GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 1
Contents
GCE AS and A Level English Literature
Teachers' Guide
Page
1.
Introduction
1.1 - Overview of the 2009-10 specification
1.2 - New and familiar elements
3
2.
Delivering the specification
2.1 - Pathways through the specification
2.2 - LT1
2.3 - LT2
7
3.
Resources for LT1
3.1 - Section A
3.2 - Section B
26
4.
A2 Unit Overviews
4.1 - LT3
4.2 - LT4
29
5.
Appendices
1. Example of response to LT1 Section A
2. Example of response to LT1 Section B
3. Example of response to LT2 Section B
4. The Tool-Kit - common literary terms
5. F.A.Qs
37
39
41
47
48
Assessment Grids
49
Contributors to the Teachers' Guide
55
6.
Issued February 2008
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 3
1.
INTRODUCTION
The WJEC AS and A2 English Literature specification has been modified and
updated for delivery from September 2008. The first AS awards will be made in
summer 2009 and the first A level awards in summer 2010. For the first availability of
units, see page 2 of the specification. The specification can be delivered and
assessed in centres throughout the UK.
The revised subject criteria for GCE English Literature issued by the regulators have
necessitated a change in the course structure from the current 3 plus 3 modules to a
2 plus 2 structure.
This Guide is one of a number of ways in which WJEC provides assistance to
teachers delivering the new specification. Also essential to its introduction are the
Specimen Assessment Materials (question papers and marking schemes) and
professional development (INSET) conferences.
Other provision which you will find useful are:









Examiners' reports on each examinations series
Free access to past question papers via the WJEC secure website
Easy access to specification and other key documents on main website
English teachers' bulletin which is regularly updated on the subject page of the
website
Regular INSET delivered by Chief Examiners plus resource materials
Initial coursework moderation support meetings between centres and their
moderators
Exemplar materials for assessing the coursework units, LT2 and LT3
WJEC shop for purchasing texts in person, by phone or online
Easy access to both the Subject Officer and to administrative sections.
The purpose of this guide is to offer support to teachers in their delivery of the new
WJEC English Literature specification. Although there is some discussion of the
specification as a whole, the first issue of this guide is primarily concerned with
supporting teachers in their delivery of the AS units in the first year of the course,
from September 2008 to summer 2009. More detailed support for the A2 units will
follow in Spring 2008.
Each unit is discussed in this document in more detail than in the specification, with
greater emphasis on strategies for teaching and further advice on task-setting in the
coursework units.
In supporting the central tenets of the new specification, this guide places particular
emphasis on the first two aims stated on page 8 of the specification:

To encourage AS and A level students to develop their interest in and enjoyment
of literature and literary studies through reading widely and independently both
set texts and others that they have selected for themselves

To encourage students to engage creatively with a range of texts and ways of
responding to them.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 4
Contact Points for GCE English Literature are as follows:
Cerys Preece (Subject Officer)
email: cerys.preece@wjec.co.uk
tel: 02920265303
Mike Williams (Subject Support Officer)
email: mike.williams@wjec.co.uk
tel: 02920265129
Subject page
www.wjec.co.uk/
INSET Section
inset@wjec.co.uk
www.wjec.co.uk/professionaldevelopment
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 5
1.1
Overview of the 2009-10 specification
ENGLISH LITERATURE
SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT
AS (2 units)
LT1 30% 2½ hour Written Paper (open text)
60 marks (120 UMS)
Poetry and Drama 1
Section A: Poetry post-1900
Two texts: choice of 1 from 2 questions (40 marks)
Section B: Drama post-1990
One text: choice of 1 from 2 questions (20 marks)
LT2 20% Internal Assessment
80 marks (80 UMS)
Prose Study & Creative Reading
Section A: Prose Study 1800-1945
Two texts: one piece of extended writing (40 marks)
Section B: Creative Reading
One text: one piece of extended creative writing in response to
wider reading of prose (20 marks) + commentary (20 marks)
A Level (the above plus a further 2 units)
LT3 20% Internal Assessment
40 marks (80 UMS)
Period and Genre Study
3 texts: one piece of extended writing on texts from different
periods and genres, including poetry and prose (40 marks)
LT4 30 % 2½ hour Written Paper (closed text)
80 marks (120 UMS)
Poetry and Drama 2
Section A: Critical Reading of Poetry
One text: pre-1800 poetry + unseen poetry
choice of 1 from 5 questions (40 marks)
Section B: Shakespeare and Related Drama
Two texts: choice of 1 from 2 questions (40 marks)
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 6
1.2
The 2009 - 2010 specification: new and familiar elements
New
4 units instead of 6 (2 AS, 2 A2)
4 assessment objectives
Compulsory coursework-40% (AS 20%; A2 20%)
12 texts instead of 8
'Core' texts and 'partner' texts
Creative writing response to wider reading
Mark schemes – 20 or 40 instead of 25 or 50
Familiar
Shakespeare- (but at A2)
Modern Poetry on AS exam (LT1)
Comparing texts- (but at both AS and A2)
Drama and unseen on synoptic exam (but unseen now on
poetry section)
Choice of texts for coursework
Open and closed book exams
Units available in January and June
Tracking Changes to the assessment objectives (highlighted in bold)
Articulate creative, informed and
relevant responses to literary texts,
using appropriate terminology and
concepts, and coherent, accurate
written expression
AO1- new specification
Communicate clearly the knowledge,
understanding and insight appropriate to literary
study using appropriate terminology and
accurate and coherent written expression
AO1- current specification
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the ways in
which structure, form and language
shape meanings in literary texts
AO2- new specification
Explore connections and comparisons
between different literary texts, informed
by interpretations of other readers
Show detailed understanding of the ways in
which the writers' choices of form, structure and
language shape meanings
AO3- current specification
AO3- new specification
Demonstrate understanding of the
significance and influence of the contexts
in which literary texts are written and
received
AO4- new specification
Respond with knowledge and understanding to
literary texts of different types and periods,
exploring and commenting on relationships and
comparisons between literary texts/
Articulate independent opinions and judgements,
informed by different interpretations of literary
texts by other readers
AO2ii + AO4- current specification
Show understanding of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and understood/
Evaluate the significance of cultural, historical
and other contextual influences on literary texts
and study
AO5i +ii- current specification
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 7
2.
DELIVERING THE SPECIFICATION
2.1
Pathways through the specification (AS and A2)
1.
Core and partner texts
The WJEC specification provides opportunities for students to read texts both for
detailed study and for wider reading. The texts selected for detailed study are
referred to as 'core' texts and the texts selected for wider reading are referred to as
'partner' texts. The partner text illuminates the core text study and helps inform
students' understanding of the core text by facilitating links or contrasts such as
genre, time, theme, period, structure, style.
The same principle applies to the student's own creative writing response to wider
reading: the student's created 'text' is the core text, while the stimulus prose text is
the partner text.
Core and partner pairings
LT1 Section A
LT2 Section A
LT2 Section B
LT3
LT4 Section A
LT4 Section B
2.
core + partner poetry
core+ partner prose
creative writing text 'core'+ stimulus prose partner
2 core- (1 poetry, 1 prose) +1 partner any genre
core poetry + unseen poetry partner
core drama (Shakespeare)+ partner drama
Creativity and Independence
Creativity
This specification encourages students' active and imaginative engagement with
texts through:



flexible coursework arrangements allowing creative pairings of texts
exam questions which promote fresh and innovative approaches to texts
providing candidates with the opportunity to produce their own creative writing in
response to their wider reading.
Independence
This specification fosters appropriate levels of student independence throughout the
course of study through enabling students to:



select material from partner texts to illuminate core text study
select texts for wider reading for coursework
make appropriate choices of unseen material to partner core texts (LT4).
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 8
2.2
LT1
Approaching LT1: Poetry and Drama 1 – 60 marks
Section A: Poetry post-1900 - 40 marks
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO3
Candidates will be required to study in depth one text from the following list of 'core'
poetry texts, and to study for wider reading the designated 'partner' poetry text.
Candidates will be required to answer one question based on that pair: two questions
will be set on each pair of texts.
Core poetry texts
Carol Ann Duffy: Selected Poems (Penguin)
(Standing Female Nude, The Other Country, The
World's Wife)
T.S.Eliot: Selected Poems (Faber)
(Prufrock and Other Observations, The Waste Land,
The Hollow Men, Ariel Poems)
*Seamus Heaney: New Selected Poems (Faber)
(Death of a Naturalist, Door into the Dark, The Haw
Lantern)
Philip Larkin: The Whitsun Weddings (Faber)
Sylvia Plath: Poems selected by Ted Hughes (Faber)
Eavan Boland: Selected Poems (Carcanet) (New
Territory, The War Horse, The Journey)
Partner poetry texts
Sheenagh Pugh: Selected
Poems (Seren)
W.B.Yeats: Selected Poems
(OUP)
Owen Sheers: Skirrid Hill
(Seren)
Dannie Abse: Welsh
Retrospective (Seren)
Ted Hughes: Poems - selected
by Simon Armitage (Faber)
Clare Pollard: Look, Clare!
Look! (Bloodaxe)
* Heaney: New Selected Poems
Please note that we have removed 'Field Work' in response to centres' concerns
regarding the number of poems originally prescribed for study.
Accessing the question paper
The poetry text pairings in this section have been designed to allow the student to
gain from the partner poetry text additional insights into the core poetry text.
It is important to remember:






candidates are invited to offer detailed discussion of their core text
the partner text is to be used for comparative reference and to inform the
candidate's understanding of themes, form, structure and language in the core
text
out of 40 marks for this section, only 10 are available for making connections
(A03)
questions will either offer a general focus on the set text or specify a poem from
the set text, but will not name poems in both questions
no poems will be named from the partner text
clean copies (no annotation) of the texts studied for both sections must be taken
into the examination.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 9
Preparing the core and partner poetry texts
It would probably be most helpful if one teacher delivers both texts, in order to
facilitate the use of the partner text as a source of illumination for the core text.
However, the delivery of texts will depend on departmental strategies and timetabling
contingencies.
It is worth remembering that:

the partner text does not have to be taught/studied in the same depth and detail
as the core text

there is no required number of poems that students should refer to in the partner
text: it is the quality of the connections that counts and their contribution to the
cogency and relevance of the response

It is not essential to teach every one of the core text poems, but students should
be familiar with every poem.
Addressing the Assessment Objectives in LT1 Section A
AO1 (15 marks)
 articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using
appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression
There are three strands to this AO:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
creative, informed and relevant
appropriate terminology and concepts
coherent, accurate written expression
'Creative' will be addressed in candidates' individual interpretations of poems and
connections between texts. These interpretations and connections should be
underpinned by relevant material and informed judgements.
'Appropriate' terminology and concepts should include a reasonable range of terms
and ideas from the 'tool-kit' acquired in the course of poetry analysis study. See the
tool-kit of commonly used terms in the Appendix for some suggestions. The
Assessment Grid for LT1 Section A (see page 26 of this Guide) shows the
importance of 'relevant' use of concepts and terminology. This AO allows candidates
to show the skill of 'using literary critical concepts and terminology with
understanding and discrimination' (specification, page 10).
'Coherent, accurate' writing will support the expression of ideas and construction of
an argument, and to allow candidates to 'communicate fluently, accurately and
effectively' (specification, page 10).
AO2 (15 marks)
 demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which
structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts
This AO enables candidates to show their knowledge and understanding of 'the
functions and effects of structure, form and language in texts' (specification, page
11). It is worth emphasising that detailed analysis of structure, form and language is
required only for the core text.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 10
AO3 (10 marks)
 explore connections and comparisons between different literary texts, informed
by interpretations of other readers
There are two strands to this AO:
(i)
(ii)
making connections and comparisons between texts
informed by interpretations of other readers.
The questions in this section foreground a comparative focus to allow students to
make connections between their texts throughout their response.
It should be noted that interpretations of 'other readers' should primarily inform
students' reading of the core text.
The questions in this section usually ask for 'detailed critical discussion' when no
critical quotations are offered as the focus for comparison, and for 'detailed reference'
when a critical quotation is offered.
'Detailed critical discussion' is intended to apply to both AO2 and AO3, i.e. critical
analysis of the text as well as consideration of other interpretations of the text.
For example:
Specimen Paper
Q. 7.
What connections have you found between the ways in which Duffy and Pugh write
about social or political issues? In your response you must include detailed critical
discussion of 'A Healthy Meal' and at least one other poem by Duffy.
The word 'critical' signals:
(i)
(ii)
the requirement to show how the candidate's judgement has been informed
by different readings of the core text. It is not necessary to refer to other
readers' interpretations of Pugh's poetry (the partner text), but if candidates
wish to, they are free to do so. As this is an examination, candidates are not
expected to quote extensively from critics, but are expected to refer to other
readings or consider other interpretations (AO3);
detailed critical understanding, engaging in close analysis of the ways in
which structure, form and language shape meaning, particularly in the core
text poems. (AO2)
Considerations for teaching and learning
Similarities:
Differences:
What do we need to continue doing?
What else do we need to do?
 Teaching close analysis skills and the  Encourage candidates to develop
terminology needed
individual and creative readings of the
texts
 Encouraging classroom discussion
 Give candidates opportunities to
 Modelling effective literary writing
make links between individual poems
skills including how to plan, structure
and groups of poems – identifying
and develop a literary argument
connections such as genre, time,
 Giving candidates opportunities to
theme, period, structure, style
respond to texts, developing their own
readings
 Support candidates in developing
knowledge and understanding of the
texts studied
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 11
Skills for students to develop:





