Jump to content

Paper 1 - Personal response


ChikkyD

Recommended Posts

So Paper 1 is tomorrow. I'm a little bit confused as to the personal response section. How can I include a personal response in a formal commentary? Does this simply refer to my own interpretation of the excerpt? Or am I meant to say "I believe text X is saying Y" :S. Sorry if that's confusing..

Link to post
Share on other sites

From my experience it can be either. You will not be marked down for saying "In my opinion, I think x" but it may seem a little informal. The personal response criterion can be filled out simply by giving expression in your commentary, as this alone is your personal opinion. For example, "It is clear that the use of short sentences and refined structure add to the rapid flow of the text, which in turn accentuates the suspenseful mood in this piece". (I know that that is a bad example but It's good enough, because you are making a point about the unseen piece, and therefore, it is your opinion.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah. I've always hated using first person (and have therefore never attempted it) in a formal essay. So basically, I can just come up with a thesis and as long as I support it, and complete all the other components of a commentary, I should be fine, and that should fulfill the personal response criterion?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Another sneaky trick that I like is to mention some philosophical personal opinion in the conclusion. Something that relates your thesis to real life, and state it in just one sentence from a first person perspective. It shows that you actually have understood your own essay (so to speak) and I think it gives your essay that extra little bit. That's just my personal opinion though, so it's not official or anything ;)

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Another sneaky trick that I like is to mention some philosophical personal opinion in the conclusion. Something that relates your thesis to real life, and state it in just one sentence from a first person perspective. It shows that you actually have understood your own essay (so to speak) and I think it gives your essay that extra little bit. That's just my personal opinion though, so it's not official or anything ;)

Could you give me an example? :D :D

Link to post
Share on other sites

So Paper 1 is tomorrow. I'm a little bit confused as to the personal response section. How can I include a personal response in a formal commentary? Does this simply refer to my own interpretation of the excerpt? Or am I meant to say "I believe text X is saying Y" :S. Sorry if that's confusing..

Think of it like a normal commentary. Write about the effects the passage has, personal impact, etc.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...