British Play Mark Scheme And Model Answer edexcel 2-Post-1914-Literature

The best way to improve any essay is to know how you are assessed, and what skills you are being assessed on. This page has been created to give you a sense of what examiners are looking for in a full-mark response. It contains:

• Overview

• Mark scheme

• Example task

• Model answer

• Unannotated model answer

Overview

In Section B, you are required to have knowledge of the whole text and you will need to demonstrate your comprehension, critical reading and analytical skills. You must also make links to the context in which the play was written and you are required to write with clarity and coherence using accurate Standard English. You are more likely to perform well on the paper if you keep in mind the dominant assessment objectives for Section B. For this section you are assessed on AO1, AO3 and AO4: you are awarded 16 marks for AO1, 16 marks for AO3 and 8 marks for AO4.

Mark Scheme

The mark scheme for the Edexcel GCSE English Literature specification can seem intimidating at first. However, it is crucial that you have a thorough understanding of the mark scheme because you will know exactly what you are being assessed on and how to improve.

AO1, AO3 and AO4 are assessed as part of Section B. The weighting for this question is:

• AO1 – 40%

• AO3 – 40%

• AO4 – 20%

Here is a simple version of the Edexcel mark scheme for the Post-1914 question. 

Example task

The following task is based on a November 2020 English Literature Paper 1 question for An Inspector Calls. However, the commentary is designed to highlight how to structure your response and integrate all aspects of the assessment objectives, and therefore the model could be applied to any of the plays in the examination. 

In Section B you need to draw on your knowledge of the text and give examples from the play. You must also make links to the context in which the play was written.

We will now explore how you can create an informed and coherent argument using an example of a question from Section B. Read through the question below:

We will now explore how you might structure a response for this question. With a question about character(s), or relationships between characters, it is a good idea to address your points chronologically to track their development over the course of the play. This means it’s a great idea to start your essay with how character(s) or relationships are presented at the play’s outset. This is shown in the table below:

After dealing comprehensively with one point, develop your argument by starting another paragraph with a statement that also relates to the question. Here, the next point presents a contrast:

Model Answer

Below you will find a full-mark, Grade 9 model answer for Section B. The commentary labelled in each section of the essay illustrates how and why it would be awarded Grade 9. Despite the fact it is an answer to a question on An Inspector Calls, the commentary is relevant to any of the plays, because it is modelling how to structure an answer incorporating the relevant assessment objectives. AO1 is demonstrated throughout in terms of the coherence of the overall response.