IAL English Literature Edexcel

Examiner Advice

Unit 1
Kite Runner and Poems of the Decade

Section A – Poems of the Decade

Successful responses:
● One pleasing aspect of many answers was a neatness of construction:
most seem to have been taught to start with an introduction finding
similarities and differences between the poems in the first paragraph
and end with some sort of conclusion.
●
● Conclusions are good in the sense that they show a writer in control of
his or her material, leaving the reader with a final, good impression; but
candidates should be warned not to waste time making too long a
conclusion and consider it may be better to have no conclusion at all that
one that simply repeats points that have already been made.

● The nominated poem for Question 1 was ‘Chainsaw Versus the Pampas
Grass’ by Simon Armitage. The poem was compared to a wide variety of
other poems from the anthology, the most popular being ‘Eat Me’,
‘Giuseppe’ and ’The Gun’. These lent themselves well to a discussion of
the ‘strong over the weak’ and the combination of ‘Chainsaw ‘and ‘Eat Me’
was particularly apposite in discussing the endings. Many other poems
such as ‘Map Woman’, ‘Please Hold’ and ‘A Minor Role’ were offered but
comparisons were not always successful and seemed a bit forced.

● It is useful for candidates to look to establish an initial overview of the

poems’ potential meanings and how these connect in order to establish a
firm basis for their developing argument before moving on and delving
deeper for metaphorical meanings and offering interpretations of the
poems.

● The most successful responses to the question were those where

candidates had approached the task with comparison in mind and which
drew on a variety of ways in which the poets create meaning. Some
students were able to write with sophistication and control, identifying a
variety of ways in which the poems dealt with power and offering probing
and enlightening analysis of literary and linguistic techniques.

● When it comes to writing about poets’ methods, the range of poetic

techniques to which some candidates referred was rather narrow (and also
sometimes inaccurate). Candidates would benefit from being taught a
 wider range of the methods poets use to create meaning and would also
benefit from being able to discuss a variety of the ways in which such
methods might affect readers and the creation of meaning.

● Stronger responses were rooted in a firm sense of how the selected

poems could be connected, either in terms of subject matter or of method.

● Stronger candidates were also able to offer effective insight into the ways
in which poets create meanings and the kinds of methods they employ, as
well as demonstrating the ability to write about how the form of the
selected poems might affect meaning.

● It is important to write about the two texts together, seeking out

connections between them rather than writing about them separately.

● It is important for candidates to remember that the identification of

features of poetry (rhyme schemes, rhythmic features and poetic
devices) without a careful analysis of how they might contribute to
meaning does not tend to lead to effective responses. Writers’ methods
are always best attached to poems’ potential meanings
(interpretations).

Less successful responses:

● Weaker responses tended to adopt very simplistic stereotypes of

masculinity and femininity (male = dominance, ‘laddishness’, etc.; female =
weakness, subservience, etc.). Stronger responses, however, explored
ideas of power in more nuanced ways and identified the ways in which
power is distributed and worked out. (Chainsaw question above).

● Less high scoring is an answer that divides up the response under

subheadings: Development of themes, Language and Imagery, Poetic
Techniques and Tone and Conclusion.

● Students did not always engage in sufficient depth and detail with the
tasks set, and connections between the nominated poem and the
candidates’ selected poems were not always effectively established. There
was a tendency in some cases for candidates to discuss their selected
poem in greater depth than the set poem. It is important to remember that
this section of the examination assesses AO4 and therefore time needs to
be spent developing effective connections between the poems.

● It was evident that some candidates had selected second poems that they
felt they knew well rather than poems that would most effectively help
them to respond to the task set. This is not an advisable strategy.
General Observations on Section A
1. It is recommended that candidates show they understand the poems they are
writing about as a whole before proceeding to detailed analysis. It is also
important for them to establish clearly how the poems they are writing about
connect to the primary focus of the question (i.e. power or mysterious events).

2. The best candidates established a clear sense of how the poems related to
the themes of their chosen question and then proceeded to explore the poets’
literary approaches and techniques to draw out how meanings are created.

3. In stronger responses, candidates tended to offer a brief overview of how

the named poem and their selected poem dealt with the topic of the question
before proceeding to detailed analysis.

