Summary A-level ENGLISH LITERATURE B 7717/1A

A-level ENGLISH LITERATURE B 7717/1A Paper 1A Literary genres: Aspects of tragedy Mark scheme June 2023 Version: 1.0 Final Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from Copyright information AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Copyright © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level. Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. When assigning a level you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level, ie if the response is predominantly level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material it would be placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example. You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate. Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme. An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks. Information for examiners marking Aspects of tragedy: closed book Welcome to this mark scheme which is designed to help you deliver fair and accurate assessment. Please read all sections carefully and ensure that you follow the requirements that they contain. The significance of closed book Examiners must understand that in marking a closed book exam there are examining implications. Students do not have their texts in front of them, so while it is expected that they will use quotations, it is also legitimate to use close textual references. They will have had to memorise quotations so there may be some errors which should not be over penalised. Detailed discussions of particular sections of texts are less likely here than in open book exams. Instead, students may range broadly across their texts as they construct their arguments. There are specific issues for AO2 – how meanings are shaped in texts. Students will not have their texts in front of them, so although they will be able to make specific references to structural and organisational issues, comments on other methods may be less specific. Arriving at Marks 1. All questions are framed to address all the Assessment Objectives (AOs). Answers are marked holistically. Examiners need to read the whole answer taking into account its strengths and weaknesses and then place it in the appropriate band. 2. Examiners should avoid making early snap judgements before the whole answer has been read. Some students begin tentatively but go on to make relevant points. 3. Examiners should be prepared to use the full mark range in order to discriminate and not ‘bunch’ scripts in the middle for safety. 4. Examiners should mark positively. Although the possible content of the mark scheme provides some indicators for what students are likely to write about, examiners should be willing to reward what is actually there – provided of course, that it is relevant to the question being asked. 5. Examiners should remember that there are no right answers. Students’ views which are relevant, well-argued and supported by appropriate textual evidence must receive credit whether the examiner agrees with the views or not. It is important to remain open to a student’s ideas which could be unusual or unorthodox. 6. Examiners should remember that length and quality are not synonymous. Some brief answers may be relevant and concise. Equally, long answers may be diffuse and repetitive. 7. If answers are short or incomplete, examiners can only reward what is there and assess accordingly. Some further credit can be given to answers finished in note form. Using the Mark Bands 8. When placing answers in mark bands, examiners need to look closely at the descriptors and the detailed generic mark bands on page 9. The key words for the bands are important and are printed below. MARK BAND DESCRIPTORS Band 5 (21–25) perceptive/assured Band 4 (16–20) coherent/thorough Band 3 (11–15) straightforward/relevant Band 2 (6–10) simple/generalised Band 1 (1–5) largely irrelevant, largely misunderstood, largely inaccurate 9. Answers placed at the top of the band will securely address the descriptors; answers at the lower end of the band will securely address the descriptors below and begin to show the qualities of the band into which you are placing them. Careful judgements need to be made about marks in the middle of the range; here it is likely that the key descriptors will be more intermittent but still clearly evident. 10. There will be occasions when an answer addresses descriptors in different bands; in such cases, the ‘best-fit’ model applies. Here examiners will need to exercise a different kind of judgement, looking to see where the answer can be most fairly and appropriately placed in terms of its quality against the descriptors. 11. Examiners must remember that the mark bands are not equivalent to grades: grades are decided by the awarding committee at the end of each session. Advice about marking each section Section A 12. Examiners need to bear in mind the following key points when marking extract based questions: • does the student have an overview of the extract? • has the student written about dramatic method? • has the student seen the significance of the extract in relation to the overall tragedy? • has the student quoted from the extract to support ideas? • the student’s AO1 competence. In the case of a significant omission to an answer the examiner should not give a mark higher than Band 4. Section B 13. Examiners need to bear in mind the following key points when marking questions based on single texts: • has the student engaged in a debate or constructed an argument in line with the question? • has the student referred to different parts of the play to support their views? • has the student referred to Shakespeare’s dramatic method? • the student’s AO1 competence. In the case of a significant omission to an answer the examiner should not give a mark higher than Band 4. Section C 14. Examiners need to bear in mind the following key points when marking questions connecting two texts: • has the student focused on the aspect of tragedy set up in the question and referred to two texts? • has the student engaged in a debate or constructed an argument around the two texts in line with the question? • has the student commented on the writers’ authorial methods in the two texts? • has the student adhered to the rubric – one drama text and one other, with one of the texts being pre-1900? • has the student given substantial coverage of two texts? • the student’s AO1 competence. In the case of a significant omission to an answer the examiner should not give a mark higher than Band 4. Annotation 15. Examiners should remember that annotation is directed solely to senior examiners. 16. In addition to giving a mark, examiners should write a brief summative comment indicating how the mark has been arrived at. These comments are likely to mirror the appropriate mark band descriptors but comments must not be mechanical. Examiners need to describe student performance. 17. The most important annotation you will use elsewhere is the tick. This will signal positive achievement in relation to the question. Ticks should be placed in the body of an answer where apt points are made. Further ticks should be given for development of points and support. Strong answers will have more ticks than weaker responses. If points are partially made the bracketed tick can be used. 18. Apart from making a summative comment in a comment box, you could use the comment box elsewhere in your marking if you need to explain your thinking to a senior marker. However, in most cases the annotation stamps will be sufficient to explain your ticks or the absence of them. The following annotation is available for use on e-Marker 2: Annotation Name Toolbar Image Details Examples of Use on Script Y/N Annotation Type: Stamp Correct Toolbar Tooltip: Correct Y Seen Toolbar Tooltip: Seen Y NotRelevant Toolbar Tooltip: Not Relevant Y Red Line Toolbar Tooltip: Red Line Y Green Empty Comment Toolbar Tooltip: Green Empty Comment No Default Text - text shown in screenshot was typed into annotation by user Y AssessObjective1 Toolbar Tooltip: Assessment Objective 1 Y Repetition Toolbar Tooltip: Repetition Y Vague Toolbar Tooltip: Vague Y Development Toolbar Tooltip: Development Y SomethingHere Toolbar Tooltip: Something here Y Unfocused Toolbar Tooltip: Unfocused Y UnclearExpression Toolbar Tooltip: Unclear expression Y LackOfClarity Toolbar Tooltip: Lack of Clarity Y FactualInaccuracy Toolbar Tooltip: Factual Inaccuracy Y PartiallyMadePoint Toolbar Tooltip: Partially made point Y 19. Please remember that scripts can go back to students, so although your audience is a senior examiner, you must express yourself temperately when writing in the comment boxes.