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Pre-Leaving Certiϐicate Examination, 2023

English – Higher Level – Paper 1

(Option B)
Total Marks: 200

Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

• This paper is divided into two sections,

Section I COMPREHENDING and Section II COMPOSING.
• The paper contains three texts on the general theme of DETERMINATION.
• Candidates should familiarise themselves with each of the texts before beginning
their answers.
• Both sections of this paper (COMPREHENDING and COMPOSING) must be
attempted.
• Each section carries 100 marks.

SECTION I – COMPREHENDING
• Two Questions, A and B, follow each text.
• Candidates must answer a Question A on one text and a Question B on a different
text. Candidates must answer only one Question A and only one Question B.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer a Question A and a Question B on the same text.

SECTION II – COMPOSING
Robert• Atkinson - Oatlands
Candidates College
must write on-one
60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net
of the compositions 1 – 7. -1
Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

SECTION I COMPREHENDING (100 marks)

TEXT 1 DETERMINATION TO SEIZE THE MOMENT

In this extract from The Caliph’s House, writer Tahir Shah describes moving with his family
from England to Morocco.

My reasons for wan ng to live in Morocco were

endless, and began a long me ago.

Throughout my childhood, my father, who was an

Afghan, had wanted to take us to his homeland.
But the na on’s enduring wars prevented us from
ever venturing to the lo y mountain strongholds
of Afghanistan. So, from the me we could walk,
my sisters and I were frequently bustled into the
family sta on-wagon, vinyl cases piled high on
the roof. Our father would drive us from the dull,
serene lanes of the English countryside, through
France and Spain, and up into Morocco’s High
Atlas Mountains.

For my father, it was a chance to reveal to

his children fragments of his own homeland. Morocco had brought colour to my sani zed
We found a tapestry of mountain passes and English childhood, which was more usually
steep-sided valleys, of deserts and oases, and cloaked in itchy grey flannel shirts and corduroy
Imperial fortress ci es, a culture bound by the shorts, acted out beneath an overcast sky. The
tribal codes of honour and respect. kingdom had always been a place of escape,
a place of astonishing intensity but, beyond
My earliest memories are of the great walled all else, a place with a soul. With a young
city of Fès. Cobbled lanes no wider than a family of my own, I regarded it as my duty, my
barrel’s length, dimly lit and bewitching, where responsibility, to pass on the same gi to my
street-side stalls sold anything you could ever children, a gi of colour. It would have been far
wish to buy. There were mountains of spices easier to have given in and not to have made
and fresh-cut herbs – saffron, aniseed, paprika, the great escape from the island’s shores. But
pickled lemons and mounds of gleaming olives; something deep inside me goaded me on: a
and small cedar boxes inset with camel bone, sense that by not seizing the moment I would
fragrant leather sandals and terraco a pots, regret it for the rest of my life.
rough Berber rugs, golden ka ans, amulets and
talismans. We searched Morocco for months, desperate
to find a house where my delusions of grandeur
But my favourite corner of the market was where could run wild. By chance we were taken to a
the black magicians would go to buy ingredients large merchant’s house on the northern edge
for their spells. The walls of those shops were of the old city of Fès. Six cavernous salons were
hung with cages. In them were live chameleons, clustered round a central courtyard, each one
cobras, salamanders and forlorn-looking eagles. adorned with mosaic friezes, the floors laid with
slabs of marble hewn from the Middle Atlas
RobertThere were -cabinets
Atkinson Oatlands too, made -from
College ba ered
60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net -1
Burma teak, their drawers brimming with dried Mountains. Around the courtyard, columns
whale skin, the hair of dead men and other such towered up to the sky and at its centre stood a
things, so my father said. fountain cra ed from the finest alabaster.

