Edexcel examiner s statement essay

It is also responsible for growing new requirements to meet national requirements plus the needs of students and teachers. OCR is a not-for-profit organisation; virtually any surplus produced is spent back into the establishment to help towards the development of qualifications and support, which will keep pace with the changing needs of today’s society. This report around the examination provides information on the performance of candidates which usually it is wished will be helpful to teachers in their preparation of candidates to get future exams.

It is intended to be positive and useful and to enhance better knowledge of the standards content, of the operation of the scheme of assessment and of the application of assessment criteria. Reviews should be examine in conjunction with the released question papers and mark schemes pertaining to the evaluation. OCR is not going to enter into any discussion or perhaps correspondence in connection with this survey. OCR 2013 CONTENTS General License of Second Education The english language Literature (J360) OCR REPORT TO CENTRES Content material Page

A661 Literary History Linked Text messaging 1 A662 Modern Drama 3 A663 Prose via Different Cultures 11 A664 Literary Traditions Prose and Contemporary Beautifully constructed wording 18 OCR Report to Companies ” January 2013 A661 Literary Heritage Linked Text messaging General Comments This year there was 16 zones that moved into their individuals for the Controlled examination units.

The admittance was extremely encouraging because the quality of the responses effectively met the assessment standards and the observing indicated that centres got applied the assessment standards consistently.

Basic Administration This was excellent general. Folders had been submitted promptly and had been all well presented with detailed annotated remarks making the moderation method much easier. In many cases the annotated comments helpfully referred to the assessment standards. Centres are urged later on to make sure that the cover sheets for each file are clearly filled in for all candidates which were selected inside the sample, and that the overall draw on the file is the same as the main one submitted around the final indicate sheets.

Companies are also asked not to set individual projects in plastic wallets. One staple inside the top nook of the finished folio is considered the most advisable sort of collation for the future. Generally there was clear facts that inner moderation experienced taken place and this entry there were zero adjustments to any marks, which has been a clear indicator that marking was constant and in series with the evaluation criteria. Respond to Shakespeare The majority of centres taken care of immediately the tasks upon Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, yet there were as well responses for the Merchant of Venice.

There was clearly clear evidence that the use of the film had improved the model of the perform, and zones had plainly used the film to stimulate a general interest in the written text. Most applicants showed very clear and important engagement together with the play and were able to refer to the text to compliment their observations. Centres got also plainly encouraged their students to check out the established scene inside the context from the whole perform and this improved the final response as a result. Respond to poetry

The majority of centres taken care of immediately the poems by Wilfred Owen, although there were a lot of responses for the Browning poetry and also to Christina Rossetti The responses were generally of any very high common and zones had applied the assessment criteria regularly. There was obvious evidence of satisfactory comparison of the selected poems. Organisations are told that the stability of marking for the poetry is usually 15% of the total tag, and this has not been always mirrored in the final mark.

The final mark should reflect the quality of the poetry response and so if the William shakespeare has been granted a high Group 3 indicate and the beautifully constructed wording a low Band 3 mark the final tag should be a low Band a few. In essence it will eventually mean that the response to the poetry is definitely the primary determinant for the ultimate Band that is awarded. one particular OCR Are accountable to Centres ” January 2013 Summary Generally centres proven a clear understanding of the arranged tasks and responded properly.

Teachers should be complimented for hard work in delivering this kind of component, and their conscientious way and regularity of criteria is shown in the answers of the candidates. 2 OCR Report to Organisations ” January 2013 A662 Modern Drama General Feedback In this analysis period of the English Materials J360 standards around 8, 000 individuals, took good thing about the final chance to enter intended for the January Modern Crisis units.

Basis Tier prospects again made up about twenty percent of the total entry, indicating that companies continue to make very careful and generally justified tiering decisions, with a few examiners commenting that only a little minority of Higher Tier prospects may well have been better suited to answering the greater structured Groundwork Tier queries and that a similarly small number of Foundation Tier candidates may conceivably have gained marks in excess of the permitted optimum for the bottom tier.

The general quality from the work posted was generally perceived as of your praiseworthy standard, with what a single examiner described as “some stunningly outstanding work. It was particularly encouraging to make note of some pleasing traits that may well include reflected an inclination for organisations to take on table the messages of earlier Principal Examiner’s Reports.

Right now there seemed, generally, to be stronger evidence of candidates at both equally tiers of entry having absorbed the advice to contextualise extract questions concisely, pithily and it absolutely was good to view candidates genuinely thinking about what characters happen to be onstage, what they know, what has led to the extract and what happens as a result of it. There were far fewer references to “readers equal in porportion to “audience, which may indicate that several centres are now adapting their particular approaches to the teaching from the play like a performance, viewed from a group perspective, rather than merely like a text on the page.

Generally there remain recommendations to “the book and “the novel or the “novella (a most likely slip, most likely, if candidates are also acquiring A663 in the same sitting). Having said that, the typical consensus is that there was a tremendous amount of very complex and insightfully analytical operate, showing incredibly sound knowledge of texts, evidence of thorough and imaginative teaching and a great encouragingly raising amount of comment fond of the perform in functionality.

The work of candidates within a growing quantity of centres displayed clear proof of classroom-based Drama activities and reference to certain productions/theatre appointments. Many prospects were, therefore , able to find themselves not merely as viewers of a text message, but as associates of an target audience and to engage with the ways in which an audience’s reactions will be influenced by sound, activity, gesture and tone as well as the crucial associated with dialogue, characterisation and story development.

The passage-based question remains the most well-liked option of almost all of individuals, though right now there seemed to be an important increase in the quantity of candidates picking to attempt the discursive concerns, particularly 6(b), 4(b) and 3(b), and the ones examiners who also saw answers to 1(b) were frequently very amazed at the quality of the responses. While the efficiency skills required to address these types of questions happen to be clearly of the different in an attempt to the extract-based option, it seems like to be the circumstance that some candidates coming from all abilities, and particularly the more able, in many cases are better offered by selecting a discursive process.

Although many examiners expressed fulfillment that prospects had been carefully prepared intended for the get question and were able to find the balance right between working with the remove and using its wider significance within the perform, it is always difficult to achieve a equilibrium between close analysis in the dramatic fine detail of the get and an indication of an awareness of the perform as a whole.

A few examiners still expressed matter that context dominated a significant minority of answers, with much time given to background detail and far not enough focus on the extract alone. It was noted by some examiners there is still an inclination to include partially assimilated interpersonal and traditional material, particularly in an focus on Priestley’s expected Communist leanings and Sherriff’s war experience for example. At some level this may be a knock-on effect of the AO4 focus on the A663 newspaper and centres should be told of the several demands of such units.

With this in mind, Centres will be again advised to consider the features of successful and fewer successful answers that are offered later in this statement. 3 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 It is worth mentioning again that a significant, nevertheless appreciably lessening number of examiners observed that some organisations have used an approach to passage-based questions that relies heavily on visiting linguistic or literary features, and even punctuation, which without doubt leads candidates away from the dramatic action of the extract.