reading creatively and critically [AO1, AO3]
selecting core poems to answer the question's focus [AO3]
analysing closely the core poems [AO2]
linking the question's focus to their study of the partner text/poet [AO3]
organising a coherent response to the question [AO1].
Learning opportunities





detailed understanding of individual poems – close study of the core text,
informed by wider study of partner text poems
more independent reading of the partner text, encouraging more individual
choices and judgements
thinking about the possible connections between core text poems and between
core and partner text poems
learning, consolidating, honing literary skills – use of terminology; analysis;
selection and use of quotation
responding to other readings and using them to inform personal readings.
Teaching implications



structuring tasks that encourage candidates to read independently
structuring learning through group work – opportunities to learn together
focusing on developing candidates' ability to make connections, both within the
core text and between core and partner text rather than struggling to 'get through'
all the poems.
Suggestions for starting
As an introduction to AS poetry study, some teachers may prefer to start with poems
from the partner text. The partner text offers an opportunity for independent, wider
reading and study. Students could be asked to read this text independently and talk
about/present in class the poem which made the strongest impression on them and
give reasons for their choice. Group discussion could follow, during which students
could pick out the commonest features (attitudes, themes, language) of the poems
chosen. As a later task, students could select poems which they thought were most
like/unlike poems studied in the core text and begin to make connections.
The following approaches are just examples and although exemplified with specific
pairs/texts in mind they should work with any of the pairs listed in the new
specification. Naturally the organisation of activities will vary depending on the
number and ability range within the teaching group.
Duffy and Pugh:

Which title? Give candidates copies of a group of poems which include poems
by both poets (e.g. 1/2 or 2/2). The titles should have been cut off the poems.
Give the titles separately and ask candidates to decide which title belongs to
which poem – they should be able to support their ideas. Having been given an
active reading task, candidates could be given key questions or tasks which ask
them to focus closely on one of the poems and then to make connections with the
others. In this way they are being given a collaborative opportunity to develop the
skills they'll need to target AO2 and AO3.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 12

Who wrote this? Having studied one or two poems by the core poet Duffy,
select a group/s of three poems (two by Duffy, one by Pugh) – without a copy of
the complete text (collected/selected poems) – ask candidates to decide which
poem hasn't been written by Duffy and to explain why. Different groups/pairs
could look at different groups of poems; one of the poems could be core for each
group/pair; they could be given a different aspect to help them look for
connections/differences e.g. the structure of the poems.
Larkin and Abse:




Show images of places associated with the two poets and their work e.g. Cardiff
and Hull (Ogmore by Sea / Prestatyn) to give candidates a visual sense of the
places that both poets concern themselves with. Generate through discussion
words, attitudes, feelings, moods associated with these places.
Look at examples of poems concerning themselves with a sense of place e.g.
Here, Sunny Prestatyn' [Larkin]; Return to Cardiff, Horse [Abse]
Make links between the images and the poems.
Urban/Seaside associations and comparisons.
Plath and Hughes:


Focusing on a key theme – beginning with selected quotations from both poets
relating to the theme, ask candidates to think about the poets' attitudes to the
theme e.g. the natural world / death. Ask them to sort the quotations e.g. into
different techniques / similar ideas / different attitudes.
Looking at two poems focusing on the same theme e.g. the natural world /
death – focus on making connections between the two poems e.g. by getting
groups/pairs to become experts on one poem.
Developing independent readers and learners / developing overview


Allocate key poems from the core text for individual candidates to be responsible
for investigating – this might include looking at what critics have written about the
poem / research on the internet. Candidates could share what they have found
out about the poem with the rest of the group.
Gaps/misconceptions/misunderstandings can be addressed when these findings
are shared with the group.
Having studied the whole text/sections of the text, encourage candidates to make
links between poems either within the core text or between core and partner texts
– e.g. through giving each candidate a poem title randomly and asking them to
find a partner/s. Pairs/small groups need to be able to explain the connections
between them and support them with textual evidence. Variations with smaller
groups could be having been given a group of random poems to 'sell'/'swap'
these with 'classmates' until they feel that they have arrived at a group of (3 / 4)
poems that clearly connect. Again, being able to explain and support the
connections is the most important part of the activity.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 13
Planning a response
Specimen Paper LT1 Q. 5
What is the
main focus
of the
question?
What can I write
about Plath's /
Hughes'
presentation of the
natural world?
Do I agree with the
statement in the
question?
Evidence?
Does Plath present the
natural world as threatening
in 'The Moon and the Yew
Tree'?
Is more than
one interpretation
possible?
'On the whole, Plath finds the natural world
threatening'. In light of this statement,
compare the ways in which Plath and Hughes
write about the natural world. You must
include in your response detailed reference
to 'The Moon and the Yew Tree' and to at
least one other poem by Plath.
What links can I
make between
Plath's and
Hughes' writing?
What other
Plath poem
could I
refer to?
Which of
Hughes'
lines/poems
could I refer to?
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 14
LT1 Section B: Drama post-1990 – 20 marks
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO4
Candidates will be required to study in depth one of the following post-1990 drama
texts:
Tom Stoppard: Arcadia (Faber)
David Mamet: Oleanna (Methuen)*
Brian Friel: Dancing at Lughnasa (Faber)
David Hare: Murmuring Judges (Faber)
Arthur Miller: Broken Glass (Methuen)
Diane Samuels: Kindertransport (Nick Hern Books)
*This edition of Oleanna set for the examination is not the Methuen Student edition.
Accessing the question paper
The focus on the short extract encourages a detailed study of the play. Beginning
with an extract also emphasises the 'dramatic' nature of the text to remind candidates
of the importance of addressing this text as drama. Questions may refer directly to
'effects' on an 'audience' or use wording such as 'presents', 'use' and 'role' to direct
candidates towards dramatic features.
Addressing the Assessment Objectives in LT1 Section B
AO4 carries 10 marks; half the available marks in Section B. AO1 and AO2 carry 5
marks each.
AO4

Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts
in which literary texts are written and received.
When studying the texts and approaching the questions students might like to think
of context in the following three ways:
(a)
(b)
(c)
the play itself providing context for the extract
the influences on the writing/performance of the play; these may be
cultural/social/political/dramatic techniques
how an audience or reader might receive the play.
Candidates may show some awareness of all three ways but they are not expected
to address them equally. Note:
(a)
(b)
(c)
is directly addressed in the questions and needs to be addressed in the
response
candidates should show some awareness of influences on the play and in
some questions knowledge of such a context will be useful in developing an
appropriate response: for example, Specimen Paper question 22 on Broken
Glass which refers to the play's 1938 setting
some questions may explicitly ask candidates to discuss the effects on an
audience, e.g. Specimen Paper questions 17 and 18 on Dancing at
Lughnasa.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 15
AO1
 articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using
appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression
A reminder from Section A that there are three strands to this AO:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
creative, informed and relevant
appropriate terminology and concepts
coherent, accurate written expression.
'Creative' will be addressed in candidates' individual interpretations of the play and
connections between the extract and the rest of the text. These interpretations and
connections should be underpinned by relevant material and informed judgements.
'Appropriate' terminology and concepts should include a reasonable range of terms
and ideas from the 'tool-kit' acquired in the course of their study of the play. See the
terminology table in the Appendix for some suggestions. The Assessment Grid for
LT1 Section B (see page 29 of this Guide) shows the importance of 'relevant' use of
concepts and terminology. This AO allows candidates to show the skill of 'using
literary critical concepts and terminology with understanding and discrimination'
(specification, page 10).
'Coherent, accurate' writing will support the expression of ideas and construction of
an argument, and to allow candidates to 'communicate fluently, accurately and
effectively' (specification, page 10).
AO2
 demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which
structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts
This AO enables candidates to show their knowledge and understanding of 'the
functions and effects of structure, form and language in texts' (specification, page
11). In their discussion of the play, candidates will be expected to show knowledge
and understanding also of the functions and effects of dramatic techniques.
Considerations for teaching and learning
Skills
Through their study of and examination response to the Drama post-1990 text,
students are expected to develop the ability to:




understand the way contexts influence its writing, performing and reception
analyse the effects of dramatic techniques such as structure, dialogue, sound,
movement, lighting and staging
understand the relationship between an extract from the text and the text as a
whole
concentrate on the focus of a question and write a coherent and appropriate
response.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 16
Approaches to teaching
Suggestions for starting
The following resources are only some examples of a wide range of material.
Focusing on AO4
Political and social influences – example: Hare
See Hare's 'Asking Around', especially the sections on his visits to Clapham Police
Station, Wormwood Scrubs and the Middle Temple. Students might like to consider
the possible influences of Hare's visits on characterisation, attitudes and language in
the play. In the light of the following comments by Hare, students might like to
consider the extent to which his drama imitates reality:
'…my intention in the plays was never to theorize about the overall state of my three
institutions. It has been much more to portray the lives of the people trying to survive
in them.'
And; 'I am not a great fan of works of art whose chief aim is to imitate reality.'
Cultural/intellectual influences - example: Stoppard
Consider using the chapter 'Context and Background' in Tom Stoppard – a Faber
Critical Guide to introduce cultural /intellectual and innovative dramatic ideas to
students. Students might consider how 'Chaos theory', for example, has influenced
Arcadia. Stoppard's formally innovative plays are sometimes seen as a reaction
against mid-twentieth century realism. Students could be asked to compare structure
and dialogue in Arcadia with the 'realism' of contemporary soap operas like
Coronation Street.
Media resources – example: Miller
Recent newspaper articles are a useful resource to help students develop an
understanding of how events and attitudes in their own world might influence their
response to a text. A piece such as Mariella Frostrup's article on Darfur from The
Observer, September, 2007, which covers the effects of violence, injustice, the
treatment of minority groups and the problem of our moral responsibility for others,
might be used to suggest the ways in which contemporary contexts could influence
reader/audience response, especially in the case of Miller's Broken Glass. This piece
and others like it which appear on a regular basis in the media could provide
openings into all of the set plays. It could be particularly illuminating to compare
present emphases with what we know about original intentions and contexts.
Social/cultural influences – example: Mamet
For how social/cultural events can be said to influence a play, consider the claim that
Oleanna was based on the American Senate hearings in 1991 on the appointment of
Clarence Hill to the Supreme Court in which sexual harassment was a central issue.
Mamet has denied this and said that he had already started writing the play. Mamet
could also be responding to the cultural concept of political correctness which
appears around this time. Indeed, many critics think that Mamet was directly writing
about the dangers of political correctness in academia and that he has loaded the
play's argument in favour of the male professor. (For contextual material on these
issues see The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet, edited by Christopher
Bigsby, and for fascinating discussions of the Clarence Hill case see Race-ing
Justice, En-gendering Power edited by Toni Morrison.)
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 17
Audience and Production Contexts - example: Samuels
For how the context of a different audience/production context can influence the
meaning of a play and its reception, see a range of sites on Google, especially
www.jewish-theatre.com and www.carpentersquare.com
For a more critical response to a recent student production, see:
icwales.icnetwork.co.uk
For another detailed production context, including interviews with actors, see:
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/Downloads/Store/KT_edu_pack.pdf
Historical/biographical influences - example: Friel
For a detailed account of Ireland in the 1930's, and its influence on the play's social
and political nature, and also aspects of music and dance, see: pages 156-161 of
Brian Friel by Nesta Jones (Faber Critical Guides) and particularly Chapter 8 of the
Cambridge Companion to Brian Friel edited by Anthony Roche.
Planning a response
Specimen Paper LT1 Q. 15
What is the
focus of the
question?
Look at the conflict between
Carol and John in extract
Re-r
How does
conflict develop
in rest of play?
How is conflict
presented as a
power struggle in the
rest of the play?
Re-read Oleanna from
the bottom of page 71
('Oh. Your job'.) to the
end of the play. To what
extent is the conflict
between Carol and John
in this extract and
elsewhere in the play
presented as a power
struggle between men
and women?
Is there a
power
struggle?
Is it chiefly
a gender
conflict?
Relevance of
context of writing/
performing the play
to the question.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 18
2.3
LT2
Approaching LT2: Prose Study and Creative Reading (80 marks)
This coursework unit encourages students to:
 read widely and engage with a variety of prose texts
 become critical, perceptive readers and creative, independent writers.
Section A: Prose Study (40 marks)
(1500 words approximately)
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO3 AO4
For this section students must study:
1 core text from the prescribed list of authors 1800-1945:
Jane Austen
Charlotte Bronte
Emily Bronte
Kate Chopin
Joseph Conrad
Charles Dickens
George Eliot
E.M. Forster
F Scott Fitzgerald
Thomas Hardy
D.H. Lawrence
H.G.Wells
Katherine Mansfield
Mary Shelley
Elizabeth Gaskell
Evelyn Waugh
Edith Wharton
Virginia Woolf
and:
1 wider reading partner text, selected either from the same period or from
another period.
The term 'prose text' for both core and partner texts will be taken to include the novel,
a collection of short stories, autobiography and memoir, travel writing and essays. In
choosing the partner text and task, candidates/teachers should take careful
consideration of the assessment objectives.
The following suggestions offer possible models/approaches to delivering this unit.
However, we encourage centres to develop their own approaches to the unit, and to
allow students to plan their own study wherever possible.
The core and partner texts selected for study must be nominated to WJEC by the
end of December in the AS year.
Approaches to Section A: Prose Study
Selecting the Core Text
The teacher may decide to adopt one of the following approaches:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
encourage students to make individual selections of a text by an author from
the prescribed list
select for class study an author from the prescribed list
select for class study a text written by one of the prescribed authors.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 19
Fostering Independence: Researching Authors and Texts
Where students wish to make individual selections of a text by an author from the
prescribed list, teachers may choose to offer support for that selection by adopting
the following collaborative approach:






