Revision BookletThe Drama Exam [Part3] Paper 2

The examination counts for 25% of your marks at SL and HL English Literature. SL candidates have 1hr 30 minutes; HL students have 2hrs to complete the exam.

There will be 3 essay questions for each literary genre on the paper. You will answer one question from the Drama section only.

The examination is closed text; you will need to learn your quotations from your drama texts.

What are the main skills I should have in an exam essay [25% for 25 marks]?

The key skills for the examination of Part 3 are identified in each of the 5 assessment criteria:

Criterion A: Knowledge and understanding [5 marks]You will be expected to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding by quoting from your texts in your essay. Therefore, from as early as possible in the course, note down key quotations and commit them to memory. In the exam, you will demonstrate your understanding of the way these texts work by writing analytically about the choices the writers make.

Criterion B: Response to the question [5 marks]A rigorous focus on answering the question is often the hallmark of a successful exam script. You must resist the temptation of writing down everything you have learned and can remember! Your essay must be very carefully focused.

Criterion C: Appreciation of the literary conventions of the genre [5 marks]One of the keys to a successful Paper 2 response is detailed understanding and appreciation of what makes a particular genre work. You will need to become an expert on the conventions of your genre (Drama). It is a good idea to make a list of all the various terms and devices which are specifically relevant to Drama – and learn them!

Criterion D: Organisation and Development [5 marks]The way you structure your essay is key to how successful your response will be. The more you time you spend writing practice essays, the easier you will find structuring your responses effectively. The key elements to writing an effectively structured essay are: thesis, tightly structured comparative argument and conclusion.

Criterion E: Language [5 marks]You should use accurate, appropriately formal English and make careful use of literary terminology wherever possible. Although you should be ambitious in your writing, it is still worth baring in mind the following piece of good advice for all of your writing about literature: say something sophisticated but say it as simply and clearly as possible.

Main flaws identified by IB examiners in essays

Failure to respond to all parts of the question, and to all of its implications [5 marks for this].

Not enough evidence of focused planning [5 marks for essay structure so plan it carefully]

Failure to write a clearly focused and logically developed argument (set up in the introduction);

Too many illustrative examples of the main point of the question – an approach which results in a list or a mere description of content, and not an analysis of what the dramatist/ playwright is doing. Always consider the question ‘to what effect?’: what are the dramatists’ purposes/ intentions/ aims/ achievements?; what are the intellectual and emotional effects upon the audience, leading to deeper understanding of the issues involved?

Not enough pertinent comparisons/ contrasts between texts as the driving force of your argument.

Not enough detailed textual reference/ quotations to illustrate your ideas. If you cannot remember a quotation exactly, at least demonstrate precise textual knowledge with specific and detailed examples [5 marks are awarded for knowledge and understanding of the text].

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Not enough analysis of the literary techniques and dramatic styles employed by authors, and their effects [5 marks are awarded for this].

Failure to include some contextual details about the texts which are relevant to your argument or – at the other end of the scale – an overload of contextual information that is not relevant to the specific demands of the question.

Inaccuracies – spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraphing [5 marks for accuracy/ vocabulary].

Brevity – aim for 7-8 sides [HL]. The success of the structure of your essay depends on your sustaining and developing your argument.

ApproachAlways approach the essay title with these questions in mind:

a) What is the playwright doing? – what are the relevant aspects of the plays [in relation to the essay title] in terms of:- plot and key scenes?

- characterisation, the protagonist’s predicament/ the antagonist, key speeches/ language, interactions/ relationships

between characters?

- their context?

b) How is the playwright doing it? – what dramatic and stylistic features do they use in relation to the essay title?- characterization – consider the stage presence of characters and how they are revealed through their speech [word

choices, images, sentence structures ..] and the tonal delivery of the lines [stage directions], their gestures and movements [stage directions], their appearance and costume [stage directions]

- characterization – consider the interaction between characters [lines of tensions] and characters’ motivations

- kinesic features – music [may be diegetic or expressionist], sound and lighting [stage directions]

- physical elements – stage set, stage properties, costume [stage directions]

- motifs and image clusters

- symbolism

- contrasts and parallels

- dramatic structure – organization or arrangement of the action, juxtaposition of scenes ….

- dramatic spectacle

- irony and dramatic irony

- the world of the play, socio-historical context

- dramatic genre [realism, naturalism, poetic naturalism/ expressionism/ plastic theatre, tragedy …]

- type of stage [proscenium arch with the ‘fourth wall’ removed]

Why are they doing it? [i.e. to what purpose/ effect in relation to the essay question?]– what is the playwrights’ purpose/ meaning/ message in writing the plays in this way/ including these characters/ these

stage sets / these themes/ music ….?

– What is the impact in the theatre?

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Planning your essay [20 – 30 minutes]1. Underline/ circle the key words of the question, and make sure that you understand their meanings and their implications.

Establish how many parts of the question there are - you may find it useful to rephrase the question in your own words.

2. Decide on the two plays most appropriate for answering the question. Brainstorm ideas in two columns to ensure that you make connections between the dramatists’ ideas, purposes and techniques, keeping the focus of the question firmly in mind. Consider any differences as well as similarities. Keep asking yourself the question: to what effect? Draw on relevant ideas from the beginnings, middles and endings of the plays to demonstrate detailed knowledge of whole texts. You MUST include relevant literary/ dramatic techniques as these are the means by which the playwrights convey their meaning. [5 marks].

3. When you have done your planning, consider the argument you will set up in your introduction. This means answering the question directly, and it involves a careful consideration of what the dramatists are doing and to what effect?

4. Decide carefully whether your initial points need only a sentence or a fully developed paragraph: each paragraph should be about half a side. Now consider the most effective order of your ideas: you must construct your argument in the most logical and coherent way [5 marks]. For example, I would not begin an essay by discussing the play’s ending! [Unless it is an essay about the closure of the plays, of course.] Consider which point/ idea/ quotation to put in your conclusion. Number the points/ paragraphs on your plan.

5. Consider the contextual details that are relevant to the question/ your argument and where to put them throughout the essay.

Only now can you begin to write the essay.

Writing the essay

Paragraph 1: Introduction The introduction can just be six – eight lines. You do not need to give examples or use quotations: these will form the

justification of your argument in the main body.

Your first sentences must name your playwrights/ texts (underlining titles) and address the essay title directly. This is called setting up your argument and it involves making a considered statement about both of your chosen texts.

Include a very brief overview of the ‘big picture’ of each text in response to the essay question. This should be a clear thesis statement. This will tell the examiner how you intend to answer the question.