More able individuals are often in a position to assimilate this sort of features using a degree of accordance and significance, but , intended for the much less able, understanding of the dramatic/emotional content tends to be lost. A solution that begins, for example , by simply citing Sherriff’s use of stage directions as the key to an extract’s remarkable impact and proceeds to subject them to a thorough linguistic analysis, when they simply cannot, after all, be observed by a group, without relating them to the visual influence of what is going on on stage is definitely unlikely to let a candidate to maximise his/her potential.

In extreme cases, this method led to a great assumption that the question that refers to “the ways or “how a writer is operating applies to specialized features of the writing, supplying rise to lengthy talks of the utilization of dashes, exclamation marks, question marks as well as commas intended for dramatic effect. An stimulating aspect of this session was the apparent lack of rubric infringements, with comparatively few multiple answers and few reported instances of candidates failing to complete answers through poor time management.

One reviewer, evaluator also known that right now there seemed to be fewer responses that attempted to conflate (a) and (b) concerns, answering a (b) issue using only materials from the given passage for the (a) question; a significantly restricting factor. Whilst the great majority of candidates for both tiers seemed to have been successfully prepared for the demanding task of producing a well-structured response in only 45 minutes, deploying a sound, often impressive understanding of text, a number of the perennial reasons behind under- achievements still manage to persist. Evaluation inexperience, evidenced by features such as over long and elaborate programs, brief and ndeveloped answers, losing major on the problem or remove and inadequate textual support, remains the main cause of underachievement. The best extract-based responses nonetheless managed to achieve a balance, spending the bulk of all their time around the extract alone and moving out from that and getting back to integrate comment on its wider importance in the play. The very best discursive reactions made a judicious choice of material and kept the given problem in sight all the time, pursuing the remarkable function of the character/relationship rather than simply looking up their engagement through the perform.

Redundant, prolonged general introductions were, unfortunately, still a feature in some centres and plainly a disadvantaging factor in this kind of a brief exam. A short and snappy and targeted introduction generally made a huge difference to the quality and structure of the answer, regardless of whether an extract-based or bright response. Reader-based thematic ways to plays that focus on the social and historical contexts at the expenditure of joining with the remarkable detail, dialogue, characters, the relationships and the candidate’s individual feelings and viewpoints are most often encouraged in certain centres.

It should again end up being noted that AO4 is not examined in this Unit and, while examiners are instructed to credit properly relevant familiarity with the social/historical context, overweight a dependence on this kind of features will probably be self-penalising. Inside the Priestley, Sherriff and, to a lesser level, Miller extract-based responses particularly this was a problem for some prospects, with some examiners commenting that candidates attacked the personal standpoint of Priestley and the idea of Socialism versus Capitalism or the conflict experiences of R.

C. Sherriff and, indeed, his audience at the expense of close research of the genuine text being a work of drama. Again, it is desirable to statement that all six texts had been covered from this examination period. An Inspector Calls remains to be by some distance the most used choice and it was generally felt to become handled well by the majority of candidates. Journey’s End likewise attracted a lot of centres and A View through the Bridge is apparently growing in popularity, eliciting some particularly sophisticated responses.

The extract can be described as packed and highly-charged minute in the enjoy and most candidates seized a chance to respond to both teaching sagesse at work, showed the interplay between the males and the staff and their clear discomfort with the situation of Irwin and Hector posting their lessons. The best answers were able to react sensitively to and explore the two sides of the Holocaust debate and its appropriateness while an exam topic, and saw the boys going towards Irwin’s technique, especially in the weight of Dakin’s last rejection of Hector’s strategies and the audience’s knowledge that he could be on lent time. Question 1(b) was a less well-liked choice, yet attempted, however, very successfully by a affordable number of prospects.

The question required relevant variety, thought and development when a coherent review was to become reached, nevertheless those candidates that prefered 1(b) looked really to interact sympathetically with Posner’s sense of dislocation and disappointment. The key to the question appeared to be a shrewd selection of “moments, with the important “Drummer Hodge scene forcing some sophisticated exploration of Posner’s and Hector’s shared feeling of separateness, and Mrs. Lintott’s feedback in the Epilogue eliciting productive discussion. Some responses selected moments in the play in which Posner’s unanswered, unreciprocated, unreturned love for Dakin makes us sympathise and they were often specifically well argued and developed.

With each exam treatment, examiners are seeing and, in case their comments should be given credit, enjoying increasing numbers of sharply deductive and advanced responses to this text.?????? six OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 Hobson’s Choice There were hardly any centres attempting this text message in this assessment session, using what would seem the vast majority of candidates came into for the Foundation Tier. Almost all responses noticed have been to 2(a), with candidates generally responding efficiently to the dramatic nature of Hobson’s intransigence in the face of Maggie’s announcement of her objective to marry Willie Mossop and Willie’s unexpected show of determination and resistance to Hobson’s bullying techniques.

Stronger answers were able to target not only around the obvious issues of the extract, but demonstrated a readiness to explore the wider implications of Maggie’s reputation of Willie’s potential, in direct contrast to her father’s blindness to it. Several candidates located it problems not to oversentimentalise Maggie and Will’s romantic relationship and tended to miss Willie’s initial reluctance to Maggie’s forthright and unconventional “courtship. Some answers on this text tended to narrate what was going on and there was clearly a tendency of less effective answers to drift away from the passage right into a general retelling of the account of Margaret and Willie, but the majority of Foundation Tier candidates seemed to have identified the topic pointed advice useful in developing a response.

During writing, simply no responses to Question 2(b) had been reported. A View from the Bridge A preferred text that clearly has been both well taught by centres and greatly appreciated by individuals. The extract question (3a) was the most popular decision on this text. It was successfully answered by majority of prospects, particularly therefore when the critical nature with the extract was understood in the context in the play overall. Candidates, maybe understandably, at times tended to sympathise strongly with Catherine at the charge of Beatrice and a minority thought that Beatrice was bullying Catherine and that Catherine was intentionally leading Eddie on.

Generally, candidates confirmed a clear understanding of the situation among Beatrice and Catherine; the dramatic circumstance was fully appreciated with regards to Eddie’s obsessive protectiveness to Catherine along with how the extract foreshadows innovations later inside the play. The very best answers proven an guaranteed grasp from the extract’s wider dramatic relevance and found the complexities of the two Beatrice’s motives here ” her screwing up marriage, the increasing desperation of her urgings ” and Catherine’s naivety, the complex thoughts she has unknowingly provoked in Eddie and her shattering realisation that she must hurt him and leave the house. The implications for a group of Miller’s stage guidelines ” the “strained smile, the “aroused alarm and the “familiar universe had shattered were also considered and explored by probably the most perceptive responses. Examiners mentioned that

Foundation Tier prospects seemed to benefit greatly in the directive topic points in the question and that many Foundation Tier answers focused plainly as a result, constantly meeting Group 3 conditions. Although the many candidates about this text opted for the extract-based response, issue 3(b) has been competently answered simply by those prospects that experimented with it. Some answers followed a “character-sketch approach and recounted information on what Rodolpho does in the play, and a number drifted into a bank account of Eddie’s behaviour toward him, and several seem to had been so affected by Eddie’s hostile views of Rodolpho that they failed to appreciate what a thoroughly decent and honourable young man he is.