Choose several authors from the prescribed list
Divide the students into groups (clearly this will depend on class sizes as to
whether students work individually, in pairs or in small groups)
Assign each group of students a different research task on one of the authors
selected from the list. The task should encompass researching some of the titles
produced by the set author; some biographical detail about the author and
contextual information about the period in which s/he was writing
Each group should present their findings to the class, arguing a case for their
selected author to become the core author
Assign each group of students a different research task on different texts written
by the chosen author selected from the list. The task should encompass reading
the opening chapter of a novel and producing a summary of plot, characters and
themes; researching some biographical detail about the author and contextual
information about the text and the period in which it was written
Each group should present their findings to the class.
Provoking Debate and Making Decisions
Once the research projects have been undertaken and all the arguments heard, the
students and teacher may decide on the core text for class study. If teachers are
confident of delivering more than one core text, they may allow their students to
study a variety of work by authors from the prescribed list. However, whole class time
may need to be devoted to the teaching of the core text which may cause teachers to
limit the choice for this aspect of the coursework.
Selecting the Partner Text
The partner text can be independently chosen by the student or chosen from a
group of texts suggested by the teacher.
The following are suggested approaches in choosing the partner prose text:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
comparing two texts by the same author
comparing the core text with a text by one of the other authors from the
prescribed list
students select a new partner text from any period; the choice could be
informed by their own private reading, suggestions from teachers, librarian,
parents, peers etc.
When deciding on the appropriate route, bear in mind the first of the Aims which
feature on page 8 of the specification:

To encourage AS and A level students to develop their interest in and enjoyment
of literature and literary studies through reading widely and independently both
set texts and others that they have selected for themselves.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 20
This aim can be addressed in several ways:



Encouraging the use of reading diaries in which students can make brief
comments about the books they are reading privately- perhaps under headings
such as characters, plot, style, themes, likes/dislikes so that they can develop the
habit of thinking in useful ways about their reading
Setting up a classroom library of a range of prose texts, some
recommended/brought in by the students themselves
Encouraging informal, relaxed opportunities for reading and discussion centred
on students' own choice of texts – where the emphasis is on enjoyment and on
students' views rather then on 'exam/set text' study.
Advice on task-setting
Teachers should note the following:




Tasks should allow students to address equally the relevant assessment
objectives
Tasks should be focused on comparisons of the two chosen prose texts, with the
emphasis falling on the core text
Tasks should offer candidates one or more readings with which to engage, or
allow candidates the opportunity to engage with critical discussion
Tasks should allow students to consider the importance of contexts in the writing
and receiving of both core and partner text, with the emphasis falling on the core
text.
Tasks could be set on texts by the same author, e.g. Forster's A Room with a View
and Where Angels Fear to Tread, or Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
Tasks could be set on texts from the same period or different periods by
different authors, one or both from the prescribed list of 1800-1945, e.g. Jane
Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, The Return of the Native and Wuthering Heights, The
Remains of the Day and A Room with A View.
Alternatively, candidates could study texts of different prose genres by the same
author, e.g. a novel and short stories by D.H. Lawrence, or short stories and travel
writing by D.H. Lawrence, or texts of different prose genres by different authors.
Suggestions for possible tasks can be found on page 28 of the specification.
Guidance on Assessing LT2: Section A – Prose Study
The weighting of assessment objectives for this section is summarised below:
LT2
%
AO1
AO2
AO3
AO4
SECTION A
20 (10)
5 (2.5)
5 (2.5)
5(2.5)
5 (2.5)
The Prose Study is marked out of 40. The relevant assessment objectives for this
section -AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 - are weighted equally at 10 marks each.
Teachers should use the LT2 Section A Assessment Grid (see specification and
Section 6 of this Guide) to try to find the ‘best fit’ for assessment, giving an holistic
mark to cover all the AOs which should be recorded on a coversheet for each
student, and also recorded for the moderation sample on the moderation sample
form (see the Internal Assessment Guidelines of the specification for advice on
administration, and examples of both forms).
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 21
Addressing the Assessment Objectives in LT2 Section A
AO1
 articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using
appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression
A reminder from LT1 that there are three strands to this AO:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
creative, informed and relevant
appropriate terminology and concepts
coherent, accurate written expression
'Creative' will be addressed in candidates' individual interpretations of the 2 texts and
connections between them. These interpretations and connections should be
underpinned by relevant material and informed judgements.
'Appropriate' terminology and concepts should include a reasonable range of terms
and ideas from the 'tool-kit' acquired in the course of their prose analysis study. See
the terminology table in the Appendix for some suggestions. The Assessment Grid
for LT2 Section A (see page 31 of this Guide) shows the importance of 'relevant' use
of concepts and terminology. This AO allows candidates to show the skill of 'using
literary critical concepts and terminology with understanding and discrimination'
(specification, page 10).
'Coherent, accurate' writing will support the expression of ideas and construction of
an argument, and to allow candidates to 'communicate fluently, accurately and
effectively' (specification, page 10).
AO2
 demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which
structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts
This AO enables candidates to show their knowledge and understanding of 'the
functions and effects of structure, form and language in texts' (specification, page
11). It is worth emphasising that detailed analysis of structure, form and language is
required primarily for the core text.
AO3
 explore connections and comparisons between different literary texts, informed
by interpretations of other readers
There are two strands to this AO:
(i)
(ii)
making connections and comparisons between texts
informed by interpretations of other readers.
The tasks in this section should include a comparative focus to allow students to
make connections between their texts throughout their response.
It should be noted that interpretations of 'other readers' should primarily inform
students' reading of the core text. As this is a coursework unit, students should be
encouraged to quote from/refer to critical readings/interpretations which have
informed their own response to the core text and to acknowledge their sources.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 22
AO4
 demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in
which literary texts are written and received
In their Prose Study, students should be expected to discuss the significance and
influences of contexts. It is expected that they will write in more detail about the
contextual influences on the core text and make broader references to the contextual
influences of the partner text. They could consider:

the influences on the writing of the texts: these may be cultural/social/
political/historical/literary techniques or genre
how readers might respond to the texts at different times.

Section B: Creative Reading (40 marks)
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO4
This section requires a creative response to wider independent reading and a
commentary on the response, equally weighted at 20 marks and of approximately
750 words each:
The text chosen for wider reading should be a prose text other than those
studied for Section A of this unit. There is no requirement to nominate the stimulus
texts for approval. However, centres are advised to ensure that the texts chosen are
of sufficient challenge for AS level study.
(i)
The creative response may take the form of one of the following literary
genres:
short story
essay
life writing ( biography/autobiography/journals)
drama script
travel writing
a collection of poems (minimum of six poems or
equivalent)
Approaches to Section B: Creative Reading
Exploring Stimulus Texts
Wherever possible, as we suggested for choosing the partner text for Section A,
students should be encouraged to choose a stimulus prose text from their
independent wider reading. Where this might present difficulties for individual
students, the teacher may adopt one of the following approaches:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
present a range of stimulus prose texts for students to read in class
present students with a variety of prose text extracts, of which they should
choose one as a starting point for wider reading
select a stimulus prose text for students to read in class or in their own time.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 23
Fostering Independence
The teacher may wish to adopt the following collaborative approach in order to
encourage students to write in a clear literary genre:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
choose different prose genres students may use as inspiration for their own
writing
divide the students into groups to read examples of different prose genres
(clearly this will depend on class sizes as to whether students work
individually, in pairs or in small groups),
each group presents their findings to the class, to allow individual students
the flexibility to pursue something that interests them.
the teacher creates a mini-library, book-box or literary 'buffet' with a variety of
prose texts for students to sample and discuss in lesson times. Students keep
a reading diary or log of the texts they have read. Teachers may seize the
opportunity here to resurrect unread texts from the stock cupboard, to access
the texts available in the school or local library and make use of on-line
books.
Note: It is not a requirement that students should model the style/genre of the
stimulus text: they are free to write in any literary genre, and need only use the
stimulus text as a source of inspiration for their own writing.
Examples of writing in different genres from that of the stimulus text


Student reads Enduring Love by Ian McEwan and writes poetry on the theme of
obsession. In her commentary, she will discuss her own writing primarily,
concentrating on the effects and stylistic choices she has created/used. She will
make reference to the ideas and genre of the stimulus text.
Student reads The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and writes a drama script
on the theme of religious conflict/ dystopia. In his commentary, he will discuss the
effects he wanted to create, showing understanding of the different contexts in
which his text and the stimulus text were written and might be received.
Guidance on Assessing LT2: Section B - Creative Reading
The weighting of assessment objectives for this section is summarised below:
LT2
%
AO1
AO2
SECTION B
20 (10)
10 (5)
5 (2.5)
AO3
AO4
5 (2.5)
The 40 marks for this section are divided equally between task (i), the creative writing
response, for which there is only one Assessment Objective, AO1, and task (ii), the
commentary, which is assessed by AO2 and AO4. It should be noted that the 20
marks available for the commentary should be notionally awarded as 10 each for
the two relevant assessment objectives, AO2 and AO4. Teachers should use the LT2
Section B Assessment Grid (see specification and Section 6 of this Guide) to try to
find the ‘best fit’ for assessment, and should give an holistic mark to cover both
objectives. The separate marks for the writing and for the commentary should be
recorded and totalled on a coversheet for each student, and also recorded for the
moderation sample on the moderation sample form (see the Internal Assessment
Guidelines of the specification for advice on administration, and examples of both
forms).
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 24
How to assess (i) the Creative Writing response to wider reading
This task of approximately 750 words is worth 20 marks.
Key points:
 Must be a response to prose
 May take any of the forms in the specification, or another suitable literary genre
 Assessing AO1 only
 Literary concepts and terminology to be 'used' through demonstrating them in the
writing, e.g. using monologue, pathetic fallacy, symbolism etc.
 Key words from the AO for this task are: creative, relevant, informed, coherent,
accurate
How to assess (ii) the Commentary
This task of approximately 750 words is also worth 20 marks.
Candidates should focus on:
 their use of structure, form and language
 the features of the stimulus prose text
 what effects were aimed at
 the significance and influence of relevant contexts.
Matching the 2 Assessment Objectives (weighted equally at 10 marks each) to
the commentary task:
 AO2: (detailed critical understanding)
The commentary should discuss features of genre, language, form and structure in
both the candidate's own text and the stimulus text, but with detailed analysis of their
own text and wider reference to the stimulus text.
* As in LT1 Section A, the candidate's text should be treated as the 'core' text, with the
stimulus text the 'partner'/wider reading text.
Overview: Candidates should show an engagement with the craft of writing in both
texts.
 AO4: (context)
In addressing AO4, candidates should consider the significance/influence of the
following:

any influences relevant
social/political/historical etc.

the influences of the stimulus text on the candidate's own writing, in terms of ideas,
attitudes and values.

the context in which the candidate's own writing was composed and might be
received.
to
the
writing
of
the
stimulus
text,
e.g.
Overview: Candidates should show a clear awareness of contextual influences in the
writing of both texts.
The Assessment Grids for LT2 can be found in Section 6 of this guide, and an
example of a student’s creative response to wider reading in Appendix 3.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 25
Managing Coursework- LT2 Sections A and B
The process








