Question 5: Model Answer (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language)

Using information from both texts, explain briefly how the Punch and Judy performers make their money.                                                                                                                         [4]

Now 48 years old, Mark knows that being Weymouth’s Punch and Judy man won’t make him rich, but that doesn’t put him off. “I love the thrill of the work and living off your wits. You’re constantly pushing to find new routines that will attract an audience.” His seaside show is one of the last to rely on audiences giving a donation when his assistant goes around with the collecting box.

Despite his obvious passion for keeping the tradition of Punch and Judy alive, in recent years it has been hard for Mark to cover his costs and make a living, “I make a little bit of extra money from selling souvenir key rings after the performances but it’s never enough.” This year he successfully appealed for donations on a Facebook crowdfunding page to raise money, and quickly raised enough to cover his expenses.

I am the owner of a Punch and Judy show, and I perform inside the booth behind the green cloth front. I have a partner now to play the drum to let people know the performance is soon to start. He stands outside the booth whilst I am performing inside it and he collects the money afterwards. I have been five-and-twenty years now at the business and in the early days I made five pounds regular, but a good day now seldom gets beyond five shillings. That shows how times have changed. When we perform a show in the street, we take on average only threepence.

We sometimes make better money from private shows. The best hours for these are in the morning from nine till ten, because the children are at home, before they go out with the maids for a walk. We do best in wet weather. You see, the wet keeps the children indoors all day, and then they need something to quiet ‘em a bit; and the mothers and fathers, to pacify the dears, pay us to perform in the house. Sometimes, even if the mothers of the dear little children have given them an extra penny to give us, well, the maids take it from them and keep it to buy fancy ribbons.

I used to attend very wealthy gentlemen’s houses for their children’s parties and get as much as two pounds for the performance. Lord Townsend was particular partial to me and I was booked regular for his children. But the business gets slacker and slacker every season. Where I went to ten children’s parties twenty years ago, I don’t go to two now. People aren’t getting tired of our performances, but stingier — that’s it. Everybody looks at their money now afore they part with it, and haggle us down to shillings and sixpences instead of pounds in the olden time.

In the 21st-century text, Mark Poulton makes his money firstly from audience donations when his assistant goes around with the collecting box. [Marking comment] He also makes a little bit of extra money from selling souvenir key rings after the performances. However, since he can’t earn much from merchandise, the previous year he used Facebook to crowdfund to cover his expenses. [Marking comment]

In the 19th-century text, the Punch and Judy performer’s partner stands outside the booth and collects money after the performance. He raises an average of threepence from street performances, but he is also commissioned for private shows in the houses of more wealthy people, especially when the weather is wet. He does also still get paid to perform at children’s parties, although these occur less frequently than they used to. [Marking comment]