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

The man showing off the building was a kebab
seller with contacts. He said it had been empty
for just a few years. I balked at the remark. The
place was in desperate need of repair.
“In Morocco,” said the kebab seller with a smile,
“an empty house invites the wicked.”
‘You mean thieves?’
The man shook his head violently. “Not wicked
people,” he said, “wicked forces.”
At the me I had no idea what the agent meant.
Brushing his comment aside, I began at once
nego a ng for the house.
Unlike in the West, where a property is either
for sale or it is not, in Morocco it can be in the
twilight zone – possibly for sale, possibly not.
Before even ge ng to the price, you must first
coax the owners to sell. This coaxing phase is
an oriental feature, no doubt brought to the
region by the Arabs as they swept across north
Africa fourteen centuries ago. As you sit over
glasses of sweet mint tea, cajoling madly, the
vendors look you up and down, inspec ng the
cra smanship of your clothing and the s tching
of your shoes. The be er your quality of a re,
the higher the price is likely to be.

This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Ques on A and Ques on B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks

(i) From your reading of TEXT 1, how does the author convey his affec on for, and understanding
of, the people and places he describes? Support your answer with reference to the text. (15)

(ii) Tahir Shah says he had a sense that if he did not seize the moment, he would regret it for
the rest of his life. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree that we should seize
the moments that present themselves in our lives, even if that means taking a risk. (15)

(iii) Do you agree that elements of narra ve language are used effec vely to engage the reader
in the above passage? Give reasons for your answer, suppor ng your views with reference to
narra ve features in this text. (20)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks

Imagine that you have recently moved to a place of your choosing. Write an ar cle for a travel
website in which you give a vivid descrip on of the local area in which you now live, the reasons you
believe this place is unique, and the ways in which living in this place will improve your life.

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

TEXT 2 – DETERMINATION IN WRITING

In this edited extract from an interview, the author Neil Gaiman gives advice on persevering in
wri ng.

By now you’re probably ready to give up.

You’re past that first fine furious rapture
when every character and idea is new and
entertaining. You’re not yet at the momentous
downhill slide to the end, when words and
images tumble out of your head some mes
faster than you can get them down on
paper. You’re in the middle, a li le past the
half-way point. The glamour has faded, the
magic has gone, your back hurts from all
the typing, your family, friends and random
email acquaintances have gone from being
encouraging or at least accep ng to now
complaining that they never see you any
more—and that even when they do, you’re
preoccupied and no fun.

You don’t know why you started your novel; A dry-stone wall is a lovely thing when you see
you no longer remember why you imagined it bordering a field in the middle of nowhere
that anyone would want to read it, and you’re but becomes more impressive when you
pre y sure that even if you finish it, it won’t realise that it was built without mortar, that
have been worth the me or energy and every the builder needed to choose each interlocking
me you stop long enough to compare it to stone and fit it in. Wri ng is like building a
the thing that you had in your head when you wall. It’s a con nual search for the word that
began—a gli ering, brilliant, wonderful novel, will fit in the text, in your mind, in the page.
in which every word spits fire and burns, a Plot and character and metaphor and style,
book as good or be er than the best book you all these become secondary to the words. The
ever read—it falls so painfully short that you’re wall-builder erects her wall one rock at a me
pre y sure that it would be a mercy simply to un l she reaches the far end of the field. If she
delete the whole thing. doesn’t build it, it won’t be there. So she looks
down at her pile of rocks, picks the one that
Welcome to the club. looks like it will best suit her purpose, and puts
That’s how novels get wri en. it in.
You write. That’s the hard bit that nobody
sees. The search for the word gets no easier but
You write on the good days and you write on nobody else is going to write your novel for
the dreadful days. Like a shark, you have to you. For me, inspira on comes from a bunch
keep moving forward or you die. Wri ng may of places: despera on, deadlines… A lot of
or may not be your salva on; it might or might mes, ideas will turn up when you’re doing
not be your des ny. But that does not ma er. something else. And, most of all, ideas come
What ma ers right now are the words, one from confluence—they come from two things
a er another. Find the next word. Write it flowing together. They come, essen ally, from
Robertdown. daydreaming... And I suspect- that’s
Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net 1 something
every human being does. Writers tend to train
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. themselves to no ce when they’ve had an idea