Planning stage
Discussion between student and teacher of ideas/notes/research
Drafting- student submits a draft response (WJEC recommends that after the
planning stage the student produces only one draft before the final version)
Teacher response with advice/guidance, avoiding detailed annotation of student's
work, focusing instead on general observations and advice re possible
improvements
Student submits final version for assessment
Coversheet is signed to authenticate
Cross-moderation in centre where possible
External moderation: selection of sample and submission of sample work to
external moderator.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 26
3.
RESOURCES
3.1
Resources for LT1 Section A: Poetry post-1900
Most of the resources mentioned here are of an audio and/or visual nature as these
are likely to be less familiar. There are lots of excellent videos and readings available
on You Tube (indicated where particularly relevant). The Poetry Archive
(poetryarchive.org) is also a very useful source for readings, biographical and
bibliographical material. Reference to books has been kept to a minimum as there is
an abundance of critical material on most of the authors.
Carol Ann Duffy
 Selected Poems on CD (Hachette)
 The Poetry Quartets 2 (Bloodaxe - audio cassette)
 The Poetry of Carol Ann Duffy Teacher Resource Pack - Marian Cox
 some material on You Tube
Sheenagh Pugh
 video of her reading - You Tube
 sheenagh-googlepages.com (her very useful website)
T S Eliot
 Eliot reading Prufrock - You Tube
 reading Journey of the Magi and The Wasteland - The Poetry Archive
Yeats
 You Tube- reading The Lake Isle of Innisfree - The Poetry Archive
 The Spoken Word CD - British Library
 interview www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud/index.shtml
Seamus Heaney
 interviews and readings – You Tube
 CD of readings from relevant sections – The Poetry Archive
 interviews and reading on www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud/index.shtml
 Finders Keepers; Selected Prose Seamus Heaney (Faber 2002)
Owen Sheers
 CD of 10 poems from Skirrid Hill – The Poetry Archive
 video talking about his home area and his novel- You Tube
Philip Larkin
 reading Mr Bleaney and The Whitsun Weddings – The Poetry Archive
 CD promised soon from The Poetry Archive
 number of readings and videos – You Tube
 CD Pretending to be Me: Philip Larkin, a portrait, by Tom Courtenay
 Required Writing (especially the interviews) (Faber)
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 27
Dannie Abse
 reading Cousin Sidney – You Tube
 CD of 6 poems from Welsh Retrospective – The Poetry Archive
 The Two Roads Taken (Essays and interviews) (Enitharmon)
Sylvia Plath
 videos relating to her life and some excellent recordings of her readings of
Daddy, Ariel and Lesbos, among others - You Tube
 readings (though not of poems from the selection)in which Plath talks about her
poetry writing - in The Poetry Archive
Ted Hughes
 readings of Pike and February 17th with very useful commentary by the poet
himself – The Poetry Archive
 CD of Ted Hughes reading his poetry - (Hachette:Harper Collins)
 videos, including tributes, on You Tube
 Ariel's Gift (Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath and the story of Birthday Letters) by Erica
Wagner (Faber)
 Poetry in the Making by Ted Hughes (Faber)
 reading www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud/index.shtml
Eavan Boland
 video – You Tube
 Eavan Boland: A Sourcebook edited by J A Randolph – (Carcanet)
Clare Pollard
 see her site on myspace.com/clare pollard – includes videos and readings
3.2
Resources for LT1 Section B : Drama post-1990
The internet reveals many sites with relevant reviews and articles. Here we list some
of the most useful sites and texts, particularly with AO4 (context) in mind. For an
overview of British Theatre, especially the 1990's, see State of the Nation by Michael
Billington (Faber 2007).
Tom Stoppard
 Charlie Rose interview 27/3/95 discusses Arcadia in some detail on You Tube
 Useful websites (among many) www.skidmore.edu/academics
www.complete_review.com
 Tom Stoppard by Jim Hunter (Faber Critical Guides)
David Mamet
 Charlie Rose interview, excellent on the context of Oleanna - You Tube
 Oleanna DVD (2002)

www.sparknotes.com
 The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet, edited by Christopher Bigsby
(see pages 136-7 for contextual material on Oleanna).
Brian Friel
 some extracts - You Tube
 Dancing at Lughnasa DVD (2002)
 www.eng.umu.se/lughnasa/brian.htm
 irishwriters-online.com
 Brian Friel by Nesta Jones (Faber Critical Guides)
 The Cambridge Companion to Brian Friel ( see Chapter 8)
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 28
David Hare
 Charlie Rose interview - You Tube - includes discussion on the importance of
context itself, excellent on the nature of his drama and his dramatic aims
 Asking Around - David Hare (Background to the Hare Trilogy) (Faber 1993)
 About Hare - Richard Boon (Faber 2003)
Arthur Miller
 lots of useful interviews on You Tube; particularly interesting on the Thirties and
his Jewishness is the one with Jonathan Miller BBC4 TV
 Broken Glass DVD (2007)
 Writers in Conversation: With Christopher Bigsby: v. 2 (Pen and Inc Press)
Diane Samuels
 www. writewords.org.uk
 www. Jewish-theatre.com (link to national theatre Wiesbaden)
 look up Kindertransport on the internet to find useful material on the 1930s
context
 Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport - DVD (2002) and book
of same name
 Kindertransport Education Pack- by Shared Experience at :
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/downloads/store/KT_edu_pack.pdf
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 29
4.
A2 Unit Overviews
The following overviews are intended to give further clarification of the requirements
of these two synoptic units, and an indication of possible approaches to planning and
delivering the A2 course from September 2009. More detailed support and guidance
will be added later. In both units, candidates are required to demonstrate synoptic
achievement through:


the explicit synthesis of insights gained from a close and detailed study of a
range of texts important for the development of English literature;
evidence of the ways in which contextual factors and different interpretations of
texts illuminate their own readings.
The A2 units allow candidates to demonstrate a high level of independent
performance across a range of contexts, as in both units they have to make relevant
selections from their wider reading, and identify from across the programme of study
the knowledge, understanding and skills which are required to address the tasks.
LT3 requires candidates to study a range of texts in order to allow them to gain
insight into the development of English literature: the internal assessment writing task
requires candidates to explore topics which interest them across literary periods and
genres. LT4 requires candidates to show how their reading of an unseen poem
illuminates their study of a pre-1800 poetry text, and how their reading of a related
drama text has illuminated their study of a Shakespeare play.
Both units make clear demands in terms of understanding the significance of
contexts and considering how different interpretations of the texts studied may have
illuminated candidates' own reading.
4.1
LT3
Approaching LT3: Period and Genre Study- 40 marks
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO3 AO4
Candidates will be required to produce a folder of approximately 3,000 words. The
folder will consist of an exploration of three texts, two of which must be of different
periods and genres. The focus of the study may be thematic, but candidates are
free to select another literary focus. One of the texts must be prose, and one of the
other two must be poetry. These are to be regarded as the core texts. The third text
may be drama, another poetry or prose and should be selected for wider reading
(partner text).
It is expected that students' responses will feature detailed critical discussion of the
two core texts, with wider reference made to the third, 'partner' text, which should
serve the purpose of illuminating and informing their study of the core texts.
The core and partner texts selected for study must be nominated to WJEC by the
end of December in the A2 year.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 30
The emphasis in this coursework unit is placed on providing opportunities for
independent reading and research. The texts chosen should not be texts which
the candidate has studied or is studying for other units at AS or A2 and should
not be texts which appear on the current set text list for any units of this
specification.
However, it is acceptable to study a different text by a set author. For example,
students may study a Shakespeare play for this unit, but it should not be one of the set
Shakespeare plays prescribed for LT4. A text by an author from the list of prescribed
authors for LT2 Section A may be chosen, but students must select a text other than
that which they studied for this coursework unit.
Note: students should be discouraged from choosing an author whose work they have
studied for AS, as this narrows the range of literature they will encounter on the course
as a whole.
Possible areas for study:
 Themes: a study of how a theme is treated across periods and genres
 A literary tradition, e.g. satire, Gothic across periods and genres
 An aspect of form, structure and language, e.g. use of imagery/
dialogue/narration, across periods and genres.
Students should be encouraged to explore comparisons and contrasts in their
study of the chosen theme/literary focus and consider the significance and influence
of the contexts in which the texts are written and received, including the contexts of
different periods and genres.
Guidance on Assessing LT3: Period and Genre Study
The weighting of Assessment Objectives reflects the importance of connections,
comparisons and contexts, and also the extra importance given to 'detailed critical
understanding' (AO2):
LT3
%
AO1
AO2
AO3
AO4
TOTAL
40 (20)
5 (2.5)
15 (7.5)
10 (5)
10 (5)
The assessment grid for LT3 can be found in the Appendix in Section 6 of this Guide.
The Period and Genre Study is marked out of 40. The relevant assessment
objectives for this section -AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 – have the following notional mark
distribution:
AO1: 5 marks
AO2: 15 marks
AO3: 10 marks
AO4: 10 marks
Teachers should use the LT3 Assessment Grid (see specification and Section 6 of
this Guide) and while bearing in mind this distribution, should try to find the ‘best fit’
for assessment, giving an holistic mark to cover all the AOs. The final mark should be
recorded on a coversheet for each student, and also recorded for the moderation
sample on the moderation sample form (see the Internal Assessment Guidelines of
the specification for advice on administration, and examples of both forms).
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 31
LT3 Planning
This coursework unit encourages students to read widely and engage with a variety
of texts from different periods and genres, in order to understand:




the ways in which writers use and adapt language, form and structure in texts
the interpretation of texts by different readers, including over time
how texts relate to literary traditions, movements and genres
the cultural and contextual influences upon readers and writers.
Approaches
Teachers may decide to adopt any of the following approaches to delivering this unit,
depending upon their centre's circumstances regarding timetabling, staffing and the
composition of their teaching groups:



Giving students complete freedom in choosing all three texts
Choosing the core texts for class study, with students making individual
selections for the partner text
Choosing all three texts for class study.
Where students are encouraged to make their own choices of text(s), they should be
able to draw upon the expertise of specialists – teachers, tutors, librarians etc who
should be able to support candidates' independent endeavours by providing advice
and guidance upon authors, texts, research methods and resources.
In practical terms, by the end of the AS course teachers will know the strengths of
their own classes and will be in the best position to judge which of the suggestions
below would provide their students with the best opportunities to achieve their full
potential in LT3. It must be emphasised that the approaches below are intended as
suggestions and it is recognised that teachers and students could choose different
timings, techniques or various blends of the elements below.
Suggestions for starting





After AS exams, or at the start of the Autumn Term in year 13, the class is
reconvened and the teacher leads a session of explanation and discussion
looking specifically at the demands of LT3. The teacher may initiate a general
discussion about literary tastes and preferences.
Students should be encouraged to do some independent browsing (library,
departmental resources, local bookshops, amazon.com or similar) and should
soon be able to make some broad statements about their tastes and interests.
While teachers will offer different levels of direction according to the
circumstances of specific groups, good practice at this stage would be to provide
a 'literary buffet' in one form or another. For some groups this might consist of a
variety of possible texts for core study along with, say, brief reviews of
contemporary writing from the Saturday press, TES, TLS, London Review of
Books etc. plus library visits which would help to guide students towards an
individual choice for the third 'partner text'.
At this point, there will be opportunities for teacher-led sessions, looking at
chosen themes/another literary focus which will help students to confirm their
aptitude and interest at this early stage and give them a steer for their
preparatory reading.
Depending on departmental/timetabling contingencies, towards the end of the
autumn term, textual study should be sufficiently advanced for students to have
developed a reasonably clear idea of the specific aspects of the texts they wish to
tackle.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 32
Task-setting
The teacher's expertise becomes crucial here in helping students to set themselves
manageable, productive tasks which will allow them to meet the criteria for LT3 and
address the relevant Assessment Objectives.



In guiding students towards appropriate tasks, it would be good practice for
teachers to encourage as much variety as possible. Inevitably, in some classes
students will choose very similar or identical tasks and this will require extra
vigilance from teachers/moderators.
In situations where the teacher has chosen texts for the class, students should be
encouraged to make independent choices of tasks.
Spring term Year 13: completion of coursework tasks and internal moderation.
Although centres which have opted for coursework in the current ELit5 will be
familiar with the demands of this work, it is worth remembering that the writing is
more substantial in LT3 and the moderation process will be proportionately
longer. Centres unused to coursework at A level will need to reflect upon how
thorough marking and careful cross-moderation of folders are vital in supporting
students' efforts.
Examples of tasks (as featured in the specification in the Internal Assessment
Guidelines section)

A comparative study of the methods of satire in different genres and their effects
on readers; with an exploration of how readers may find different emphases at
different times.

A comparative study of the significance and presentation of place in post-colonial
literature.