Most answers though could actually focus on Rodolpho’s love for Catherine, his relationship with his brother as well as the effect these things have on the other characters and the development of the plot. The strongest answers ranged generally across the textual content, exploring the clashes between Rodolpho and both Eddie and Marco and standing to consider his dramatic function as a catalyst in the inevitable disaster. 7 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 An Inspector Calls Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular range of text by some length and answers to 4(a), the passage-based question, produced the full array of achievement in both divisions of entry, with candidates clearly showing to have employed with the play and to include understood the dramatic context and articles of the extract.

Its closeness to the start of the play may have helped in this respect, nevertheless, as some examiners have seen, there was occasionally a tendency to attribute even more knowledge to the characters at this point in the perform than they possess. Sometimes, for example , there was clearly an assumption that Birling was already sense guilty which others knew their misdemeanours and trying to protect them up. As ever, there are candidates who also drifted away from extract within a quest to consider Priestley’s larger concerns and there were some sweeping statements about governmental policies, capitalism/communism, social class and labour contact, but many examiners observed that there was some very good work on both tiers on the interactions that are functioning within the extract.

Many great explorations had been cited of Mr. Birling’s self-importance, his clear frustration and sweat at being challenged in the own home, Sheila’s contrasting and more humane reaction towards the reports of Eva’s death plus the impact from the final bombshell that the Inspector drops that he offers by no means over with the family yet. The very best answers could focus not merely on the different reactions to Eva’s fatality, the Inspector’s apparent omniscience, the clashes of the remove and the generational divide, yet were also able to show a powerful sense of the theatricality, the ironies and foreshadowing that Priestley’s remarkable technique produces.

Many applicants had plainly been very well taught to gauge market response and strong candidates were able to unpick the effects of the Inspector’s vocabulary in his self-confidence, his blunt description from the suicide and what they can imply for the other character types. There was an inclination to ignore Gerald and Eric, whose contribution just might be less evident, particularly in Eric’s case, but despite some unhelpful digressions into thematic issues, the best answers grounded these discussions inside the detail in the scene and explored Sheila’s emerging self-reliance and consideration in relation to Gerald’s unsympathetic response and Eric’s brief issue with his father.

Question 4(b) was experimented with by a smaller sized, though non-etheless significant volume of candidates, but was probably significantly less well done in general. Some prospects tended to look at a character draw approach, commenting on one figure and then the other, frequently showing knowledge of both, but not really concentrating on the remarkable significance of the relationship to the great extent, which can be perhaps astonishing, allowing for the opportunity afforded by breakdown with the relationship to consider Priestley’s wider issues in terms of the generational split and social responsibility. The better answers managed to concentrate on the nature of the failed relationship, the causes for its inability and the remarkable consequences.

There was much productive concentration on the dramatic increase and recriminations of the unpleasant revelation landscape, though the chronology of Mrs. Birling’s denunciation of the dad of Eva’s child before she realises it is, actually her personal son was missed by some and some candidates confined their responses to just this place scene, narrowing the range of their answers considerably. Stronger answers could range more widely across the text to show the sooner evidence of the generation gap and the mutual incomprehension of mother and son. Instructing Rita Instructing Rita was a reasonably widely-studied text with this session, with all the majority of prospects opting to attempt Question 5(a); a particularly well-known option for Base Tier candidates.

The passing was generally well-handled and candidates in both tiers were able to pick up on both hair strands of the problem to respond in least competently and often with some perception. Rita’s determination was generally very well understood simply by most candidates and many likewise appreciated Frank’s genuine matter and ambivalent attitude toward Rita’s plans, though only some were able to associate this to what follows inside the play and a few attributed just to a reluctance to teach her any more. Good answers had been generally based upon a protected awareness of Rita’s situation currently, seen in the suitcase, Denny’s ultimatum and Rita’s eight OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 ife-altering decision and often established a contrast between the sombre mood in this article and Rita’s more upbeat and spirited behaviour anywhere else, though sluggish responses sometimes drifted to a discussion of her failed relationship and misplaced touch with all the extract. Many candidates seemed genuinely moved by Rita’s self-awareness and single-minded dedication to persevere with her studies, in spite of her holes and the lack of all that was familiar. This kind of answers were able to see this kind of as a critical moment inside the play, exactly where Rita’s life changes way and could note however, what is strange of the change, whereby Frank wants to your investment literary critique and ease and comfort Rita on a personal level, whereas Rita is completely dedicated to her Macbeth essay and demands an honest appraisal of it, to Frank’s apparent sweat.

The very best addressed and fully understood the notions of “change and “uniqueness which have been so central to this instant in the perform, showing regarding the deficiencies of Rita’s essay with regards to formal fictional criticism and Frank’s unwillingness to give up what this individual sees since valuable in her by ongoing her educational costs. Question 5(b) was, naturally, the significantly less popular choice on this text and appeared generally to be less successfully handled. Those candidates who attempted it often tended to offer a selection of what they perceived as amusing moments from the text, regularly centring about Rita’s colloquial language and swearing as being representative of her culture.

Most candidates seemed to understand their respective qualification, though there was some questionable assumptions regarding Frank’s “upper class beginnings and reactions often started out with a impression of the traditions clash, chalk-and-cheese comedy of the opening views, but then lapsed into even more sweeping generalisations about accentuate or colloquialisms or determined funny moments without relating them to backdrop. Having said this kind of, many prospects were able choose relevantly and keep the focus in the question to provide what one particular examiner identified as “earnest and deserving operate. Better answers developed a response to Rita’s role in reawakening Frank’s interest in instructing in a focused and selective way, recognizing that her language, funny retorts and unconventional thinking were generally to be credited for “uplifting his life in general. Journey’s End

Following An Inspector Calls, this is the most popular text researched for this product and the one that seems to be enjoyed by the many candidates, with 6(a) getting the most usually attempted issue. The vast majority of applicants were able to concentrate on the conflicts and worries of the extract and the finest responses were informed with a clear and sensitive knowledge of the remarkable contexts, even though a significant group ignored the reasons for Stanhope’s anxiety and frustration, producing little or no mention of Raleigh or Osborne and there was once again some failing to distinguish between your raid and the attack in addition to a tendency in a few answers to assume that the orders would be the Colonel’s and never the Brigadier’s.

Answers that have been grounded inside the dramatic context that the daytime raid is “murder and that Stanhope is in danger of losing his best friend as well as the boy intended for whom this individual feels accountable started coming from a protect basis to build up a response. The best answers understood the nature of rank and had been aware that the Colonel arranged with Stanhope’s assessment in the raid, but , like Stanhope, had not any option besides to follow requests from above. Such responses totally understood Stanhope’s sarcasm and bitterness, the conflict between common-sense and duty and were able to explore in some fine detail the significance and symbolism in the red cloths, the deluded optimism, the youth with the soldiers selected for the raid plus the obdurate stupidity of the Excessive Command.

