Task 1: What The Question Is Asking (OCR A Level English Literature)

Task 1: What the Question is Asking

Component 2 may seem like a complicated exam paper at first. You are required to answer two questions, and for the second question you are given a choice of three options. However, the questions you are asked to answer on this paper are always written in a similar way, and will be firmly based in your studied topic area. As a reminder, the topic areas are:

• American Literature - Questions 1 and 2 (a), (b) or (c)

• The Gothic - Questions 3 and 4 (a), (b) or (c)

• Dystopia - Questions 5 and 6 (a), (b) or (c)

• Women in Literature - Questions 7 and 8 (a), (b) or (c)

• The Immigrant Experience - Questions 9 and 10 (a), (b) or (c)

The guide below will enable you to approach the first task (the critical appreciation or unseen extract task) with confidence. This is divided into:

• Overview

• Breaking down the question

• Top tips

Overview

As Component 2 requires you to answer two questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, you have 1 hour 15 minutes to plan, write and check each essay. Each question is worth 30 marks. Your first task is the “critical appreciation” task, or the “unseen extract” task. 

You will be given an extract from a piece of literature on your chosen topic of between 450 and 750 words in length, and you are expected to:

• Engage in a close reading and analysis of the extract:

  • This includes considering the ways in which the writer has shaped meanings

  •  Articulating an informed, personal and creative response to the text

• In addition, you are required to identify and consider how attitudes and values are expressed in the extract:

  • These should be considered in light of the context in which the text was written and received

• You are also expected to demonstrate your own knowledge of the genre via wide and independent reading in the chosen topic of study

The suggested timings for Task 1 are:

It is important to read and check your work, rather than to try to write as much as you can in the time allowed. Answers that are shorter, but more focused and concise, are often more successful.

Breaking down the question

For this question, you will always be asked to write a critical appreciation of the passage given to you on the exam paper, relating it to your reading of your chosen topic. Regardless of the topic, the most common mistake students make in exams is not thoroughly understanding the question. By paying close attention to the question and understanding it thoroughly, you can enhance your exam performance significantly.

Below is an example of this task from the topic of Dystopia: 

Top tips

• A “critical appreciation” could include:

  • a discussion of the meanings of words and word choices

  • the perspective of the speaker/narrator/narrative

  • figures of speech

  • the style of language

  • the writer’s general style

  • the genre

  • the context

  • the narrator’s tone

• The dominant AO (assessment objective) for this task is AO2, which requires you to provide a detailed analysis of the set passage:

  • Your discussion of set texts and contexts should be subordinate to this

• You should start your answer with a clear overview, contextualising the passage to the genre

• Considering the style and the structure of the passage is crucial for your analysis:

  • References to other texts should be minimal - start with the passage and make contextual connections from there

• It is essential to ensure you are answering the questions on the correct topic that you have studied:

  • Do not just automatically answer Question 1 unless you have studied American Literature as your topic!

• Ensure you are answering the question, rather than what you think is being asked:

  • Avoid the temptation to write about a pre-prepared theme or context

  • Ensure your response revolves around your analysis of the passage on the exam paper

• Avoid just “re-telling” what happens in the passage:

  • This is not analysis, and will severely limit your marks

• In the same way, avoid “feature spotting” or spotting what is “typical” of the genre in the passage

• Links to set texts can be credited as exploration of context, but these texts should not be discussed in their own right:

  • They should always be discussed in relation to the unseen passage

  • It is expected that you bring some of your contextual knowledge of the studied topic area to bear in your answer

• Prepared chunks of historical material should be avoided:

  • Contextual issues should be woven into your discussion of the unseen text

• As the unseen passage will always be prose, technical commentary on literary effects will be limited:

  • The examiners are not expecting the use of complicated technical terminology without a successful exploration of the meanings created by such techniques

• The examiners want to read a well-developed and consistently detailed analysis of the language, form and structure of the passage, with effective use of quotations and references to the text which are blended into your discussion