A comparative study of the theme and presentation of love/war/childhood/
marriage in different genres and their effects on readers; with an exploration of
how readers may find different emphases at different times.
WJEC will arrange area meetings to support centres' coursework task-setting and
assessment.
Managing Coursework- LT3
The Process








Planning stage
Discussion between student and teacher of ideas/notes/research
Drafting- student submits a draft response ( WJEC recommends that after the
planning stage the student produces only one draft before the final version)
Teacher response with advice/guidance, avoiding detailed annotation of student's
work, focusing instead on general observations and advice re possible
improvements
Student submits final version for assessment
Coversheet is signed to authenticate
Cross-moderation in centre where possible
External moderation: selection of sample and submission of sample work to
external moderator.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 33
4.2
LT4
Approaching LT4: Poetry and Drama 2 – 80 marks
Both sections of this paper require candidates to:


study and discuss in detail a core text
make wider reference to a partner text.
In Section A the partner text is an unseen poem or poetry extract, and in Section B
the partner text is a linked drama text. In both cases examiners will expect detailed
critical discussion of the core texts, with comparative reference made to the partner
texts. There is no ideal proportion of time to be allocated to the partner text in the
candidate's response: it is the quality of the connections that counts and their
contribution to the cogency and relevance of the response.
Both sections have the same weighting of Assessment Objectives and so the same
distribution of marks:
LT4
%
AO1
AO2
AO3
A04
SECTION A
30 (15)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5 (3.75)
SECTION B
30 (15)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5 (3.75)
7.5(3.75)
TOTAL
60 (30)
15 (7.5)
15 (7.5)
15 (7.5)
15 (7.5)
AO1: 10 marks
AO2: 10 marks
AO3: 10 marks
AO4: 10 marks
Section A: Critical Reading of Poetry - 40 marks
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO3 AO4
Candidates will be required to study in depth one of the following pre-1800 poetry
texts:
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Wife Of Bath's Prologue and
Tale
John Donne
Selected Poems
John Milton
Paradise Lost Book IX
William Blake
Songs of Innocence and of
Experience
William Wordsworth &
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lyrical Ballads (1798)
Candidates will be required to answer one question from a choice of five. In their
response to their selected question, candidates must include detailed analysis of
their set text and close reference to any one of the five unseen poems or poetry
extracts, taken from any period, which will be printed on the paper.
Each question will require candidates to analyse and evaluate connections
between the set text studied for this paper and the selected unseen poem or extract.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 34
Section B: Shakespeare & Related Drama- 40 marks
Relevant Assessment Objectives: AO1 AO2 AO3 AO4
Candidates will be required to study in depth one text from the following list of 'core'
Shakespeare texts, and to study for wider reading the designated 'partner' drama
text. Candidates will be required to answer one question based on that pair: two
questions will be set on each pair of texts.
Core Shakespeare Text
Partner Drama Text
King Lear
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex
Hamlet
Tourneur: The Revenger's Tragedy
Measure For Measure
Webster: The Duchess of Malfi
The Tempest
Marlowe: Dr Faustus
Richard II
Marlowe: Edward II
LT4 Planning
Aim
To ensure that candidates have the opportunity to:
(i)
(ii)
study their poetry core text in detail while developing the skills to make
productive connections with other, previously unseen samples of poetry
(partner texts)
study their Shakespeare core text in detail while becoming familiar with
another play (partner text) and the ways in which the partner text illuminates
their understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's work.
Approaches
Section A: Poetry pre-1800
Centres will have good experience and well-established strategies for teaching the
close reading and analysis of poetry at Advanced Level. These strategies will remain
valid and will serve students well for the first stages of their work in this section.
However, teachers will need to develop fresh materials for helping students to use
the subject "tool-kit" and to make productive connections between the poetry text
they have studied in detail (the core text) and a range of samples of poetry (partner
texts) which may be taken from any period.
Note:
 Those teaching the current ELit6 will have experience of selecting previously
unseen texts which are related to their chosen drama texts so as to give
candidates practice in responding to c) questions. Similar (but not identical)
techniques will be needed to familiarise candidates with the need to choose for
themselves 1 text (from 5) which will be used to illuminate their response to their
set poetry text and the Section A question.
 In order to assist students in their choice of unseen partner poem, these unseen
poems will be identified by type (eg ballad, sonnet, narrative etc) and will be
accompanied by a very brief introduction.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 35
The following are two examples of introductions which could be added to some of the
poems featured in the specimen paper for LT4:
The Collar – George Herbert (1593-1633)
In this seventeenth-century metaphysical poem, the poet George Herbert reflects on
his relationship with God.
Idylls of the King – Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-92)
This is an extract from the Victorian poet Tennyson's long narrative poem Idylls of
the King. The poem as a whole is about the court of the mythical King Arthur and his
knights, and this extract is from a section concerned with the king's wife, Guinevere.
Section B: Shakespeare and Related Drama
In practical terms, the time after AS exams is not best suited to intensive or formal
study but it might be ideal for a range of less formal activities based upon the partner
drama text in Section B.
It must be emphasised that the approaches below are intended as suggestions and it
is recognised that teachers and students could choose different timings, techniques
or various blends of the elements below. For instance, while some centres might
choose an "end-to-end" approach teaching the drama first and poetry second (or vice
versa) with appropriate revision of the first texts towards the end of the course, others
might choose to deliver the Sections A (poetry) and B (drama) in parallel – perhaps
using different teachers. Obviously, the most significant difference between the two
approaches would be pace.
Suggestions for starting
After AS exams, or at the start of the Autumn Term in year 13, the class is
reconvened and the teacher leads sessions where students are informed of the
contents and requirements of LT4 (section B) with illustrations of the different core
texts through synopsis; sampling; dvd clips or even workshops in partnership with
Drama / Performance studies departments.
After selection of the core text, teachers devise learning activities focused upon the
partner text where students will not be expected to apply close critical analysis but
to gain an overview and become familiar with plot, some dramatic techniques,
characterisation and some key images or other more obvious features of language
and composition. At this stage of the year, some entertaining, kinaesthetic
approaches such as tableaux, ad-libbing, "just-a-minute" style character monologues
or dumbshows could be successful.
Then it should be possible to begin a formal, closely analytical study of the core
drama text in the light of the students' knowledge and understanding of the partner
text. From the beginning of the course, by taking very different approaches to the
texts in the order suggested, teachers will establish very effectively the core and
partner idea and the different emphases involved. Centres will have their own tried
and tested methods of teaching detailed readings of the core drama text (taking
careful note of the relevant AOs) but teachers will have to plan fresh strategies for
making connections between texts and addressing the idea of one text being
illuminated by another. (To some extent, those experienced at teaching the current
WJEC ELit6 will have developed some strategies for helping candidates address the
c) questions where drama texts need to be connected to previously unseen samples
of poetry or prose. ELit6 has been an important building block in the development of
LT4 as noted when planning approaches to LT4 Section A tasks.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 36
Suggested classroom strategies