Significantly less successful responses tended to be side-tracked into generalisations about propaganda, Sherriff’s very own war encounters and general coping approaches. Some wrongly saw the Colonel finding time “funny as a jocular displacement brief review and others observed the Colonel, somewhat unreasonably, as just callous and uncaring. There were a good many reactions to Problem 6(b), the most popular by far in the discursive options, and the consensus was that it was generally well done by people who attempted that. Although some answers were disadvantaged by an inability to foreground the centrality with the relationship in the play and drifted into individual persona study, most were well aware of on the lookout for OCR Are accountable to Centres ” January 2013 he trust, intimacy, dedication and shared respect that underpin the relationship and could select carefully from the wealth of material available to form an informed response. Many answers commented on Osborne’s loyalty in the beginning scene, around the tenderness in the tucking in bed, upon Raleigh’s notice and on the aftermath of Osborne’s death. The best picked the most pertinent moments, observed Osborne’s function in rendering the stability and support to hold Stanhope rational, movingly liked Stanhope’s bad grief by his fatality and perceived the dramatic importance of the relationship in terms of Sherriff’s wider concerns of comradeship in extremis and the awful toll that war will take on teenagers.

Spelling, Punctuation and Sentence structure (SPaG) Through this first treatment that includes the SPaG draw in this device, it is perhaps worth making some basic observations on candidates’ overall performance. The level of success for SPaG was known as largely very sound, specifically at the Higher Tier, with few prospects at possibly tier dropping into the Threshold performance band. Two areas for focus were outlined by examiners: the fact that the number of considerable scripts had been presented jointly “paragraph jogging up to 3 sides associated with an answer guide and the propensity of some candidates to spell the names of dramatists and characters consistently improperly.

The ways where a well-paragraphed response makes the candidate’s argument clearer should provide an extra inspiration to address this problem and Centres may well think that, as SPaG now holds nearly a fifth of the total markings on the Higher Tier daily news, it is really worth encouraging candidates to pay much more attention to the spelling of dramatists’ and characters’ brands and to the spelling of specialist terms. 10 OCR Report to Companies ” January 2013 A663 Prose coming from Different Ethnicities General Feedback The number of educational institutions submitting learners for the machine was considerably smaller than during the summer ” a hundred and twenty-five in the Larger Tier regarding half that in the Foundation, entering a total of 7, three hundred candidates, of whom 1700 were Basis Tier.

It was smaller than last January that we am sure demonstrates the fact that mostly season 11 students would have been involved. The proportion of Foundation Rate entries was higher than during the summer at 23% though still significantly lower than last January. The quality of operate the Foundation Tier was nearly the same as last summer time; there were relatively very few group 5 and 6 reactions, reflecting the simple fact that most applicants wrote by respectable span, demonstrated for least some understanding of textual content and problem, and knew the necessity of backlinks to the sociable context. On the Higher Rate, the quality of function maintained the high regular achieved by learners in January and June 2012.

Of Mice and Men has been most schools’ text of choice. The comparable popularities stay fairly frequent, continuing with To Get rid of a Mockingbird, and then Tsotsi, Anita and Me, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Anordna and mentioning the rear The Joy Luck Club. In the Base Tier the large majority of reactions were to issue 1a, though, unexpectedly, with most scripts marked, the only responses to Amy Tan we have noticed have been in the inspiration Tier. In the Higher Tier, the passage-based Of Rats and Men choice was the more popular, but its dominance features receded relatively ” issue 1b was chosen by a sizeable minority and was certainly no fewer well done than 1a.

The To Destroy a Mockingbird questions differentiated well, with able candidates demonstrating all their confidence with irony and satire in answers in 2a, which most select. Examiners left a comment again on the level of personal response evident in the Tsotsi answers, particularly the passage-based question. Candidates constantly appear to have got enjoyed the novel and a strong sense of engagement comes in their reactions. 3a offered ample for you to explore the way the two civilizations are provided in Anita and Me and demonstrate how Meena is found between them. Issue 3b had not been at all popular. Overall, the opinion on most examiners is that the work of candidates continue to be improve. I’ve made this point before, and offered precisely the same explanations.

First of all the handling of AO4 becomes better, with fewer answers ignoring it plus more managing to create contextual links that are relevant to problem. One reviewer, evaluator wrote: Colleges have definitely tackled the requirements of AO4 vigorously and there was even more evidence of candidates integrating their AO4 comments into their response rather than bolting on unimportant detail. Second, candidates generally speaking seem better prepared in terms of how much they write, how well that they know the text, and in their particular ability to articulate a personal response. Comments in Individual Queries Of Mice and Men 1 (a) The great majority of candidates discovered both the draw out and the issue accessible. Together would expect, there was clearly a great deal of sympathy for the dog expressed.

Weakened responses were known to focus on its plight and Candy’s attempts to delay its demise, and composed sometimes over and over again about the effect on the target audience. Some looked positively very angry by Carlson’s actions ” his fights receiving incredibly short shrift. 11 OCR Report to Companies ” January 2013 Nevertheless , there were great opportunities taken up explore other locations and url to key styles and to the social framework of the story. These included: the hierarchy of authority the structural and emblematic links between Candy and his dog, and George and Lennie the importance of Slim’s ‘take a shovel’ the build up of tension the clumsy efforts to ease and comfort Candy.

Stronger answers maintained to show more awareness of the value of the other character types in the bunkhouse, especially Sleek and George. These answers also were known to make the best links to later story developments. Generally, candidates noticed the activities of all the guys involved very differently: Chocolate might be causante in not standing up to Carlson; Carlson and Slender might be performing only what’s best for the dog; George and Slim may be cravenly keeping out of it, or perhaps intervening skilfully in seeking to mitigate Candy’s suffering. Carlson’s behaviour, particularly, provoked an array of reactions, and it was interesting and encouraging to see andidates’ effective use of the written text to warrant quite diametrically opposed views: one example from the value in the study of English Literary works in exciting independent thinking and ethical debate. Very strong answers at times commented about how sinister and disturbing Carlson’s tenderness towards dog is usually, as he qualified prospects him to execution. Several noticed how this foreshadows George’s closeness to Lennie before firing the perilous shot. Individuals differed about whether Slim’s ‘Take a shovel’ was an action of attention ” for least your dog will be hidden ” or maybe a further indication of callousness, just as some thought George’s closing from the door a sign of wanting to shut the scene away, or (more likely, provided that he pieces the latch ‘gently’) a sign of tenderness and admiration towards Chocolate.

Occasionally replies completely dropped focus on the passage, having bogged down in discourse on the lonesome life of itinerant farm workers, or becoming sidetracked by the pattern of death in the story that begins with that of Candy’s dog. Indeed, you may still find some candidates who way the question as the jumping-off point for any general essay about the full text. Although these are happily relatively rare, candidates do need to be reminded that while comments which explore relevant backlinks to the wider text are usually a sign of the good response, they should continue to be focused on the passage in most of their solution. In terms of candidates’ response to AO2, the author’s choice of words and phrases, there was a large selection of attainment noted.