Don’t begin with a vague ‘clearing your throat' statement. Always avoid merely repeating the title and never write what you will be doing: ‘In this essay I will examine the opening scenes of three plays and look at the various techniques the different playwrights use to make their openings as effective as possible.’

A more effective example: ‘Through the use of evocative stage directions, Miller immediately creates a claustrophobic atmosphere in Death of A Salesman and Albee’s opening dialogue presents a relationship under strain in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? From the opening moments of each drama, both playwrights make it obvious to their audiences that their plays will be dramatically tense.

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Main Body The complexity, the real interest of your essay, lies in the development of your ideas. The main body should be a logical and

persuasive argument. It must also be analytical and consistently comparative.

Do not merely tell the story, describe episodes or summarise what happens.

Instead, adopt an analytical approach and discuss the significance of key episodes, the effects of the ways in which the dramatists choose to present characters/ use dramatic and stylistic features/ structure the plot ....

Always consider the playwrights’ purposes in doing what they are doing and keep a tight focus on the essay question.

Paragraphs need topic sentences - these signpost the idea/ topic about to be discussed: e.g. Williams uses contrasts as a means of characterization ….; in contrast, Shaffer………..’

You should order your paragraphs so that you move between the two plays: do not write about one and then the other separately. You must make comparisons and contrasts between the playwrights’ purposes and styles throughout your answer.

Useful words and phrases to connect paragraphs include: Similarly, Williams uses …; Miller also uses …; In contrast,… ; However,…….

Each paragraph should contain textual reference and show awareness of the effects of dramatic and stylistic features in relation to the essay question. Everything is a stylistic feature used by playwrights for particular purposes: the structure of the plays, characters who function as foils, different types of tone, diction and imagery, costume, lighting, music, stage set, properties… And always ask yourself the questions to what purpose? To what effect? What effects are created by the dramatists’ use of foils, language, juxtaposition of events, symbolism, image clusters, genre …..?

You should briefly include social/ historical/ political context which is relevant to the essay title/ your argument at appropriate places in the essay.

Conclusion Signpost your final paragraph, In conclusion, … Save a strong point for the end – the first and last paragraphs read by the examiner are very important.

Your final point must convincingly reinforce the argument set up in your introduction.

The words therefore, thus, consequently are useful in concluding your argument.

You may include a considered personal response in relation to the question – ‘To me, Williams’ use of expressionism as part of his method of characterization is effective in conveying insights into Blanche’s inner existence; Ibsen’s focus is a social message rather than the individual psyche ….

You should aim for about 4 - 5 sides – about eight - ten clear paragraph topics.

Additional Tips for structuring comparative paragraphs:

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1. The first sentence needs to tell the reader what the focus of the paragraph is going to be as clearly and in as few words as possible. Make sure that it directly addresses the question. If your essay is very well structured you should be able to summarise it by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. The first sentence is always a topic sentence or the Point in PQE. It is vital to signposting what the paragraph is about.

2. The second sentence should include your first piece of evidence. This will usually be a quotation from one of the texts. The quotation should be as short as possible: you should quote only the section that you intend to discuss and it should never be more than a couple of lines. , In order to make the paragraph flow naturally, embed quotations in the sentence where possible. REMEMBER: Effectively embedded quotations mean that the sentence should flow continuously if you were to take the quotation marks away.

Using QuotationsRemember to set out quotations appropriately. Shorter quotations should be integrated into the sentence and followed with an explanation of their effects.

Examples:Blanche prefers illusion and ‘temporary magic’ to reality and this is symbolised by the paper lantern she buys to cover the stark electric light bulb.

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3. The next part of the paragraph will usually be two or three sentences of analysis of the quotation. Here, you should write about the writers’ choices of structure, language, form etc. You will need to quote individual words again in order to focus on them and to show why the writer has used them. You should use your literary terms here in order to analyse effectively.

4. You then need to begin your comparison with another text. This will usually be one sentence with a linking word or phrase [however, furthermore, in contrast, in a similar vein). If the comparative point is going to be extensive, create a new paragraph here.

5. You will now need to provide some evidence from the text you are comparing, so you will usually include another quotation here. Follow the advice for point 2.

6. Once again, analyse the quotation. Follow the advice for point 3. In this section of the paragraph you may draw the two texts together and write about the similarities and differences between the two pieces of evidence selected.

7. It may be appropriate to end the paragraph with a sentence which brings the reader back to the point of focus set out in the first sentence. However, avoid this if it means simply repeating yourself.

Longer quotations [no more than three lines] should be introduced with a point and a colon. Set the indented quotation on a new line and copy it exactly as it is written in the text. After the quotation, begin a new sentence on another new line, next to the margin, and explain the effects of the language, imagery, perspective, punctuation etc. [The explanation should be longer than the quotation.]

Examples of the layout of longer quotations:Blanche is initially described in the stage directions as an outsider in New Orleans:

She is daintily dressed in a white suit …looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party…. There is something

about her uncertain manner that suggests a moth.’

The clothes are her last remnant of the beautiful lost world that is Belle Reve, the privileged world of the old South. Her white suit reflects

how she would like to be seen as the virginal southern belle, and the moth allusion suggests her fragility.

Some ways to prepare for the examination essay [25%]

Merely going back over earlier notes has limited value and should never be used as a substitute for revisiting and revising the texts. However, it is a good idea to look through your notes and draw together, preferably on one or two sheets of paper, the notes and ideas you think might be most helpful, so that you have these together in one place. These notes will show a better and more complex understanding of the texts than those made a year ago when you first read the work.

Make sure that you know the dramatic and literary features and understand their contribution/ significance in the texts you have to study.

Familiarise yourself with the exam criteria and highlight the parts that could prove a challenge, deciding on some strategies to help you.

Look back through past essays, including ‘mock’ exams you have done. What comments has your teacher made? Is there a pattern to these comments? What are your weakest areas in terms of the assessment criteria? Make a list of your weaknesses in a single sheet of A4 paper and aim to avoid repeating these errors or tendencies.

Use past exam questions you have not already tackled – either by writing the complete essay or just writing the essay plan. You might do this with a friend or by yourself. Your teacher will mark anything you want him/ her to have a look at.

Read and mark some sample essays so that you understand the standards expected.

Above all, re-read the texts.

Some further tips for the exam room

It is better to write about two texts, rather than three. If you try to cover three, you will not write in sufficient detail, and the detail is very important.

Check that you know and can spell the titles and authors of these texts and the characters/ places within them!

Clearly indicate which question you are answering. It can be a good idea to write it out, so that you keep it firmly in your mind [though some teachers may say that this wastes time].