4
Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

—it’s not that they have any more ideas or
get inspired more than anything else; we just
no ce when it happens a li le bit more.
The last novel I wrote (it was Anansi Boys, in
case you were wondering) when I got three-
quarters of the way through I called my agent.
I told her how stupid I felt wri ng something
no-one would ever want to read, how thin
the characters were, how pointless the plot. I
strongly suggested that I was ready to abandon
this book and write something else instead,
or perhaps I could abandon the book and take
up a new life as a landscape gardener, bank-
robber, short-order cook or marine biologist.
And instead of sympathising or agreeing with
me, or blas ng me forward with a wave of
enthusiasm—or even arguing with me—she
simply said, suspiciously cheerfully, “Oh, you’re
at that part of the book, are you?”
I was shocked.
“Oh yes,” she said. “You do this every me you
write a novel. But so do all my other clients.”
I didn’t even get to feel unique in my despair.
2
So I put down the phone and drove down to
the coffee house in which I was wri ng the
book, filled my pen and carried on wri ng.
That’s the only way that novels get wri en
and, short of elves coming in the night and
turning your jumbled notes into Chapter Nine,
it’s the only way to do it.
So keep on keeping on. Write another word
and then another.
Pre y soon you’ll be on the downward slide,
and it’s not impossible that soon you’ll be at
the end. Good luck…

This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Ques on A and Ques on B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks

(i) Outline what Neil Gaiman believes are the challenges and joys of the wri ng process. (15)

(ii) In this extract, Neil Gaiman observes that inspira on comes from a variety of places, o en
when we least expect it. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this
observa on. (15)

(iii) Do you agree that Neil Gaiman both engages and inspires his readers in this piece? Support
your answer with reference to both the content and style of the extract. (20)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks
Write the text of a short mo va onal talk you would deliver to your classmates in which you
stress the importance of seeing tasks through to the end, even when faced with seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. Your talk should include prac cal advice to help students overcome
their difficul es and give an example (or examples) of mes when perseverance has helped you or
someone else.

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

TEXT 3 – DETERMINATION IN TODAY’S WORLD

This edited extract is based on Oprah Winfrey’s keynote address at the University of Southern
California’s Anneberg School for Communica on and Journalism.

So today I come bearing some good news and

some bad news for anybody who intends to build
their career around an ability to communicate. I
want to get the bad news out of the way first, so
here it is. Everything around us, including and in
par cular the internet and social media, is now
being used to erode trust in our ins tu ons,
interfere in our elec ons and wreak havoc on
our infrastructure. It hands adver sers a map to
our deepest desires. It enables misinforma on
to run rampant, a en on spans to run short
and false stories from phony sites to run circles
around major news outlets. We have literally
walked into traffic while staring at our phones.

Now that I’ve presented some of the bad
news, the good news is that there really is a
solu on, and the solu on is each and every
one of you, because you will become the new
editorial gatekeepers, an ambi ous army of
truth-seekers who will arm yourselves with
the intelligence, with the insight and the facts
necessary to strike down deceit. You are in
a posi on to keep all of those who disparage
real news in check. Why? Because you can push
back and you can answer false narra ves with
real informa on and you can set the record
straight. And you can give a voice to those who
desperately need to tell their stories and have
their stories told.
mee ng hysteria with more hysteria and it’s
ge ng worse. What I’ve learned all these years
is that there is no point in ge ng locked into
or even resis ng this a tude. We’re supposed
to see this moment in me for what it is and
then transcend it. That is how you overcome
hysteria. That is how you overcome the sniping
at one another, the internet trolling, the mean-
spiritedness of poli cians on both sides, the
divisiveness, the injus ces and the out-and-out
hatred. You use it to embolden you and to push
you to rise above it. To borrow a phrase from
my beloved mentor Maya Angelou, ‘Just like
moons and like suns with the certainty of des,
just like the hopes springing high, you will rise’.

