Im taking lit in english...no not the english component lit with the pearl and everything , thats a compulsory subject... But one of the choice SPM subjects..

anway, ive been searching everywhere for my research, and somehow seems non existent. Novels like the lion and the jewel perhaps is the most difficult to find for literature evaluation...

My school offers very limited classes, and theres only 3 people sitting for it this year. Im out of wits end cuz i didnt attend much of the classes due to confinement in illness..

If someone can give a hand, and maybe start this thread for the lit. students for the upcoming SPM, it would be a very appreciative gesture..

I was sort of interested in taking this subject back in secondary school, but unfortunately (or not), my school offered no classes for it at all and there weren't any convenient tuition classes available.

It does get pretty interesting, though - if you're into that sort of thing.

Yeaa its pretty rare in my case to meet someone going for that class..and tuition was like hundred ringgit per session..talk about oh my god.. yea well im into that kind of thing..for someone who understands the whole romeo and juliet book..haha the original script copy from Shakespeare

spm 2 more days huhu you already all literature in your mind

I used to have an excellent Eng Lit teacher in my high school back then, she's really good, and about 50 of us in my school took it as it was compulsory for the top 2 classes to do it back in my time.

I don't know whether are the syllabus still the same, or the exam format may have changed drastically, but here's a bit of tip in which it will be helpful if the format is still the same.

Here's her recipe of writing a 8 marks essay question well.

Introduction or Sugar coating. Start with something interesting, just like a when you're eating a chocolate cake, it would taste a hell lot better if your first bite is the thick and rich layer of chocolate.

You will generally need 2 points only. For each point, elaborate well, support with excerpts and quotes from the passage or based on your knowledge, you really have to know your stuffs thoroughly.

For 12marks questions, the above applies, but with a final conclusion or known as personalization.

Express your opinion, tell the examiner what you feel, for example if it's a poem, you can put in words on how that moral value instilled a sense of appreciation to you, bla bla bla and stuffs like that. Connect your answers with the question, and try to interact with the examiner with your words.

I guess here's briefly what it is, if my memory recalls well.

What text do you do? We're playing it safe with Holes over here & Conflict themed poems.

ccm123 thank you! I guess expressing is really important huh.... But I fear I have too little points to elaborate on...




--Im doing holes too and relationship themed poems.....

literature in english. SUPERB subject.
for ts, just dont forget wat ccm has mentioned.
definitely rmb all those chocolate coatings n so on. 2 hours 30 mins paper. NON-STOP WRITING!
DON'T STOP AND THINK WHAT'S YOUR NEXT POINT! no matter tat u are answering question (a), (b) or ©, u can never stop and think wat's ur next point. its a non-stop writing paper, u cant afford to lose a single sec. its a multitask paper, u hav to think n write at the same time, for different questions.
i still rmb my hand was so pain n tired after the paper. u can never rest. JUST WRITE N WRITE N WRITE!
just put in the 1st thing tat comes into ur mind. i believe tat after 2years of studying the text, u are very familiar with the text.
For question ©, just dun ever forget to take a stand of ur own. No matter how cacat the question might be, u must take a stand.

the sweetest memory for literature in english is going for drama. 50+ ppl from the same school going together. there's ppl hu really interested wit it, some just fall asleep. cant recall whether ccm got fall asleep anot XD

our teacher used to prepare photostat notes for us for every literature piece. i consider ourselves EXTREMELY luckly.

FOR ccm, the text we used to study was the last cycle for our batch. New syllabus not interesting at all XD

---

Added on November 17, 2009, 3:06 pmbtw, which school are u from?

This post has been edited by gorkiyang: Nov 17 2009, 03:06 PM

guys what tpoic hotspot in literature....

I did SPM Literature back in SPM and got an A1 we studied books such as Pygmalion (My fair lady), Romeo and Juliet, Lord of the Flies etc

I think the most important thing is to relax and not stress out during your paper. You need your ideas to flow out smoothly. Having said that, don't take too much time in expressing your ideas because you normally have about 30-40 minutes to churn out 2-3 pages for each question ( i think?) and most students underestimate this process.

