Right then, Year 10!

In your English lessons after half term, you’ll be completing a 45-minute exam-style assessment in which you give your point of view on a contentious statement.

The statement will be provocative – something designed to get you thinking – and you’ll be asked to write one of the following types of text:

– A formal letter

– A speech

– An article

While we can’t tell you the specific task you’ll be completing – as that would be cheating, of course – we will tell you that the topic will be social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Over half term, we recommend completing the following tasks to ensure you are fully prepared for the assessment:

– Read the section on Writing with a viewpoint in your My Revision Notes study guides. (You can buy these from the library; details here.)

– Read and make notes on this presentation.

– Watch this TED talk in which Sherry Turkle looks at the downsides of social media.

– Read this article from the BBC which explores the positives and negatives of social networking.

Have a think about your own views on social networks. Do you you think they bring us together, or push us apart?

Remember: your piece of writing will be marked out of 40, with 24 marks for AO5 (content) and 16 marks for AO6 (accuracy). To that end, you might find it useful to complete some of the sections on Using effective punctuation and Improving sentences and grammar in your My Revision Notes books.

Any questions? See your English teacher.

Good luck!

My Revision Notes – Writing with a Viewpoint