What I know for sure, because I’ve been doing So your job now, let me tell you, is to take
it for a long me, is that if you can capture the
everything you have learned in college and use
humanity of the people, of the stories that youit to challenge the le , the right and the centre.
are telling, you get that much closer to your When you see something, you say something,
own humanity. You can confront your bias, and you say it with facts to back it up. You make
build your credibility, hone your ins ncts and the choice every day to exemplify honesty
compound your compassion. What you are because the truth exonerates and it convicts.
really here to do is illuminate the darkness inThe truth always has been and always will be
our world. our shield against corrup on, our shield against
greed and despair. And in your lives, you must
RobertEverywhere
Atkinson - you turn nowadays,
Oatlands people -are
College - 60050E not only write, proclaim and- 1speak the truth,
robert.atkinson@oatlands.net
talking about how bad things are, how terrible but you must be it. Be the truth!
it all is. The problem is that everybody is

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

I don’t really have any inspira on or guidance to
offer you that your parents or teachers haven’t
already provided. I don’t have any new lessons,
but I think it’s worth learning the old ones again.
So here’s one: pick a problem, any problem,
and do something about it. The list is long:
climate change, systema c racism, economic
inequality, media bias, homelessness, to name
a few. But you can’t fix everything and you can’t
save every soul. What can you do? Well, the first
thing you can do is declare war on one of our
most dangerous enemies, and that is cynicism.
When that li le creature sinks its hooks into
you it’ll cloud your clarity, compromise your
integrity, lower your standards and choke your
empathy. And sooner or later, cynicism sha ers
faith. When you hear yourself saying that it
doesn’t ma er what one person says or does
and it’s not going to make any difference what I
do, you are in trouble.
This text has been adapted, for the purpose of assessment, without the author’s prior consent.
And I understand how it’s so easy to become
disillusioned, so temp ng to allow apathy to
set in, because anxiety is being broadcast on
hundreds of channels, twenty-four hours a day.
These tough mes are here to let us know that
we need to take a stand for our right to have
hope and we need to take that stand with every
ounce of wit and courage we can muster. The
ques on is, what are you willing to stand for?
That ques on is going to follow you throughout
your life. And here’s how you answer it. You put
your honour where your mouth is. When you
give your word, keep it. Show up, do the work,
get your hands dirty and then you will begin
to draw strength from the understanding that
true history is s ll being wri en. You are wri ng
it every day. The wheels are s ll spinning and
what you do or don’t do will be a part of it.

N.B. Candidates may NOT answer Ques on A and Ques on B on the same text.

QUESTION A – 50 Marks

(i) Outline, in your own words, what Oprah Winfrey believes are the challenges the gradua ng
students face in today’s world. (15)

(ii) In this extract, Oprah Winfrey says it is easy to become disillusioned and to allow apathy to
set in because anxiety is being broadcast on hundreds of channels, twenty-four hours a day.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this observa on. (15)

(iii) Iden fy four features of effec ve speech wri ng evident in this extract and explain how
each one makes Oprah Winfrey’s address to the students powerful and memorable. Support
your answer with reference to both the content and the style of the extract. (20)

QUESTION B – 50 Marks

A na onal television or radio sta on is seeking applicants for a posi on as a researcher on a news
show aimed at young people. Write the le er of applica on you would submit to the sta on. In
your le er, you should address the issues you think are most important to young people today,
the format you would like your show to take and the quali es that you think make you a suitable
candidate for this job.

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1
*p4BFC*

SECTION II COMPOSING (100 marks)

Write a composi on on any one of the assignments that appear in bold print below.

Each composi on carries 100 marks.

The composi on assignments are intended to reflect language study in the areas of informa on,
argument, persuasion, narra on, and the aesthe c use of language.

1. “Morocco had brought colour to my sani zed English childhood.” (TEXT 1)

Write a personal essay in which you iden fy moments in your childhood which allowed
you to see the world in a new light, and reflect on the insights you gained as a result of
these experiences.

2. “…a culture bound by the tribal codes of honour and respect…” (TEXT 1)

Write a speech for a school debate, for or against the mo on: “We live in an age which
places more value on fame than true worth.”

3. “Cobbled lanes no wider than a barrel’s length, dimly lit and bewitching” (TEXT 1)

Write a descrip ve essay in which you capture the atmosphere of an intriguing and
unusual place.

4. “They come, essen ally, from daydreaming …” (TEXT 2)

Write a short story in which a character’s daydreams play an important part in the
narra ve.

5. “… take up a new life as a landscape gardener, bank-robber, short-order cook or marine

biologist…” (TEXT 2)

Write a discursive essay in which you iden fy some of the obstacles to today’s young
people pursuing the career of their choice, and discuss the effects this might have on
society in the years to come.

