11 Plus Exams Forum

I was wondering when DD should quote from the passage to back up her answer. I have read that it is necessary to quote, stating the line number etc, but is this for all questions or only certain question types, or just questions with more than 1 mark?

Also, a question that starts with "What do you think the author means by...."

Is it ok to start with "I think that... " or should DD rephrase as "The reader can deduce that... "

Thanks
Sleepy

I don't know where your DD is applying and I may not be familiar with your school's style of questions. For the longer questions she should certainly back up her points. Frequently there is something which alerts the students that they need to do this such as 'use examples from the passage to back up your answer.'

Regarding your latter point, it makes no difference at all to the mark as this will not affect her response. Some GCSE boards now prefer the personal, 'I think' although this has not been the case in the past. My view is that she should use 'I think' when 'you' has been used in the question as she has been asked for her opinion.

Thank you kingfisher - that's a great help
Sleepyhead