Divide the teaching group into core text and partner text parties. Ask a student
from the core text party to read a key speech aloud (maybe Hamlet on his delay;
Lear on justice and the law; Prospero's farewell to magic etc) and invite the
partner text party to take on named roles from their play and reply to the speech
offering advice/criticism or comfort in character but in their own words. If you're
daring you could invite them to heckle! Ask the participants and those watching to
bullet point any insights they have gained into the Shakespearian character
through this process. Of course, the Shakespearian character may use only the
lines of the speech when interacting with the other group!
Ask candidates to imagine that, say, Vindice is a witness to one of Hamlet's
speeches (or a scene in the play.); Faustus watches Prospero's conjuring or
Edward watches Richard encounter Bolingbroke. Ask candidates to take on the
characters of the observers and write letters to the Shakespearian characters
offering the benefit of their wisdom/criticism/sympathy etc.
Try taking some speeches from the core and partner texts on related themes. Cut
them up into one or two line segments and distribute them amongst a core text
group and a partner text group on opposite sides of an appropriate space. Ask
the groups to approach each other continuously speaking their lines aloud. Ask
them to intermingle until they have found somebody on the other side whose
line/language/imagery (or other factors which you choose) seem to have some
close connection with their lines. Ask the two to pair up and discuss the
connections they have found and report back to the rest of the group. With a bit
of luck you will generate some fascinating debates on who really belongs with
whom! This approach would work well before or after some tableau exercises
where possibly related scenes or situations from the two plays are given as tasks
to students in the core text and partner text groups simultaneously. Tableaux are
struck, revealed and the audience are invited to comment upon the similarities
and differences between the presentations before the groups explain themselves
to each other.
Christmas game: get students to draw character names from a hat and line the
casts of the plays up University Challenge style. Teacher in "Paxman" role will
read out quotations and the teams need first to identify the play correctly –
(starter for 5); then identify the speaker (5); then comment on the significance of
the line (allowed to confer and gain marks out of 10 - judged by Paxman).
Automatic 10 point bonus if a character can buzz and claim correctly "That's my
line!"
When candidates gain a confident grasp of texts it will be sensible for them to
practise writing under timed and controlled conditions in response to questions
designed along the lines of those in the sample LT4 exam paper on the WJEC
website. It is hoped that more exemplar materials (with examiner's commentary)
will be available before teaching for this unit starts in Autumn 2009.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 37
5.
Appendices
Appendix 1
Example of response to LT1 Section A Q.5
'On the whole, Plath finds the natural world threatening'. In light of this statement, compare
the ways in which Plath and Hughes write about the natural world. You must include in your
response detailed reference to 'The Moon and the Yew Tree' and to at least one other poem by
Plath.
The natural world in 'The Moon and the Yew Tree', as represented by the moon itself
and the yew trees in the graveyard, does seem to be threatening. Many images suggest
this. At the start of the poem, the moon's light is 'cold' and in the third stanza we are
told the moon 'is not sweet' and its power is strong enough to stop the poet believing in
'tenderness'. Perhaps the strongest threatening images come at the end of the poem
where the moon is 'bald and wild', a bare statement made all the more sinister by its
flat rhythm, and the yew tree stands only for 'blackness' with its suggestion of death.
What is also significant is the way the moon and the yew dominate, not allowing the
religious elements in the poem to offer consolation to the poet, as the harsh sounds of
the church bells which 'startle' and 'bong out their names' make clear. Yet whereas
the church and religion offers some attempt to communicate, we are told in a bleak and
negative statement that 'The moon is no door'. Certainly nature in this poem is not very
welcoming. However, other images suggest that threatening may not be the right word
for Plath's view of the natural world. After all, the moon is also described as 'terribly
upset' and the poet refers to the moon as 'she' and claims 'The moon is my mother',
though not a mother that offers, as we have seen, any tenderness. This feminisation of
the moon reduces its threatening aspect to some extent.
Interestingly, the cold natural world in Hughes' rather romantically named 'October
Dawn' poem is much more threatening. In this poem which also concentrates on
coldness, in this case the film of ice that forms on a wine glass which has been left
outside, the cold threatens the whole world. Hughes's images are exaggerated; his cold
'squeezes the fire at the core of the world'. Unlike Plath, Hughes concentrates on the
power and violence of the natural world.
Whereas Hughes is writing about the power and violence of nature itself and
frequently tries to imagine himself part of the natural world (for example 'Hawk
Roosting'), Plath seems more interested in her relationship with the outside world and
how she can use it to represent her own human feelings. This is why some readers see
the moon and the yew tree as symbols of a numbness or deep grief in the poet herself.
The darkness of the language and the way that the natural world is unable to offer any
message other than the 'O-gape of complete despair' suggests that Plath is not so
much finding the natural objects threatening as using them to convey her own deep
unhappiness.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 38
Despite despair and blackness in this poem, readers have argued that in other poems
Plath recognises the beauty of nature. There are hints that this beauty may break
through her unhappiness. In 'Poppies in October', the poppies counteract death and
darkness, and Plath calls them 'a love gift', not saying from whom and suggesting that
she does not deserve such a gift, but nevertheless clearly valuing them. As in 'The
Moon and the Yew Tree' there are metaphors of coldness, such as 'forest of frost',
and images that threaten death, 'the woman in the ambulance /whose red heart blooms
through her coat so astoundingly'. Most striking is the similar reference to 'mouths'.
In 'The Moon and the Yew Tree', the moon's mouth was wide open with despair and all
the moon and tree offer is 'silence'. But in 'Poppies', the 'mouths cry open'; they seem
to be trying to speak to her. They are on the verge of actually saying something. After
all, it simply needs to put inverted commas around the word 'open' for the poppies to
have actually spoken, to have actually cried a word. In this poem, the natural world
seems to offer some hope to the poet, to be less threatening.
The way Plath writes about the natural world suggests she is alienated from it rather
than threatened by it. In her poetry, objects of the natural world tend to become
symbols or images for her own feelings or states of mind. For a threatening natural
world, we have to turn to Hughes. He is the poet who uses his imagination to get inside
the animal and plant world, to express its power and violence. It is hard to imagine Plath
ever writing about cutting off a lamb's head to save its mother ('February 17th') or
becoming such a creature as Wodwo.
Examiner Commentary
AO1 This response is effectively structured and coherent; it focuses on Plath's view of the
natural world in the two poems, including less attention to Hughes. There is a confident and
creative exploration of ideas in the poems and confident use of appropriate terminology.
Written expression is fluent and accurate. (secure Band 4).
AO2 There is sound analysis and evaluation of Plath's techniques in the two poems. The
response shows a detailed critical understanding of their themes and techniques. There is a
clear overview of the way Plath thinks and writes about the natural world. (secure Band 4).
AO3 There are specific and productive connections between the texts, with appropriate and
lesser attention given to the partner text. There are clear and confident judgements which, in
the case of the Plath poems, absorb other interpretations and show some sophistication.
(secure Band 4)
Overall assessment: Band 4: 37/40
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 39
Appendix 2
Example of response to LT1 Section B Q.15
Re-read Oleanna from the bottom of page 71 ('Oh. Your job'.) to the end of the play. To
what extent is the conflict between Carol and John in this extract and elsewhere in the play
presented as a power struggle between men and women ?
The extract works up to a powerful and violent ending which includes John standing
over Carol as though he is about to hit her. This seems very much to be an image of a
power struggle between men and women but this isn't quite the final act of the play.
After the threatened violence John moves back to his desk and starts tidying it,
reminding us that this has also been a play about a teacher and a student. However,
that the teacher is male and the student female could be Mamet's way of showing us
how patriarchal society is and so more evidence that this is a play mainly about the
male-female power struggle.
In this extract Mamet reverses patterns seen earlier in the play. In the power struggle
between John and Carol, it is now the woman who has control. The tone and the
language suggest that Mamet sees the struggle for power as central to the relationship
between men and women. The extract begins with an echo of words spoken by John at
the start of the play; his 'Is that what you want to talk about?' has now become her
'That's what you want to talk about' showing the reversal of their positions. Carol is
now in control. Her movements on stage also suggest a conscious exercise of power and
control. She starts to leave and then stops. What happens now depends on her. The
pauses in her dialogue also show her power. It is Carol too who now defines words, who
chooses the vocabulary such as 'exchange' and 'derive' – John's role at the start of
the play. John's anger is also indicative of who now has the power. His lack of control
of feeling contrasts with Carol's calmness. The use of the phone is very important.
Throughout the play, John's response to the phone has been an indication of his state
of mind and emphasised his lack of clear attention to Carol. Here his delay in answering
adds an ominous note. His hesitant words also suggest that he is not in control of the
conversation. Mamet uses surprises throughout Act 3. The surprise at the end of the
phone conversation ratchets up the tension between the characters. The rape claim
comes as a shock. It might increase sympathy for John as a reasonable member of the
audience could see it is an exaggeration of what actually happened. The audience's
sympathy has seesawed throughout. The ending intensifies this aspect. John's language
(his use of four letter words) and action with the chair give some weight to Carol's
accusation. It suggests that the relationship between men and women comes down to
physical strength. That male power is based on force. But the ending of the play is
ambiguous. After all John doesn't actually strike her and moves away. Mamet has been
accused of taking sides and loading the play's argument against the woman – something
he has denied. The ending of the play could support what he says. Carol's words, the
last in the play, 'Yes. That's right', strike the note of arrogance which had belonged to
John at the start. If he wasn't right then, how could she be right now? It's not a
matter of the truth but of who has the power to decide what is right.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 40
The rest of the play also presents the relationship between men and women as a power
struggle. In Act 1 John frequently adopts a condescending, patriarchal tone towards
Carol: 'Listen. I'm talking to you as I'd talk to my son.' There is something especially
masculine in the way he constantly assumes he knows what she is feeling, doesn't listen
to her and talks a great deal about himself. His long speeches make sure he controls
the conversation. The long opening speech of Act 2 is full of self-justification and its
structure, where we don't learn about Carol's complaint until the end, shows how
deepseated is John's assumption of male power. The middle of Act 2 is very important
because it contains a struggle for the control of words and what they mean. John finds
it difficult to believe that Carol can actually believe her interpretation of the words
and events of Act 1. Mamet brilliantly shows here how who has power determines
meaning when Carol supported by the power of her group accuses John of sexism.
The play was written against the background of the American Senate hearings of 1991
into the appointment to the Supreme Court of Clarence Hill who had been accused of
sexual harassment. In Oleanna John faces similar accusations. Another context that
could have influenced the play is the one created by the views and criticisms of
extreme feminists in the early nineties, some of whom described male sexual advance
as rape – Carol's claim at the end of the play. Or who saw a lot of the language men
used about women as a way of keeping power over them. Mamet's handling of this
debate comes out in Carol's objection to John's use of the word 'baby' when speaking
to his wife at the end of the play. Some of the early audiences in 1992 agreed with
Carol's claim that this language was a typical example of male sexism, and a way of
demeaning women and keeping power over them. Others, mostly men, saw her accusation
as an example of the political correctness that was gaining hold in academia and a
misunderstanding of the real, and more gentle, significance of the word.
Examiner Commentary
AO1 This response is effectively structured and relevant. It examines the extract in detail in
an engaged way and then looks at the rest of play more generally while addressing the focus
of the question before examining contexts. Appropriate terminology and concepts are used
confidently. Written expression is fluent, accurate and coherent. (secure Band 4)
AO2 In the discussion of the extract, there is sound analysis and evaluation of the way
Mamet uses dramatic techniques to create meaning and effects. The detailed critical
understanding of the text is placed within a clear overview of the way the play explores the
power struggle between men and women. The discussion of the play's ending in particular
shows a confident handling of implicit meanings. (upper Band 4)
AO4 The response makes specific connections between the contexts in which the play was
written and specific issues in the play, for example, the discussions of sexism, sexual
harassment and the rape claim which are linked to the Clarence Hill case and the views of
some feminists. There is sound, confident appreciation of the significance and influence of
relevant contexts such as in the discussion of how men and women might respond
differently to the play and in the discussion of the way Mamet's response to contexts may
have influenced his portrayal of the relationship between John and Carol. (upper Band 4)
Overall assessment: Band 4: 18/20
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 41
Appendix 3
Example of response to LT2 Section B – Creative Reading.
A creative response to Kazuo Ishiguro's
"The Remains of the Day"- monologue
Miles Away
He hadn't shaved.
That was the first thing I noticed. And where was his tie? To be honest with
you, I didn't realise it was Clifford at first, when they brought him up, I mean. He
seemed such a long way away from the public gallery and, of course, we all had to stand
up and there was ever such a tall man front of me. I was a bit flustered, to be honest
with you, what with wondering where to put my umbrella, because it was wet through.
When I did look down I hardly recognised him at first, standing there so far away
with his head bent, just like when he couldn't have his own way as a child. Then he had
to look up to answer the man and it was the stubble on his chin which struck me.
He was always very particular about his appearance. A right little peacock my
sister Evie used to call him. He didn't really like me to touch his clothes and things so I
kept well clear not to upset him. There was that time I went into his room one
Christmas looking for the scissors… We'd had quite a scene after that so I thought it
best to leave him be. Sleeping dogs and that.
I wished I was a bit closer but there wasn't any room left in the front row by the
time I arrived. They'd only telephoned that morning and, of course, the bus was late
again. Anyway, Clifford wasn't looking at the gallery so I don't suppose he would have
seen me even if I had managed to find a place at the front.
I could see the umbrella had left quite a dark stain on the floor by this time but
then the man in front of the judge gave Clifford's name and address and asked him if
that was correct. When he said yes I had to lean forward a little to hear him because his
voice sounded quite strange, not like him at all really.
He'd always had a beautiful speaking voice, had Clifford. Those elocution lessons
had been worth every penny, and we were as pleased as punch when he won that
recitation award. There was even talk of drama school but Clifford seemed to go off the
idea. He'd decided that journalism was his "metier" by then; he always did have a
wonderful way with words. Just like he'd swallowed a dictionary, Evie used to say.
At one time Clifford was dead set on the law and bought all those heavy books
with the money from his grandma. Always up in his room with his books and his
computer, he was, not roaming the streets all hours of the night like other lads.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 42
One of the policemen spoke next but there were a lot of interruptions from the
lawyers and it was hard to keep up with it all. I did look at Clifford but he hardly lifted
his head all the time the lawyers were talking. To be honest with you, I was thinking
about that time with the girl just before they asked him to leave the school. It was just
how he'd been then, saying nothing, head down staring at the floor and me not knowing
where to put myself. I noticed that the dark stain of water on the floor at my feet had
spread nearer the seat in front. Once he did glance up at the gallery and I smiled but I
don't think he can have seen me, behind that very tall man in front I mean.
It was all over in a flash really. They took him back down the little stairs and, to
be honest with you, the way he walked, sort of slumped over, quite brought a lump to
my throat. I wanted to know whether I would be allowed to see him but I wasn't too
sure who I should ask. He wouldn't like me making a fuss anyway.