I agree with ccm, always have a good structure to your essay which starts with a good introduction to your question. This might include a summary of the theme of your chosen literature. Then construct your body well - let's say the question calls for you to describe the protagonist of the literature; support each characteristic you give in each paragraph with detailed description and examples from the text. Depending on the question, think also about the relationships between the characters; physical and metaphorical meanings from events; motive and intention of the characters.

Summarize with an opinion and a statement which directly answers the question (:

All the best!

far out i should have done that subject. didnt know they had that back then

i am taking lit too and i believe you did your mid yr and trials too?
you should already know that

1. literature questions are random, and usually there's an extract given with the question.
2. we only have to study a few poem, a few short story, one drama and one novel so it won't be hard..
(there are few choices of novel, some sch studied two for backup etc, normally they studied one only)

jfyi..this should be the format of the real paper..

1 poem (25m)
1 short story (25m)
1 drama (25m)
1 novel (25m)

1 points = 1 marks.

i don't know what to share with you more, just.. all the best!
it's not really hard to score if you really love literature

This post has been edited by babysiiaozz: Nov 20 2009, 01:28 PM

Btw English Lit is a risk in it's own way.

Spm subjects work on a bell-curve i think, that's why passing grades like bm or english are generally lower (heard of rumours like "20 can pass paper edi!"

Since English Lit is a very very elective subject (most schools don't even provide it); usually the more adventurous/good in english/ smart? students try to take this subject because it is very interesting. Hence, scoring might be harder because your paper is going to be graded in comparison with the quality of other smart students. Hence the saying that it is hard to score for this paper.

Don't get intimidated though! Tell yourself that you are the best of the best

Would anyone know what will be the books to be used for Lit in English for the next two years 2010-2011?

Students in F4 are yet in the dark. Do you think they will also do the books you are currently studying. Thanks

I think most probably they will change the syllabus, cause after every three years, they will use new materials.

I kinda miss Big L a lot after entering college.. T.T

I wonder when the MOE can let us know what is the reading list this time around so that students in F4 can start procuring the books for self study or group tutorials. Thanks for the quick response. jonjee

anyone here ever learned under a Pn.Khoo? some of the replies in this thread talking about their big L teachers remind me of her, which is(well, was) my Big L teacher.

i took Big L for 2009, i'd give you advice but im afraid to do so unless my results are good since lit in english is a rather obscure subject.

This post has been edited by defectivelasagna: Jan 10 2010, 12:24 AM

Hey, I'm taking my SPM this year and I'm facing quite a dilemma. I have to choose between EST and Literature In English. I have not got a good mark in my school examinations for LIE, and just recently discovered my flaws. Firstly, I think too much when writing, which costs me an immense amount of time. Next, I found out the reason I did not get good enough marks for LIE, it's because I failed to relate my answer more to the text and instead wrote too generally. So now, my head's in EST, but my heart is still in LIE. My main concern is whether or not I will be able to overcome my flaws by SPM should I choose to go with LIE. Any advice, guys? =(

A lady is trying to get me to to clean up my cobwebs and start to seriously teach this subject in SS2 Petaling Jaya. According to her, there are two students from Sri Aman who wants to be coached in LiE. However, the books in the 7th Cycle are different. I have spoken this afternoon to Mr. Krishnan and Cik Mas Ayu of the Text Book Department of MOE and they will be sending me the book list tomorrow.

Try to get someone to coach you. LiE is best studied like LLB via group study where in interactive mode, you can find the handle to the subject in good time. Look for revision courses to help you. Choose books that are more comprehensible. Pick novels that are easier. Select poems that are exciting where you can write on literary devices in a more emotive manner.

There are some 1,000 students taking this subject for SPM yearly. I think this number will dwindled down with the passing years. As you can already see, the new selection of books for the literature component for the 1119 paper is one big laugh. They are not even fit for Primary 4 students in Singapore. No wonder a majority of Malaysian students find it real difficult to do well at A levels, AUSMAT, SAM and other similar examinations. Their grasp of English is likened to a 'bridge too far'.

Regards

jonjee

I didn't take lit for SPM, but I'm taking it for A-level now. I must say this is the bomb! Literally!! Ok.. not literally, but yeah you get what I mean. If you do take up A-Level in the future, try and leave a space for Lit. Very hard to score and much tougher than SPM, but it's a life changing experience. Good luck!