AQA
GCSE
ENGLISH LITERATURE
8702/1
Paper 1 Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel
Mark scheme
June 2023
Version: Final 1.0
*236g 702/1/MS*
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE – 8702/1 – JUNE
2023
2
, MARK SCHEME – GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE – 8702/1 – JUNE
2023
Statement of importance
GCSE English Literature is the study of how writers communicate their ideas about the
world, and how readers might respond to these ideas. It aims to develop a critical
understanding of the ways in which literary texts are a reflection of, and exploration of, the
human condition, the study of which develops empathic understanding of human nature.
High-quality English literature is writing which displays recognisable literary qualities and,
although shaped by particular contexts, transcends them and speaks about the
universality of the human condition. GCSE English Literature aims to enable students to
appreciate these qualities, developing and presenting informed, critical responses to the
ideas in literary texts and the ways writers present these ideas. It aims to enable students
to make links between a variety of written texts and between the text and the context
within which it was shaped.
Principles of mark scheme construction
Each mark scheme is driven by the task and by the statement of importance about
GCSE English Literature. It aims to do two things:
to describe typical features of response in order to decide on a mark
to identify typical features of proficiency in order to aid discrimination between levels of
performance.
Each long form answer mark scheme is constructed using six levels. This is to reflect the
ability level of the whole cohort. There are four or five marks within each level to allow for
levels of proficiency and to allow for discrimination between levels of cognitive ability
across the whole cohort.
Each mark scheme places assessment objectives AO1 and AO2 as the key skills. This is
driven by the statement of importance of the subject, in that the study of great literary
texts is the study of the interrelationship between the reader and the writer of the text and
that the communication and reception of these ideas is an inherent feature of English
literature. It is also driven by the acknowledgement that GCSE English Literature assesses
cognitive levels of ability; the level of response to ideas will have parity with the level of
response to the methods of communicating those ideas.
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