6. “The ques on is, what are you willing to stand for?” (TEXT 3)

Write a personal essay about a me in your life when you had to evaluate your choices,
and reflect on what you learned from the experience.

7. “The wheels are s ll spinning and what you do or don’t do will be a part of it.” (TEXT 3)
1
Write a feature ar cle, suitable for publica on in the magazine sec on of a newspaper,
in which you discuss the roles and responsibili es you believe your genera on has in
Robert Atkinson - Oatlands
shaping College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1
the future.

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1
*p5BFC*

Pre-Leaving Certiϐicate Examination, 2023

English – Higher Level – Paper 2

(Option B)
Total Marks: 200

Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Candidates must attempt the following:

• ONE question from SECTION I – The Single Text
• ONE question from SECTION II – The Comparative Study
• ONE question on the Unseen Poem from SECTION III – Poetry
• ONE question on Prescribed Poetry from SECTION III – Poetry

N.B. Candidates must answer on Shakespearean Drama.

They may do so in SECTION I The Single Text (Macbeth) or in SECTION II, The
Comparative Study (Macbeth, Othello).

INDEX OF SINGLE TEXTS

All the Light We Cannot See Page – 2

A Doll’s House Page – 2

Macbeth Page – 3

Frankenstein Page – 3

The Picture of Dorian Gray Page – 3

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

SECTION I THE SINGLE TEXT (60 marks)

Candidates must answer one ques on from this sec on (A – E).

A ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE – Anthony Doerr

(i) “The narra ve style of All the Light We Cannot See contributes to our understanding and
enjoyment of a complex story.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the novel.

OR

(ii) “Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See demonstrates the triumph of free will
over fate.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the novel.

B A DOLL’S HOUSE ͵ Henrik Ibsen

(i) “In A Doll’s House, women are not valued as individuals but are expected to sacrifice
themselves to the service of others.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the play.

OR

(ii) “Much of the sadness in A Doll’s House comes from the characters’ belief that appearance
is more important than reality.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the play.

Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

C MACBETH – William Shakespeare

(i) “The play Macbeth presents us with an en rely pessimis c view of the theme of jus ce.”

Write your response to this view, suppor ng the points you make by reference to the text.

OR
9
(ii) “Both Banquo and Macduff fulfil important drama c func ons in the play, Macbeth.”

Write your response to this view, suppor ng your answer with reference to the text.

D FRANKENSTEIN – Mary Shelley

(i) “The women in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are weak, passive characters who fail to gain
our sympathy.”

Write your response to this view, suppor ng your answer with reference to the text.

OR

(ii) “Aliena on is both the cause and the consequence of evil in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”

Write your response to this view, suppor ng your answer with reference to the text.

E THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – Oscar Wilde

(i) “An obsession with appearance leads to moral corrup on in Oscar Wilde’s novel,
The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the text.

OR

(ii) “Despite his best efforts, Basil Hallward’s a empt to be a posi ve influence on Dorian Gray
is doomed to fail.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your answer
with reference to the text.
Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

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Robert Atkinson - Oatlands College - 60050E - robert.atkinson@oatlands.net - 1

SECTION II THE COMPARATIVE STUDY (70 marks)

Candidates must answer one ques on from either A – Theme or Issue or B – Literary Genre or C –
General Vision and Viewpoint.

Candidates who answer a ques on in SECTION I – The Single Text, may not refer to the same text
in answer to ques ons in this sec on.

All texts used in this sec on must be prescribed for compara ve study for this year’s examina on.
Candidates may refer to only one film in the course of their answers.

Please note:
• Ques ons in this sec on use the word text to refer to all the different kinds of texts available
for study on this course.
• When used, the word reader includes viewers of films and theatre audiences.
• When used, the term technique is taken to include techniques employed by all writers and
directors of films.
• When used, the word author is taken to include all writers and directors of films.
• When used, the word character is understood to refer to both real people and fic onal
characters in texts.

A THEME OR ISSUE
1. “Studying the ways in which the same theme or issue is presented in a variety of texts
can challenge or reinforce the reader’s understanding of that theme or issue.”