4. In the Post-2000 Poetry section, candidates are required to demonstrate

knowledge and understanding of the function of genre features and
conventions in poetry. They also need to show knowledge and understanding
of a range of ways to read texts, including critical reading for detail of how
writers use and adapt language, form and structure in texts.

5. Stronger candidates had been effectively prepared in this area, but it was
evident that some candidates were able to draw only on a very narrow range
of poetic methods and were not always able to apply these in accurate or
meaningful ways.

6. It is recommended that candidates consider carefully whether their chosen

second poem effectively allows them to develop connections with the
nominated poem in response to the question set.

Examples of good essay openings:

● Question 1,which asked candidates to compare the ways in which poets
reflect on the past in Ros Barber’s Material and one other poem from the
Anthology. One answer begins:

‘The poem, Material by Ros Barber, provides us with an extremely nostalgic

viewpoint on the past and how, comparatively, the present seems insincere and
detached. Similarly, Eavan Boland’s poem, Inheritance also focuses on the past
and its continuity, but through an exclusively female line.’
● This is the kind of opening which works well, setting out ideas clearly and
opening up lines of argument that can developed as the essay proceeds,
Similarities and differences are observed and there is sensitivity to the tone of
the poems .
● The essay goes on to consider the feeling of alienation from the past in both
poems: here consideration is given to how the effect is achieved through
language (sometimes candidates treat the poems as being primarily involved
with themes, focusing on what is said rather than how it is said. Here we
have:

‘The past is given a great sense of innocence and simplicity in both of the poems.
The close community in Material is described with great familiarity. The speaker
references the greengrocer and the dance teacher by name, and goes on to
speak of “the friendly butcher”. The poet’s choice to use “the” butcher
emphasises the close, friendly community of her past as well as depicting how
small everything was. All of these shops and people existed in close encounters:
it was a time when innocence and small did not mean minimal.’

● ‘Both poets explore preconceptions regarding their respective issues.

O'Driscoll references the classical composition 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'. Here
he comically toys with stereotypes surrounding being on hold. The music is
typically considered relaxing or soothing and yet it is only making him even
more annoyed which can be seen through the profanity in 'Eine fucking klein
Nachtmusik'. He also highlights the irony in his situation as 'the robot transfers
me to himself'. The persona feels as though he is 'going around in a circle'
which is reinforced by the use of repetition. Thorpe uses a simile to explore
the preconceptions around disability:'bear it like a Roman'. This seems to
highlight how those in pain can bear their suffering with stoicism, but Thorpe
is also perhaps criticising the idea that the afflicted can 'somehow find joy'.

● Particularly effective in this response is the candidate's recognition that a

poem is open to more than one interpretation. Stronger candidates will
likely 'open up' a poem to a variety of readings, rather than 'closing down'
a poem and seeking to state a single meaning.
Section B – Kite Runner
Successful responses:

● The first question began with this observation: “The novel constantly tells
us about the loss of innocence, not just in individual people but in the
wider world.” The injunction which followed asked candidates to “explore the
ways in which Hosseini presents ideas about loss of innocence in the novel.”
●
● Successful candidates did not simply treat context as repeating historical
fact, but were able to incorporate cultural, intellectual, sociological, political
and historical points into their literary response; they were also able to
recognise themselves as readers today and how they are personally situated,
knowing that “the context in which literary texts are ... received” is also a
significant part of AO3.
● One strong answer begins: ‘In Hosseini’s presentation of the loss of
innocence in the novel, there is a distinct violence that underlines each event
where innocence is lost; the innocence of childhood, of Afghanistan and of
Hassan and Amir’s friendship are all lost in violent acts, signifying the tragedy
and huge impact that it has on people and places.’
● Contextual awareness runs through the whole of this confident answer,
as here: ‘Amir and Hassan’s innocent childhood relationship is lost owing to
the exposure to violence on both the boys. Their friendship is symbolised by
the pomegranate tree, set on a hill where the boys have a perspective and a
view of the wider world they live in, Kabul - it is here that their innocent
friendship is its most fruitful, where they shun the constraints of the wider
world below them. Their friendship is immortalised in the engraving “Amir and
Hassan, sultans of Kabul” which conveys how the boys are free from their
social constraints as they are both entitled to the same role.’

