GCSE

ENGLISH LITERATURE

8702/2

Paper 2 Modern texts and poetry

Mark scheme

June 2020

Version: 0.2 Pre-Standardisation

*206g8702/2/MS*

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MARK SCHEME – GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE – 8702/2 – JUNE 2020

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Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant

questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the

standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in

this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’

responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way.

As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative

answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the

standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are

required to refer these to the Lead Examiner.

It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and

expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark

schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of

assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination

paper.

Further copies of this mark scheme are available from aqa.org.uk

Copyright information

AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal

use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for

internal use within the centre.

Copyright © 2020 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

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Statement of importance

GCSE English Literature is the study of how writers communicate their ideas about the world, and how

readers might respond to these ideas. It aims to develop a critical understanding of the ways in which

literary texts are a reflection of, and exploration of, the human condition, the study of which develops

empathic understanding of human nature. High-quality English literature is writing which displays

recognisable literary qualities and, although shaped by particular contexts, transcends them and speaks

about the universality of the human condition. GCSE English Literature aims to enable students to

appreciate these qualities, developing and presenting informed, critical responses to the ideas in literary

texts and the ways writers present these ideas. It aims to enable students to make links between a

variety of written texts and between the text and the context within which it was shaped.

Principles of mark scheme construction

Each mark scheme is driven by the task and by the statement of importance about GCSE English

Literature. It aims to do two things:

• to describe typical features of response in order to decide on a mark

• to identify typical features of proficiency in order to aid discrimination between levels of performance.

Each long form answer mark scheme is constructed using six levels. This is to reflect the ability level of

the whole cohort. There are four or five marks within each level to allow for levels of proficiency and to

allow for discrimination between levels of cognitive ability across the whole cohort.

Each mark scheme places assessment objectives AO1 and AO2 as the key skills. This is driven by the

statement of importance of the subject, in that the study of great literary texts is the study of the

interrelationship between the reader and the writer of the text and that the communication and reception

of these ideas is an inherent feature of English literature. It is also driven by the acknowledgement that

GCSE English Literature assesses cognitive levels of ability; the level of response to ideas will have

parity with the level of response to the methods of communicating those ideas.

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How to apply the mark scheme

The mark scheme is constructed using six levels of attainment that span the whole range of ability at

GCSE. The descriptors of attainment reference the assessment objectives for that particular question.

Examiners are required to use the mark scheme to consider the whole response and decide upon the

most appropriate level. The mark scheme provides two descriptors: a description of typical features of a

response in each level, and a description of the kinds of skills candidates in that level will be proficient in.

This is in order to support examiners in making their judgement of the extent to which the qualities and

skills being demonstrated merit a particular level of attainment. As each response being marked is a

response to a particular task, examiners are assessing the extent to which the candidate has responded

to the task, and also the level of skill that the candidate has demonstrated.

Each level has four or five marks available and four or five skills descriptors. Fair application of the mark

scheme to all candidates is driven by the descriptors in the mark scheme, and therefore examiners are

required to make a judgement about the extent to which a candidate achieves every descriptor in that

particular level in order to warrant a mark at the top of that level. If a candidate achieves everything in a

level, they should be awarded the mark at the top of that level.

Since answers will rarely match a descriptor in all respects, examiners must allow good performance in

some aspects to compensate for shortcomings in other respects. Consequently, the level is determined

by the ‘best fit’ rather than requiring every element of the descriptor to be matched. Examiners should

aim to use the full range of levels and marks, taking into account the standard that can reasonably be

expected of candidates after one or two years of study on the GCSE course and in the time available in

the examination.

If a candidate does not address a particular defining feature of a task, examiners are required to make a

judgement about the extent to which other skills can place the response in a particular level, and where

the response should be placed.

Step 1 Determine a level

Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the

descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in

the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it

meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With

practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the

lower levels of the mark scheme.

When assigning a level you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in

small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If

the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit

approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within

the level; ie if the response is predominantly level 3 with a small amount of level 4 material it would be

placed in level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the level 4 content.

Step 2 Determine a mark

Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate

marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will also help. There will

be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme.

This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s

answer with the example to determine if it is of the same standard, better or worse than the example.

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