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FULL MARK & Grade 9 2019 English Lit AQA GCSE examples

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

22 February 2024

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I will (soon) be a univeristy student. These are my essays from Summer 2019 when I sat my English Lit GCSE. Overall I achieved 97% and several full mark answers.

Macbeth - 27 Marks Jekyll and Hyde - 30 Marks Inspector Calls - 30 Marks Poetry P&C - 28 Marks

Sorry if the questions on the essays aren’t the exact ones on the exam paper - I can’t quite remember them word for word.

If you download for free I don’t think all the essays are there so you would need to purchase them for all the completed essays.

Any money made is going towards my university expenses (and maybe even a takeaway once in a while!).

AQA have released the papers on their website and the essays are my own.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

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i have not received the work on an inspector calls

123456789hillowdf

Did you purchase it?

Empty reply does not make any sense for the end user

Hi<br /> I couldn’t download the inspector call and poetry

Sorry you’re having trouble. I’m not sure how to get around that. Did you purchase it or download (I think watermarked?) version? :)

greatplanet

Gachareroll570.

I seem to be missing the completed version of the Inspector Calls Essay. Is the one in the preview finished or is there more?

Hi, it is completed - it was when I uploaded and I haven’t heard anything from people who have used this resource.

are you saying that these arent the questions that are on the english literature gcse?<br />

Sorry I’m not quite sure what you mean, but these are the questions that I answered when I sat my English Literature GCSE :)

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Sample Essay

How does William Golding set the scene for the novel in the opening chapter?

The opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ is very effective in laying the foundation for the rest of the plot. Characters become instantly recognizable and significant. The surroundings around the characters become very clear and leave you with a vivid image in your mind whilst reading. Also, the use of the language helps the situation become familiar, with spectacular detail being during descriptions. All of these factors together help build a very strong and effective chapter as the script from then on becomes vaguely predictable, with the readers expecting to know the characters and lay out well enough to recognise their reactions to any/all situations that may arise.

The introduction of characters opens the chapter in suspense as all is not revealed immediately: “ The fair boy & the fat boy.” Golding’s approach in the opening chapter to the characters is effective as it doesn’t introduce them by name, but more by personality type. Upon reading this, you automatically believe you know the two characters and feel comfortable envisaging the two children stranded on an island rather young and clueless to the dangers of the island, with the concept of no food, water, shelter or food not phasing them. This also shows their immaturity, as a normal adult would immediately try to work a logical & strategic yet plausible plan of getting back to reality or how to survive. The fact that later on ‘the fat boy’ later is addressed by ‘Piggy’ strengthens the stereotype placed upon him, with ‘the fair boy’ being given quite a polite and gentle name of Ralph.

William Golding’s use of descriptive language builds a clear image of the scenery: “ All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat” . Such attention to detail allows us as the readers to be part of the story, placing us right in the scenery. The use of onomatopoeia such as ‘smash’ put emphasis on the beforehand scenes we aren’t exposed to, as we aren’t told they’re in a plane crash, yet the fact the scar ‘smashed’ into the island lets us know it was something with pretty heavy impact, it is quite a violent term. Describing it as a ‘Scar’ also tells a story as you regard a scar as being something unsightly and unwelcomed, possibly damaging attractive scenery. It shows us that it has damaged the island significantly. The metaphor ‘scar’ may also imply that the damage caused was irreversible as scars often are, which in turn just emphasises the impact the children/previous events have had on the island.

The way the characters are portrayed hints at a possible chance of survival: “Nobody don’t know we’re here”. During a conversation early on between Piggy & Ralph, Piggy intends to inform Ralph they’re stranded as no-one actually knows they’re there, but in matter of fact expresses that somebody does in fact know they’re on the island. This is because the double negative comment actually contradicts itself, and by intending to say nobody knows their whereabouts’ he actually does the opposite. This could be argued that Golding is doing this intentionally to push you to read on by leaving you, in a sense, subliminal messages. This also shows the importance of the characters personality type, as Piggy can be perceived as quite ‘dopey’, and only through him can William Golding voice such un-educated comments, and effectively and at the same time very cleverly hint at survival.      

