New Specification: English 4700

Moderators’ Standardising and Exemplification Materials

Writing 3b

The three exemplars of controlled assessment writing are each drawn from one category in the Task Banks. The

commentaries will indicate features of the assignments and the band and mark awarded.

Candidate 1 has chosen to write a creative piece based on a scene from a film. It is not necessary to name the film

as the scene is intended to provide a stimulus for writing. Hence teachers are free to use the same film for all

candidates or allow candidates to choose their own film. The only guidance in the Task Bank is the instruction,

“try to capture the same atmosphere as the original”. The outcome can be a narrative or a passage of description.

The assignment by candidate 2 has been chosen from ‘Prompts and Re-creations’ and is a narrative which

concludes with the words, “The door slammed shut, never to be opened again”. Although the final sentence is

given, the assignment could be a narrative or script.

The titles for Task Bank, ‘Me, Myself, I’ are self explanatory and require the candidate to not only relate but also

to reflect on the relationship with the person or the day or event that took place. The intention is that writing

should be from personal experience as this would be more authentic and convincing. The assignment of

candidate 3 reflects this.

Reading 3a

The assignments presented here represent examples of using the Task Bank questions as they stand and different

ways that teachers have contextualised the Task Bank for their candidates.

The assignment title for candidate 4, although seeming quite long and involved, does focus clearly on important

features. The key words are ‘language’ and ‘contrast’ while indicating that candidates should consider imagery,

pace and tone. Both ‘contrast’ and ‘tone’ are actually in the Task Bank question. Furthermore, there is an

expectation in the assignment title that candidates should examine ‘how Shakespeare’ as the writer achieves the

contrast and what ‘dramatic effect’ is achieved. Thus the twin points of Shakespeare as writer and text as drama

are encapsulated in the title. Candidates are also restricted to Act 1, scenes 4 & 5 and given that the time

allowance for Reading includes all three texts this would seem sensible.

Again in the assignment for candidate 5 which is based on the Task Bank concerned with family relationships, the

assignment title has been contextualised by considering the power of parents in Romeo and Juliet with the

emphasis on Shakespeare’s use of language. The use of ‘how’ invites analysis and actually stating ‘language’

emphasises the importance of exploring language in the assignment.

Candidate 6 and 7 both use Of Mice and Men as the text for exploring other cultures. In the case of candidate 6,

the Task Bank question has been focused on chapters 1 & 3 only, whereas the assignment for candidate 7

changes the focus of the question and requires an overview of the complete text.

The exploration of contrasting views of poets in WWI is the topic of the ELH assignment for candidate 8. Again,

the candidate is invited in the assignment title to consider the elements of ‘language’, ‘tone’, ‘imagery’ and

‘structure’ when writing about the poems.

Finally, it should be remembered that if a prose text is chosen for Exploring Other Cultures, then a poetry text

must be chosen for ELH and vice versa.

Candidate 1 Commentary

The notes include brief phrases which are prompts for the narrative. They are listed in sequential

order with some actual speech which will be included in the story. At the beginning of the narrative,

the candidate sets the scene. It is a dark night; the man’s heart beats loudly; it is completely silent.

There is a conscious attempt to create atmosphere and mystery and this is further enhanced by the

shouts and the echo.

Later in the narrative other details are used to better engage readers such as the rustling noise,

dropping the torch, and the strange leg that appears from the edge of the corn. Unfortunately there are

few indicators which suggest to the reader which genre is intended hence part of the fourth descriptor

is not met. The candidate has used one scene from the film but there is some sense of whole text

structure present here.

Sentences are generally secure if not particularly varied and there is evidence of common words spelt

accurately. There is an attempt to use a wider vocabulary and some evidence of accuracy in the

spelling of less familiar words such as anxious and confused.

AO3 (i/ii)

Band 2

Mark 5