A Level

English Literature

Summer 2023 Feedback

Aims and Objectives

In this session you will listen to feedback and guidance from

senior examiners on the examination papers for A Level English
Literature this summer.

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Reflections on the Summer
2023 series
Common issues

• Limited engagement with AO2

• Reliance on pre-prepared answers
• Critical material overwhelming the literary texts
• Generalised references to context
• Timing

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AO2
‘Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts’

Level 2 – Gives surface readings of texts relating to how

meanings are shaped in texts. Shows general understanding by
commenting on straightforward elements of the writer’s craft.
Level 3 – Demonstrates knowledge of how meanings are shaped
in texts with consistent analysis. Shows clear understanding of
the writer’s craft.
Level 4 – Demonstrates discriminating understanding of how
meanings are shaped in texts. Analyses, in a controlled way, the
nuances and subtleties of the writer’s craft.
Level 5 – Exhibits a critical evaluation of the ways meanings are
shaped in texts. Displays a sophisticated understanding of the
writer’s craft.

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Level 3 on AO2

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Level 4 on AO2

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Avoid reliance on pre-learned material

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Critical discussion can be at the expense of
analysis of the texts themselves

‘Occasionally we saw responses that were rather too

caught up in critical debate around the play, so that
analysis of the text, and of the dramatist’s craft, was
forgotten.’

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Well-integrated AO5
...Shakespeare's presentation of the ‘noble’ Othello contrasts
greatly with Iago’s Machiavellian plots which are revealed in private
only. Iago states, ‘I must show but a sign and flag of love, which is
indeed but sign’, using military imagery of a ‘flag’ which
emblemizes his loyalty and devotion to Othello in public.
Shakespeare's use of soliloquies from the start of the play allows
for Iago to gain ‘a godlike sense of power’, as Honigman puts it,
and this makes the audience compliant in his duplicitous actions.
Iago’s ‘godlike’ power is magnified when we realise the link
between his public image and his personal relationships. When
Othello states in the ‘temptation’ scene, ‘for I know thou'rt full of
love and honesty, And weigh'st thy words before thou givest them
breath’, notably the abstract noun, ‘love’ parallels Iago's ‘flag of
love’ and his reputation for honesty juxtaposes its true nature –
merely a ‘sign’...
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Sweeping reference to context

‘In Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, many students

raised the ‘Great Chain of Being’ as a catch-all
contextual description of the thoughts and beliefs of
characters (and the audience of the period). But
while often cited, the phrase was rarely clarified as to
its significance in relation to the question being
answered or developed into a more nuanced
understanding of how this concept relates to the play
being discussed.’

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Well-integrated AO3

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Timing

Drama 9ET01:
• Bear in mind the marks available for each question (35 v 25)

Prose 9ET02:
• Use the 15 minutes wisely

Poetry 9ET03:
• Equal marks for each section, but use the 15 minutes for the
unseen poem

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Paper 1
Drama

Students study one Shakespeare play and one other drama

from either tragedy or comedy.

• Written examination, lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes.

• Open book
• Total of 60 marks available – 35 marks for Section A and 25
marks for Section B.
• Section A – Shakespeare: one essay question, incorporating
ideas from wider critical reading (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO5
assessed).
• Section B – Other Drama: one essay question (AO1, AO2,
AO3 assessed).

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9ET01 issues

• Analysis of critical material at the expense of the plays

themselves.
• Limited appreciation of the dramatist’s craft.
• Lack of awareness of the texts as plays to be performed.

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Letting AO5 swamp the play

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Advice on AO5

‘AO5 is a particular discriminator at the upper levels of the marking

grids. Incorporating others’ interpretations relies first on the
candidate having established their own reading of their literary text
to be able to position the interpretation of another reader, and
secondly on such interpretations being relevant to the primary texts.
Very often candidates who have read and fully absorbed a few,
high-quality examples of literary criticism and are confident to
develop, interrogate and challenge these readings of their literary
texts, supported with textual evidence, are likely to ‘explore’ or
‘illuminate’ their critical position as required for Levels 3 to 5, rather
than ‘support’.'

