Analysis of pupil performance 2004
Key stage 3 English Reading
Presentation 4:
Shakespeare reading task
Aims of the session
 the criteria for the Shakespeare analysis
 the implications for teaching and learning for
each level
•
examples from pupils’ answers.
Shakespeare reading tasks




Prepared reading
AFs not discretely assessed
Four areas for assessment identified
Each task foregrounds one of these.
18 Marks
Areas targeted for assessment this year:
 Henry V – text in performance
 Macbeth – ideas, themes and issues
 Twelfth Night – character and motivation.
Implications for teaching and learning
Drawn from analysis of sample of 378 scripts
across all 4 levels.
Sample selected to exemplify mark ranges
across levels and equal mixture of boys and
girls.
Analysis
Scripts analysed according to a set of criteria
loosely based on the mark scheme
- understanding of what characters say and do
and their motives; main ideas in scenes in
relation to development of the drama, and as
relevant to the focus of the task
- understanding of the ability to explain the effects
of the language in relation to the drama, and as
relevant to the focus of the task.
- use of quotation and direct textual reference.
Implication for teaching and learning for
levels 4 to 5 – Character
Mean marks
L4
3.2
L5
5.3
Help pupils to:
Select and focus on key actions and motives for
comment.
Example 1
from a 1-mark answer
...After Macbeth goes and gets a murder
weapon, gears himself up and goes into
Duncan’s room and…KILLSHIM. Macbeth
grabs the weapon still dripping with blood, runs
as far away as possible and slips the murder
weapon into one of the murders hand so it
looks like the murders have killed Duncan…
Recounts part of the story and part which is
not included in the extract on the test paper
Example 2 from a 3-mark answer
It is difficult to know who to trust. Macbeth Doesn’t
trust Banquo and Banquo does not trust Macbeth.
Now Macbeth has become Thane of Cawdor as well
as Glamis, he thinks the world of himself, and
Banquo hates him for it. But Macbeth knows this so
he has planned to kill Banquo. I wouldn’t trust
Macbeth as my friend if he was planning to kill
people…
Attempts to address the task set, comments general
and not supported by textual reference.
Implications teaching and learning for Levels
4 to 5 – Language
Help pupils to:
• Identify ways in which the language conveys
aspects of character, mood and atmosphere.
Example 3 from a 4-mark answer
…Banquo still thinks he would be the father of
many kings, I can say that because in this extract
Banquo says “But that myself should be the root
and father of many kings”. Banquo doesn’t trust
Macbeth at all now, because he clearly suspects
murder, he says it, ‘and I fear, though playedst
most foully for it”……...
Closer engagement with the language here.
Implications for teaching and learning for
levels 4 to 5 – References
Help pupils to:
• Select brief, relevant quotations to support and
develop points.
Example 4
from a 1-mark answer
Act 1 Scene 3
Line 142 Banquo: look how our partners rapt
Line 153 and 154 Macbeth: let us speak from our
hearts to each other.
Line 158 Macbeth: Give me favour my dull brain was
wrought with things forgotten……
As you are maybe able to tell from the text Banquo
does not totally trust Macbeth. Macbeth tries to lead
him into his trust with a lie yet Banquo does not fall
for it.
Quotations with no comment at all.
Example 5
from a 2-mark answer
...In these extracts I don’t think Malvolio deserves
sympathy because he treats everybody badly and
thinks he is the one. He thinks he does nothing
wrong at all and doesn’t like the way other people are.
In the story he says things like Have you no mannors,
nor honesty but to gabble like tinkers. So he thinks
very high of himself. Is there no respect of place,
persons, nor time in you; that’s saying he is very strict
and the others have to be in the house early…
Includes some direct reference here and attempts to
comment on it.
Example 6
from a 7-mark answer
...Macbeth doesn’t trust Banquo: “our fears stick
deep”, “’Tis much he dares, and to that dauntless
temper of his mind,” and “there is none but he,
whose being I do fear;” these all suggest that
Macbeth fears Banquo and doe’snt feel safe with
him around because of his sons becoming
king….
Signals focus at sentence opening, brings in
three supportive, brief quotations, and then
explores Macbeth’s fears.
Example 7
from a 6-mark answer
I think Malvolio doesn’t need our sympathy in the
extracts because in Act 2 Scene 3 he is very
aggressive to Sir Toby and the others. He is very
rude because he comes all of a sudden and does not
say anything but starts to shout straight away
example he said ‘My masters are you mad? That is
very rude he comes and says that he also says ‘Have
you no wit, manners, nor honesty but to gable like
tinkers at this time of night? Here he trying to say you
don’t have any manner or honesty and also it’s late in
the night as well…
Implications for teaching and learning for
Levels 5 to 6 – Characters
Mean marks
L5
5.3
L6
8.6
Help pupils to:
 Relate characters’ speech and actions clearly
to ideas and themes, eg honour, loyalty, trust,
sympathy.
Example 7
from a 6-mark answer
Angus and Ross told Macbeth about Being thane of
Cawdor And Macbeth and Banquo don’t Believe them
‘What can the devil speak true”. Macbeth questions it
‘Why do you dress me in borrowed ropes’. Macbeth
starts not to trust Banquo and asks him ‘Do you not
hope your children shall be kings’. Macbeth start to
think wether it is a good or BAD thing and he’s starting
to worry about what the 3 witches said to Banquo about
his sons and he’s starting not to trust him.
Addresses the key idea and stays close to the text.
Example 8
from an 8-mark answer
I think Malvolio does and does not need sympathy
in these extracts. This is because Malvolio is very
mean to Sir Toby, Feste and Maria and Sir Andrew.
Malvolio thinks he is higher than everyone he thinks
he is like the King of England. So he acts with
manners and so on. But everyone just sees him as
a steward.
