Points to bare in mind-Examiner’s response:

The majority managed their time well, and wrote equally balanced essays. At
the higher levels, some were able to construct personal, literary arguments in
response to the questions. These were well supported by textual references
and showed an ability to appreciate aspects of the various writers’ craft by
analysing methods of presenting concerns and characters, structure,
language and occasionally aspects of form. Other candidates, who seemed to
have a reasonably sound grasp of the overall meaning or concerns of a text,
did not appear to have enough detailed knowledge available to support their
ideas. They could often only manage a page and three-quarters per essay or
wrote longer but very general essays, with paragraphs of personal reflections
on the various social issues. Some with quite detailed knowledge of the texts
were perhaps less successful than they might have expected. They tended to
give accounts, descriptions or explanations concentrating on the content
rather than focusing on how writers create meaning and shape response.
Often this was a question of presentation, a need for a more analytical
approach and mode of expression. For example when they did use a
quotation it would often be followed by a paraphrase, rather than critical
analysis: ‘He tells the boy “I can’t believe that nobody else is doing anything
about this.” to show the boy he was doing something to stand up for him
and to do the right thing.’

In terms of language and structure most of the candidates could produce

clear, straightforward essays. Those who took a few minutes to plan tended
to construct answers with a stronger focus on the questions and often with a
greater range and development of ideas. More successful candidates used a
10-15 line introduction to consider the terms and implications of the (a)
questions and ensured that the key terms were embedded in the answer.
They made good use of discourse markers such as moreover, furthermore
and on the other hand to construct coherent arguments. Structuring answers
to (b) questions has always been more challenging. Candidates tend to either
restrict their focus to the given extract without showing knowledge of the
wider text; or they use a few details from the extract to make relevant
comments on development of character and characteristic concerns in the
wider text, without looking in enough detail at the effects of the writing
within the given passage. More successful candidates took time to read the
given extract closely and used the introduction to explain the context or its
significance for the wider text. They then discussed the ways these ideas are
presented in the given extract and the various effects of the writing focusing
on how writers create meaning and shape a response. Some candidates who
perhaps have been encouraged to prepare some general introductory
remarks frequently got distracted by the pre-prepared content and failed to
grasp the thrust of the question or took too long to get down to it. They
often routinely mentioned general aspects of style which unfortunately were
not followed up even though examples were available in the given text.
Many candidates answering the (a) questions had a supply of short, pertinent
quotations and could have maximised their use by making explicit
comments on the language or sentence structure. This can be encouraged by
using phrases such as ‘The writer’s use of «…» here’ or ‘The key /interesting
/provocative/potent word here is «…»’. These can also be helpful for those
candidates answering the (b) questions, as particularly on the prose or drama
extracts, there was not enough attention paid to the choice of language.

Many otherwise very able candidates writing well about the texts did so only
at the level of plot and character which limited their ability to reach top
marks. Discussion of plays as dramatic spectacles was rare, with many
candidates relying on narrative summary referring to them as novels. Poems
were frequently discussed for ideas so that answers tended to rely on
paraphrase which limited the opportunities for showing an appreciation of
poetic methods and effects. An increasing number of candidates made
judicious use of secondary critical material to show there are many ways to
look at a character, theme or image and to enhance their own arguments or
more impressively sometimes, to argue against. Sometimes for example, a
feminist reading of Linda in Death of a Salesman would be set against a
psychoanalytic or historicist point of view. The best were able to ‘weigh’
these views by testing their applicability against textual evidence. There was
some very effective use of the writers’ comments on their own work
particularly Miller, Adiche and Adiga. Some candidates quoted significant
amounts of perfectly reasonable critical perspectives but neglected to
demonstrate their own detailed knowledge of the text or analysis that would
support their own view of the text. Some answers were littered with very
bland supposed critical comments which did not further the argument at all
e.g. ‘Critic Maria Hernandez argues that Biff can’t hold down a job but I
think he was in prison’, or ascribed an established critical perspective to the
wrong person: ‘critic Dr Patel suggests that Death of a Salesman may be the
tragedy of the Common Man’. Successful candidates were able to combine
detailed knowledge of their texts with proper consideration of relevant
critical reading and so were able to respond to the questions with a range of
ideas that had some complexity and greater depth. Less successful
candidates tended to stay on the surface of the texts and took refuge in
biographical or historical material or poorly assimilated critical views which
they struggled to make relevant to the question.
This was the less popular choice of poetry text this session but most
candidates were able to make some productive use of their knowledge of the
context and development within Yeats’s work.