Plan your answer carefully and keep a balance in your discussion of your texts: give them more or less equal treatment.

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If your teacher finds your handwriting difficult to read, an examiner will not find it any easier! You may want to double space your writing, use a pen that writes clearly, and take a little extra trouble to write more legibly. If an examiner has to spend extra time trying to puzzle out what you have written, it could have negative effects.

Write up until the last five minutes and then proofread your essay to check for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. Make sure that your ideas are in clear paragraphs – poor paragraphing indicates an inability to think clearly and organize coherently.

Revision: Characterisation

Presentation of characters: detailed stage directions which define qualities of character, costume, appearance...

some characters may be introduced before we meet them – though this may not be a completely reliable introduction or the character may change.

there may be no introduction at all: the character appears and speaks, revealing him/ herself in the process.

characters are also be presented through speech patterns or the references they make [Blanche’s poetic symbolism; Stanley’s references to poker].

monologue or soliloquy are also conventions permitting detailed self-revelation, in addition to dialogue.

actions and movements may offer insight into character too: in Death of a Salesman, Linda’s repeated mending of stockings; Blanche’s repeated bathing in A Streetcar Named Desire.

interactions with other characters

costume

In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is characterised by different dresses, reflecting different aspects of her personality; by what she says, which varies according to the person she is speaking to and the impression she may want to create; her actions [drinking, bathing, smoking] also say a great deal about her. In addition, all of the main characters make statements about her – but are any of them ‘right’?

Static or evolving characters does he/ she change between the beginning and closure of the drama? why do these changes take place? – are they brought about by force of circumstances or reflection, through the need to make a

decision or choice, through the influence of another character’s words, or some other agent? is there self-discovery, or a series of self-discoveries? Is this liberating or agonising? when do the changes take place? – what are the key speeches and moments relating to the change? why might the dramatist have chosen some characters to evolve and some to remain the same? If characters remain static, is

this necessarily negative?

Have Happy or Linda learned anything by the end of Death of a Salesman? Do Stella, Stanley or Blanche evolve or change in any way in A Streetcar Named Desire?

Stage presence of characters: this embraces how they are revealed through the stage directions their own words and the tonal delivery of the lines their appearance and costume their physical actions, body language, gestures and movements. Characters are moving all the time: how do they move? Where

do they move to? Why?

You will need to consider their actions – what they do in terms of plot on the large scale – as well as their activity in performance – what they do on the smaller scale [for example, Linda Loman mending stockings, Blanche’s drinking]. Many dramatists provide minute details of the gestures and activities of the characters so as to convey a full sense of them as human beings caught in a particular world, and we cannot grasp the meaning of a play unless we consider these issues – even seemingly trivial activities may reveal some important fact or attitude, or change the mood of a scene. Always deal with characters not as real people but as dramatic devices created by the playwright and brought to life by actors to convey the play’s message.

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The protagonists’ predicament and its ramifications This is at the heart of most plays and you need to be alert to the part it plays in the shape and meaning of the play, and how

that predicament provokes further problems or complications. It is useful to make a spider diagram of the predicament and what it leads to in terms of conflict and action.

Modern drama inevitably shows the central characters in struggle with some problem or series of problems which threaten to overwhelm them. The predicament facing modern man is often about living in an age of science and industrialisation. The problems are often domestic rather than of the grandiose and cosmic scale of Shakespeare; at a personal level, however, the outcome may be equally tragic, disturbing or harrowing. Blanche’s predicament in A Streetcar Named Desire is that she desperately needs security but her guilt about her previous life, her lies to conceal it, and the deceptive façade she presents, make such security impossible.

Interaction between characters and lines of tension/ conflict these aspects of the drama only emerge fully in performance, but even at an early reading it is essential to identify the way

characters relate and react to each other and to locate the sources of tension. The protagonist’s predicament often engulfs, and is frequently derived from, other characters, and there will also be tensions between lesser characters.

a common tension is between the idea of social order and the idea of social disorder, threats and tensions which undermine that order.

You should identify, on a first reading, the main lines of conflict or tension by making a diagram. How many characters are involved? In the case of Streetcar, we might see the lines of tension in the form of a triangle between Stanley, Blanche and Stella.

Characters’ motivations: Nowadays, we tend to think of the sub-conscious mind as storing experience from the past and shaping our present behaviour

– thus, many modern plays are concerned with the past and its effect on the present. Explaining behaviour in these terms was entirely unknown to Shakespeare and earlier dramatists would have been likely to attribute actions to fate or astrological causes.

Always consider why a character does or says something or moves at a particular moment or behaves in a particular way. There are many motivations for such choices – psychological, social, cultural, economic, moral …

Relationships between characters: A character may be a complex mixture of feelings, attitudes and motivations in his/ her relationship with other characters:

Blanche is attracted to Stanley on a sexual level but also repelled by his violence, primitive nature and lack of social and educational background. She fears him because her security depends on him, and he is antagonistic towards her because she threatens his domestic stability, and is ‘false’. The kind of ‘realistic’ plays which reflect this complexity are dramatically interesting because of this. It is useful to represent character relationships in a diagram: for each character, draw a circle with his or her name in it and join them with appropriate key words … Add a third character, and begin to build up a picture of the relationships which emerge.

Characters may also be presented as foils [who have opposite personalities/ situations – Nora and Christine in the beginning of A Doll’s House] or parallels.

The characters’ connection to issues, themes and values Characters are part of the complex web meaning of a play and you will also find character patterns/ groupings, foils [characters

who represent opposite ideas/values– Blanche and Stanley] and parallels in relation to the characters’ connection to the play’s concerns.

Make a chart of the philosophy, values or ideas held by each character and see how each connects or conflicts with those of other characters.

In Death of a Salesman, several characters are ‘office’ men [Willy, Charley, Howard, Bernard] but they behave differently. Charley and Bernard are successful but also honest, kind and generous, unaffected by ‘image’. Howard is successful but ruthless; Willy is a failure on business terms but needs to dream that he is successful. Values are at the heart of the play and it is important to see how they are established.

A central character may also hold views or behave in ways opposite to those the playwright wants to support [though he may remain sympathetic, as in Death of a Salesman].

Alternatively, a character may embody the playwright’s ideas or beliefs

CHARACTERISATION: choose two characters from different plays

STAGE PRESENCE

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Stage directions

Speech

Actions

Interactions

Costume

Other aspects of characterisation

Protagonist’s predicament and its ramifications

Static or evolving character?