Compare how studying the way the theme or issue is presented in two or more
texts you have studied challenged or reinforced your idea of that theme or issue. (70)

OR

2. “The resolu on of a text can provide the reader with valuable insights into a theme
or issue.”

(a) Iden fy and discuss at least one valuable insight into a theme or issue that you
gained from studying the resolu on of one theme on your compara ve course. (30)

(b) In rela on to two other texts on your compara ve course, compare at least one
valuable insight into the theme or issue that you gained from studying the resolu on
in the texts. The valuable insight or insights can be the same as or different to
2(a) above. (40)

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B LITERARY GENRE

1. “Authors employ a variety of techniques to create memorable characters in texts.”

Compare the ways in which the authors of at least two texts on your compara ve course
make the storylines memorable. (70)

OR

2. “To create moments of tension in texts, a variety of techniques are used by authors.”

(a) With reference to at least one key moment in one text on your compara ve course,
show how this tension is created. (30)

(b) With reference to key moments from the other two texts on your compara ve
course, compare the authors’ use of a variety of techniques to create tension. (40)

C GENERAL VISION AND VIEWPOINT

1. “Our opinion of the decisions made by a central character can influence our general vision
and viewpoint of a text.”

Compare the extent to which the central character’s decisions helped to shape your
understanding of the general vision and viewpoint in at least two texts you have studied as
part of your compara ve course.
(70)

OR

2. “The reader’s response to key moments in a text can shape their understanding of
the general vision and viewpoint in that text.”

(a) With reference to one text on your compara ve course, describe how your response
to key moments shaped your understanding of the general vision and viewpoint of
that text. (30)

(b) With reference to key moments from the other two texts on your compara ve
course, compare the way in which your response to key moments shaped your
understanding of the general vision and viewpoint of those texts. (40)

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SECTION III POETRY (70 marks)

Candidates must answer A – Unseen Poem and B – Prescribed Poetry.

A UNSEEN POEM (20 marks)

Read the following poem by Paddy Bushe and answer either Ques on 1 or Ques on 2 which
follow.

Jasmine
What colour is jasmine? you asked
out of the blue from your wheelchair.
And suddenly the ward was filled
with the scent of possibility, hints
of journeys to strange parts.

The ques on floored us. But the gulf

was not the colours that we couldn’t name
but that we couldn’t recognise the road
your ques ons had travelled,
nor sound the extent
of the blue void to which it would return.

The ward remade itself in a hum

of conscien ous care. Outside, the usual
traffic jams. We took the long way home
Father, jasmine is a climbing plant
whose flowers are normally white or yellow.

And may the fragrance of its blossoms twine

around the broken trellises of your mind.

Paddy Bushe

* Jasmine: a shrub with very fragrant flowers

This poem has been used without the author’s prior consent.

1. (a) Describe the son’s response to his father’s ques on. Develop your answer with
reference to the poem. (10)

(b) Iden fy two images from the poem that made an impact on you and give reasons
for your choice. (10)

OR
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2. Explain how language is used effec vely to maximise the emo onal impact of this poem.
Make detailed reference to the use of language for this purpose in the poem. (20)

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B PRESCRIBED POETRY (50 marks)

Candidates must answer one of the following ques ons (1 – 5). 3

1. Paula Meehan

“Paula Meehan’s accessible and appealing language allows us rich insights into her
personal reflec ons and public commentary.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the above statement. Develop your
response with reference to the poems by Paula Meehan on your course.

2. John Donne

“John Donne explores meless themes of the human heart in vivid and memorable
language.”

To what extent to you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your response
with reference to the poems by John Donne on your course.

3. Patrick Kavanagh

“Patrick Kavanagh expresses both his joy and dissa sfac on with the world around him in
powerful and engaging language.”

To what extent to you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your response
with reference to the poems by Patrick Kavanagh on your course.

4. Elizabeth Bishop

“Elizabeth Bishop’s percep ve observa ons provide us with rich insights into the
complexi es of life.”

To what extent to you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your response
with reference to the poems by Elizabeth Bishop on your course.