Raining cats and dogs it was when I went back outside so I was glad of the
umbrella. I kept thinking about Clifford, wondering what Evie would say about it all.
Something about acorns not falling far from the tree most likely. Of course, she'd never
understood Clifford or had a good word to say about him.
On the bus home, the windows were all steamed up so I couldn't really see where
we were and I nearly missed my stop. Don't know where I would have ended up! Miles
away, I suppose.
Word count: 768
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 43
First draft commentary on monologue "Miles Away"
One of the most important devices in "The Remains of the Day" is the use of an
unreliable first person narrator. Ishiguro establishes an ironic gap between the deluded
Stevens' understanding of what he is relating about his own life choices and the reader's
clearer perspective on them. In a stressful situation, making a literal and symbolic
journey towards greater self-awareness, Stevens is initially unable to recognise the
doubts and regrets he has repressed which are nevertheless conveyed to the reader with
increasing clarity.
I wanted to create a similar situation in which the first person narrator has a
traumatic experience and is unable, or unwilling, to recognise a painful truth. In my
monologue, the unreliable narrator is a mother recording what happens when her only
son is accused of a crime and she has difficulty reconciling what is revealed at the
committal hearing with her own carefully guarded view of him. As Stevens retreats into
the past and is forced to reassess his experiences, she has to compare the cowed figure in
the dock with the son she is so determinedly proud of.
One of the main devices Ishiguro uses to convey Stevens' own guardedness is the
use of a consciously formal style, suggesting that the narrator has almost rehearsed
what he is saying and is using words very deliberately, partly to impress his
reader/listener with his extensive vocabulary and partly to protect himself from
betraying too much. He retreats behind archaic, elaborate syntax as a way of avoiding
emotional revelations.
Trying to achieve a similar effect, I used a much more colloquial style to create
my narrator's speech pattern, liberally sprinkled with clichés such as "pleased as punch"
and "over in a flash" and with platitudes, common idioms and proverbs such as "proud
as a peacock", "sleeping dogs" and "raining cats and dogs". I was hoping that this would
also suggest a narrator wary of words and what they might reveal, so she takes refuge
in almost meaningless phrases which are ironically a barrier to communication rather
than a conduit.
Ishiguro uses repeated qualifying subclauses, such as "I should point out" or "as I
foresee it", to suggest when Stevens is most anxious to convince himself and I tried to
do the same with my narrator's ironic repetition of "to be honest" and "of course" when
she is least sure of her ground and in need of reassurance. I also used the same unfixed
listener, the unidentified "you" Stevens addresses throughout as in "I'm sure you will
agree with me…". Is it another butler or himself he is addressing? Similarly the
monologue style allowed me to create ambiguity; is the narrator addressing another
sympathetic mother or herself?
The references to the umbrella are a rather clumsy attempt to use the same
pathetic fallacy that Ishiguro so subtly employs; he uses the weather with the
descriptions of mist and failing light to suggest Stevens' failure to see clearly and the
rain to convey his growing despondency. It obviously didn't work as well in such a short
piece of writing as my narrator's preoccupation with the umbrella is too noticeable while
the steamed up windows preventing her seeing clearly where she is going at the end is
hardly subtle symbolism!
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 44
I decided to withhold important information from the reader in an attempt to
build suspense as Ishiguro does. While waiting for him to reach the climax of his
meeting with Miss Kenton and as his life story slowly unwinds, we become involved
with Stevens and care about him despite his obvious and very frustrating faults. I
deliberately didn't make clear what crime Clifford was accused of or even where the
scene was set at first to try to make the reader more involved with, and sympathetic to,
the narrator but I don't feel this worked as well in such a short piece.
I wasn't totally happy either with the use of ellipsis to suggest something more
sinister in Clifford, which the mother glimpsed and deliberately blinkered herself to,
when trying to echo the way in which Stevens is wilfully blind to Lord Darlington's
faults such as his anti-Semitism. As Ishiguro was writing for a post-Holocaust audience
in 1989, this would ensure that we would feel disgust for Darlington's fascist sympathies
and I tried to suggest that, in the 21st Century, the computer is a way to commit crimes
which our society views with similar distaste.
Trying to emulate Ishiguro's stylistic features has definitely made me more
appreciative of his subtlety and the limitations imposed by a narrator who lacks selfawareness and an emotional vocabulary. I realised how difficult it is to create an ironic
gap in a short story in comparison with a novel where the writer can develop the
character of the narrator, and his or her delusions, more fully. In fact, I'm not sure the
monologue would work at all without this commentary but perhaps that is the difference
between creative reading and creative writing?
Word count: 825
Teacher's advice/guidance:
You need to redress the balance of this commentary. As it stands, the emphasis in
your discussion is on the stimulus text rather than your own creative writing.
Remember that the core text for discussion here is your own, with the stimulus text
the partner text for wider reference. You need to give more consideration also to
context in terms of your own and the stimulus text (AO4).
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 45
Final draft commentary on monologue "Miles Away"
In my monologue the first person narrator has a traumatic experience and is unable to recognise
a painful truth. To portray this idea I have used the device of an unreliable narrator in this case
a mother telling us what happens when her only son is accused of a crime. I was inspired to use
this device by my reading of 'The Remains of the Day' in which there is an ironic gap between
Stevens' understanding of what he is relating about his own life choices and the reader's clearer
perspective on them.
I wanted to suggest that my speaker is avoiding emotional revelations, is hiding things. To
achieve this I used a colloquial style, a speech pattern liberally sprinkled with clichés such as
'pleased as punch' and 'over in a flash', and platitudes, common idioms and proverbs such as
'proud as a peacock' and 'raining cats and dogs'. I was hoping that this would also suggest a
narrator wary of words and what they might reveal, so she takes refuge in almost meaningless
phrases which are ironically a barrier to communication rather than a conduit. I think that my
approach has a similar effect to that achieved by Ishiguro who uses a consciously formal style for
Stevens, a rather elaborate syntax which enables the character to hide his feelings and protect
himself from betraying too much. My intention was to show the difficulty the mother has
reconciling what is revealed at the committal hearing with her own carefully guarded view of her
son. Just as Stevens is forced to reassess his experiences, she has to compare the cowed figure in
the dock with the son she is so determinedly proud of.
I have developed other aspects of my monologue style from my reading of Ishiguro. To create
ambiguity, I have used the device of an unfixed listener, the unidentified 'you' as in 'to be honest
with you', so that the reader is not sure whether my narrator is addressing another sympathetic
mother or herself? Ishiguro uses repeated qualifying sub-clauses, such as 'I should point out' to
suggest when Stevens is most anxious to convince himself and I tried to do the same with my
narrator's ironic repetition of 'to be honest' and 'of course' when she is least sure of her ground
and in need of reassurance.
The references to the umbrella are a rather clumsy attempt to use pathetic fallacy. The
narrator's preoccupation with the umbrella is meant to suggest avoidance but is probably too
obvious while the steamed windows preventing her from seeing clearly where she is going at the
end is hardly subtle symbolism! This approach was suggested by the ending of 'The Remains of
the Day' where Ishiguro uses mist and failing light to deepen the theme of Stevens' failure to see
clearly. Perhaps it works better, can be prepared for, in a more extended piece of writing.
I decided to withhold information from the reader in an attempt to build suspense. I deliberately
didn't make clear what crime Clifford was accused of or even where the scene was set at first to
try to make the reader more involved with, and sympathetic to, the narrator but I don't think
this worked as well in such a short piece either.
I'm not sure whether my use of ellipsis works. It is meant to suggest something more sinister in
Clifford, which the mother glimpsed and deliberately blinkered herself to. There is a parallel to
this within the context of the novel in which Stevens is portrayed as wilfully blind to Lord
Darlington's faults such as his anti-Semitism. As Ishiguro was writing for a post-holocaust
audience in 1989, this would ensure that we would feel disgust for Darlington's fascist
sympathies and I tried to suggest that, in the 21 st century, the computer is a way to commit
crimes which our society views with similar distaste.
I wanted to write a monologue with a narrator who lacks self-awareness and an emotional
vocabulary. In my wider reading text I found a number of ideas and devices which I think I have
used quite successfully to achieve this aim. But I think I have also realised how difficult it is to
create an ironic gap in a short story in comparison with a novel where the writer can develop the
character of the narrator and his delusions more fully. I have realised too how important it is to
think carefully about the nature of the genre you have chosen for your creative response and the
style and approaches you should adopt.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 46
Principal Moderator's comments
(i)
Creative Response
AO1 This is an effectively structured, coherent piece of writing. The short opening
sentence draws the reader in immediately and introduces us to the setting and the
mind of the narrator. The event of the court hearing shapes the length of the piece:
the end of the court hearing with the bus journey home marking the end of the event
is also the end of the monologue. The student uses relevant colloquial language and
style to create the mother's voice. There are also creative hints, such as the
reference to the girl, to suggest possible more sinister meanings. Creative too is the
use of the umbrella (to develop the narrator's character) and the ambiguity of the title
itself, 'Miles Away'. This is a piece of writing clearly informed by a variety of literary
techniques, especially irony and pathetic fallacy. This is an accurate and fluent piece
of writing, typified by its consistency of tone and controlled use of language.
Band 4 18/20
(ii)
Commentary
AO2 This commentary shows an engagement with the craft of writing in both the
creative response and in the stimulus text. The candidate shows confident
understanding of the ways in which implicit meanings are created and has analysed
these effects in rewarding detail in her own response. The candidate has analysed
her own use of structure, form and language in relation to the effects she hoped to
achieve in a sensitive and perceptive way. There is a relevant and informed
discussion of the features of the stimulus prose text, 'The Remains of the Day',
though on occasions this becomes rather detailed and threatens to take away the
emphasis from the core text, the candidate's own piece of writing. A more direct
discussion of the reasons for the choice of the monologue genre would have been
valuable.
AO4
This commentary is not as strong in its addressing of this assessment
objective. There is an awareness of contextual influences of a social/historical nature
on both texts in the penultimate paragraph but, although this is intelligently linked to
the candidate's intentions and understanding, it is not developed in very much detail.
The commentary is more effective in its discussion of the connections which the
writer has made between the ideas, attitudes and values of the stimulus text and her
creative response. The commentary would also benefit from a more direct
discussion of the influences on the writer's choice of genre and intentions.
Band 3 15/20
Total: 33/40
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 47
Appendix 4
The Tool Kit - some of the most commonly used literary terms
allegory
alliteration
allusion
ambiguity
archaic
assonance
ballad
blank verse
caesura
characterisation
cliché
colloquial
conceit
contexts
devices
dialogue
diction
didactic
dramatic irony
dramatic
monologue
dramatic tension
ellipsis
enjambment
first person/third person
hyperbole
imagery
irony
metaphor
mock-heroic
monosyllabic
motif
multiple narrators
narrative stance
octave
omniscient narrator
oxymoron
pace
paradox
parody
pathetic fallacy
pathos
persona
protagonist
pun
quatrain
repetition
rhetoric
rhyming couplets
rhythm
satire
setting
simile
soliloquy
sonnet
staging
stanza
stream of consciousness
suspense
symbolism
syntax
theme
tone
personification
perspective
tragic hero
unreliable narrator
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 48
Appendix 5 - Frequently Asked Questions
LT1 – Section A
Q.: What exactly is a 'clean' text?
A.: This is a text with no annotation added by the candidate, i.e. underlining, highlighting,
brief hand-written notes.
Q.: How much balance of teaching time should be given to the partner text?
A.: There is no requirement to allocate the same teaching time to both texts- the core text
which is for detailed study should require more teaching and studying time than the partner
text.
Q.: As Section A is weighted at 40% to Section B's 20% will Section A answers be
expected to be roughly twice the length of Section B answers?
A.: It is a matter more of students having to juggle two texts in Section A, therefore needing
more time to reflect on the question and organise material. We would expect both answers
to be of appropriate length in order to enable students to address the assessment objectives
and the requirements of the question.
Q.: Will examiners expect candidates to refer to critics for AO3 in LT1 Sec A and also
LT4?
A: While we expect named sources/critics as part of the critical discussion to address AO3 in
the coursework units, we would not expect candidates to refer to critics by name and quote
extensively from them under exam conditions, but only to refer to and consider other
readings/interpretations, primarily of the core exam texts in LT1 and both core and partner
texts in LT4.
LT2 –Section A and LT3
Q.: Will it be acceptable for a class to study the same texts or is it the intention that
these should really be individual and independent studies?
A.: These units offer opportunities for individual and independent study, but we recognise
that teachers may wish to select texts for class study. In situations where teachers have
chosen texts for the class, students should be encouraged to make independent choices of
tasks.
LT2 – Section B: Creative Reading
Q.: Can students use an extract only as a stimulus?
A.: No. As suggested in Approaches to Creative Reading, students may read several
prose extracts in preparation for their creative response. However, they are required to refer
to one prose text as their stimulus, as this text is one of the 6 texts to be studied for AS.
Q.: Can students use one short story as a stimulus?
A.: Students should be encouraged to read a selection of short stories, either by a single
author, e.g. Selected Short Stories by D.H. Lawrence, Raymond Carver's Short Cuts or by
various authors. A single short story may be acceptable if it is of appropriate length, e.g.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
Q.: What does the specification mean by 'essays' in terms of the student's creative
response?
A.: By 'essays' we mean short prose discursive compositions which explore
ideas/events/places etc.
Q.: How many drafts are students allowed to submit?
A.:.WJEC recommends that students should submit one draft for teacher advice and
guidance before submitting the final draft. The drafting stage can be preceded by planning –
see Managing Coursework.
LT2 – Sections A and B and LT3
Q.: Are teachers expected to have read every student's wider reading text for
coursework units?
A.: This may not always be practicable, especially in large classes. Students should be
encouraged to engage in dialogue with their teachers about their choice of wider reading text
in the preparatory stages of coursework in order to facilitate the advice/guidance/
assessment process.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 49
6.
ASSESSMENT GRIDS
AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bands
Marks
1
0-10
2
11-20
3
4
21-30
31-40
LT1 Section A
Assessment Grid
AO1
Articulate creative, informed and relevant
responses
to
literary
texts,
using
appropriate terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical understanding
in analysing the ways structure form and
language shape meanings in literary texts.
AO3
Explore connections and comparisons
between different literary texts informed by
interpretations of other readers.
Weighting: 15 marks
Response to texts lacks relevance, structure
and creativity. Limited understanding of ideas,
with little or no terminology. Frequent errors in
expression.
Weighting: 15 marks
Understands literary texts at a superficial level.
Comments on surface meanings with little
connection to language, form and structure.
Weighting: 10 marks
Struggles to make connections between texts,
Limited personal response. Can describe other
views with limited or confused understanding.
Makes some attempt to organise a creative
response, particularly towards the top of the
band. Occasional, not always relevant use of
concepts and terminology. Expression features
some inaccuracies, particularly marked towards
the bottom of the band.
Beginnings of awareness of the link between
language/form and meaning at the bottom of
the band, stronger towards the top of the band.
Sometimes supports views by reference to the
links between meanings and the author's
technique, with less support towards the
bottom of the band. Occasional implicit
readings.
Clear grasp of authors’ use of form, structure
and language to create meaning. Increasingly
appropriate textual support. Shows an
increasingly detailed critical understanding of
texts and response to implicit meanings .
Makes basic, usually valid connections
between texts, stronger towards the top of the
band.
Some personal response with increasing
awareness through the band that texts may be
interpreted in more than one way.