Characters’ motivations

Dramatic function

Themes/ values/ ideas

Map the lines of tension which mark conflicts/ tension in the character’s relationships

IB Drama Questions: Characterisation, motivation and interaction

1. ‘Characters in a play are often motivated by strong passions or desires.’ Compare and contrast plays you have studied in the light of this statement. Discuss, in each case, the dramatic effects created by the exploration of such motivation.

2. Compare and contrast the presentation of any three or four characters in plays you have studied. Say how, and how effectively, each character seems to you to further the dramatic force of the play in which he or she appears.

3. ‘What do women and men really want?’Discuss the dramatic techniques through which similar or different desires of the genders have been expressed in plays you have studied, saying how the presentation of them creates an effect on the audience.

4. Plays which succeed with audiences must communicate some aspects of the thoughts and motivations of characters. How far and by what means have dramatists in your study conveyed the interior lives of their characters?

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5. All characters in plays are mouthpieces for their author. From a consideration of some characters from the plays you have studied, say how far you agree.

6. A necessary part of drama is not only to present conflict between the characters in a play but also to create conflicts within each member of the audience. Compare and contrast two or three plays you have studied in the light of this comment.

7. Using two or three plays you have studied, compare the presentation of two or three characters [eg introduction, dramatic interactions with other characters], saying in each case how the presentation furthered the dramatists’ purposes, and how it rewarded your study.

8. ‘While the momentum of the play is carried by major characters, there is often a significant minor character who is a catalyst for change or enlightenment.’ Compare the role of a significant minor character in plays you have studied, showing how these characters contribute to the dramatic action.

9. ‘People often act first and reflect afterwards.’In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been more and less important to the plays you have studied?

10. Human illusions have always been a powerful subject of plays, both tragic and comic. In what ways have the plays in your study considered this aspect of human behaviour and with what effects?

11. A play is often a complex web of conflicting emotions. Compare the ways in which playwrights in our study have presented emotional conflicts so as to make an impact on the audience.

12. Consider how dramatists make characters speak in plays you have studied, and say how the language and tone of these dialogues, conversations of monologues contribute to each play as a whole.

13. A drama critic recently drew attention to the ‘threatening encounters’ as a powerful feature of a new play. Discuss encounters [threatening or otherwise] in plays you have studied and consider them as features of the drama created in each case.

14. The audience’s response to characters in drama is due, in part, to the relationships of these characters with others in the play. Compare the ways in which dramatists in your study use such interactions to present full and complex character portrayals to enhance the theatrical experience.

15. The ‘past’ of characters – their implied or recollected experiences – are often used by dramatists to enlarge and enrich character portrayal. Evaluate the use and the importance of characters’ lives prior to the events of plays in your study to explain or complicate the events included in the plays.

16. Using plays you have studied, write an essay on the presentation of the relationships between male and female characters [or between characters of the same sex], giving some idea of the dramatic effects achieved by these means.

17. Isolation, either mental or physical, can lead to despair or enlightenment. In the plays you have studied show how playwrights have used isolation of any kind to heighten the dramatic effects of their plays and develop their characters.

18. How far and in what ways do plays you have studied support the idea that communication between human beings is difficult or perhaps impossible?

19. How have plays you have studied presented ‘what happens inside a human being’ in dramatic terms?

20. One dramatist has maintained that theater ought to pursue a re-examination not only of aspects of an objective external world, but also aspects of the inner worlds of human existence. What choices have been made in the plays you have studied to pursue one or the other, or both, of these aspects, and what theatrical techniques have been used to carry out this choice?

21. In achieving a strong dramatic effect, a playwright will sometimes work to elicit from the audience heights of admiration or depths of loathing for certain characters. Compare by what means different dramatists have managed to construct such powerful characterisations and the effect of those on the play.

22. The interactions among characters in a drama is often associated with the acquisition, the holding or the loss of power. By what means and with what effects have plays in your study addressed power relations?

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23. What part does fantasy play in the lives of the characters in plays you have studied; how is this fantasy presented and to what effect on the audience?

24. In every play there are characters who the audience may regard as either essential or expendable. In plays you have studied, discuss why characters can be seen in either of these ways because of their relationship to the play’s meaning.

25. In what ways do the plays you have studied dramatise either the depths to which human beings can sink or the ridiculousness of some human actions?

26. Discuss the extent to which and the ways in which each playwright’s presentation of female characters differs from that of male characters, making clear the effect in each play.

27. The playwright cannot depend, as does the novelist, on a narrative voice rounding out a character by means of description and analysis. How are the personalities and views of characters effectively conveyed in the plays you have studied?

28. ‘A play stands or falls on the dramatist’s ability to create believable characters.’ How far have you found this statement to be true in the plays you have studied?

29. Through an analysis of some of the characters in two or three plays you have studied, compare the ways in which the struggle between internal and external forces is presented.

30. How do characters and the choices they make contribute to meaning in two or three plays that you have studied?

31. The difference in a play between what is being said and what is being done can provide one focus of interest for the audience. In plays you have studied, by what means and to what effect have dramatists made good use of such differences?

32. ‘Drama explains individuals, not relationships’. Paying close attention to how individuals and relationships are presented in two or three plays you have studied, say how far you find this statement to be true.

33. Plays which succeed with audiences must communicate some aspects of the thoughts and motivations of characters. How far and by what means have dramatists in your study conveyed the interior lives of their characters?

34. Drama is often the expression or investigation of power: characters can, at different moments in a play, be oppressors or victims, dominant or subservient, users and used. In terms of power and its effects, discuss three or four characters from the plays you have studied, and say what this power-play adds to the play as a whole.

35. Dramatic conflicts arise when dominant individuals or groups regard themselves as the norm against which others are to be measured. With reference to specific scenes from at least two plays you have studied, discuss the significance of such conflicts and how they are explored.

36. In plays a character who appears briefly, or who does not appear at all, can be a significant presence, contributing to action, developing other characters or conveying ideas. To what extent have you found this to be true of at least two plays you have studied?

37. ‘Comedy exposes human weakness; tragedy reveals human strength’. How and to what extent does this claim apply to at least two plays you have studied?

38. A change in status of the characters in a play [a success, for example, a loss or exposure] helps to convey the ideas and/ or values of the dramatist. How and to what extent has change in status contributed in this way to at least two plays you have studied?

39. In drama there are more interesting roles for men than women’. Discuss to what extent you agree with this statement and what it is that makes a role interesting. Refer closely to at least two plays you have studied.