Better responses honed in on Steinbeck’s use of adverbs (though occasionally wrongly branded as verbs or adjectives); ‘uneasily’, ‘gently’, ‘rigidly’ are three from the meatiest illustrations. However , the chance to examine the chinese language was at times lost generally explanation instead of in research of the result.??? Another some weakness was the trend to make capturing generalisations including there being no vets (so everyone travelled round taking pictures dogs, whose lives had been hopeless in a case) and no-one at any time keeping house animals or having friends. A few candidates appeared to be of the view that Chocolate was in hazard of ‘going the same way since his dog’, perhaps as a result of a disbelief of the word ‘canned’. Times were tough, although not quite that tough! ) 12 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 Sometimes candidates’ passion for relating the events in the passage towards the great styles of the book rather was in the way of successful language research: George concluding the latch ‘gently’ represented the door turning on their dreams; Carlson taking the dog away into the ‘darkness’, represented the destruction with their hopes plus the start of their journey into ‘hell’. This sort of overblown writing is not uncommon among abler candidates and sometimes, inside the neglect with the situation mainly because it stands as well as the opportunity to write about the impact from the acts in themselves, they lose out.

Notwithstanding the weaknesses comprehensive above, this kind of question was thought to have been successful in allowing individuals of all talents to demonstrate their very own knowledge and understanding. The callousness from the men was linked efficiently to the economy in the country; their very own isolation and defensiveness to the nature with their employment. Abler candidates looked into the power composition on the farm and composed successfully about how precisely tension is created up and maintained with effective mention of the AO2. 1 (b) Even though less well-liked than 1a this question provoked lots of lively responses to the persona of Curley’s wife. The majority of candidates had been prepared to bestow at least a modicum of compassion on her, and many were on her side right from the start.

I am sure that in the decades Of Mice and Guys has been about GCSE syllabuses the pendulum has thrown a long way: she gets gone via trouble-maker to victim. It could be argued that there is now a tendency to be alternatively too kind to her, and better answers tended to balance the sense of her like a victim of discrimination and abuse with some analysis of the way she treats others, especially Crooks. Some applicants went into great detail about Curley’s wife’s first overall look ” what she is using and her body language. There is much to become gained regarding close fiel support in this, though individuals had to be mindful not to overlook equally or maybe more important scenes later in the novel.

Similarly in this problem, examiners diagnosed a reliability on material prepared pertaining to the Handled Assessment process though this is sometimes more of a disadvantage than the usual help, as candidates were diverted into lengthy expeditions into the function of women in 1920s America for example. Bigger attaining reactions tended to pay attention to all three of Curley’s wife’s appearances comparatively equally, and just how Steinbeck manipulates and develops our response as her personality opens out. Sluggish answers were more likely to target to a great extent about what other folks say about her and her visit to the bunkhouse in section 2 . Individuals of all skills were speedy to see her as associated with a disadvantaged social group, providing data in her lack of a name and how her actions will be interpreted by the men and therefore gained credit rating for their concentrate on AO4, the social framework.

However , replies that only regarded as her because stereotypical and missed the main points that make her a more curved character ” like her treatment of Criminals, the revelations about her background, and her pain towards Lennie ” maintained not to attain the highest bands. Most candidates are very conscious of the demands of AO4 at this point and are keen to refer for the social and economic troubles America faced in the thirties. In this issue particularly there was clearly a tendency to indulge in sweeping generalisations about the treatment of ladies who were not almost all either prostitutes or downtrodden domestic slaves. Some responses showed the sensitivity and independence of judgement we look for through the best pièce. This was an excellent question. 13 OCR Are accountable to Centres ” January 2013

To Kill a Mockingbird 2 (a) Mrs Merriweather is one of the vibrant secondary heroes who offer entertainment to get the reader and also contribute to the talk on racism that is central in the story. The hypocrisy inherent in her particular brand of ‘telescopic philanthropy’ comes across powerfully inside the passage and provided a fantastic opportunity for prospects to achieve the leading bands through their familiarity with irony and satire. The main element word in both tiers was ‘shocking’ and the expect was that many candidates would be aware of the ugliness in the sentiments stalking behind Mrs Merriweather’s pompous pontificating and middle-class respectability.

Most individuals were aware of the thing that was wrong with all the attitudes displayed here, of course, if not precisely shocked, were certainly practiced by the racism exhibited. Less strong responses tended to have a too heavy focus on AO4, making repeating comments about Maycomb’s hurtful attitudes. Most candidates were able to go further more and had written well about Mrs Merriweather’s treatment of Sophy, commenting ” sometimes quite passionately ” on the offensiveness of her comments regarding her maid, and on how she trivialises the plight of the Robinsons. Various also noticed the mis-match between her loudly espoused Christian philosophy and her callous responses about Sophy and Helen.

A number observed her principally as a physique of fun, which is sensible, though not really perhaps completely appreciating the intensity of Lee’s disregard for her ideals. Candidates whom understood the references to J. Grimes Everett and the Mrunas and thus could completely explore Lee’s satirical purpose tended to score highly. The incorporation of AO4 was relatively simple here; the attitude of the white women to their dark neighbours shown the reality of race relations in the Profound South, and most candidates made this link as being a matter of course and received credit. There were some misunderstandings, however , about how precisely slavery built in into this scenario and some less strong candidates appeared to think that its abolition was only in the very recent past, or indeed nonetheless officially existing.

In the text of the query, ‘revealing’ was shared among both tiers, with the Larger Tier swapping ‘entertaining’ to get ‘memorable’, a much more catch-all épithète. It was well done with individuals often focusing on Scout’s behavior and what it shows regarding her personality, highlighting the ironic role reversals among Scout and Miss Caroline as well as what is revealed regarding Maycomb world by the teacher’s exchanges with Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell as well as Scout. There was clearly a good possibility to target AO4 in Miss Caroline’s insufficient understanding of the poverty experienced by the Cunninghams and in the full lack of sentimentality in this countryside community which can be so at odds while using teacher’s choice of reading materials for the children.

The entertainment provided by the hapless Miss Caroline’s faults and Scout’s interventions was profitably discussed, though simply a relatively few high- achieving responses investigated Lee’s satirical attack on ‘modern’ educational ideas in, for example , Jem’s comments for the ‘Dewey Quebrado System’. Yet , many prospects were able to mention the comic irony in Miss Caroline’s clear irritation that Scout is literate before starting college. 2 (b) 14 OCR Report to Zones ” January 2013 Tsotsi 6 (a) Tsotsi keeps growing in acceptance and this issue proved the overwhelming range of candidates. The plight of the kids and the details of how they live provided plenty of opportunity for applicants to target equally Assessment Targets. Examiners often comment that students usually respond to this novel with intense diamond and on this occasion indicated much important empathy with all the predicament with the tunnel dwellers.

There was a full range of achievement noted right here: weaker individuals were occasionally unsure of how this pattern fitted chronologically into the narrative, not probably understanding how youthful David will be here; others failed to appreciate how the boys cared for each other, a couple of even convinced that, as apprentice Tsotsis, they did aside with Willie. The best demonstrated a very clear awareness of how important this picture is in surrounding the character in the ruthless and unreflecting felony we satisfy at the beginning of the novel. They therefore investigated not just the facts which present extreme poverty and callous neglect, but also the ways in which details are sold and reshaped, and how the gang of boys has constructed its own rules and feral morality.

