Mark Scheme (Results)

June 2011

International GCSE

English Language A (4EA0)

Paper 2
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June 2011
Publications Code UG027864
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© Edexcel Ltd 2011

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General Marking Guidance

• All candidates must receive the same treatment.

Examiners must mark the first candidate in exactly the
same way as they mark the last.

• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates

must be rewarded for what they have shown they can do
rather than penalised for omissions.

• Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not

according to their perception of where the grade
boundaries may lie.

• There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark

scheme should be used appropriately.

• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be

awarded. Examiners should always award full marks if
deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark scheme.
Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if
the candidate’s response is not worthy of credit according
to the mark scheme.

• Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will

provide the principles by which marks will be awarded and
exemplification may be limited.

• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of

the mark scheme to a candidate’s response, the team
leader must be consulted.

• Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate

has replaced it with an alternative response.

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 Paper 2

Question 1 – Reading

Main Assessment Objective:

• read with insight

Supporting Assessment Objectives:

• develop and sustain interpretations of texts
• select material appropriate to purpose
• understand and evaluate how writers use linguistic and structural
devices to achieve their effects

Question
Indicative content Mark
number
1 A relevant answer will focus on:
• evaluating how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and
Veronica
• using textual evidence to substantiate the points
made
• the writer’s presentation and use of techniques,
including use of language.

Candidates are free to interpret textual details in a

variety of ways. The following section represents a
likely interpretation of the text but examiners must
evaluate other responses on their merits. It is
important to be alert to unusual responses which are
well explained and substantiated by effective use of
textual evidence.

The bullet points are not prescriptive, but are

intended to indicate aspects of the text that
candidates may wish to consider. 15

4
 their differing family backgrounds
narrator Veronica
came from a poor family came from an “even poorer family”
a supportive family in terms of unsupportive parents: a cruel,
education – he goes to secondary school unpleasant father and an inadequate
mother
in the town and is able to stay with his
“her father was a brute and her mother
uncle was weak”
facilitated to fulfil himself as an bears a huge amount of responsibility as
individual a child “bringing up the other children
had fallen on her”
“And then came the day when I was to
leave for good... I thought I knew my
own worth.”
has to do a lot of hard, physical work
“I helped her fetch water from the
stream and occasionally chopped
firewood”
critical of his father, but, by implication, very unhappy “I would lie awake
his home life is very much happier than listening to her screams”
hers
“for all the misery of her own life she
never seemed to envy me mine”

their attitudes and what each expects of life

narrator Veronica
is ambitious and self confident strong sense of duty to her family
“I was eighteen then and I thought I “They are my family, that is enough.”
knew my own worth.”
is pro-active and optimistic; feels in accepts her lot in life
control of his own destiny ‘I leave that to others, my own place is
“I had won a scholarship to the University here.’
and I knew in my heart I would be away
a long time.”
prefers the city to the village; anxious to tied to the village; passive, trapped by
escape her lack of education and her gender
“No, the city is for you, not me. What
“it was the break I had hardly dared hope
will I do once I get there? I have no
for...think of all the things you can do in qualifications, not even Standard Six.’”
the city... That was the trouble with
village life: nothing ever changed.”
is liberated by his education; is not restricted by cultural expectations – as
restricted by cultural expectations or a woman she has to cook and care for
father
gender
‘I have to go and cook, my father will
be home soon.’
challenges her cultural assumptions, but dismissive of any possibility of change
realises he can do little to help or self improvement
“I knew there was a lot of truth in what ‘Don’t talk foolishness,’ she said and
she said; I suppose I was both appalled stood up. ‘I have to go and cook..’
and frightened by her fatalism.”