Revision: Dramatic Structure

The Unities of Greek tragedy have long provided a framework within which a playwright can build a play: Unity of Time demanded that the action of the play should take place within the two hours of the play, although twenty-four

hours was considered acceptable1

Unity of Place required that the setting should remain the same throughout the play Unity of Action broadly insisted that the play should focus on the main characters, with no subplots.

Rules, of course, are there to be broken – most notably by Shakespeare in the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century, some of the main European dramatists, such as Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov, wrote plays which centred on a main character, ensuring Unity of Action, but the other two Unities have gradually lost their significance.

The following pattern – which was established in the nineteenth century by Eugene Scribe in the ‘well-made play’ – tends still to be used in arranging plot: the exposition [the play’s opening]; the dramatic incitement [the incident which provides the starting point for the play’s main action]; the complication [this usually involves the main action in which the protagonists respond to the dramatic incitement and other

developments that stem from it]; the crisis or climax; the resolution or dénouement [the final section of the play where things are worked out and some kind of conclusion achieved].

Most plays have act and scene divisions. Consider the point of this, and the effects achieved. Streetcar is divided into eleven scenes which track a fairly concentrated sequence of events over several months, with a fateful movement towards disaster. Each scene has a dramatic logic of its own: it focuses on one situation or event that is developed and is some way resolved. This permits a complex revelation of character and relationship. Placed side by side, the scenes show parallels and repetitions that give the play a poetic density and meaning as well as indicating development. For example, scene 3 is the Poker Night; scene 11 is identical in some respects [the worlds of men and ]women are separated, but the similarities sharpen the differences [Mitch is a broken man, Stella is tone in her loyalties, and Blanche is removed to the sanatorium] and are a measure of what has evolved.

Some questions to consider: how has the playwright has chosen to structure his material? What patterns and repetitions do you find in the way it is put together? Is there a pattern to the opening an closing of a play [Nora happily enters the ‘doll’s house’ at the start and resolutely leaves at

the end] and what is suggested by this? Look at the different sections of your plays, whether acts or scenes – what is the focus of each of them? How is interest

maintained? What are the key points of, for example, crisis or revelation, and how are these brought about?

You need to distinguish between the play’s story [what happens] and its action or plot [the way it is presented and developed – the deliberate juxtaposition of scenes affects how the story is organised so as to bring out its meaning]. The playwright selects moments in the characters’ lives when the action begins and ends. He also selects events to be shown at a given time; they may be causally linked or acquire significance by being seen in sequence or in fragments. You need to examine the impact of the dramatic structure from the moment when ‘the curtain rises’, and consider the importance of even apparently trivial incidents. It is a good idea to make a plan of the action, considering what is interesting in the construction of the plat. What is significant about the way bits of the ‘story’ are revealed or introduced?

Plot is dominant and very intricate in some plays, but less so in others where psychological interest in characters may be more significant, as in A Streetcar Named Desire. However, there is a development of action in this play which can be separated from the ‘story: Williams makes a memorable play by choosing to begin it half way through Blanche’s ‘story’, which emerges in fragments at intervals through the dialogue, though not chronologically. The plot focuses on the struggles or lines of tension between the three central characters, especially Blanche and Stanley, and the ‘cause’ and ‘effect’ of their relationship. The gradual revelation of selected details of Blanche’s ‘story’ during the play, and the part these play in the action – he way they affect other characters is an important part of the dramatic interest.

The dramatic structure affects the play’s shape and rhythm, so you need to be alert to its shifts in pace, urgency and volume. Note the pauses; the longer and shorter patches of dialogue; the heightening and relaxation of tension…

Consider subplots and their relation to the main plot.

Consider thematic lines of tension – a conflict between present and past, between dream and reality ….

The action of many plays incorporates characters’ past history – consider how this is presented within the play’s structure. Ibsen uses the retrospective technique; Miller uses flashback daydreams and memories inside Willy Loman’s head …

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Note entrances and exits … A characters’ first appearance is always important, but note every time a character arrives on stage or leaves.

Dramatic irony – when the audience knows more than some of the characters on stage.

When you have finished reading the play, it is useful to draw a graph or diagram of the dramatic action, showing its peaks and climaxes. This allows you to get a feel for the shape of the drama as well as insights into the complications of the plot.

IB Drama Questions: the development of the action

1. ‘As the action of the play unfolds, dramatic tension is often produced by the contrast of concealment and revelation.’Compare at least two plays which you studied in the light if this statement.

2. ‘A dramatist commonly links the satisfying of the audience’s expectations with a defiance of them.’Evaluate the validity of this view by discussing both the subjects of the plays you have studied and the effect on the audience.

3. The performance of a play usually offers the audience some interval[s] or relief from dramatic tension. Compare and contrast plays you have studied by discussing the breaks that have been indicated in the action in each play [or the lack of them] and the dramatic effects achieved.

4. Compare and discuss how the action unfolds in two or three plays you have studied, paying attention to the sequence of particular scenes. How effective do you find the arrangements to be in each play as a whole?

5. It has been said of a dramatist that ‘he could not write a scene that was not dramatic’. Considering the plays you have studied, identify and compare the effect of some scenes that you believe to have the quality of being authentically ‘dramatic’.

6. A play is often a complex web of conflicting emotions. Compare the ways in which playwrights in our study have presented emotional conflicts so as to make an impact on the audience.

7. Scenes of recovery and reconciliation are often found towards the end of plays. Compare the ways in which dramatists approach either or both of these possibilities of concluding their plays.

8. A drama critic recently drew attention to the ‘threatening encounters’ as a powerful feature of a new play. Discuss encounters [threatening or otherwise] in plays you have studied and consider them as features of the drama created in each case.

9. Compare and contrast the endings of plays you have studied, saying in each case how the ending affects your response to the play as a whole.

10. Tightening and loosening tension is used by playwrights to, among other things, sustain the attention of the audience. By what means have playwrights in your study relieved the high tension of certain moments in their plays and with what effects?

11. Examine the ways in which dramatists in your study have used memorable opening and closing moments of their plays for theatrical effect, and consider what these moments contribute to your overall appreciation of the plays.

12. The audience is not inactive in the enterprise of drama but an important participant. Compare and contrast the part you think the audience has in plays you have studied, and what this contributes to the impact of the play.

13. Compare and contrast the opening scenes of two or three plays you have studied to bring out some of the dramatic effects sought for and achieved.

14. A playwright has refused to divide his plays into acts ‘because the capacity for illusion is disturbed by intervals’.How have playwrights you have studied made effective use either of division into acts and scenes or the construction of a single and unbroken dramatic spectacle?

15. ‘The essential purpose of a production is to bring out the argument.’How far does your study of the various aspects of chosen plays lead you to agree with this statement?