Most candidates managed to focus on the Evaluation Objectives simply by exploiting the clear hyperlink to context inside the state’s forget of it is vulnerable individuals (AO4) and, in taking into consideration Fugard’s selection of words, by selecting and analysing some of the specifics that help to make the children’s difficulties so vivid, for example the food and the bedding (AO2). There were few responses for this question, arguably a function of the accessibility from the extract. Those who did tended to choose just one character, which usually, for anyone who can sustain writing about one person for 45 minutes, is just about the better option. David’s mom was a good choice, as was Morris. A minority of candidates select Gumboot or others whose fate is definitely indirectly determined by the state; these kinds of choices weren’t penalised nevertheless weaving AO4 through the response was perhaps harder exactly where Tsotsi rather than the institutions of state can be directly to fault.

The most good responses associated chosen happenings to for what reason these were illustrative of state brutality or perhaps indifference and supported these points with a good level of vocabulary analysis. 6 (b)? Anita and Me 3 (a) The passage-based question on Anita and Me also inspired a lot of lively and quite perceptive responses. Candidates were well aware of the ethnical differences between Meena’s family and the ‘Ballbearings Committee’ and usually made extremely thoughtful feedback which proven secure understanding. This verse was valued not only for how this contrasts both different nationalities, but likewise the amusing way in which that they collide pertaining to an evening.

There was entertaining comment on Meena’s embarrassment and great appreciation of the social technicalities of the face as many prospects were alert to differences in costume, entertainment and choice of tipple between the teams, as well as in use of language.? Some good responses as well saw this as a indication of how significant Nanima’s go to is to the progress in the narrative; a few noted just how Syal delivers Meena’s recognition that it is likely to appreciate also to laugh at both nationalities. The interweaving of contextual material was particularly well done, often in a more relevant and fewer heavy-handed method than was evident in responses to Of Rats and Men.

However , several answers failed to look at the verse in enough detail, missing opportunities pertaining to AO2: there was attention to right after between the along with the ladies of the Ballbearings Committee in terms of dress, attitudes and drinking habits but without much specific concentrate on Syal’s range of words. 12-15 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 Students seemed to have enjoyed studying this kind of text and the enthusiasm was evident in lots of scripts which makes them a delight to read. The questions had been attempted simply by few or very few applicants. For 3b, 4a and 5a I possess included comments from examiners who found sufficient pièce to bring tentative results. Very few or no candidates experimented with questions 4b and 5b. (b) ‘Answers to 3(b) did record Meena’s passion for her parents and her growing knowledge of them and the moral balance they actually bring about her life. ‘? ‘The less able responses defined some features of Meena’s parents. More fortunate answers seemed in more certain terms for what there were to just like and adore about Mister and Mrs Kumar which include their fond, supportive relationship and their work to conform. Most effective answers was able to contrast this with the fragmented life of Tollington and supported their particular points with relevant terminology analysis. ‘? 4 (a) 5 (a) ‘There had been few answers to this passage. There is a a lot here, and candidates were able to bring out that which was shocking not merely in the situations described but in the voice and perceptions we notice.

They were sensitive to ethnic difference and the pointers of a much harder universe, where human being life was viewed as expendable. ‘ ‘Responses did pick up on the importance of Paddy contacting his buddy Francis, rather than Sinbad, but did not fully contextualise this kind of scene, either in relation to the splitting of Paddy’s friends and family or the bullying of Kevin, so they will captured the drama of the moment, however, not, perhaps the full relevance. There was a few sophisticated comment on the story voice and how Doyle’s out of breath, short of breath style catches both Paddy’s excitement and his confusion. ‘ Assessment Aims Many examiners noted how candidates’ capacity to integrate comments about the social framework (AO4) is usually well done.

This, I am sure, can be put down to powerful teaching on this challenging skill. With regards to AO2, candidates are excellent at discussing structure, exploring links among different personas and situations: ‘foreshadowing’ is a favourite word though it is not necessarily always effectively or effectively deployed. Points involving punctuation are also popular; usually regarding the effect of pausing or sentence length, and once again success was variable. Candidates are generally proficient at using immediate quotation to aid their findings. However , even more candidates could have engaged at length in addition to detail with all the writers’ creation of results, through more specific and created comment on vocabulary and style.

Many made very good points and provided relevant textual evidence without really evaluating how the language in the quotation reinforced the point produced. Similarly, various candidates produced a range of valid points without shifting from description to analysis It may help to point out areas which could always be focused on to improve candidate efficiency: Inadequate give attention to the extract in the passage-based question: this really is still relevant with prospects pursuing the link to the cultural context a considerable ways; also in discussing how a extract links to major themes inside the novel just like dreams and loneliness with out linking strongly to the content of the passageway. The general guideline is that for least two thirds of the response should concentrate directly on the extract.? sixteen OCR Are accountable to Centres ” January 2013 Overlong preamble, for example introducing the new, the author, the decade: a multitude of candidates continue to like to loosen up with a short summary in the novel and several biographical specifics about the article writer. Unless the paragraph ends with an overt connect to the question this attracts small credit.? Over-focus on very technical highlights of language: Some examples were all those mentioned above beneath 1a, which includes Steinbeck’s utilization of the word ‘darkness’ in the extract. In addressing AO2, applicants are advised to include several word level analysis which may be a marker of high achievement, but the emphasis should be in style and effect. Different technical features which are at times given to very much significance include:? o Punctuation; o Colloquial language; especially in Of Rodents and Males where the characters mostly use the same register o Sentence length; Alliteration and onomatopoeia; very specific discussion of sound effects perhaps more suited to a reply to the terminology of poetry.? Over-simplification with the differences between here and there; then simply and now: This really is entirely understandable as the incorporation of telling sources to the circumstance is never easy. This tends to be more obvious in Of Mice and Men” it truly is challenging to relate the plight of the character types to the larger society with out resorting to generalisation. 17 OCR Report to Organisations ” January 2013 A664 Literary Traditions Prose and Contemporary Beautifully constructed wording General Comments In comparison with the June 2012 entry, the numbers joined for this device were quite low.

This is unsurprising as device A664 is most suited for applicants at the end in the GCSE training course. Candidates are expected to respond to two texts from two different genres inside the longest from the three evaluated units and perhaps the best time to allow them to take this device is when they are at their most mature moment in Year 11. Candidates generally seemed to have already been entered on the appropriate Rate this series. Many examiners mentioned on the sometimes flat terminology candidates often adopted. In poetry in particular, language was often identified as being “negative or “positive. To state that Robin features “negative thoughts about Batman in Youngster ardly shows that the poem is conveying his “powerful feelings, or that Armitage’s writing is selling Robin’s feelings as “so powerfully. Similarly to claim that Heaney has “positive feelings about blackberry-picking in the first element of Blackberry-Picking should be to underestimate and devalue the feelings the poet person expresses. Examiners also mentioned on what appears to be the demise with the word “contrast and its substitute with the Latinate polysyllabic “juxtaposition, which, naturally , does not mean just like “contrast. Naturally, candidates aren’t penalised to get using vocabulary that does not talk with an examiner’s approval, but it really is a pity that a lot of otherwise energetic responses happen to be somewhat muted by incorrect terminology.