The conch acts as a means of authority and Ralph soon becomes graced with power: “The children gave him the same simple obedience that they had given to the men with megaphones”. This shows Ralph as the natural leader and puts him in the same figure head roll as the parents. The conch shows authority and is soon likened to the megaphones of the parents. It almost shows Ralph as a religious symbol, as if he has the power of God now he has full control of the island, and everyone is at his lead while he stands on a rock taller than everyone there with the conch. It is argued that this is a very important factor during the opening chapter of ‘Lord of the Flies’ as you wonder whether the conch is going to fall into the wrong hands, and in turn, the authority and power that comes with it – soon over powering the natural but fair leader; Ralph.

Some of the aspects previously mentioned lead me to believe the ‘Lord of the Flies’ is going to be very eventful and could go either way in terms of surviving or making it off the island. After simply reading just the first chapter I find myself wanting to get answers to such questions as “How can a series of young boys create a survival plan and make it off the island?” or “was Piggy deliberately talking in double negatives to make us believe on thing contrary to another?” William Golding has created a very effective opening scene and should appeal to a vast audience, urging them to read on further after appealing so strongly during the opening chapter.

Paper 1 Marked Answers

Looking at examples of marked answers is a great way to help you understand the skills you need to show for each question and the level of detail you need to include. on each answer you'll see annotations from the examiner in the margin. these show where the student has included a skill and at what level. at the end you'll see the final mark., these are example answers from the june 2019 paper 1. .

Model Answers ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

• Model Answers

Below you will find a full-mark, Level 6 model answer for a poetry anthology comparison essay. The commentary below each section of the essay illustrates how and why it would be awarded Level 6. Despite the fact it is an answer to a specific Power and Conflict question, the commentary below is relevant to any poetry anthology question.

As the commentary is arranged by assessment objective, a student-friendly mark scheme has been included here:

Model Answer Breakdown

The commentary for the below model answer as arranged by assessment objective: each paragraph has commentary for a different assessment objective, as follows:

• Introduction includes commentary on all the AOs
• Paragraph 1 includes commentary on AO1 (answering the question and selecting references)
• Paragraph 2 includes commentary on AO2 (analysing poets’ methods)
• Paragraph 3 includes commentary on AO3 (exploring contextual ideas)
• Conclusion includes commentary on all the AOs

The model answer answers the following question:

Level 6, full-mark answer:

In London, William Blake is concerned with how human power can be used to control and oppress both people and the natural world, whereas Robert Browning in My Last Duchess presents power through the individual character of the Duke, who uses his position of authority to control women. Both poets perhaps do this to criticise inherited or institutional power over ordinary people.

Commentary:

• The introduction is in the form of a thesis statement
• It includes a central argument based on my own opinions
• " Blake is concerned with how human power can be used to control and oppress people…"
• "Whereas” ; “Both "
•   "Both poets perhaps do this to criticise…
• " It includes modal language to show a conceptualised approach

Both William Blake and Robert Browning present the control institutions or powerful figures hold over women as leading to violence (either committed against, or by these women) to highlight the disastrous effects of female oppression in their respective societies. Both Blake and Browning hint at the destructive and violent consequences of the oppression of women through the use of (voiceless) female characters in their poems. While Blake’s “youthful harlot” takes out her desperation on her own “new-born infant” (a symbol of perfect innocence) by blasting it with curses, Browning implies a more direct violence against women through the sinister presentation of his persona, the Duke, who seems to wield ultimate control over his wife: the ability to take her life if he so chooses. Blake’s presentation of a seemingly immoral “harlot” presents readers with a moral dilemma: it is clear that her behaviour towards her infant is wrong, but - given the oppression and control the institutions of power have over her (and thus her limited freedom) - perhaps Blake is asking the reader to apportion blame instead to the systemic failures of a society that leads women to be in such desperate, impoverished, situations. Indeed, the fact that these “harlots” - young women forced into prostitution by an unsupportive state - are walking the “midnight streets” suggests that their plight is endless, that the oppression of people, and especially women, is round-the-clock. Browning also hints at the total and all-consuming nature of the oppression of women when he has his persona suggest that his “last” duchess suffered the ultimate price for disobeying his wishes: she paid with her life. With his implied power over life and death, Browning presents the Duke as having the arrogant and hubristic desire to have God’s power, but unlike God, man does not have the moral capacity to wield that much power. Like Blake, Browning is suggesting that when people assume too much power they end up controlling and mistreating those without power: here, powerful men oppressing women.

