24 October 2019, 3pm W422-23 EDB Kowloon Tong Centre

Dr. Neil DRAVE

Senior Manager (English)

Assessment Development Division

HKEAA

HKDSE 2019 Literature in English – Briefing

Rundown

• Welcome and introductions

• Overview of the 2019 exam

• Paper 1

• Paper 2

• SBA: review & 2020 arrangements

• Set texts 2022-24

Candidates’ performance

• 283 candidates sat (-22% cf. 2018)

• 3+ c.81% (+c.3% cf. 2018)

• 4+ 54% (=)

• 5+ c.19% (+c.3%)

• Comparable to 2018/17, with more top-performers

• Samples of 2019 performance posted on web early November

Questions • Aims

– coverage of important issues

– test what candidates know rather than trick them

– stimulate critical thinking rather than plot recall

– focus on how (technique) as well as what (effect/outcome)

– Film technique and language

• Allow for choice of texts to answer on

• Too much choice in Part II of Essay – SC proposes a reduction from 8 to 4/5/6

– OneCom > teacher survey

Marking scheme

• Aims – indicative only, not model answers

– give markers a sense of the range of answers that might be expected

– quantitative (marks) and qualitative

– appropriate literary terms are included but may not be required to score well

– intended to be used with training and feedback from CE, not a guide to teaching

Mark penalties for incomplete coverage

Genres NOT covered (2018 figure in brackets)

Genre Novel Play Film Stories TOTAL

No. cases 3 6 3 2 14 (27)

Candidates with 1 genre missing

10 (12)

2 genres missing

2(2)

3 genres missing

0 (1)

Blank all/Pt2 0 (2/3)

Paper 1 Essay Popularity [nq/N] & (Mean raw score /66)

Part 1 Novel MB / GG

Play T / C

Q1 Q2

Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8

Pop. (%) Mean

5 (--)

30 (38)

13 (31)

25 (33)

51 (34)

15 (35)

8 (--)

4 (--)

Film PV / LP

Short Stories

Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14

Pop. (%) Mean

5 (--)

28 (33)

8 (--)

1 (--)

3 (--)

4 (--)

Paper 1 Essay Popularity & (Mean raw score)

Part II

Q15 Q16

Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Q21 Q22

Pop. (%) Mean

14 (29)

3 (--)

2 (--)

28 (27)

30 (34)

17 (32)

2 (--)

3 (--)

Paper 1 Strengths

• A good number of competent scripts

• Outstanding responses show sophisticated engagement with texts

• Fewer unnecessarily long and rambling answers

Areas for Improvement

• More cases of very brief or blank answers

• The ‘chronological’ approach to answering a question

• Understanding what the question asks

• Examining the implications of ‘treatment’ questions (Qs 18 and 22)

Question 2

• Generally well-answered

• Strong answers offered sound definitions of ‘courageous’ or ‘courage’

showed how courageous the characters are, with textual evidence

• Weaker answers were unbalanced

relied on narration

Question 4 (1)

• Candidates had plenty to say about Gatsby

• They showed what makes Gatsby likeable or unlikeable, with evidence

Question 4 (2)

• Some answers mistook: Likeable to mean good, or

Unlikeable to mean bad

• Distinctions need to be made, e.g: Flaws may add to the character’s tragedy and therefore

make him/her likeable

Question 5

Strong responses: • explored the characters’ relationship from a variety of angles, e.g.

characterisation

actions

speeches

dialogue

use of language

Weak responses: were flawed by inadequate reference to the text.

Question 10

Strong responses: • showed good understanding of ‘tragedy’

• argued convincingly whether the film can be classified as tragedy

Weaker responses: • focused on characters’ redemption

• glossed over the extent of suffering in the film

Question 18 (1)

• Few strong answers

• Weaker responses:

adopted a literal approach (e.g. causes of characters’ death and the form it takes)

Question 18 (2)

• More informed answers: considered how death contributes to theme and

characterisation

• Question offers scope for a variety of approaches, e.g. physical death vs spiritual death

death as a symbol/metaphor

death as a plot device

Question 19 (1)

