LITB3
Summer 2010 Feedback
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RUBRIC REQUIREMENTS
• At least 3 texts must be covered in section B.
• At least one text must be written between 1300 and
1800.
• Answers to section B questions must use the set texts.
But…..
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TEXTS
• All pastoral poetry from 1300 – 1800 counts as one text.
• All pastoral poetry after 1945 counts as one text.
• All stories in The Bloody Chamber count as one text.
• The implications of this need showing to students
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QUESTION FOCUS
• Question focus is absolutely essential.
• In most cases where students have not scored as highly
as they expected, it is because they have not answered
the question.
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QUESTION CHOICE
• When choosing the question to answer from section B,
candidates are advised to begin by reading through all
the questions carefully.
• They should then choose the question judiciously to fit
the combination of texts which they have studied.
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QUESTIONS
• Candidates should think carefully about their definition of
terms used in the questions.
• Examples of such terms in Summer 2010 include
“religion” in question 19 and “monstrous” in question 6.
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FOCUS ON QUESTIONS
• Candidates are advised to begin thinking about their
responses by “unpicking” the terms of the questions.
• They should ensure that all parts of the question are
addressed.
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TASK 1
Taking selected questions from the June paper,
discuss in groups the implications of the wording of the
questions. Which words in the questions are the key words
and how would you expect students to respond to them?
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SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR TASK 1
•Question 7 on Wuthering Heights
•Question 9 on The Bloody Chamber
•Question 11 on As You Like It
•Question 13 on She Stoops to Conquer
•Question 20 on the gothic
•Question 22 on the pastoral
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APPROACHES TO QUESTIONS
• Candidates should think carefully about what the question is
asking them to write about.
• They should not be afraid to approach texts from different
angles.
• Think about the different ways of approaching question 20:
Consider the view that gothic writing explores the “nightmarish
terrors” that lie beneath the orderly surface of the “civilised
mind”.
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DISTORTING QUESTIONS
• Candidates should guard against distorting questions to fit what
they want to write about rather than what they have been
asked to write about.
• Regurgitating previously practised essays rarely provides a
satisfactory answer to the question.
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TASK 2
• Taking selected questions from the June paper, discuss in
groups how students might respond to the questions.
• Consider what you might expect students to write ( and maybe
also consider what they might write in response to the
questions which they shouldn’t.)
• Think about how answers might become irrelevant.
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SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR TASK 2
•Question 3 on Dr. Faustus
•Question 2 on Macbeth
•Question 6 on Frankenstein
•Question 12 on Songs of Innocence and Experience
•Question 19 on the gothic
•Question 23 on the pastoral
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ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES
• All four assessment objectives are equally tested in both
section A and section B of LITB3.
• Answering the question asked will help candidates to
address the assessment objectives.
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AO1
• It is important to structure answers logically and coherently.
• Planning an answer carefully will help students to do this.
• The best answers do not always work chronologically through
texts. In these cases students show their skill in extrapolating
relevant material.
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MORE ON AO1
• The quality of written communication is important.
• This is often the first indicator to the examiner of the quality of
an answer.
• Literary terminology should be used as a tool, integrated into
the argument and not superficially imposed just to show off.
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AO2
• AO2 covers much more than just analysis of diction and
imagery.
• Candidates should think about applying the skills learnt for
LITB1 to their writing on this unit. The specification is intended
to be coherent.
• We should like to encourage students to write about form,
structure, voice, perspective etc.
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THE CLOSED BOOK PAPER
• Although this is a closed book examination paper, students
who perform well know the texts well.
• Good answers still demonstrate the ability to use supportive,
accurate quotation and supportive textual analysis to
substantiate the argument.
• Assertive generalisations do not impress examiners.
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AO3
• Candidates should show their awareness of different potential
readings of the texts.
• If they wish to attain the highest scores they should also aim to
evaluate those readings.
• Questions are designed to encourage debate.
• Good answers debate rather than simply illustrate.
• Story-telling should be avoided at all costs.
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AO4
• AO4 requires candidates to address context.
• If candidates answer the question they have been asked, they
will automatically be covering generic context.
• Other types of context should be integrated into the argument.
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MORE ON AO4
• Context should always be relevant to the argument.
• Examiners are not impressed by artificially “bolted on” context.
• Sweeping and often inaccurate historical and sociological
assertions are to be avoided at all times.
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RECEPTION CONTEXTS
• Awareness of different reception contexts can be useful and
can offer opportunities for AO3.
• Over-simplified generalisations and imprecise assumptions
should be avoided.
• Generalisations of what people did in that all-encompassing
historical period of “back then” are rarely astute.
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INTRODUCTIONS
• Many candidates felt the need to start their answers with potted
histories of the development of the genre, particularly in section
B.
• Very rarely did they get much credit for irrelevant background
information.
• Candidates are advised to engage instantly with the question
instead, in their introductions.
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TASK 3
• Now read script A.
• You might like to identify some of the following features in the
writing:
- relevant opening
- embedded quotation
- integrated context
- debate
- question focus
- close textual exploration
- structured argument
- evaluation
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