• Paragraph begins with a topic sentence
• Topic sentence directly addresses the question (answer always address the idea of “control”)
• Topic sentence has a narrower focus than the thesis statement (focus is on “women”)
• The whole paragraph is related to the topic sentence
• Paragraph includes multiple relevant references to both poems
• All references are linked to the question, and support the argument of my topic sentence

Both Blake and Browning use their poems as criticisms of inherited power: while Blake takes his aim at institutional power systems, including the monarchy, Browning suggests that the inherited wealth and prestige of the aristocracy leads to an abuse of power, and an attempt to control those who do not inherit power. Robert Browning in My Last Duchess inhabits the perspective of the landed classes in order to open a window into the aristocracy’s ideas about power and control. By choosing to write his poem in the form of a dramatic monologue, and with an invented persona in the form of a wealthy Duke, Browning is able to present the point of view he is criticising. Indeed, his use of the first-person point of view gives a vivid and direct sense of the power and control that the Duke wields: we do not get the perspective of his interlocutor, or his last wife’s side of the story, only the Duke’s words and his version of events. As such, Browning chooses to have the Duke command and control the conversation much like he commands and controls his personal fiefdom, and the people in it. Similarly, Blake presents those with inherited power as wielding control over those who don’t. His “palace walls” are covered in soldiers’ blood, suggesting that the monarchy is responsible for the deaths of those who serve it. Like the Duke’s power over his wife in My Last Duchess, Blake suggests the British monarchy has absolute control over those in their power: the power over their lives. Both poets are challenging - Browning indirectly via his persona, and Blake directly through his visceral imagery - the control inherited power has over the less fortunate in society.

• Analysis provides evidence for the points in the topic sentence (all evidence relates to inherited power and the control it has over others)
• Whole-text analysis of the poems (focus on overarching poetic choices like perspective)
• Not just analysis of the language, but also:
• Imagery and symbolism
• Perspective
• The poets’ ideas
• All analysis explained fully in terms of the question and my own argument
• Analysis explained in terms of the poets’ overall message (“Both poets are challenging … inherited power…”)

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Author: Nick

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

Miss Huttlestone's GCSE English

Because a whole class of wonderful minds are better than just one!

2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples

I recently asked my year 11s to pen a piece of description and/or narrative writing for their mini assessment. I gave them the following prompts:

Your school wants you to contribute to a collection of creative writing.

EITHER: Write a short story as suggested by this picture:

OR: Write a description about a person who has made a strong impression on you.

The following were two COMPELLING and CONVINCING examples of the second choice – one pupil taking ‘you’ as a fictional invitation, the other as a biographical one:

EXAMPLE ONE:

Gradually, I awake and open my eyes only to see the cracked white ceiling which greets me every day. Here I sit, slumped in the bed with the scratchy white sheets hugging me and muffled beeping noises jumping into my ears. Rubbing the sleep crust from my bloodshot eyes, I observe the scene before me. The sound of footsteps overlapping as nurses rush from bed to bed; the metallic tang from stainless steel invading my nostrils; the cold metal bed rail imprisoning and mocking me; the pungent scent of antiseptic troubling me and the blood-curdling cries and moans utterly terrifying me. Using all my strength, I try to imagine I am somewhere else, anywhere else but here.

Crowds, signs, roars: it was 1903 and the suffragette movement had begun. It was a crisp night, refreshing almost and I had taken to the streets. It was like I was possessed by something that night, some urge and deep desire within me that had led me there, surrounded by women like myself. I stood clueless and lost in the crowd; the women yelling ‘Deeds not words’ in unison; passionately parading with large wooden signs and viciously shattering windows with bricks and stones. Despite the violence that was displayed before me, I was not afraid of what was happening and I didn’t deem it unnecessary or improper, in fact I wanted the same as these women, I wanted equality. Abruptly, all of the roars and cheers became muted and faint, one woman walked slowly towards me, her hair messily swooped into an updo, her clothes somewhat dirtied and her chocolate brown corset slightly loosened. There was a glimmer in her eyes as tears seemed to swell within their hazel pools, she seemed inspired, hopeful. After reaching me in the crowd, she held out her hand, gently passing me a sign. Immediately, I clasped it and the yelling and chanting rang loudly in my ears once more. My journey had begun.