Pupil is able to reflect on the action from the
perspective of the key idea of sympathy.
Implications for teaching and learning for levels 5
to 6 – Language
Help pupils to:
• Show the dramatic effects of the language in
conveying characters’ motives, feelings and
relationships, and in advancing the plot.
Example 9
from an 8-mark answer
In the audience’s view it may be difficult to sympathise
with Malvolio for Shakespeare displayed him as a
‘puritan’. ‘My masters are you mad?’ The way he speaks
is very formal, sounding disciplined. To the audience the
reaction is big, knowing he is a puritan, he tries to seem
stronger and greater than the other characters. The
audience may think he brings the fun out of the scene.
When it comes to Act 4 Scene 2 the audience’s attitude
towards Malvolio will change and sympathy will rise…
Pupil makes two observations about the way Malvolio
speaks though they are not fully developed.
Example 10 from a 9-mark answer
Macbeth tells his true feelings in the asides. “Glamis,
and Thane of Cawdor: the greatest is behind.” It is in
these asides that we find out that people should not
trust Macbeth because we see his true feelings. As the
other characters do not know these thoughts they still
trust Macbeth when they should not as he is an evil
man.
A simple attempt to explain the dramatic effect of asides
Implications for teaching and learning for
Levels 5 to 6 – References
Help pupils to:
• Use relevant quotations and textual
references to link and develop ideas.
Example 11 from a 5-mark answer
…Malvolio also says of Sir Toby
“My lady bade me tell you that, though she harbours you
as her kinsman, she’s nothing allied to your disorders”.
Malvolio is saying that she is very grateful for you as her
kinsman, but she is getting fed up or annoyed at you for
coming in late and constantly being drunk’. Olivia said
no such thing….He goes on to say “… etc
Example 12 from a 9-mark answer
……When Malvolio cries: “Sir Topas, Sir
Topas, good Sir Topas, go to my lady”, this
shows an audience that he is desperate for
someone to believe that he is not mad”…
Builds the sentence around a framework–
“When X says…, this shows… A
straightforward way of anchoring comments
to text.
Implications for teaching and learning for
levels 6 to 7 – Characters
Mean marks:
L6
8.6
L7
11.7
Help pupils to:
Explore key ideas through close analysis of
characters’ speech and actions.
Example 13 from a 9-mark answer
…….Banquo warns Macbeth about the witches
because I think he feels that Macbeth has been taken in
by them and he is trying to warn him because he is a
friend. “But tis strange and oftentimes to win us to our
harm the instruments of darkness tell us truths win us
with honest trifles to betray in deepest consequences”.
So Banquo is trying to tell Macbeth not to trust the
witches…..
Pupil grapples with the idea of trust in relation to the
witches and between Macbeth and Banquo.
Example 14 from a 10-mark answer
….Sir Toby on two occasions insults Malvolio’s state of office
with ‘Art any more than a steward?’ and “Go sir, rub your chain
with crumbs’. With everyone now picking on him I think the
audience might just start feeling a bit sorry for Malvolio. But
then Malvolio ropes Maria in by saying ‘Mistress Mary, if you
prized my lady’s favour at anything more than contempt, you
would not give means for this uncivil rule. She shall know of it,
by this hand.’ This is out of order as just earlier Maria had
come down stairs to tell the three to be quiet. So Maria simply
replies with a nonsense insult ‘Go shake your ears’. If the
audience felt sorry for him they certainly don’t now.
Engagement with details of the scene in relation to the idea of
sympathy.
Implications for teaching and learning for
levels 6 to 7 – Language
Help pupils to:
 Focus on how dramatic effects are created
though specific words and phrases.
Example 15 from a 12 mark answer
…..What, can the devil speak true?” Banquo seems
quite shocked at the fact that the prophecies that were
told have actually came true. Banquo believes that the
women who told Macbeth and himself their prophecies
are evil. “The instruments of the darkness tell us
truths;” The word “dark” represents evil. This means
that Banquo is still puzzled by the evil women telling
their prophecies…..
Some limited explicit reference to the effects of specific
words and phrases
Example 16 from an 11-mark answer
Malvolio comes in criticising everyone, “My masters, are
you mad? Or what are you?” He also says that they
‘gabble like tinkers’. Malvolio doesn’t deserve sympathy
because he is just a servant, but tries to act like Sir
Toby’s superior. “Sir Toby, I must be round with you’.
Malvolio uses long words such as ‘misdemeanours’
which shows he thinks he is very important. This
makes me feel no sympathy towards him because he is
just a steward but thinks of himself as someone very
important.
Sticks closely to the text and some explicit comment on
language.
Implications for teaching and learning for
levels 6 to 7 – References
Help pupils to:
• Integrate relevant quotation to support a succinct,
well-developed argument.
Example 17 from a 9-mark answer
...Macbeth is not sure if being Thane of Cawdor is a
good thing. He says, “cannot be ill, cannot be good”.
He uses two opposing contrasts which show his
confusion. He says, “If ill why hath it given me earnest
of success” and “If good why do I yield to that
suggestion”…
Links three relevant quotations to the idea of “opposing
contrast”.
Example 18 from a 10-mark answer
Malvolio enters and starts questioning the four, asking
constent rhetorical questions such as “Are you mad”
and “Have you know wit, manners nor honesty but to
gabble like tinkers at this time of night?” He doesn’t
want them to answer these questions he just wants to
put them down, act as if he is higher in importance that
them and make them feel stupid.
Uses the quotations to illustrate an observation about
how Malvolio talks to the others at this point.
Summary
Commenting on themes from two different scenes is
clearly a challenge. How might the points made above,
together with some examples of answers, be used to
help pupils understand better what the demands of the
tasks are?