Introduction to Comparing Your Own Text with the Original
Welcome! After you have finished writing your Directed Response (Question 1a), it is time for the second half of the challenge: Question 1b. In this task, you act as a literary critic of your own work. You will compare the text you wrote with the original source text provided in the exam.
This is a vital skill because it shows the examiner that you didn't just "get lucky" with your writing—it proves you made intentional, professional choices to suit a specific purpose and audience. This section is worth 15 marks and focuses on AO1 (understanding) and AO3 (analysis).
Note: For a refresher on how to write the response itself, see the chapter on "Rewriting a text in a new form."
The "Big Three": Form, Structure, and Language
The syllabus requires you to compare three specific areas. A great way to remember this is the acronym FSL.
1. Form
Form refers to the "shape" or "type" of the text (e.g., a blog, a letter, a speech, or a magazine article).
• Check: Did the original text's form change? If the original was a diary entry and you wrote a news report, the form has changed.
• Analysis: Explain why your new form uses different conventions. For example, a news report uses a headline, while a diary entry uses a date and first-person reflection.
2. Structure
Structure is how the ideas are organized and ordered.
• Check: Did you follow the same order of events as the original?
• Analysis: If the original text used flashbacks but your response used a chronological (time-order) structure, explain why. Perhaps your audience needed a clearer, step-by-step explanation.
3. Language
Language covers the specific words, tones, and literary devices used.
• Check: Look at your vocabulary, sentence lengths, and rhetorical devices (like metaphors or alliteration).
• Analysis: If you used imperative verbs (bossy verbs like "Buy now!" or "Listen!"), compare this to the original writer’s style. Did they use more descriptive lexis? Why?
Key Takeaway: Don't just list what you did. You must compare. Use linking words like "Similarly," "In contrast," "Whereas," or "On the other hand."
Relating Features to Purpose, Audience, and Context (PAC)
This is the most important part of your commentary. You must explain why you made your choices based on the PAC:
Purpose: Why was the text written? (To persuade? To inform? To entertain?)
Audience: Who is supposed to read it? (Teenagers? Professionals? Tourists?)
Context: Where and when is it being published? (A personal blog? A national newspaper? An emergency broadcast?)
Example Comparison:
"While the original text used complex vocabulary to appeal to a specialist audience of scientists, I chose to use simpler lexis and direct address in my leaflet to ensure the information was accessible to young children."
Step-by-Step: How to Write the Comparison
Step 1: Identify a feature in the original text.
Find a specific word, sentence type, or structural choice the original author made. Use a short quotation.
Step 2: Identify the equivalent feature in your own text.
Point out what you did in your response. Did you copy the style or change it?
Step 3: Explain the "Why" (The Analysis).
Connect these choices to the Audience or Purpose. This is where you earn the big marks!
Step 4: Use Linguistic Terminology.
Try to use accurate terms like first-person perspective, hyperbole, syndetic listing, or formal register.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Forgetting to quote yourself: You must treat your own writing as a "text." Use quotations from your own work just like you do for the original.
• Just summarizing: Don't just tell the examiner what happens in the story. Focus on how it is written.
• Being too brief: Remember, this part is worth \(15\) marks, which is more than the actual writing task (\(10\) marks). Give it the time and detail it deserves!
• Ignoring differences: If your text is very different from the original, that's okay! Just explain why the new prompt required those changes.
Quick Review: Success Criteria
Did you...
• Compare Form (the type of writing)?
• Compare Structure (the layout and order)?
• Compare Language (the words and devices)?
• Link everything back to Purpose, Audience, and Context?
• Use connective words to show similarities and differences?
• Use quotations from both the original and your own writing?
Memory Trick: Think of yourself as a bridge builder. Your job in this essay is to build a bridge between the original text and your new version, explaining exactly why you chose to keep some "bricks" the same and why you swapped others for something new!