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Not letting AO5 take over
...Shakespeare arguably even more prominently depicts the grief of Ophelia
upon her father's death: ‘he is dead and gone’. Despite Gertrude 's depiction of
the accidental nature of her death, it is often argued that her drowning is a
consequence of the loss of her father figure upon which she ‘fell into the
weeping brook’. This death is often romanticised with Bachelard depicting it ‘a
beautiful immersion and submission into the female element’. As such,
Bachelard adheres to the classical significance of the four humours, granting
Ophelia’s death in line with female fluidity. Despite the common idealisation of
Ophelia’s grief, there is is an equally juxtaposing portrayal of her madness
stemming from such suffering as she hands out ‘sweet flowers’ of ‘fennel,
columbines... violets’ presenting conflation of innocent blossoming and morbid
contamination. A clearly key example of such grief was in Lincoln Inn Theatre
in 1720 when, Susan Mountford, a former actress, upon the loss of her lover
rushed to the theatre and interrupted the performance becoming ‘the real
Ophelia’. Consequently, Shakespeare poses the dire consequences of grief in
which such pain becomes unbearable...

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Weak on AO2

Examiners commented:
‘AO2 was often light or restricted to naming word classes with only
very general or sweeping exploration of the impact of that particular
language choice (‘the verb tupping...’ etc). Better answers ranged
more widely across a range of moments in the play and varieties of
prejudice, with some exploring the significance of more minor
characters (for example Emilia) to good effect. Here and elsewhere,
there were quite a few GCSE ‘evaluate’ style comments that
weren’t necessarily developed – ‘Shakespeare vividly presents...’
Where there was evidence of a meaningful plan, students tended to
write more convincing essays which were much more effective at
identifying and grappling with the specific demands of the question.’

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Successful engagement with AO2

...One of the ways in which Shakespeare presents love is through the impact of the
patriarchy, where women must be dominated by men. For instance, in the opening
scene Theseus reminds his betrothed, Hippolyta, in exposition to the audience, how
he ‘wooed her with his sword’ and ‘won’ her love through ‘injuries’. This violent
language, combined with a phallic image of the sword could be considered as, what
Lisa Hopkins refers to as, ‘one of the problematic ways in which marriage is generally
treated in Shakespearean comedies’. Nevertheless, even a contemporary audience
would struggle to identify with this overtly physical and sexual threat from Theseus to
his supposed love, which is why Shakespeare has decided to set his play in the
classical world of Athens, predating mediaeval concepts of chivalry, gallantry, courtly
love and ‘fin amour’. Moreover, another example of the patriarchal perception of love
can be found later on in Act 1 Scene 1 where Egeus, discussing his daughter,
Hermia, declares ‘She is mine and all my right of her I do estate upon Demitrius’.
Shakespeare's use of possessive adjectives and his semantic field of transactions –
‘right’; ‘estate’; ‘fortunes’; ‘ranked’ – accentuates the objectification of women and the
way in which they are crushed by the patriarchy...

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Don’t forget it’s drama

‘It is important to address the 'how...?' of the question. Only the best
responses looked beyond language and characterisation and
unfortunately structural aspects were often neglected. At this level,
candidates should be encouraged to go beyond the rather
mechanical word-level analysis that so often appears at GCSE –
certainly, they should avoid expressions such as 'the use of the
word...' and focus instead on how the dramatist creates meaning for
the audience through plot and structure, patterns of imagery and
symbolism, characterisation, conflict, staging considerations, setting,
dialogue and so on.’

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Don’t forget it’s drama

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Excellent sense of drama
...Williams instils a connection between light and the traumatic events.
Different lights of the stage and props are used to connect emotion and
remind the audience of a lingering trauma. In Scene 3, the poker night,
Williams adheres to expressionist features such as a ‘lurid brilliance’ and
vivid colour imagery. The poker night is a scene of action which Williams
may have intended as the complication of the play. Williams uses the
‘electric bulb’ and leaves the ‘bedroom relatively dim’ to concentrate on any
action that occurs in the kitchen. Williams uses stage directions to reiterate
Blanche’s subtle seeking for attention and manipulation of her sexuality as
she ‘stands in the light through the portiere’. Williams’ use of bifurcated
staging as the game ‘continued in undertones’ attracts focus to Blanche’s
intention of being in the light in front of Stanley's friends. It is Blanche’s
outward sexuality and desperation for attention that leads Stanley to ‘toss
the radio out of the window’. Williams therefore has created the perfect
staging for an audience to focus on the violence of the scene ...