The most used prose texts were Golding’s Lord in the Flies and Orwell’s Animal Farm. There was a number of answers to Stevenson’s The Peculiar Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and a few to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Eliot’s Silas Marner, nevertheless there were almost no responses to Hardy’s Wessex Tales. Almost all responses would be to the extract-based questions, which usually require close focus on the extract alone, and which will, especially for Higher Rate, also require close awareness of the writer’s choice of vocabulary. The more discursive questions, the other on each text, seem significantly unpopular. A few examiners noted the raising usage of inappropriate vocabulary in prose replies.

There were a few not occasional references to caesura and enjambment, conditions appropriate to poetry but not to writing which has accustomed itself through the years to this sort of fittingly prosaic terms because full stop, semi-colon, colon and comma. Literary Heritage The entire Pride and Prejudice There were too few answers to this textual content for useful comment to get made. Silas Marner There are comparatively handful of responses to Silas Arranger, these almost invariably being made to the extract-based question. Applicants at the two Tiers were able to recognise that this is an important turning-point in the novel and absolutely shocking. Impact was primarily aroused by William Dane’s betrayal of Silas and, at Bigger Tier, the importance of Silas’s repudiation of “a The almighty of lies was cautiously noted. A few candidates commented only upon William’s betrayal of his friend, with no noting that

William himself was the robber and was framing Silas. Very few prospects expressed even mild big surprise at the methods adopted to convict or perhaps acquit Silas. 18 OCR Report to Companies ” January 2013 Head of the family of the Flies The passage-based question proven very popular for both Divisions. Candidates discovered much to horrify them. The significance from the conch, and its particular destruction, were well comprehended, candidates typically linking this to Piggy’s death, both illustrating loosing democracy, purchase, logic and intelligence. The consequent unleashing of anarchy in the remove was viewed as an unavoidable consequence. Jack’s outburst signalled to many an extra stage of the descent in savagery.

A few responses limited themselves to discussion of only the first 17 or so lines, writing for too great length regarding Piggy’s loss of life and its inevitability. There were at times lengthy discussion posts of domestic swine, hunting, and Piggy’s identity to establish the actual that Piggy’s death had been long “foreshadowed. Sometimes there are long accounts of the great the conch from its discovery in Chapter One, through its role in group meetings to their destruction. This sort of lengthy accounts often allowed candidates little time and space to explore other areas of the remove, such as Roger’s appearance noticeable by his gravity and “hangman’s horror and the quiet terror he inspires in Samneric.

The importance of Piggy’s death was usually very well understood especially by applicants able to give attention to what is terrible about the way Golding gives it. Various commented for the simple nearly uncomprehending explanation of Piggy’s head (“and stuff came out) elaborating well upon “stuff to suggest that this kind of refers to his brain wonderful scientific thinking, without that the boys’ speeding into savagery can continue unchecked. How Piggy died was not almost always understood; “a glancing blow was occasionally misinterpreted, a considerable number of candidates trusting that Piggy was smashed by a mighty boulder rather than by the fall onto the “square round rock in the sea.

Good answers here maintained, when they focused closely on Jack, to think about his words and phrases immediately after Piggy’s death, his actions (including his “stooping) and his tormenting of Samneric. They were also aware, as being a candidates weren’t, that Roger is certainly not afraid of “the Chief who he practically shoulders out of the way as he “advances on Samneric. Such reactions often left a comment shrewdly on words including “advanced and “wielding observing how they included with the horrifying aspect of the episode. The 2nd question 3(b) on Head of the family of the Flies attracted handful of takers for either Tier. However , there were some good responses, where prospects focused closely on the early behaviour from the boys and contrasted that with their afterwards behaviour.

Yet , some applicants limited themselves by using the extract printed pertaining to 3(a) while the basis for his or her 3(b) response. It proven difficult to allow them to discuss changes in behaviour in the event they restricted themselves towards the extract. The Withered Equip and Other Wessex Tales Too few responses for this text were seen for any standard comments to get useful. Animal Farm This is a very popular textual content at the two Tiers, with candidates, practically without exception, opting to talk about what was remarkable and significant about the extract, or how Orwell’s writing caused it to be so. Very good responses, in both Divisions accepted the invitation to write down about the two parts of problem: the episode and the significance.

Many candidates contrasted the animals’ likely enjoyment of the “pleasant evening and “warm weather with the amazement and terror on the spectacle in the pigs’ 03 round the farmyard. Clover’s “terrified neighing as well as the rushing and galloping from the animals were seized after as being dramatic, as was Orwell’s use of one paragraph sentences. The importance of the pigs’ walking on their very own hind legs was discussed by simply most prospects, who typically linked this course of action to the first of the Eight Commandments. Many also left a comment on the whip Napoleon contains in his marcher, linking that to the violence of Way Farm and the reincarnation of Jones by means of Napoleon.

Weakened responses were known to approach the extract chronologically and spent a whole lot time for the early sentences (discussing, for instance , the existence of “a piece of waste ground and speculating the fact that farm was now totally neglected and run-down) that Napoleon’s overall look was hardly considered. The best responses contained in their analysis of the parade of the swines the effect of language options such as “strolling, “file, “march and “majestically upright. 19 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 Not all candidates engaged with the roles of Squealer and the sheep in the extract. A few responses simply stated that Squealer provided propaganda on the plantation and that the lamb were especially stupid.

These kinds of, quite rightly, commented in Orwell’s usage of “ordered to exhibit that not every animals certainly are similar, but would not make a link between the learning of the “new song, Squealer’s intentions, and the drowning away of any kind of possible protest at the pigs’ breaking of the first commandment. Good responses tended to see that Napoleon’s dogs will be “gambolling circular him and not being openly used as a way of ripping out the throats of Napoleon’s supposed opponents. The question was often very well answered and almost all prospects were able to present some sort of valid respond to it. There are too few replies to 3(b), the question on Frederick and Pilkington, intended for helpful brief review to be built here. The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde

This continues to be a fairly well-known text with centres, a significant number of candidates answering into it and specifically on the extract-based questions. By both Divisions candidates focused well on the text, rarely straying to get lengthy intervals from this. Responses varied, with some just paraphrasing areas of the extract without checking out it to any extent. These types of tended to view Jekyll being a well-nourished and healthy Victorian gentleman, on good terms with Mr Utterson to whom he displays courtesy and gratitude. Better responses probed more deeply in to the extract, choosing on the value of “slyish, Jekyll’s somewhat contradictory attitude towards Lanyon, the pallor of his lips and the blackness of his eye on hearing Hyde’s brand, and his “incoherency of manner.

These also hinted at the theme of the duality of man, typically resisted the temptation to elaborate on this at the charge of detailed consideration with the extract. Yet , some reactions wrote a few length about Utterson, perhaps honouring the memory of a direct problem on the legal professional set in January 2012. Couple of candidates tried the second query, but found a plentiful availability of material to hand. Better answers did more than simply summarise regions of the story, and probed at popular features of the genre and Stevenson’s choice of terminology and structure. Poetry The most famous of the named poets were Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, and, to a reduced extent, Seamus Heaney. A serious large number of applicants at both Tiers opted to respond for the Unseen Composition, often with considerable success. Armitage

There were responses to any or all three queries, the majority of them to Kid, a poem that candidates generally wrote regarding with apparent enjoyment. The majority of were able to recognize Robin’s emotions of aggression and anger, with quite subtle responses developing the concept Robin’s “rant is an attempt to boost him self, unjustifiably, for Batman’s price. The effect with the opening collection, with its unnecessary repetition, was regularly commented upon, with good responses looking carefully in the language implemented elsewhere in the poem. Weakened responses were known to paraphrase parts of the poem devoid of exploring the language in different detail, or argued that all of us know very well what it’s prefer to be “dumped/abandoned and can sympathise with Robin’s situation.

