Writing Task (go to Checklist)
Writing Paper Part 2. Task Type: Letter
Set-Text. Shakespeare in Love (A Screenplay)
Question
Your
local film group is organising a debate with the following motion:
|
"The role of drama is to transport the reader to another world." |
Write a
letter to the chair of the film group offering to speak in favour
of the motion, using 'Shakespeare in Love' to illustrate your argument.
You should describe the ways in which the film 'transports the reader
to another world'. (around
300 - 350 words)
What
you need to include to pass
Click
here for our checklist first to understand
what the examiner is looking for in a good answer.
Ideas
for writing
Ask
yourself the following questions to help you get started:
- Begin your letter with reference to the debate and your offer to speak.
- Make
a list of aspects of drama that can 'transport the reader'.
e.g. an unusual setting, a different time period, the social milieu, the characters' professional and domestic lives, etc.
- Then,
select some of the events, and descriptions of setting/characters/social
aspects from 'Shakespeare in Love' that best show how the screenwriters,
Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, successfully create another world.
- historical setting: London in 1593
- Shakespeare as a main character: his early professional life and loves
- social setting: attitudes to women and marriage
- Finally,
sum up your recommendation for the film. Why should people see it?
Who would enjoy it particularly?
People who watch films for escapism will enjoy this drama...
You should look at your first draft of the task and decide:
- Have you answered the question fully?
- Is the layout and organisation appropriate for a letter of this kind?
- Is the language accurate with a good range of structures?
- Is the style appropriate and consistent for your letter?
- Will it help the audience members to appreciate the importance of the work you have selected?
If the answer is 'no' to any of these questions then you will need to do some more drafting!