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Linking stagecraft with context
...Williams draws upon plastic theatre to display the conflict that differing values brings,
staging Scene 3 with ‘raw colours of childhood’s spectrum’ that describes the lighting.
The men, who exist as manifestations of the industrial class, are embodied in ‘raw
colours’, an inversion of the fantastical ‘colours of butterfly wings’ as the ‘raw’ nature of
the staging paves the way for raw conflict to unfold, as it does in the poker scene. In
addition, Williams’ drawing upon naturalistic and expression methods adds to the sense
of conflicting values, with Blanche’s fantastical romanticism evident in the expressionistic
techniques of the diegetic Varsouvianna, and the ‘lurid natural reflections’ of the final
scene. The fact that these techniques coincide with the hyper-naturalistic setting of the
play, confined to the apartment, not only adds a universal nature to the play, but acts to
echo the intrinsic clash between the romanticised antebellum South and the empirical,
industrial America. Indeed, Blanche’s ’Belle Reve’ literally translates to ‘beautiful dream’
which exists in opposition to the ‘American Dream’ that the male characters pursue.
Williams’ play has often been regarded as a domestic tragedy, yet others have seen it as
a representation of the Southern Gothic genre. Perhaps this perceived conflict genre
additionally acts to portray effect of class differences, as even interpretations of the play
differ in their acknowledgement of the value in each class...

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Points for students to consider
1. Showcase a strong grasp of critics' ideas by seamlessly integrating them into your
analysis of the play and the question at hand, rather than merely naming or
quoting them.
2. Remember that critical insights should complement and enrich your arguments
rather than overshadowing them.
3. Maintain a critical perspective when exploring characterisation; always keep in
mind that characters are literary constructs and don’t be tempted to discuss them
as if they were real.
4. While contextual information is important, ensure it doesn't overpower your
analysis of the play itself. It needs to be relevant, specific, and be linked in detail
to the text.
5. Keep a sharp focus on the playwright's craftsmanship. Consider how language
and structure contribute to meaning without resorting to overly simplistic word-
level scrutiny, which can disrupt the flow of your argument. Remember it’s piece
of drama; always consider the impact on the audience and explore elements of
contemporary stagecraft (e.g. aside; soliloquy; entrances and exits; masque;
eavesdropping; plays within plays; prologue; epilogue; stylized speech patterns;
patterns of imagery; conflict; tone; atmosphere) and genre features of comedy
and tragedy.
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Paper 2
Prose

Students study two prose texts from a chosen theme; at least

one text must be pre-1900.

• Written examination, lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes.

• Open book
• Total of 40 marks available
• One comparative essay question on their studied theme
(AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 assessed).

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9ET02 issues

• Use of pre-prepared answers

• Superficial analysis of the novelists’ craft
• Irrelevant or under-developed references to context

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Shoe-horning

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Character-driven responses

In Tess of the Durbervilles, Hardy presents characters who help each

other through the form of Tess. Theresa being her full name refers to
St Teresa of Avila who was whos higher reality essentially ends her
life. Like Tess she is a martyr who doesn't agree with the life she has
been given. When the Durbeyfield family find out about their “poor
relations” to the Durbeville name, Tess says that she ought to go
because she had killed the horse”. The lexical phrase “poor relation”
suggests a derising look on their family & also identifies that the
working class background is looked upon with judgement. Conversely
the fact that Tess is willing to go elucidates her willingness to help her
family. Tess is stripped of her childhood & forced into womanhood
with a significantly poor education. She is symbolic of the treatment of
children in poverty at the time this was set and shows that her journey
or experience is larger than just the individual herself.

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In ‘Never Let Me Go’ the structure of the novel from the beginning
presents death as something inevitable or impending. From the first
chapter the use of ambiguous, euphemistic language such as
‘donors’ ‘drugs’ and ‘pain’ all creating vague imagery of a medical
procedure, significantly resulting in death through Kathy's ambiguity,
mentioning ‘by the time I finish’ - a possible allusion to her inevitable
fate. Similarly, from the beginning of ‘Frankenstein’ the theme of
death is introduced in the opening chapters with Victor's mother's
death explicitly described to the reader from ‘her sick bed’ to ‘her
death bed’, again like Ishiguru presenting death as this inevitability...

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In ‘Heart of Darkness’ Conrad uses the three main settings of the
Thames, the Congo river and the Congo Free State to allow for the
protagonists to go on journeys, physical and psychological. The use of
the rivers provides Marlow and Kurtz with a number of obstacles
which they learn from, emphasising ‘Heart of Darkness’ as a
picaresque novel - a tapestry of experiences. Similarly, in ‘The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, Huck and Jim journey down the
Mississippi River in order to escape the rules and reality of the Deep
South and to avoid civilization. The river provides Huck and Jim with
an escape and acts as an Arcadian sanctuary in which they are free to
go through a journey of self-development. However as they venture
down the river, they are exposed to threatening experience
emphasising the dichotomy between the shore and the water...