Sound analysis and evaluation of writers’
techniques.
Overview and detailed critical understanding of
texts with increasingly confident handling of
implicit meanings.
Specific and productive connections and
comparisons between texts. Clear and
confident judgements which absorb other
critical opinions, and show some sophistication
at the top of the band.
Makes an appropriate creative response to
texts. Clear grasp of key concepts. An
increasingly shaped response with relevant use
of concepts and appropriate terminology.
Written expression generally accurate and
clear, particularly towards the top of the band.
Creative, effectively structured and often
individual response to texts, particularly
towards the top of the band. Increasingly
confident grasp of concepts and use of
terminology. Written expression is accurate and
fluent.
Clear and appropriate
comparisons/connections between texts,
particularly appropriate towards the top of the
band. Increasing evidence that personal
reading has been informed by other relevant
interpretations.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 50
AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bands
Marks
1
0-5
2
6-10
3
4
11-15
16-20
LT1 Section B
Assessment Grid
AO1
Articulate creative, informed and
relevant responses to literary
texts, using appropriate
terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written
expression.
Weighting: 5 marks
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the
ways structure form and language
shape meanings in literary texts.
AO4
Demonstrate understanding of
the significance and influence of
the contexts in which literary
texts are written and received.
Weighting: 5 marks
Weighting: 10 marks
Response to texts lacks relevance,
structure and creativity. Limited
understanding of ideas, with little or
no terminology. Frequent errors in
expression.
Understands literary texts at a
superficial level. Comments on
surface meanings with little
connection to language, form and
structure.
Describes wider context(s) in which
a text was produced, with limited or
no understanding of significance of
contexts.
Makes some attempt to organise a
creative response, particularly
towards the top of the band.
Occasional, not always relevant use
of concepts and terminology.
Expression features some
inaccuracies, particularly marked
towards the bottom of the band.
Beginnings of awareness of the link
between language/form and meaning
at the bottom of the band, stronger
towards the top of the band.
Sometimes supports views by
reference to the links between
meanings and the author's technique,
with less support towards the bottom
of the band. Occasional implicit
readings.
Clear grasp of authors’ use of form,
structure and language to create
meaning. Increasingly appropriate
textual support. Shows an
increasingly detailed critical
understanding of texts and response
to implicit meanings .
Some awareness of what can
constitute a context towards the
bottom of the band.
Beginning to grasp the importance
of contextual factors in shaping
literary works towards the top of the
band. Attempts to make links
between text and contexts.
Sound analysis and evaluation of
writers’ techniques.
Overview and detailed critical
understanding of texts with
increasingly confident handling of
implicit meanings.
Specific and productive
connections between texts and
contexts, most productive at the top
of the band. Sound, confident
appreciation of the significance and
influence of relevant contexts.
Makes an appropriate creative
response to texts. Clear grasp of key
concepts. An increasingly shaped
response with relevant use of
concepts and appropriate
terminology. Written expression
generally accurate and clear,
particularly towards the top of the
band.
Creative, effectively structured and
often individual response to texts,
particularly towards the top of the
band. Increasingly confident grasp of
concepts and use of terminology.
Written expression is accurate and
fluent.
Makes clear and appropriate links
between text and contexts.
Increasingly detailed knowledge
and understanding of the
significance and influence of
relevant contextual factors.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 51
AS ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bands
Marks
1
0-10
2
11-20
3
4
21-30
31-40
LT2 Section A
Assessment Grid
AO1
Articulate creative, informed and
relevant responses to literary
texts, using appropriate
terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written
expression
Response to texts lacks
relevance, structure and creativity.
Limited understanding of ideas,
with little or no terminology.
Frequent errors in expression.
Makes some attempt to organise
a creative response, particularly
towards the top of the band.
Occasional, not always relevant
use of concepts and terminology.
Expression features some
inaccuracies, particularly marked
towards the bottom of the band.
Makes an appropriate creative
response to texts. Clear grasp of
key concepts. An increasingly
shaped response with relevant
use of concepts and appropriate
terminology. Written expression
generally accurate and clear,
particularly towards the top of the
band.
Creative, effectively structured
and often individual response to
texts, particularly towards the top
of the band.
Increasingly confident grasp of
concepts and use of terminology.
Written expression is accurate
and fluent.
( Note: all AOs in this section have equal weighting:10 marks each)
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the
ways structure form and
language shape meanings in
literary texts
AO3
Explore connections and
comparisons between different
literary texts informed by
interpretations of other
readers.
AO4
Demonstrate understanding
of the significance and
influence of the contexts in
which literary texts are
written and received.
Understands literary texts at a
superficial level. Comments on
surface meanings with little
connection to language, form and
structure.
Beginnings of awareness of the
link between language/form and
meaning at the bottom of the
band, stronger towards the top of
the band. Sometimes supports
views by reference to the links
between meanings and the
author's technique, with less
support towards the bottom of the
band. Occasional implicit
readings.
Clear grasp of authors' use of
form, structure and language to
create meaning.
Increasingly appropriate textual
support. Shows an increasingly
detailed critical understanding of
texts and response to implicit
meanings.
Sound analysis and evaluation of
writers' techniques.
Overview and detailed critical
understanding of texts with
increasingly confident handling of
implicit meanings.
Struggles to make connections
between texts, Limited personal
response. Can describe other
views with limited or confused
understanding.
Describes wider context(s) in
which a text was produced, with
limited or no understanding of
significance of contexts.
Makes basic, usually valid
connections between texts,
stronger towards the top of the
band.
Some personal response with
increasing awareness through the
band that texts may be
interpreted in more than one way.
Some awareness of what can
constitute a context.
Beginning to grasp the
importance of contextual factors
in shaping literary works.
Attempts to make links between
text and contexts.
Clear and appropriate
comparisons/connections
between texts, particularly
appropriate towards the top of the
band. Increasing evidence that
personal reading has been
informed by other relevant
interpretations.
Makes clear and appropriate
links between text and contexts.
Increasingly detailed knowledge
and understanding of the
significance and influence of
relevant contextual factors.
Specific and productive
connections and comparisons
between texts. Clear and
confident judgements which
absorb other critical opinions, and
show some sophistication at the
top of the band.
Specific and productive
connections between texts and
contexts. Sound, confident
appreciation of the significance
and influence of relevant
contexts.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 52
AS ENGLISH LITERATURE LT2 Section B
Creative Response
Bands
Marks
1
0-5
2
6-10
3
11-15
4
16-20
Assessment Grid
Commentary (Note: AO1 and AO2 have equal weighting: 10 marks each)
AO1
Articulate creative, informed and
relevant responses to literary
texts, using appropriate
terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written
expression
Response to texts lacks relevance,
structure and creativity. Limited
understanding of ideas, with little or
no terminology. Frequent errors in
expression.
Makes some attempt to organise a
creative response, particularly
towards the top of the band.
Occasional, not always relevant use
of concepts and terminology.
Expression features some
inaccuracies, particularly marked
towards the bottom of the band.
Makes an appropriate creative
response to texts. Clear grasp of
key concepts. An increasingly
shaped response with relevant use
of concepts and appropriate
terminology. Written expression
generally accurate and clear,
particularly towards the top of the
band.
Creative, effectively structured and
often individual response to texts,
particularly towards the top of the
band.
Increasingly confident grasp of
concepts and use of terminology.
Written expression is accurate and
fluent.
Marks
0-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the ways
structure, form and language shape
meanings in literary texts
AO4
Demonstrate understanding of the
significance and influence of the
contexts in which literary texts are
written and received.
Understands literary texts at a superficial
level. Comments on surface meanings with
little connection to language, form and
structure.
Describes wider context(s) in which a
text was produced, with limited or no
understanding of significance of
contexts.
Beginnings of awareness of the link
between language/form and meaning at the
bottom of the band, stronger towards the
top of the band.
Sometimes supports views by reference to
the links between meanings and the
author's technique, with less support
towards the bottom of the band. Occasional
implicit readings.
Clear grasp of authors' use of form,
structure and language to create meaning.
Increasingly appropriate textual support.
Shows an increasingly detailed critical
understanding of texts and response to
implicit meanings.
Some awareness of what can constitute
a context towards the bottom of the
band.
Beginning to grasp the importance of
contextual factors in shaping literary
works towards the top of the band.
Attempts to make links between text and
contexts.
Sound analysis and evaluation of writers'
techniques.
Overview and detailed critical
understanding of texts with increasingly
confident handling of implicit meanings.
Specific and productive connections
between texts and contexts, most
productive at the top of the band.
Sound, confident appreciation of the
significance and influence of relevant
contexts.
Makes clear and appropriate links
between text and contexts. Increasingly
detailed knowledge and understanding
of the significance and influence of
relevant contextual factors.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 53
A2 ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bands
Marks
1
0-10
2
11-20
3
21-30
4
31-40
LT3 Assessment Grid
AO1
Articulate creative, informed
and relevant responses to
literary texts, using appropriate
terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written
expression.
Weighting: 5 marks
Response to texts lacks structure,
relevance and/or creativity.
Attempts to offer some ideas, with
infrequent terminology. Frequent
errors in expression, particularly
towards bottom of band.
Some evidence of engaging
creatively with texts and
structuring a response. Some
useful reference to concepts and
terminology, particularly towards
top of band. Expression features
some inaccuracies, more marked
towards bottom of band.
Makes an informed, creative
response to texts. Increasingly
sound application of key
concepts. Presents a coherent
argument with apt textual
reference and terminology.
Written expression generally
accurate and clear.
Creative, sophisticated and
mature response to texts.
Concise use of textual support.
Sophisticated use of concepts
and terminology. Writes with flair
and accuracy. Very effective
organisation.
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the
ways structure, form and language
shape meanings in literary texts.
AO3
Explore connections and
comparisons between different
literary texts, informed by
interpretations of other readers.
AO4
Demonstrate understanding of
the significance and influence of
the contexts in which literary
texts are written and received.
Weighting: 15 marks
Comments on texts at a superficial
level with little understanding of how
language, form and structure create
meaning.
Weighting: 10 marks
Attempts to make superficial
connections between texts. Personal
response not always coherent.
Struggles to engage with other
readings.
Weighting: 10 marks
Attempts to make superficial
connections between texts and
contexts. Struggles to engage with
idea of how contexts influence
texts.
Some awareness of the links
between language/form/structure and
meaning, but less successful towards
bottom of band.
Some understanding of sub-text,
more apparent towards top of band.
Makes some appropriate connections
between texts, with more evidence of
exploration towards top of band.
Predominantly personal response,
particularly towards bottom of band,
with general acknowledgement that
texts may be interpreted in more than
one way.
Sound and purposeful
comparisons/connections between
texts. Uses other relevant
interpretations to inform response.
Increasing focus on exploration from
bottom to top of band.
Makes some connections between
texts and contexts, more valid
towards top of band.
Basic grasp of the importance of
contextual factors in shaping
literary works, with less clear
understanding towards the bottom
of the band.
Makes sound and purposeful links
between text and contexts.
Sensible, increasingly pertinent
discussion of the significance and
influence of relevant contextual
factors.
Specific and illuminating connections
and comparisons between texts.
Mature and confident judgements
which absorb other critical opinions.
Autonomous, independent reader
very evident towards top of band.
Specific and illuminating
connections between texts and
contexts. Perceptive appreciation
of the significance and influence of
relevant contexts, with individual
insights most apparent towards top
of band.
Purposeful and increasingly detailed
discussion of authors’ use of form,
structure and language to create
meaning. Neat use of textual support.
Sound grasp of implicit meanings,
particularly towards top of band.
Sophisticated evaluation of the
ways in which writers use and
adapt language, form and structure.
Perceptive critical understanding of
texts with confident handling of
implicit meanings.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 54
A2 ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bands
Marks
1
0-10
2
11-20
3
21-30
4
31-40
LT4 SECTIONS A and B
AO1
Articulate creative, informed
and relevant responses to
literary texts, using appropriate
terminology and concepts, and
coherent, accurate written
expression.
AO2
Demonstrate detailed critical
understanding in analysing the
ways structure form and language
shape meanings in literary texts.
AO3
Explore connections and
comparisons between different
literary texts informed by
interpretations of other readers.
AO4
Demonstrate understanding of
the significance and influence of
the contexts in which literary
texts are written and received.
Weighting: 10 marks
Response to texts lacks structure,
relevance and/or creativity.
Attempts to offer some ideas, with
infrequent terminology. Frequent
errors in expression, particularly
towards the bottom of the band.
Some evidence of engaging
creatively with texts and
structuring a response. Some
useful reference to concepts and
terminology, particularly towards
the top of the band. Expression
features some inaccuracies, more
marked towards the bottom of the
band.
Weighting: 10 marks
Comments on texts at a superficial
level with little understanding of how
language, form and structure create
meaning.
Weighting: 10 marks
Attempts to make superficial
connections between texts. Personal
response not always coherent.
Struggles to engage with other
readings.
Weighting: 10 marks
Attempts to make superficial
connections between texts and
contexts. Struggles to engage with
idea of how contexts influence
texts.
Some awareness of the links
between language/form/structure and
meaning, but less successful towards
the bottom of the band.
Some understanding of sub-text,
more apparent towards the top of the
band.
Makes some connections between
texts and contexts, more valid
towards the top of the band.
Basic grasp of the importance of
contextual factors in shaping
literary works, with less clear
understanding towards the bottom
of the band.
Makes an informed, creative
response to texts. Increasingly
sound application of key
concepts. Presents a coherent
argument with apt textual
reference and terminology.
Written expression generally
accurate and clear.
Creative, sophisticated and
mature response to texts.
Concise use of textual support.
Sophisticated use of concepts
and terminology. Writes with flair
and accuracy. Very effective
organisation.
Purposeful and increasingly detailed
discussion of authors’ use of form,
structure and language to create
meaning. Neat use of textual support.
Sound grasp of implicit meanings,
particularly towards the top of the
band.
Sophisticated evaluation of the
ways in which writers use and
adapt language, form and structure.
Perceptive critical understanding of
texts with confident handling of
implicit meanings.
Makes some appropriate connections
between texts, with more evidence of
exploration towards the top of the
band.
Predominantly personal response,
particularly towards the bottom of the
band, with general acknowledgement
that texts may be interpreted in more
than one way.
Sound and purposeful
comparisons/connections between
texts. Uses other relevant
interpretations to inform response.
Increasing focus on exploration from
bottom to top of band.
Specific and illuminating connections
and comparisons between texts.
Mature and confident judgements
which absorb other critical opinions.
Autonomous, independent reader
very evident towards the top of the
band.
Specific and illuminating
connections between texts and
contexts. Perceptive appreciation
of the significance and influence of
relevant contexts, with individual
insights most apparent towards the
top of the band.
Makes sound and purposeful links
between text and contexts.
Sensible, increasingly pertinent
discussion of the significance and
influence of relevant contextual
factors.
GCE AS and A ENGLISH LITERATURE Teachers' Guide 55
Contributors to the Teachers' Guide
Cary Archard
Chief Examiner AS/ Principal Examiner LT1
Sally Llewellyn
Principal Moderator LT2
Stephen Purcell
Chief Examiner A2/ Principal Moderator LT3/ Principal Examiner LT4
Elan Davies
Principal Examiner ELit 3 (current specification)
Rhodri Jones
LT2 Coursework Moderator
Cerys Preece
Subject Officer
GCE English Literature - Teachers' Guide/ED
1 February 2008