rubric
final exam preparation tutorials
previous and sample diploma exams
three pieces of text
U5L1, U5L2
Part A – bring:
 dictionary
 thesaurus
 pen / pencil for planning – even if you are
writing on the computer
 highlighter(s) for marking key ideas /
phrases on the exam
 Be aware that your books and pencil cases
will be checked for extraneous information,
which none of you will be carrying,
anyway. 
Part A – check when finished:
Once your assignments have been printed off, and stapled
into your exam booklet, be sure of the following:
 it is YOUR work
 it is complete – all assignments have been printed
 it is in the proper order
 your 6-digit registration number is on each page
 each page is numbered
 each assignment is stapled into its appropriate page in the
exam booklet
 You are NOT allowed to take anything out of the exam
room other than what you brought in. This includes any
copy of the assignments you completed on the exam.
Part A – et cetera
 Bring photo ID.
 Aim to arrive at RVLC (or your school) by
8:30 am for EACH diploma exam you write.
 Go to bed early and get a good night’s
rest!!