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Under-developed AO2

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Effective analysis of the writer’s craft

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Engagement with contexts

‘AO3 asks students to consider the contextual factors which

shape our understanding of the texts. Literary and critical contexts
were often used successfully, for example many students applied
feminist or Marxist readings when discussing different
interpretations of their novels. Many also wrote successfully about
genre contexts, considering how genre conventions were being
used, changed and adapted by the writers. Many students focus
rather too exclusively on generic statements about the social and
cultural conventions of a particular time period. While this is often
relevant in helping us to understand the world into which the text
was written, it can lead to an assumption of homogeneity which
does not truly reflect the views and ideas which informed the
authors.'

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Helpful use of context

...Victor’s desire to learn and become ‘capable of bestowing

animation on lifeless matter’ leads to meticulous craftsmanship,
stealing parts from ‘charnel houses’, with Shelley here alluding to the
contemporary fear of body snatching, with families of the dead paying
vast amounts of money to avoid their beloved reaching the same fate
as Victor's victims. As a result of this the monster is ugly and
‘wretched’. Appearances were considered important at the time with
John Lavanter’s theory of physiognomy pushing the idea that one's
inner soul could be indicated through one’s outward appearance. The
creature, upon realising that his ‘person was hideous’ is repeatedly
rejected by society and isolated. Referencing his being perceived as
less-than-human he despairs, ‘Even Satan had companions’. Thus, in
turn, the creature learns quite a depressing lesson about human
nature...
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Points for students to consider

1. Avoid trying to include pre-prepared material in their answers.

2. Answer the question directly and signal this in their introduction
and conclusion.
3. Focus on the writer and their intentions, rather than on
characters as autonomous or real people.
4. Plan their response to ensure they can make their overall ideas
clear from the start.
5. When writing about contexts, avoid generalisations about social
and cultural conventions of a particular time period. Try to give
specific details and think about how they have influenced the
text and writer.
6. When evaluating, consider the different possible meanings a
text, character, quote or idea can have. Keep an open mind
about alternative perspectives.

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Paper 3
Poetry

Students study poetic form, meaning and language, a selection of

post-2000 specified poetry and a specified range of poetry from
either a literary period or a named poet.

• Written examination, lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes.

• Open book
• Total of 60 marks available – 30 marks for Section A and 30 marks
for Section B
• Section A – Post-2000 Specified Poetry: one comparative essay
question on an unseen modern poem written post-2000 and one
named poem from the studied contemporary text (AO1, AO2, AO4
assessed).
• Section B – Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900: one essay
question (AO1, AO2, AO3 assessed).

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9ET03 issues

• Rubric infringement
• Not answering the question
• Overly generalised references to AO3
• Not moving beyond word level analysis
• Paraphrasing rather than analysing

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Rubric infringement

‘We did see a number of rubric infringements on Section B this

year, where candidates who study the Keats collection answered
this question instead, using a Keats poem not included in the
Romantics cluster and a handful of candidates compared the
Section B named poem with one from the Poems of the Decade
Anthology. Candidates are reminded that they must select a poem
from the prescribed list, and these are listed in the source booklet
with clear instructions above the title of the prescribed text’.

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Not answering the question

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Generalised AO3

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Move beyond simple word-level analysis

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Paraphrasing rather than analysing

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Points for students to consider

1. Don't overlook the significance of structure; carefully evaluate how it

contributes to the overall meaning.
2. Ensure that you've selected the appropriate poems for the respective
questions.
3. Keep in mind that AO3 context is not evaluated on Section A.
4. Use the unseen poem to illuminate specific themes and ideas in the
familiar anthology poem.
5. Ensure that your statements about meanings and implications are firmly
grounded in the text; steer clear of unsupported speculation.
6. On Section A, opt for an integrated comparative essay rather than
addressing one poem followed by the other. Your comparison should
encompass both similarities and differences.
7. When drawing on contextual information, make sure it contributes to your
textual analysis, avoiding generalized historical or biographical details of
limited relevance.

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Where to go for further support
Go to our qualification page:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-
levels/english-literature-2015.html
For all essential materials to support you in teaching and assessing your
students.

Go to our PD Academy page for our training and cpd events:

https://pdacademy.pearson.com/

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Subject Advisor contact details

Clare Haviland

• 0333 016 4120

• qualifications.pearson.com/contactus
• Email: teachingenglish@pearson.com
• Sign up to regular subject advisor updates
• Book an appointment with Clare

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