In what ways, and with what effects, does Yeats express his feelings
about Ireland? You should refer to at least two poems from your
selection.

(a) The majority who chose this looked at the expected poems: The Lake Isle
of Innisfree, Cold Heaven and The Wild Swans at Coole with the best responses
having enough quotation available to look closely at the way language and
rhythm generate mood and tone. Some sophisticated responses tracked the
tempering of Yeats’ Romantic idiom in the service of more overtly political
work with some referencing The Fisherman or looking at the ‘unnatural’
images of nature in the celestial vision of Sailing to Byzantium and the
apocalyptical vision of The Second Coming. Some included human and animal
nature and there were some interesting responses to Leda and the Swan,
reflecting on how Yeats combined the personal, the sexual, the mythic, the
political and the natural along with the metaphysical. Good essays showed
understanding of the development of the ideas in the poems as well as
appreciation of Yeats’ poetic methods and effects. Less successful essays
tended to offer summaries, or focused rather narrowly on details of nature
without much discussion of their significance to the whole poem or
appreciation of their presentation.

In what ways and with what effects does Yeats present romantic love?
You should refer in detail to at least two poems from your selection.

There were several intelligent treatments of poems linked to contextual
knowledge of Yeats’s unrequited love for Maud Gonne and the way she
represents his love of Ireland. The most successful essays focused on two
shorter poems such as ‘No Second Troy’ and ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’
which led to some impressive analysis of poetic language and effects. Some
explored the way Yeats expresses love for the disdainful woman or
contrasted the presentation of self in ‘He Wishes..’ with the strange
admiration and acceptance of ‘what she is’ in ‘No Second Troy’. Together with
‘Adam’s Curse’ these poems were considered within the context of traditional
Renaissance love poetry, ‘the old high way of love’ and there was some
sensitive appreciation of Yeats’s use of mythology, natural imagery, variation
of tone and form.
‘Yeats’s poetry is often inspired by actual events.’

Discuss Yeats’s poetic methods and their effects in the light of this
observation. In your answer you should consider at least two poems
from your selection.

There were few responses to this question. Candidates selected relevant

poems to consider Yeats’s love for an unattainable woman or for Ireland
and her dead heroes, and produced detailed accounts of poems such as ‘He
Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’, ‘Adam’s Curse,’ ‘No Second Troy’, ‘The Cold
Heaven’, ‘September 1913’ and ‘ In Memory of Robert Gregory’.

Those who considered Yeats’ relationship with Maud Gonne were able to
link a poem dealing with his unrequited love to his love of Ireland and a
more political poem like ‘Easter 1916’. The best essays had enough detailed
knowledge and appreciation of the details in their chosen poems to bring
out the nuances of Yeats’s feelings.

Paying close attention to language and tone, write a critical

appreciation of the following poem and consider in what ways it is
characteristic of Yeats’s poetic methods and concerns.

(b) The best responses located the poem contextually in terms of its content
and addressed its worldweary tone linking the poem to others associated
with Maud Gonne such as The Wild Swans at Coole or No Second Troy. As
they progressed through the poem they made brief references to others
featuring Yeats’ views on society’s lack of appreciation of the arts, or the
poet’s awareness of age and disappointment. Good essays worked through
the poem, looking at the use of voices, the ‘feminine’ imagery of ‘stitching
and unstitching’, how the wounded self-justification of the poet’s profession
is generated and its tonal contrast with the aloof apostrophised ‘you’. The
best also considered in detail the changing ideas about love, the implications
of the language, e.g. ‘high courtesy’, ‘idle trade’ and the delicate, symbolic
imagery used to describe the moon and how this creates the sense of his
being ‘weary-hearted.’ Those who recognised the sense of a faded chivalric
ideal in the Chaucerian reference to ‘high courtesy’ sometimes referred
productively to He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Weaker essays showed a
partial understanding of the poem, not quite understanding the biblical
reference of the title and the idea of ‘labour’ as a curse. Some mistook the
‘beautiful mild woman’ as Maud Gonne. They tended to consider the first
two stanzas and then to discuss in summary form ideas in other poems
rather than the poetic methods and effects available here. Many surprisingly
did not consider the ending at all.