5. Derek Mahon

“Derek Mahon’s compassion and understanding adds a note of hope to poems which,
though vividly and memorably wri en, explore the darker side of human nature.”

To what extent to you agree or disagree with the above statement? Develop your response
with reference to the poems by Derek Mahon on your course.

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 23
ACCESS SAMPLE SECOND EXAM SCHEDULE EXAMS AFTER
PAPERS ONLINE FROM PAPER IN 8 LEAVING JAN 23RD TO YOUR
MID-NOVEMBER CERT SUBJECTS SCHOOL’S TIMETABLE

Mock Exam Papers 2023

Higher quality and faster NEW JUNIOR CYCLE

turnaround of corrections
ONLINE CORRECTIONS

Dear Mock Exam Secretary,

Firstly, thank you for your support over previous mock
examination cycles and hope that you will put your trust in
us again in 2023.
While schools are generally happy with our correction service,
two areas for further improvement have been highlighted:
• Consistency of quality.
• A faster turnaround time.

With a totally paper-based system, and given the turnaround expectations of schools, it is very difficult to introduce paper-based
process innovations which would make a meaningful difference to either of these areas.
For this reason, we have decided to implement an online corrections system for the Junior Cycle papers for the coming mock
examination cycle which will address your concerns in the following ways:

1. Quality 2. Speedy Turnaround

We are implementing system checks Once the papers are scanned by our team, they
to ensure that all correctors are will be immediately queued for correction, which
marking scripts to an agreed standard means no posting of scripts, no missing boxes
as set out by senior correctors. and no long waits for results for students.

Online corrections is a significant investment for Examcraft and it is
designed to ensure that your students can have greater reliability on
the marks that they receive.
In planning this innovation, we are ensuring that schools, teachers
and mock examination secretaries will have very little additional work.
There is a brief outline of the changes on page 3, but we will explain
them in more detail closer to the beginning of the mock cycle.
Thank you again for continuing to place your trust in
Examcraft; the Examcraft team look forward to working
with you in 2023.
Philip O' Callaghan
Managing Director of the Examcraft Group
 What will online corrections at Junior
Cycle mean for your school?
The main benefits that online corrections will bring to your school are greater consistency in the quality of corrections and
a faster script turnaround time.
In order for this to happen, we will be asking for your co-operation as follows:

After ordering the papers, and if you opt to have the scripts corrected, you will be asked to register
the students and their teachers according to the instructions we will provide.

Other than that, there will be no change for you. There will, however, be a change in how these
scripts are returned to the teachers and students.

Once an envelope is corrected, the teacher will be notified by email that the corrected scripts are
available to view online. Instructions will be provided to teachers on how they can be accessed.

The teacher will review the scripts and then release them online to the students. The students will
then get an email advising them on how they can view their individual scripts.

We are excited about this innovation, as we believe it will lead to enhanced quality and efficiency of the corrections service.
While it is our plan to implement this for all exams in 2024, implementing it at Junior Cycle ensures that individual schools
and the Examcraft organisation can embed any learnings before we roll it out for the highest-stake exams in 2024.
I trust that you will support us as we embark on this journey of digital transformation which is designed to ensure you,
your school and your students will have a better mock examination experience in the years to come.

STEP 01 STEP 03
Register students STEP 02 Exam papers are STEP 04
and their teacher Students sit returned to Examcraft Once papers are corrected,
for corrections. their exams as normal. teachers are notified by email
as normal. and can review the scripts
online and release to students.

89F Lagan Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11

T: 01 808 1494 | E: info@examcraft.ie | www.examcraft.ie
 THE
ULTIMATE
REVISION
SERIES
Junior Cycle Success
Revision Book Series

The Junior Cycle Success series

reduces students’ stress by:
• Providing a clear overview of the course and what
they have to learn.
• Showing them how to prepare for their CBAs and
final exam.
• Breaking each subject down into topics.
Each book covers
• Giving sample questions and answers for each topic. the entire course,
with all strands and
• Using easy-to-follow language and graphics.
LEARNING
• Providing QR codes to access additional online resources. OUTCOMES
ADDRESSED

Click here to find out more

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