16. ‘The dramatist is bound by plot ... because the first response an audience in the theatre makes to a play is to the events of the plot.’How far would you agree that plot is more important than other elements, such as characterization and staging, in the process of effectively presenting a play to an audience?

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17. In every play there are significant lines or scenes. Show how several of these moments stand out from all the rest and contribute importantly to some essential aspect of the play.

18. Compare the presentation and functions of the openings of two or three plays you have studied.

19. Compare the means by which atmosphere is created in two or three plays you have studied. In each case, discuss how the atmosphere presented contributes to your appreciation and understanding of the play as a whole.

20. Compare and contrast how dramatists create and use suspense in the development of two or three plays that you have studied.

21. ‘Some plays are either serious or light-hearted; others include both elements’. Consider some of the ways in which either or both sorts of element are presented in two or three plays you have studied and discuss their importance for the understanding of the plays as a whole.

22. ‘The readers of the page can go at their own pace or re-read the text. The members of an audience must surrender to the stage and this encounter with Time goes to the heart of the experience.’Consider the importance and effects of encounters with Time in your experience of chosen plays.

23. ‘In dramatic construction there must be variations of pace and rhythm, monotony of any kind being certain to induce boredom’. Comparing at least two plays you have studied in the light of this statement, show how variations of pace and rhythm have been used to attract or heighten the interest of the audience.

24 Comparing the opening scenes of at least two plays. Discuss what audience expectations are aroused and how.

25. Consider the ways in which scene changes may highlight the development of characters and their relationships in two or three plays you have studied

26. A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. With reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have used this technique.

Time and setting

1. ‘The theatre brings into the open important issues of the time.’How have dramatists presented ‘important issues’ in plays you have studied?

2. ‘Time and place are the basic elements of a play.’In what ways does your study of two or three plays lead you to support [or modify] this generalization?

3. A recent review of a new play said ‘it appears to be set in the mind of the characters’.This is a useful reminder that the ‘setting’ of a play is not a simple part of the drama. Compare and contrast the ‘settings’ of plays you have studied to explore some of the different uses dramatists have made of them.

4. In order for play production to be available to many different kind of theatre troupes, playwrights have often enlisted characters to help fill out the stage set. In what ways have playwrights in your study used speeches of characters to embellish or provide detail to the place[s] in which they are acting out their roles.

5. Compare the dramatic effectiveness of the relationship between setting and plot in two or three plays you have studied.

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6. Setting can often reflect the underlying ideas in a play. In the light is this statement, consider the importance and use of setting in two or three plays you have studied.

Revision: Language

The dramatist’s language serves to bring the play’s action and characters to life and convey a sense of the world they inhabit. Ibsen was concerned to show accurate representations of human behaviour and this inevitably includes using normal human language and features of ‘real’ oral communication such as repetition, incomplete sentences and interruptions by another speaker to create the illusion of natural conversation.

However, despite the illusion of being natural, all stage dialogue is highly selective and artificial: the dramatist has selected his words, his conversations, his monologues, for a particular purpose – the language of the play advances its action. Even the most apparently trite remark has a purpose in the total drama and, compared with two hours’ of real life conversation, the language of the play achieves considerably more in terms of dramatic interest, shaping events and mounting tension.

Much of the important differentiation between characters is achieved through language, so studying a play inevitably involves a close examination of the style, form and content of the language, and the linguistic qualities, speech patterns or characteristics of different characters. Each character has his or her own distinctive ‘voice’, and you should be looking for clues about educational and class background, moral codes, skill in communication or limitations, level of confidence and self-esteem, ambitions and aspirations, contradictions and inconsistencies, a tendency to use particular phrases, hyperbole and other rhetorical devices, simple or complex sentences, questions, imperatives and so on. Consider the length of a character’s speeches, the punctuation and rhythms – are there pauses and hesitations? long, rounded sentences or short staccato phrases or unfinished sentences? Their language might be formal and sophisticated; dialect or idiomatic language; colloquial everyday speech; clichéd language; jargon; the language of popular culture; poetic/ artificial/ stylised/ grandiose language; jokes; rudeness, flattery, lies, persuasion, diplomacy, monologue …

Always consider why a particular type of language is used and the dramatic effects which are created. Stanley’s sentences are short, colloquial and characterised by diction drawn from card-playing and bets. This is not merely realistic, the kind of language such a man would use. It reveals his outlook on life: aggressive, individualistic and competitive. Blanche’s language fits with her elevated Southern background and her former profession as an English teacher, with references to Edgar Allen Poe and other writers, and to artists such as Della Robbia. To that extent, it is ‘naturalistic’. However, she also uses language symbolically, referring to the ‘searchlight’ that was switched off her world when her husband died, or candles glowing on a baby’s life. This emphasises her emotional depth and the sense of tragedy in her life.

Note the purpose for which language is being used – is it used to verbalise thoughts? Or does it conceal characters’ thoughts? Consider what is not said. Because there is a possibility of a discrepancy between a character’s stated ideas and his or her true intentions, actors often describe the words of the play as the ‘text’ and the motives behind the words as the ‘subtext’. Do characters flatter, sulk, talk excessively, lie, behave charmingly or rudely to achieve their own ends? Do they speak in different ways to different characters, revealing aspects of a complex personality?

Note too how the words might be spoken – the tone of the speaker might be agitated, excited, mocking, pompous, lecturing, sarcastic, humorous ... Get into the habit of reading the play aloud and consider what you imagine to be its dramatic effect in the theatre.

Note any key speeches, who speaks them and to whom they are addressed. The gradual unfolding of the play’s ideas and action depends on key speeches. They embody key concepts and mark significant and identifiable moments in the play’s development. As you read, you should assemble a list of key speeches and ask of each one if it fulfils some or all of the following criteria:

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- It sums up or deals with some of the central ideas of the play.- It marks a turning point in the action so that you can trace events back to the moment of that speech.- It provokes particularly strong emotions in other characters and the audience – laughter, pity, surprise …- It reveals important aspects of a character’s attitudes, values or motives.- It identifies the protagonist’s predicament.

Note which characters do the most speaking and what they do while they are speaking. Note as well the silences when an actor is on stage but not speaking for a length of time – he or she has to carry on acting in role all the time. It is part of your imaginative reconstruction of the play in performance to consider how characters are using periods of personal silence.

Be alert to symbolic meanings of language and irony – language often works on two levels.

