GCSE Bitesize Specimen Papers ENGLISH Paper 2 Tier H (Higher) Mark Scheme Section A: Reading: Poems from Different Cultures This section is marked out of 27. Responses to this section should show the writer can 1. understand and interpret the poems, using references to specific parts to support points 2. select appropriate poems for comparison and then compare them 3. explain how the writers’ use of language has an effect. Question 1 Compare ‘Blessing’ with one other poem, explaining how the poets show their feelings and ideas about the different cultures in the poems. Typical answers could include reference to the following: The poet is asking the reader to ‘imagine’ the sound of a single drop of water, encouraging us to view something we take for granted in a new way and to consider the feelings of those people in the poem who never have ‘enough water’. Early in the poem, the description of the drip of water is very precise and methodical: first we are introduced to a ‘drip’, then the ‘small splash’ it makes and finally the ‘echo’ it creates inside a tin mug. This close observation of a single drip of water shows that the water is very precious to the people in the poem. The metaphor ‘the voice of a kindly god’ is used to summarize the sound of a single drip of water. This shows that the people are appreciative of the water provided, hearing it as a god speaking. The imagery used at the start prepares the reader for the rest of the poem by demonstrating how precious water is; after this description we understand why the burst water pipe is so celebrated. Water for these people has a strong spiritual importance as it is vital to life and yet so scarce. The poem shows us how differently the people in the poem value things: to them, the water from the burst pipe is ‘silver’, whereas we take it for granted. Examples of poems that compare well with ‘Blessing’ for this question are below. Accept any others that are shown to be appropriate. 2 ‘Vultures’ – In this poem we are shown that attitudes to others can be limited: the Commandant at Belsen is shown to be capable of love and affection as well as evil. The poem suggests that we all have that same capacity for affection and evil. ‘Nothing's Changed’ – This poem shows that the attitudes of one group of people can mean that others are denied a fair chance in life. This creates very negative feelings that can become destructive. ‘Night of the Scorpion’ – This poem contrasts the attitudes of two groups, the rationalists and those that are more spiritual. It encourages us to consider how we would feel in an emergency. ‘Hurricane Hits England’ – This poem shows that your ideas about where you live are vital as they can influence whether or not you feel comfortable there. ‘from Unrelated Incidents’ – This poem shows that people’s ideas about accents can mean they unfairly judge whole groups in society. This creates feelings of anger. To award a mark for the answer use the guide below, deciding whether the answer is worth the higher or lower mark in the appropriate band. A sample comment is given for each of the levels as an indication of the expected depth. 1-3 Marks The response shows some awareness of at least one poem. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about a water pipe bursting.’ 4-6 Marks The response shows awareness of some aspects of presentation. It mentions feelings or ideas. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about a water pipe bursting and shows people feeling happy.’ 7-9 Marks Simple comment about the poem is supported by reference to appropriate detail. The response also refers to aspects of presentation. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about a water pipe bursting and shows people feeling happy when it rushes out of the ground.’ 10-12 Marks The response refers in more detail to the poem and/or uses quotations to support points. There is comment on some aspects of presentation. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about how people react to a burst water pipe. The poet shows they are happy and that lots of people ‘every man woman child’ come to collect some.’ 13-15 Marks The response is more detailed and supports points. It shows awareness of feelings and ideas. There is some comment on the effects achieved by the writer. For example: ‘ 3 ‘Blessing’ is about people who don’t have enough water until a pipe bursts. They are happy when it does burst, collecting what they can with ‘frantic hands’.’ 16-18 Marks The response has detailed and supported points with some cross reference. It shows awareness of the writers’ techniques and understanding of feelings and ideas. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about a culture where water is precious. People are happy when it comes from a burst pipe. The writer shows this by using the word ‘silver’ to describe the water.’ 19-21 Marks The response shows understanding of a range of techniques and appreciation of feelings and ideas. The comparison of poems is integrated. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ is about a culture in which water is considered like ‘the voice of a kindly god’. This shows that it is precious. The metaphor of ‘silver’ is also used to show how valuable the water is to the people.’ 22-24 Marks The response offers analysis of the writers’ techniques. It also demonstrates empathy with the feelings and ideas. For example: ‘ ‘Blessing’ opens with a close description of a single drip of water, which includes the metaphor ‘voice of a kindly god’. This shows that the people value water as a spiritual force. When the pipe bursts later in the poem, the people become a ‘congregation’, another reference to the religious importance of water to the culture.’ 25-27 Marks The response offers close analysis of the writers’ techniques. It is a conceptual response and has consistent insight. For example:‘ ‘Blessing’ has references to water a god that speaks and brings to life the people in the culture presented. A drip of it is ‘the voice of a kindly god’, as if the people believe in the power of just a small amount. At the end of the poem the water is said to ‘sing’ over the ‘small bones’ of children, another link to the ‘voice of a kindly god reference’, and further evidence of the spiritual importance of water to the culture.’ 4 Question 2 Compare the ways in which the poets present people in ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes’ and one other poem that you have chosen from the Different Cultures section of the Anthology. Typical answers could include reference to the following: The poem describes people based on their appearance, but uses this to imply characteristics about the two groups. The poem contrasts two groups who are physically close to each other, but divided by a huge cultural gap. The poem summarizes the rich-poor divide in America. The scene represents the ‘gulf’ between democratic ideals and reality: both groups have been stopped by the red light, which applies to all people, but this closeness is only ‘for an instant’ and soon reality will divide them again. Examples of poems that compare well with ‘Two Scavengers’ for this question are below. Accept any others that are shown to be appropriate. ‘Nothing's Changed’ – This poem is also about opposing groups of people. The poem offers contrasts in imagery to suggest the differing perceptions of the two groups. ‘Blessing’ – This poem presents people as being vulnerable to the environment in which they live. They are also spiritual and thankful for small, even temporary, alterations to their living conditions. ‘Night of the Scorpion’ – This poem presents opposing groups of people in terms of how they react to a crisis. Some rely on spirituality and pray, whereas others prefer more rational and logical solutions. ‘Half-caste’ – This poem discusses the way in which people’s perceptions of each other can be damaging. ‘from Search For My Tongue’ – This poem shows the importance of language to people. Their identity is formed partly from how they, and other people, view them and their language. To award a mark for the answer use the guide below, deciding whether the answer is worth the higher or lower mark in the appropriate band. A sample comment is given for each of the levels as an indication of the expected depth. 1-3 Marks The response shows some awareness of at least one poem. For example: ‘ ‘Two Scavengers’ is about two groups of people waiting at a traffic light.’ 4-6 Marks 5 The response shows awareness of some aspects of presentation. It mentions feelings or ideas. For example: ‘ ‘Two Scavengers’ is about two different groups of people, one rich and one poor, waiting at a traffic light.’ 7-9 Marks Simple comment about the poem is supported by reference to appropriate detail. The response also refers to aspects of presentation. For example: ‘ ‘Two Scavengers’ shows two completely different groups of people – one rich, one poor – becoming close for a moment because they are stopped by a traffic light.’ 10-12 Marks The response refers in more detail to the poem and/or uses quotations to support points. There is comment on some aspects of presentation. For example: ‘ ‘Two Scavengers’ shows two different groups of people being held for together for a minute by a traffic light. One group is described as ‘grungy’ scavengers whilst the other is described as ‘elegant’.’ 13-15 Marks The response is more detailed and supports points.