• Generally well-handled

• Strong answers clearly showed: the character’s conflicting viewpoints

how or why they clash

how the clash is presented

Question 19 (2)

• Weaker responses: focused on the clash between characters

gave reasons why it occurs rather than discussing their conflicting viewpoints

Paper 2 Appreciation Popularity & (Mean raw score)

A Q1 T

Max 40

Q2 C

Q3 GG

Q4 KM

Max 40

B Q5 SP

Max 48

Q6 SP

Max 48

C Q7 UP

Max 32

Q8 UP

Max 32

Pop. (%)

Mean

53

(22)

9

(--)

8

(--)

30

(26)

27

(25)

70

(25)

75

(18)

22

(15)

Section A: Critical Analysis (Q1 – 4) Quite full responses Sound knowledge of texts Close analysis task → needs improved approach to typical question types: How are How does In what ways Why are Comment on Discuss

Asked to analyse the WRITER’s craft X Candidates tend to retell the situation/ action of the extract (Petruchio says….and then Grumio shouts…) X Redundant quotations X Poor awareness of performance texts (importance of stage directions, stage movement, blocking)

Section B: Set Poetry (Q5 & 6)

Improved approach to making connections between technique and effect

e.g. How does Stevens use repetition?

Comment on the use of rhyme and rhythm

Fewer responses identifying techniques divorced from meaning or context

Sharper focus on key area of questions e.g. Explain the significance of lines 70-75 How is place treated differently in the poems?

Cross-text analysis 5(i) and 6(i) • Candidates can identify points specific to each

poem but tend to discuss them individually, rather than constructing a cohesive answer covering shared connections or aspects of contrast

• Candidates who identified explicit differences in 5(i) and similarities in 6(i) were duly rewarded

Misuse of literary terms • Dictions • Imageries • Personifications • Irregular verse (free verse? Blank verse? Prose?) Misunderstanding • Anaphora • Metonymy • Soliloquy • Volta • Cacophony

Section C: Unseen Poem (Q7 & 8)

The Calvin Klein T shirt (i) Too many full-length summaries of the entire poem (ii) Asked to identify the speaker’s “range of feelings” but

most candidates used a limited number of relevant adjectives, merely referring to the obvious “sad”

Rat, O Rat (ii) + (iii) Very superficial understanding (or in some cases misunderstanding) of “form” and “tone”

SBA

• Analytical essays on films were the most popular

• Creative writing getting more popular (about a third of sample submissions)

• Film reviews and book reviews least popular

• Choice of portfolios

• Should display a variety of genres

• Students from the same school should be encouraged to diversify their topics

• Students from the same school should avoid using a similar title

• Teachers are advised to adhere to the syllabus and the marking criteria when supervising students

What is a good SBA portfolio?

• A well-defined and focused topic or thesis that provides a framework for discussion

• Avoid using a noun phrase e.g. differences in gender, patriarchal influence etc. as the title

• Common topic: e.g. exploring racism in a text

• Key terms need to be defined to contextualise the discussion

• Analytical essays should

– display critical discussion of the topic from different angles or perspectives

– demonstrate critical understanding of the texts and applications of literary terms on the texts

– display critical and relevant use of textual materials or filmic/narrative techniques to substantiate the central argument

• A balance between research and original insights

• Widen the scope of research from authentic and reliable sources other than that of online dictionary, Wikipedia, online film reviews or online essays

• Well-referenced with proper use of footnotes for any quoted materials

• Purposeful rather than decorative use of pictures or screen shots to illustrate ideas

• Coherent organisation rather than writing in sections or headings with no connection between them

• Discussion of individual shots should be relevant and contextualised

Technicalities

• Paragraphing – avoid long and wordy paragraphs

• Grammatical and spelling mistakes

• Quantity of screen shots and pictures

• Sources of references and secondary materials

• Creative short stories with plausible and convincing development of plot and characters

• Avoid stories that are merely narrative account of events

• Stories should be shown rather than told

• Writing style or dialogues should go with the genre or themes of the stories

• Effective use of the different elements of story like setting, symbolism, use of suspense, dialogues etc.