Here however, is where it ends. I am aware I do not have much time left, as the doctors have told me so, and spending my last moments in this hospital room is not optimal. However, as I look around I can see beauty within a room which at first glance seems void of it. The hollow medical tubes by my side remind me of the awful act of force feeding I have faced in the past; the shrieks and bawls of patients reflecting the pain women had felt in my time and the bed bars mirroring the prisons we were thrown into and the gates we would chain ourselves too. I know these things may seem far from beautiful, but I can see my past within this room, the power I possessed and the changes I have contributed to today. I know now that I can leave this earth having had an impact. Slowly I close my eyes, I can see her, the women who changed my life many years ago, her name, Emmeline Pankhurst.

EXAMPLE TWO:

I will never forget that day. The hazel pools of her eyes glazed over, and hands delicately placed at her sides. Nobody in the room could quite grasp the fact that this was happening. The crowds of black attire row on row seemed to mimic the thing she loves most in life, the piano. However, this time she had taken the ivory natural keys with her and left everyone else with the sharp tones. You needed both to create beautiful symphonies but all that filled the room was the excruciating silence of her absense. Even the metronone like ticks of the clock seemed to come to a standstill.

It had all began that day, she seemed to open up this whole new world for us to explore together as she placed my fingers onto the keys for the first time. I knew that this was what I was meant to do. She was the most passionately beautiful pianist I had ever seen in my life. Often, I would peer round the oak doorway before my lessons just to catch a glimpse at her. It seemed like nothing in the world mattered to her at the time.

As the years progressed, so did the scope of this world we were exploring. Each sheet of lovingly handwritten sheet music was like a new section of the map we were slowly creating together. Each of her students had their own map. Each as beautiful and each as unique as the pianist. The crotchets and quavers that adorned the staves directed the different paths we could take as my fingers graced the keys. This may not have been a beautiful ballet routine, but this was our dance and it had been carefully choreographed just for us.

That piano room was the safest place in the world. Every inch of it her: the potent scent of her floral perfume; shelves full of scruffy and well loved sheet music; rows upon rows of framed photos of her and her students; the vintage piano which she always kept in tune, it was home. I couldn’t bear the

idea that someone else was going move in and rip away the music room without a second thought. It was her music room.

It was up to me now. Up to me to finish this journey we had begun together.

She may not be with me in person anymore, but she will always live within the world we built together and nothing could ever change that. For she could never truly be gone since she left a piece of her within every one of her students; the passion for piano.

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gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

2 thoughts on “2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples”

This has helped me a lot, I myself am preparing for a narrative test like this and these prompts and descriptive short stories are marvellous! Thank you for sharing this! 🙂

My pleasure!

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Macbeth Essays

There are loads of ways you can approach writing an essay, but the two i favour are detailed below., the key thing to remember is that an essay should focus on the three aos:, ao1: plot and character development; ao2: language and technique; ao3: context, strategy 1 : extract / rest of play, the first strategy basically splits the essay into 3 paragraphs., the first paragraph focuses on the extract, the second focuses on the rest of the play, the third focuses on context. essentially, it's one ao per paragraph, for a really neatly organised essay., strategy 2 : a structured essay with an argument, this strategy allows you to get a much higher marks as it's structured to form an argument about the whole text. although you might think that's harder - and it's probably going to score more highly - i'd argue that it's actually easier to master. mainly because you do most of the work before the day of the exam., to see some examples of these, click on the links below:, lady macbeth as a powerful woman, macbeth as a heroic character, the key to this style is remembering this: you're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will definitely relate to the theme., the strategy here is planning out your essays before the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow., below are some structured essays i've put together., macbeth and gender.