Revision: Non verbal devices

In any drama text, we can distinguish between the ‘primary text’ and the ‘secondary text’. The primary text is everything that is verbalised in a performance [the dialogue]; the secondary text is verbalised only in the drama text – stage directions, acting directions, divisional markers [scenes], cue designations etc. All of the following aspects, signs and symbols – unspoken information - contribute to the mood, action and characterisation of the play, and thus its meaning.

The physical and kinesic details of the stage set convey the play’s theme and purpose. [Kinesic devices refer to music and lighting.] Some questions to ask:

What type of stage? – Proscenium arch [the audience watch the action as though through a ‘fourth’ wall]; in the round? How does the design of the stage set and the scenery create an environment for the action? What visual statement does it

make about the playwright’s purpose? What about the stage space? Does it need multiple levels? For example, Death of a Salesman needs levels with cut-away

walls, and montage effects as scenes drift from present into the past What does lighting contribute to the overall effects of the drama? Consider the use of music, song, dance, mime or silent continuous action … Diegetic music is music that is part of the play’s

situation [for example, the tarantella in A Doll’s House] What other sound effects are employed in the play and to what effects?

Visual symbolism Literal props have a naturalistic purpose but they usually make some sort of symbolic contribution to the dramatist’s purpose

[for example, Howard Wagner’s tape-recorder, Nora’s macaroons, Stanley’s blood-stained package of meat] John Northam uses the term ‘illustrative action’ to describe the actions which accompany a character’s words on a symbolic

level [for example, the words of Nora and Dr Rank as she lights his cigar in A Doll’s House] Costume – and change of costume – can also be a symbolic visual statement.

Stage directions are an integral part of the fabric and structure of the play. What do they convey about the dramatist’s intentions about stage set, character, action and themes?

Dramatic spectacle What are the key moments of dramatic spectacle?

IB Drama Questions: Language v stage spectacle

1. It has been said of a dramatist that ‘he could not write a scene that was not dramatic’. Considering the plays you have studied, identify and compare the effect of some scenes that you believe to have the quality of being authentically ‘dramatic’.

2. Consider how dramatists make characters speak in plays you have studied, and say how the language and tone of these dialogues, conversations of monologues contribute to each play as a whole.

3. The audience’s response to characters in drama is due, in part, to the relationships of these characters with others in the play. Compare the ways in which dramatists in your study use such interactions to present full and complex character portrayals to enhance the theatrical experience.

4. The words of a play have been called ‘a violent, sly, anguished or mocking smokescreen for what we do not hear’. In what ways have playwrights in your study used words to cover or suppress significant aspects of their plays and/ or how far have words served to highlight the central business of a given drama?

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5. In a theatrical production, says one dramatist, there must be ‘poetry for the senses’ eg through gesture, lighting, set and music, just as there is poetry which arises from the dialogue. In what ways have the plays in your study provided a complimentary mix of these two kinds of ‘poetry’, and to what effect?

6. One dramatist has maintained that theater ought to pursue a re-examination not only of aspects of an objective external world, but also aspects of the inner worlds of human existence. What choices have been made in the plays you have studied to pursue one or the other, or both, of these aspects, and what theatrical techniques have been used to carry out this choice?

7. Because a play is not simply words on a page, actions and gestures play a significant part in engaging the audience. Considering the plays you have studied, compare and evaluate the role of action and gesture in enhancing the central thrust of the play.

8. The difference in a play between what is being said and what is being done can provide one focus of interest for the audience. In plays you have studied, by what means and to what effect have dramatists made good use of such differences?

9. ‘The theatre is the embodied word.’ By what theatrical means, and with what effects, have the language, words and ideas been emphasized in the plays you have studied?

10. ‘The dramatist is bound by plot ... because the first response an audience in the theatre makes to a play is to the events of the plot.’ How far would you agree that plot is more important than other elements, such as characterization and staging, in the process of effectively presenting a play to an audience?

11. In every play there are significant lines or scenes. Show how several of these moments stand out from all the rest and contribute importantly to some essential aspect of the play.

12. ‘The mysteries of life may be viewed from a number of perspectives and throughout history certain dominant form or types of drama have established themselves as ways that the theatre has given expression to them.’How do plays you have studied give expression to particular aspects of life or different perspectives on the same human experience?

13. What aspects of your chosen playwrights’ stage presentation have you found to be most skilful and most effective – and effective in what ways?

14. Compare the work of playwrights either from the same age or from different ages, bringing out some of the main similarities and differences in their plays.

15. One dramatist has called the words ‘only the outer skin of the lay’. Are there other aspects of the plays that emerge as far more significant to dramatic effect than the words, or is it the verbal aspect of the play that has most moved you and that you best remember? Discuss in relation to two or three plays you have studied.

16. ‘Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech’. How far do you agree with this claim? In your answer, you should refer to two or three plays you have studied.

17.Compare and contrast the role of symbolism in two or three plays you have studied.

18. ‘Long after the words are forgotten, the spectacle of the drama is remembered.’ Compare two or three plays you have studied in the light of this quotation.

19. Compare the means by which atmosphere is created in two or three plays you have studied. In each case, discuss how the atmosphere presented contributes to your appreciation and understanding of the play as a whole.

20. Some dramatists make more significant use of physical elements such as stage scenery than do others. Discuss the extent to which the use of such features and their impact on meaning in two or three plays that you have studied.

Choosing the Best Essay QuestionYou have a choice of three questions in the Drama section of the examination paper. You must answer one of them. Choose the best question for two plays from each box.

Drama1. Discuss the use and effects of conflict or confrontation in two plays you have studied.

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2. Compare and contrast the endings of two plays you have studied, saying in each case how the ending affects your response to the play as a whole.

3. Plays which succeed with audiences must communicate some aspects of the thoughts and motivations of characters. How far and by what means have dramatists in your study conveyed the interior lives of their characters?

Drama1. Compare and discuss how the action unfolds in two plays you have studied, paying attention to the sequence of particular scenes. How effective is the arrangements in each play as a whole?

2. Using two plays you have studied, compare the presentation of two or three characters [eg introduction, dramatic interactions with other characters], saying in each case how the presentation furthers the dramatists’ purposes, and how it rewards your study.

3. Human illusions have always been a powerful subject of plays, both tragic and comic. In what ways have two plays considered this aspect of human behaviour and with what effects?

Drama1. Consider how dramatists make characters speak in two plays, and say how the language and tone of these dialogues, conversations of monologues contribute to each play as a whole.

2. ‘As the action of the play unfolds, dramatic tension is often produced by the contrast of concealment and revelation.’ Compare at least two plays which you studied in the light if this statement.

3. How far and in what ways do plays you have studied support the idea that communication between human beings is difficult or perhaps impossible?

