PAPER 2 EXAM TIPS:
Before the exam:
 Review the assessment criteria.
 Study, study, study! Remember that your exam is 10% of your semester mark and in the spring
will be 25% of your IB mark. This is your opportunity to show what you can do. You don’t want
to regret it, do you?
 Read, reread and review each text – know the characters, plot, setting, themes, motifs, stylistic
features, conflicts, symbols and all that.
 Memorize quotations and think about all the possible topics that might be raised on the exam.
Remember that you will likely get one question or more about structure, one question or more
about characters, and one question or more about theme.
 Review literary terms and USE them – at least eight!! Think about how all these and other terms
apply to or fit with the texts you’ve read.
 Understand the stylistic designations – realism (The Father, Hedda Gabler, Pygmalion, Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof, A Doll’s House), absurdism (The Visit), Elizabethan (Henry IV, part 1, Much Ado
about Nothing) and the well-made play (Pygmalion) and the conventions associated with each.
For/during the exam:
 Spend an adequate amount of time planning. Remember that you are not settling for a simple fiveparagraph essay. You need to do more than that. Think of specific examples that will illuminate
your discussion. Remember that you must show your knowledge AND skills.
 Use the question to formulate your introduction. Identify the operative words in the question. Read
it carefully so you don’t misinterpret anything – this has happened. In your introduction, clarify
how you will approach the question, which texts you will use (by title and playwright) and how
they are related to the topic. As you write, make sure all your points are linked to that topic.
 Make sure you structure your response appropriately – there needs to be an interplay between
texts. Do not deal with one complete text at a time. Save time for a strong conclusion that takes
your ideas further. Throughout your discussion keep asking the key questions: who, what, where,
when, why and how? And repeat the mantra purpose and effect, purpose and effect…
 Make sure to use the texts often. Use quotations and defend your ideas with repeated and
appropriate references.
 Do not use painfully long quotations.
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Integrate your quotations – make sure they grow out of your sentences. No fish out of water
quotations just sitting there without explanation.
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Make sure you underline play titles.
Spell the names of authors, characters, and titles correctly. There is no excuse for misspellings of
these terms.
Use your best language – stay formal, avoid first person, and do not use slang expressions.
Remember to use present tense!!!
Use strong vocabulary words and intelligent phraseology, but do so naturally. Here are some
examples – a plethora of opportunities, myriad examples (only use myriad if you mean
countless, though – it doesn’t mean several; it means a heck of a lot), a dearth of opportunities,
façade, superficiality, societal expectations, societal constraints, existing on the periphery,
being marginalized, seeking a panacea, achieving verisimilitude, portending misfortune,
indicating…, signifying…, infantile behavior, playwright infantilizes character, characters
regress, we observe a regression, there is a familial hierarchy, hierarchical organization,
effusive in his praise, astute observations. What are your power words?
Use transitions to link your ideas: however, therefore, consequently, essentially, moreover, in
addition, in contrast to, also, additionally, as a result of, while…, although, whereas, in fact,
indeed, similarly, as well as, not only…but also, in much the same way, fundamentally, in effect,
for all intents and purposes, for the most part, to a large extent, basically, thus, accordingly, and so
forth, despite…, nevertheless, nonetheless, conversely, furthermore… BUT use them correctly.
Don’t say moreover unless you mean – you think that was a good point, how about this one?
Avoid repetition. While detail is desirable, beating topics to death is not.
Watch your spelling, especially of words we often confuse when we are in a hurry:
o its/it’s (It’s common for a dog to drool on its master.);
o their/there/they’re (They’re bound to be there since that is where they left their car.);
o weather/whether (I don’t know whether the weather will cooperate.);
o hurry/hurray (Hurry! The exam is starting! Hurray! The exam is ending!);
o loose/lose (loose rhymes with moose! The child was afraid to lose his loose tooth.)
o though/through/thorough (I thought I had been so thorough, but the work looked as if I’d
never looked through it.);
o conscious/conscience (He was conscious of having no conscience.)
o two/too/to (Two is too many to manage such a simple task.);
o where/were (I didn’t know where they were.);
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o here/hear (I hear they are planning to come here.)
o effect/affect (He was affected by it – it had an effect on him);
o led/lead (I led you here, sir, for I am Spartacus – I will lead you again tomorrow. That box
is made of lead.);
o then/than (greater than, less than, rather than, if this then that, then we went to
work…Then is sEquential and than is compArative.)
o which/witch (Which witch is it?)
o accept/except (I accept all of your cards except that one.)
o instants/instance (Brief moments are “instants,” and examples of anything are “instances.”
For instance, there were instances when the light shone for an instant.)
o wander/wonder (I wonder where they wandered…)
o woman/women (One woman, many women – it’s just like man/men!)
Remember that possessive pronouns are already possessive – no apostrophes needed: its, hers,
yours…IT’S ONLY MEANS IT IS – ONLY ONLY ONLY!!!! EVER!!!! INFINITELY!!
Remember words that are always two words: a lot; each other; in fact; no one (or no-one); all
right; of course
Remember words that are always one word: cannot, something, someone, therefore, however,
whereas, although, cannot.
Remember spellings of tricky words: receive, deceive, deceit, separate, surprise, privilege,
independent, exaggerate, necessary, simile (NOT similie!), conscience (my conscience), conscious
(to be conscious of), dying, definite (as opposed to defiant which is a different word completely),
dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, onomatopoeia, beauty, suspense, supposedly, vicious (not
viscous, which means thick or sticky)………….
Avoid using abbreviations. Do not abbreviate titles or use “&” for “and”
Avoid using contractions.
Do not use designations like etc., e.g., i.e.
Use your literary terms! They will love it if you mention irony or theme or symbolism or tone or
atmosphere or foreshadowing or conflict or characterization or imagery or paradox, etc. etc.
Incorporate what you know! Shoot for using at least eight.
Do not be redundant. ‘Throughout the entire novel” is redundant. Throughout means for the whole
thing. Just say ‘throughout the novel’. Another redundancy that is typical is ‘very unique’. You
can’t be very unique. Unique means ONE OF A KIND. There are no degrees of uniqueness.
Be thorough. Detail is important. But, don’t overwrite and become wordy, verbose, loquacious,
effusive and long-winded. (Astute readers will realize that I was just being verbose myself as well
as redundant – that is called irony – as wordy, verbose, loquacious, effusive and long-winded all
mean pretty much the same thing. One term is sufficient.)
Try to write neatly!!!! They cannot reward what they cannot understand.
USE THE ENTIRE TIME – Leaving early from an English exam is not a good idea. Check and
double-check your response to make sure it represents your BEST work. It’s such a good feeling
knowing you have done your best. Wouldn’t you like to experience it??
After the exam:
 Smile.  It’s over!
 Have a wonderful break.
 If you owe me homework, DO IT please!!!!
LOOSE
LOSE
WHICH?
VISCOUS
MOOSE
WITCH?
VICIOUS (Rrrrr!)
ACCEPT
EXCEPT
WOMAN
WOMEN
WEATHER
WHETHER
Hurry! The exam is starting!
Hurray! The exam is ending!
GOOD LUCK!!