Is the grade 8 RCM exam hard?

What can I do to improve my grade 2 in the standard grade English writing exam to a grade 1?

• I've got my standard grade English exam on the 26th and I want to do some preparation to attempt to get a grade 1 in the writing part. Close reading I'm fairly confident on and know how to practise that but writing I'm quite unsure on what will hep me to improve? In my 3rd year exam and 4th year prelim I got grade 2 in writing and in class I think 3/4 of my folio pieces are 1s the other 1/2 being 2s. Can anyone give me any tips on what I can do to improve?

• Answer:

  The Standard Grade English writing exam really comes down to the old cliche of practice, practice and practice. I'm in S6 right now and did Higher last year. My S3/ S4 prelim exam results were also 2s, but don't be too disheartened by these results (they're still great!). In my final exam, I got a 1, and that was really through knowing what style of question I would answer (I always opted for the 'short story' type questions), so I had some idea about vocabulary, expressions and so on I would use. I know it probably isn;t the best advice, but I had a list of expressions and 'big' words in predetermined sentences that I could slot in to my writing piece. This all really depends on your own preference. For example, if you like writing about your own experiences, you should have a good think (maybe even do a mind map) about what you might write about and how you would convey your experiences. Likewise, if you opt for more journalistic pieces of writing or discursive/ argumentative pieces, have a think about the possible topics (e.g. Scottish independence) and, although the specific topics might not come up, you still have an idea about what style, expressions and vocabulary you might use. As I said at the beginning, it's best for you to just practice questions. Even try doing the ones you wouldn't have opted for to give you that extra bit of practice. Best of luck on getting that 1!