The private appeal too often came in the pattern of analysis/discussion of language. Only a few noted the effect of all lines ending in “er. Relatively few prospects responded to Inside our Tenth Yr, Mother, any distance higher than single span being the more popular of the choices offered in 7(b). The question centered on the moving quality from the relationship inside the chosen composition, and only the very best answers at both Divisions kept the question’s emphasis to the connaissance. There were a number of informed answers of what the poems were about; Within our Tenth Season was often taken to always be only about disagreements and thought adulteries, with little discourse on stanzas other than the second. twenty OCR Are accountable to Centres ” January 2013

There were too little responses to Wintering To any useful comment to become made. Nevertheless , there were several lively responses to Gooseberry Season, where candidates located both the behaviour of the “guest and his treatment by the relatives memorable and were able to comment effectively upon Armitage’s terminology. Clarke There were very few answers to the Clarke questions. However , these were often very hypersensitive in the case of The Field-Mouse and My Field, though astonishingly responses to Miracle on St David’s Day sometimes omitted to cope with the “miracle itself. Cope There were relatively few reactions to the Wendy Cope inquiries, and these were almost solely to Tich Miller and Finding a well used Photograph.

Several examiners experienced that prospects prefer to prevent questions involving terms like “entertaining or perhaps “amusing on the grounds that humour just might be too subjective or as well difficult the for prospects to way with confidence. However , candidates would respond very well to what makes Tich Miller’s situation thus moving (some found the voice’s scenario and perhaps sense of guilt moving too) and couple of neglected the powerful previous line of the poem. Duffy Candidates in both Divisions responded well to Just before You Were Mine, centering on the “speaker’s feelings about her mother. Most mentioned the love the speaker feels, her possessiveness and her guilt at the way her birth and existence have affected her mother. The glamour of “Marilyn as well as the significance of “relic had been clearly comprehended.

Some prospects argued which the mother was now lifeless (the clattering “ghost), puzzled her together with the speaker’s grandmother, or experienced that the mother had lost totally misplaced her perception of fun because of her daughter (despite the Cha cha cha steps on just how home coming from Mass). Yet , the composition led to a few lively and engaged reactions. There were several responses to War Professional photographer, where fairly few candidates had a actually clear watch of him. Some adopted a sympathetic approach, discovering him while doing a work that had to be done regardless of the comparative not caring of the two his manager and the paper’s readers. Usually the view taken was not clear; that he was both a figure in whose witnessing of suffering deserved sympathy and one who used suffering for private enrichment. Few responses solved the problem.

Responses to move of The english language had very little difficulty in seeking the speaker thoroughly memorable and supporting all their opinion with well- recognized textual research. Few interested with either Liar or perhaps Mrs Lazarus, but it was interesting to notice how very well candidates responded to Mrs Lazarus and to Duffy’s sympathetic characterization of her. Heaney Most five poetry were regarded by a significant number of prospects. Almost all confirmed sound understanding and some level of confidence within their analysis. Couple of candidates understood who Bluebeard in Blackberry-Picking was; of the people who mentioned him a large number of thought having been a little one’s tale buccaneer, but this kind of interpretation would not seriously impair the examining of the poem, though the effect of the blood-stained hands image was destabilized.

Some understanding of Blackberry-Picking argued which the poem involved sexual arising, and/or/guilt by despoiling character, presumably a reading related to Death of your Naturalist. Where the interpretation was coherently contended and backed, it was, naturally , given because of credit. Heaney’s portrayal of farm- personnel in Follower and The Early Purges was often carefully considered, though some replies to Follower focused even more closer within the voice in the poem than on the dad, whilst a lot of responses towards the Early Purges focused on the unfortunate cats rather than about Dan Taggart, the purger. 21 OCR Report to Centres ” January 2013 Zephaniah There were couple of responses to Benjamin Zephaniah.

Of these, prospects found talking about the content in the poems simpler than participating with the poet’s language. Absolutely, it is less difficult to touch upon, for example , Heaney’s choice of terminology than it is on Zephaniah’s. Unseen Beautifully constructed wording A considerable number of individuals at both equally Tiers, opted to respond to the unseen composition. Many solved the inquiries competently, and a number answered astonishingly well. Paul Deb. Wapshott: My children At Base Tier individuals were able to discover elements of the poem that they found moving and could actually navigate their particular way throughout the poem’s framework. Many were able to discuss the contrast between your excitement of the first two stanzas with the sadness of the last two.

The death in the speaker was found to get moving, as well as the best responses engaged sensitively with the passione of the poem’s last two lines. There was generally evidence of mindful thought about the poem, even though the model was somewhat awry. Age the “grown up woman of three puzzled some candidates, and a few thought that the soldier experienced left three daughters at the rear of. A number of candidates were obviously unaware that The Sun can be described as newspaper, with others just a little confused by gender of “Pop. Yet , most answers were thoughtful and involved, with many examiners commenting for the freshness of responses certainly not weighed down by the responsibility of poetic gadgets learned to get the reviewing occasion. Anne Stevenson: The Fish Are Sick

Quality of response also characterised answers by Higher Tier on The Fish Are All Unwell. Some answers betrayed some anxiety by simply arbitrarily and dogmatically awe-inspiring a meaning or framework on the poem (for case, it is about the post occurences of an olive oil spill or perhaps urban development); on the other hand, those who were ready to examine chinese systematically and explore sculpt and cable connections, while receiving a degree of uncertainty and mystery, showed insight into how a poem functions, realising the uncertainties had been part of the “disturbing that they were invited to learn. That said, individuals who prefered the petrol spill presentation were typically able to offer a coherent consideration of the poem.

Candidates who apparently been well prepared to tackle the unseen composition looked considerately at such phrases as “villages stuck in stone and “like pearls on the fringe of a coat and engaged profitably with tricks like “Water keeps to itself and the repetition of “closing it is grip in the last line. Not many candidates indeed made practically nothing of the composition: almost all, to a greater or lesser degree, found very much to say about it. As a choice, the undetectable poem is extremely attractive to Centres and candidates; many examiners found determining responses to it enjoyable since they are innovative and person, no two seeming identical, a review that cannot always be made about poems that have been extensively taught. twenty-two

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU OCR Client Contact Hub Education and Learning Telephone: 01223 553998 Facsimile: 01223 552627 Email: general. [emailprotected] org. uk www. ocr. org. uk For staff training functions and as a part of our the good quality assurance programme the call might be recorded or perhaps monitored? Oxford Cambridge and RSA Assessments is a Company Restricted to Guarantee Signed up in England Listed Office; you Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU Registered Company Amount: 3484466 OCR is an exempt Charitable trust OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) Head office Telephone: 01223 552552 Facsimile: 01223 552553? OCR 2013

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