● The alternative question asked about Hosseini’s use of the first person
narrative in the novel and here is an interesting response: Amir’s first person
narrative makes the novel emotionally intense since we witness the change in
friendship between Amir and Hassan reflect the change in Afghanistan. ... We
learn about the Afghan culture through Amir’s father and we get an insight into
the escape from Kabul to California. Amir tells us, “Baba loved the idea of
America,” but in California the first person narrative helps the reader to see
lives in America rather differently.

● The second question on Hosseni's The Kite Runner asked candidates to

respond to the following statement: 'The action-packed ending, after Amir
 responds to Rahim Khan's letter and goes to see him, disappoints the
reader because it resolves the novel's issues far too easily.'

● Stronger responses analysed and even evaluated the structure of the novel
and some candidates went so far as to refute the proposition in the question,
arguing that, in fact, the novel's issues are not resolved 'far too easily' and that
the climax of the novel is both apt and satisfying. This latter approach
validates the importance of students thinking analytically about the question
before beginning to write.

● The most successful responses to the questions in this section of the

examination were those that spanned the range of the AOs in a controlled and
assimilated fashion. The students who achieved the highest marks skilfully
developed arguments relevant to the questions they had opted to answer and
conveyed an overview of the most important elements across the text as a
whole.

● read the exact wording of the question carefully and answer this question,
rather than one practised before the exam.

● The most effective responses also employed a variety of techniques to

explore meaning analytically, incorporating considered discussion of contexts
of production (e.g. relevant biographical, historical, social, religious, political or
literary contexts) and contexts of reception (e.g. how contemporary views or
events or textual adaptations) and the ways in which these contexts affect
candidates’ readings of the texts.

● Higher ranking candidates were able to focus on the ways in which

Afghanistan itself, with is developing political and religious conflicts, is in some
ways a ‘family’ and how the more conventional family relationships presented
reflect the political situation of the homeland.

● More able candidates considered the ways in which Hosseini writes about
the problems of family and of Afghanistan more broadly. This illustrated
deeper appreciation of the writer’s potential intent and showed that these
candidates understood that the novel is a literary construct.

● Stronger responses had been effectively planned and prepared in response

to the demands of the questions set and addressed the relevant Assessment
Objectives.

● Candidates should be prepared to explore the craft of the texts they have
studied in relation to form (what is a novel, and how does it work?) and
writers’ use of language across full texts. It is important to demonstrate how
specific examples relate more broadly to what is happening in the text as a
whole – i.e. that they demonstrate that these are not isolated examples.
Less successful responses:

● Less assured responses merely recounted the events in the novel

leading to the denouement (ending).

● Less effective responses covered the AOs but without the cohesion and
consistency required at the higher levels. Many students conveyed a good
working knowledge of the texts and their contexts but tended to ‘bolt on’
contextual material rather than demonstrating how it affected and helped to
shape readings of text. When writing about how meanings are shaped in
texts, candidates tended to explore specific examples without making wider
reference to how their selections were illustrative of wider aspects of texts.

● Some, however, tended to rely on under-developed, surface comments on

quotations rather than exploring more thoroughly the ways in which language
is used to forge meaning. When dealing with lengthy texts such as novels, it is
important that candidates are able to talk about the patterns of language that
writers develop across the text as a whole, rather than focusing narrowly on
specific examples without wider reference to the language of the text. There
were also many responses that lacked the expected knowledge of the
terminology, concepts and approaches to qualify for marks in the higher
levels.

● Some fell short on drawing out meaning, making short, surface comments on
quotations rather than exploring more thoroughly the ways in which language
is used to forge meaning. There were also many responses that lacked the
expected knowledge of the terminology, concepts and approaches to qualify
for marks in the higher levels.

● Some responses were not as fully and effectively developed as would be

expected at A level, and in some cases there were issues with the quality and
accuracy of written expression. Some responses were very brief and
tended to be narrative in nature rather than exploring the topics set and the
potential meanings of the texts.