Drama1. Compare and contrast the opening scenes of two plays you have studied to bring out some of the dramatic effects sought for and achieved.

2. How have plays you have studied presented ‘what happens inside a human being’ in dramatic terms?

3. One playwright refused to divide his plays into acts ‘because the capacity for illusion is disturbed by intervals’. How have playwrights you have studied made effective use either of division into acts and scenes or the construction of a single and unbroken dramatic spectacle?

Drama1. In every play there are significant lines or scenes. Show how several of these moments stand out from all the rest and contribute importantly to some essential aspect of the play.

2. ‘A play stands or falls on the dramatist’s ability to create believable characters.’How far have you found this statement to be true in the plays you have studied?

3. Compare the presentation and functions of the openings of two plays you have studied.

Drama1. Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech’. How far do you agree with this claim? In your answer, you should refer to two or three plays you have studied.

2. Explore the ways in which dramatists have made use of monologues and/or soliloquies in at least two plays you have studied.

3. Compare and contrast the role of symbolism in two or three plays you have studied.

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2

Standard Level Assessment Criteria

A: Knowledge and understanding• How much knowledge and understanding has the student shown of the part 3 works studied in relation to the question answered?

B: Response to the question• How well has the student understood the specific demands of the question?• To what extent has the student responded to these demands?• How well have the works been compared and contrasted in relation to the demands of the question?

C: Appreciation of the literary conventions of the genre• To what extent does the student identify and appreciate the use of literary conventions in relation to the question and the works used?

D: Organization and development How well organized,

coherent and developed is the presentation of ideas?

E: Language• How clear, varied and accurate is the language?• How appropriate is the choice of register, style and terminology? (“Register” refers, in this context, to the student’s use of elements such as vocabulary, tone, sentence structure and terminology appropriate to the task.)

0The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

1

There is little knowledge and no understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Shows virtually no awareness of the main implications of the question, and ideas are mostly irrelevant or insignificant. There is no meaningful comparison of the works used in relation to the question.

Virtually no literary conventions are identified, and there is no development relevant to the question and/or the works used.

Ideas have virtually no organization or structure, and coherence and/or development are lacking.

Language is rarely clear and appropriate; there are many errors in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction, and little sense of register and style.

2

There is some knowledge but little understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Shows limited awareness of the main implications of the question, and ideas are sometimes irrelevant or insignificant. There is little meaningful comparison of the works used in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are sometimes correctly identified, but there is little development relevant to the question and the works used.

Ideas have some organization and structure, but there is very little coherence and/or development.

Language is sometimes clear and carefully chosen; grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction are fairly accurate, although errors and inconsistencies are apparent; the register and style are to some extent appropriate to the task.

3

There is adequate knowledge and some understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to most of the main implications of the question, with relevant ideas. A comparison is made of the works used in relation to the question, but it may be superficial.

Examples of literary conventions are mostly correctly identified, and there is some development relevant to the question and the works used.

Ideas are adequately organized, with a suitable structure and some attention paid to coherence and development.

Language is clear and carefully chosen, with an adequate degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction despite some lapses; register and style are mostly appropriate to the task.

4

There is good knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to the main implications of the question, with consistently relevant ideas. An appropriate comparison is made of the works used in relation to the question

Examples of literary conventions are clearly identified and effectively developed, with relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas are well organized, with a good structure, coherence and development.

Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are consistently appropriate to the task.

5

There is very good knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to the main implications and some subtleties of the question, with relevant and carefully explored ideas. An effective comparison is made of the works used in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are clearly identified and effectively developed, with clear relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas are effectively organized, with a very good structure, coherence and development.

Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.

TOTAL 23-25 21-22 19-20 17-18 15-16 14 13 12 11 10 9 0-8

IB LEVEL 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2,1

Higher Level Assessment Criteria: Paper 2

A: Knowledge and understandingHow much knowledge and understanding has the student shown of the part 3 works studied in relation to the question answered?

B: Response to the questionHow well has the student understood the specific demands of the question?To what extent has the student responded to these demands? How well have the works been compared and contrasted in relation to the demands of the question?

C: Appreciation of the literary conventions of the genreTo what extent does the student identify and appreciate the use of literary conventions in relation to the question and the works used?

D: Organization and development How well organized, coherent and developed is the presentation of ideas?

E: LanguageHow clear, varied and accurate is the language?How appropriate is the choice of register, style and terminology? (“Register” refers, in this context, to the student’s use of elements such as vocabulary, tone, sentence structure and terminology appropriate to the task.)

0The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.

1

There is some knowledge but virtually no understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Shows little awareness of the main implications of the question, and ideas are mainly irrelevant and/or insignificant. There is little meaningful comparison of the works used in relation to the question.

Some literary conventions are identified but there is limited development relevant to the question and/or the works used.

Ideas have little organization; there may be a superficial structure, but coherence and/or development are lacking.

Language is rarely clear and appropriate; there are many errors in grammar, vocabularyand sentence construction, and little sense of register and style.

2

There is mostly adequate knowledge and some superficial understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to some of the main implications of the question with some relevant ideas. There is a superficial attempt to compare the works used in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are sometimes correctly identified and developed, with some relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas have some organization, with a recognizable structure, but coherence and development are often lacking.

Language is sometimes clear and carefully chosen; grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction are fairly accurate, although errors and inconsistencies are apparent; the register and style are to some extent appropriate to the task.

3

There is adequate knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to thequestion answered.

Responds to most of the main implications of the question with consistently relevant ideas. There is adequate comparison of the works used in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are satisfactorily identified and developed, with relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas are adequately organized, with a suitable structure and attention paid to coherence and development.

Language is clear and carefully chosen, with an adequate degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction despite some lapses; register and style are mostly appropriate to the task.

4

There is good knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to the main implications and some subtleties of the question, with relevant and carefully explored ideas. The comparison makes some evaluation of the works used in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are clearly identified and effectively developed, with relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas are effectively organized, with a very good structure, coherence and development.

Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are consistently appropriate to the task.

5

There is perceptive knowledge and understanding of the part 3 works in relation to the question answered.

Responds to all the implications, as well as the subtleties of the question, with convincing and thoughtful ideas. The comparison includes an effective evaluation of the works in relation to the question.

Examples of literary conventions are perceptively identified and persuasively developed, with clear relevance to the question and the works used.

Ideas are persuasively organized, with excellent structure, coherence and development.

Language is very clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.

TOTAL 23-25 21-22 19-20 17-18 15-16 14 13 12 11 10 9 0-8

IB LEVEL 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2,1

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