• Stories that come to a convincing ending

SBA

• 2019 SBA

– Efficiency of process

– Reliability of marking

• 2019-2022 SBA Handbooks on web http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/sba/sub_info_sba/dse_subject.html?17&2

SBA 2019 Key dates • Sept 2019 – (annual) letter to schools explaining process & giving links • Nov/early Dec 2019 –S/DC details sent out • TBC – teacher ‘conference’ (give us email if interested) • December 2019

– Schools’ internal marking and moderation – Consult your DC if necessary – Review & mark your students’ work (see Ch 2 of HB for MG)

• End January 2020 – Schools submit 6 samples of SBA work and school’s marks online (h-m-l) – Plagiarism detection software (Save as PDF in Word, do not scan)

• March 2020 – SBA work marked by S/DCs/Assessors – Scores of schools adjusted if necessary but school’s rank order is maintained

• 2020 Examination (9 April) – Paper 1 Essay (50%, 3 hours)

• Double marked • MS mark bands aligned with SBA

– Paper 2 Appreciation (30% 2 hours) • Double marked • A – 2 sub-questions

– SBA (20%) see below

• 2020 Texts - replacements – Veil, Pi Vertigo, Remains – Everything, Lottery Memory, American

Society – Frost William Carlos

Williams

• Assessment Frameworks

– 2022 on web http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/hkdse/assessment/subject_information/category_a_subjects/hkdse_subj.html?A2&2&17_1

– 2022-2024 confirmed

2020 Paper

Set texts 2022, 2023, 2024

Test

year

Teac

h

from

Sept

…

Number of years on syllabus

HL = new

Replace 2 stories per year

(from same volume)

Replace 1 poet per year (3 poems)

Novel Play Film Stories Poets

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5

2022 20

19

Great

Gatsby

4

Rebecc

a

1

Taming

of the

Shrew 5

Educati

ng Rita

2

The

Remain

s of the

Day

3

Vertigo 3 Rip van

Winkle

4 – final

year

Araby 4

– final

year

Memory

3

In the

Americ

an

Society

3

How to

Become

a

Writer

2

Temp

orary

Matte

r 2

Tim

O’Brien

The

Things

They

Carried

1

James

Thurber

The

Secret

Life of

Walter

Mitty

1

Stevens 4 WC

Williams 3

Blake 2

Thomas 5 Hardy 1

Afterwar

ds/Bags

of meat/

Weather

s

2023 20

20

Great

Gatsby

5

Rebecc

a

2

Taming

of the

Shrew 6

– final

year

Educati

ng Rita

3

The

Remain

s of the

Day

4

Vertigo 4 Anita

Desai

Games

at

Twilight

1

Ray

Bradbur

y

The

Veldt

1

Memory

4 – final

year

In the

Americ

an

Society

4 – final

year

How to

Become

a

Writer

3

Temp

orary

Matte

r 3

Tim

O’Brien

The

Things

They

Carried

2

James

Thurber

The

Secret

Life of

Walter

Mitty

2

Stevens 5

WC

Williams 4

Blake 3

EE

Cummings 1

Buffalo

Bill’s/Maggi

e and millie

and mollie

and

may/nobod

y loses all

the time

Hardy 2

2024 20

21

Great

Gatsby

6 –

final

year

Rebecc

a

3

Mercha

nt of

Venice1

Educati

ng Rita

4

The

Remain

s of the

Day

5

Vertigo 5

(could

change

this year

instead)

Anita

Desai

Games

at

Twilight

2

Ray

Bradbur

y

The

Veldt

2

Roald

Dahl

Parson’s

Pleasure

1

Kate

Chopin

The

Story of

an Hour

1

How to

Become

a

Writer

4 – final

year

Temp

orary

Matte

r 4 –

final

year

Tim

O’Brien

The

Things

They

Carried

3

James

Thurber

The

Secret

Life of

Walter

Mitty

3

Emily

Dickinson

1

Like Rain it

sounded/T

here came

a

wind/Ther

e’s a

certain

Slant of

light

WC

Williams 4

Blake 4

EE

Cummings 2

Hardy 3

More information

• www.hkeaa.edu.hk

• ndrave@hkeaa.edu.hk