A short guide on how to make responses which require PEA made easy!

Do you struggle with knowing how to tackle a PEA response? Can you find the quotation but then are you unsure what to say about it or explain how it supports your point? Does your English teacher say that your answer lacks depth? Don't worry - help is at hand!

Find English GCSE Tutors Near Me

Start with the key words or images that catch your attention. The writer is seeking to make an effect on the reader, hence if you have noticed a particular word or technique, they have achieved their goal. So, think about that word carefully: what comes into your head and what does it make you think about?

For example:

You will be four minutes from home

when you are cornered by an officer 

Thirteen by Caleb Femi

What image does that word "cornered" conjure up in your head? It might suggest that there is no escape, walls on either side and an obstacle in front. It implies helplessness and suggests all power has been taken away. You might "corner" a spider or a mouse which has invaded your house, which then gives the impression that the victim is made small or even dehumanised.

Also, be specific about the word choice. The word "cornered" is a verb, so always refer to specific word classes - it shows you understand grammar (syntax) and gives access to the higher grades. Look at the other verbs in the quotation eg "will": not only does it indicate the future tense, it is also a modal verb, which suggests certainty here. Who is the subject of the verb? In this case "You" - second person pronoun. The poet is talking directly to you as the reader - why? How does it make you feel? He is putting you directly in the shoes of the victim. He conveys the fear of the situation.

So, simply by focusing in on key words, using your own visualisation/imagination and then anchoring down the word classes, you can produce a detailed response. And, the more you do it, the easier it gets!

After you have "zoomed in" on the key words, take a step back and look at the quotation as a whole, the bigger picture. Look for how the writer uses punctuation. You will notice that there is no punctuation between the first two lines. Why? It isn't because the poet has just forgotten it - every choice in poetry is so important to convey meaning. Lines without punctuation are called run-on lines; the correct term is enjambment. Examiners will be looking for use of subject-specific terminology. Without punctuation, then if you were reading aloud, you couldn't take a breath: the lines literally run into each other. How does this sound when you read it aloud? It gives a sense of urgency, which suggests that this happens very quickly before the victim -in this case the poet himself- has no time to process what has happened to him. This serves to increase the fear, which we identified earlier.

So, our second step could be focusing in on the writer's use of punctuation. This shows us that by paying attention to the "nuts and bolts" of the quotation (word classes and punctuation), we can make interesting and detailed inferences. You will also gain marks by using the correct and specific terminology.

Find Spoken English Classes Near Me

You don't have to be a literary genius to access the highest marks: focus on what you know and your most precious asset - what you can imagine or visualise.