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 their differing experiences after the narrator goes to
the city
narrator Veronica
fulfils his ambitions her life gets worse and she ages quickly
I went to the city and made good the ten years had told on her more
than they should have.
becomes wealthy but is generous to his the village has become more and more
parents; he dominates his parents poverty stricken; people barely subsist;
As soon as it was possible for me to do her parents have died and her family
so I sent for my parents to come and have gone
live with me and they settled down The place was crawling with disease
quickly enough to their new life. and everybody was living — surviving,
rather — in acute poverty.
‘You heard that my parents died?’
becomes a professional and is very now has further burdens and
important responsibility and still tied to domestic
I set off with a couple of nurses, three duty
male assistants and a suitcase full of She was squatting over a smoking fire,
medicines. fanning the flames with a piece of
cardboard. There was a baby tied to
her back.
forgets his previous life and the village;
only goes back to the village because
he has to
In all that time I did not return to the
village....the doctors in the country
were obliged to put in some time in the
rural districts
remains unmarried is now married to a “good” man
‘I have no wife.’ I looked after him, and when he got
better he asked me to marry him. We
have been together for one year now.
has become cynical and disillusioned remains stoical
‘All the women I meet are only She spoke without bitterness.
interested in money and cars.’
remains safely in the city caught up in war
As she was in the fighting zone I lost
contact with her again.
offers charity and sympathy retains her pride and independence
On the day I left I had to force her to ‘No, don’t be sorry for me. We are
accept a present of some money. It managing, and God has blessed us with
was as much as I could afford, but not a son. Is that not enough?’
as much as I would have liked to have
been able to give her. loses everything
‘My husband is dead, and my child also.
There is nothing left for me in this
world.’
makes sympathetic and naively patient and resigned; unchanging in
optimistic comments her acceptance of what life offers
‘You’re still a young woman, in time ‘No, Okeke, listen to me. I don’t want
you will forget this.’ to live, you hear? Now that I have seen
6you I am happy. Go, and leave me in
peace.’
 the use of language
events are recounted from the “Night after night I would lie awake
narrator’s perspective so we experience listening to her screams”
things through him and we share his
concern
from the beginning a sense of the “there was little I could do... I had no
narrator’s helplessness is conveyed desire to be the cause of even more
through negatives misery... cursing myself for my own
physical inadequacy”
the narrator’s good fortune is set “for all the misery of her own life she
antithetically against Veronica’s never seemed to envy me mine”
misfortunes
dialogue highlights the differences –
Veronica’s expression is simple and ‘God has blessed us with a son...You
often positive are a big man now, not so? Where is
the narrative voice is more complex your wife?’
and elaborate in expression, the “ a morbidly suspicious man... my own
product of education physical inadequacy... appalled and
frightened by her fatalism”
limited use of imagery but the village I snapped a twig and threw it into the
stream has symbolic force – perhaps as water. It bobbed on the current and
a link, also suggestive of time or fate; then vanished from sight.
Veronica is analogous to the twig
caught up in the current
simple words and phrasing convey the Her clothes were still shabby and if she
homeliness of Veronica and, later, of was no great beauty she still had a
her husband certain attractiveness.
He was a good man, as she had said, if
a bit simple.
powerful nouns, verbs and adjectives the squalor of village life...the place
convey the later poverty of the village was crawling with disease and
everybody was living — surviving,
rather — in acute poverty.
verbs suggesting bondage, cramping She was squatting over a smoking fire,
and shrinking convey the changes in fanning the flames with a piece of
cardboard. There was a baby tied to
Veronica’s fortunes
her back.
the final analogy with a child She weighed no more than a ten-year-
emphasises the extent of her decline old child.

more romantic, abstract language I knew in my heart... I thought I knew

associated with the narrator’s my own worth
aspirations
bleak language brings out Veronica’s (her hand) was cold and limp.
tragedy the terrible waste
the final image of the stream links the ..afterwards I watched the flow of the
two characters stream until it was time for me to go
away for the last time.

7
The ‘best fit’ approach
An answer may not always satisfy every one of the assessment criteria for a
particular mark range in order to receive a mark within that mark range,
since on individual criteria the answer may meet the descriptor for a higher
or lower mark range. The ‘best-fit’ approach should be used to determine the
mark range which corresponds most closely to the overall quality of the
response.

Mark
Descriptor
Range
• very basic attempt at comment
• extremely limited content
0-1 • minimal grasp of how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• basic understanding of the text
• unclear and undeveloped points
2 • little awareness of how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• some understanding of the text
• some relevant points but little development
3-4 • limited awareness of how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• fair but not fully-developed understanding of the text
• valid points with some development
5-6 • some understanding of how the writer tries to bring out
the contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• generally sound and sustained grasp of text
• several clear points with generally appropriate
examples/references
7-8
• fair understanding of how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• sound and sustained grasp of text
• range of relevant points with sound examples/references
9-10 • clear understanding of how the writer tries to bring out the
contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• good analysis based on thorough understanding of the text
• a range of well-focused points with apt
examples/references
11-12
• thoughtful interpretation of how the writer tries to bring
out the contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.
• Perceptive analysis and assured understanding of the text
• coherent and fully developed ideas deftly supported with
examples/references
13-14
• sensitive interpretation of how the writer tries to bring out
the contrasts between the lives of the narrator and of
Veronica.

8
 • astute and penetrating analysis of the text
• cogent and original exploration of ideas and evidence
15 • sophisticated and individualistic interpretation of how the
writer tries to bring out the contrasts between the lives of
the narrator and of Veronica.

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Question 2 - Writing

Question 2 (a)
Range of writing: argue

Assessment Objectives:
• communicate clearly and imaginatively, using and adapting forms for
different readers and purposes
• organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts
• use a range of sentence structures effectively, with accurate
punctuation and spelling.

In all answers to writing questions, the examiner’s focus should be

on the quality of the writing.

• It is important not to have preconceptions of what is

appropriate or not, particularly in terms of ideas or the expression
of them.
• Each answer will need to be judged on its merits, and the skill
and effectiveness with which the candidate answers the question.
• Examiners must be alert to unusual, perhaps original
approaches (for instance in style, content, structure, ideas and so
on) which address the question in an engaging, yet relevant way,
and reward these positively.

In this question the effective and logical development of persuasive

argument in support of the candidate’s ideas on one side or the other of
the topic is a key discriminator.

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Question
Indicative content Mark
number
2(a) • The chosen style or register should reflect the 15
specified context of a classroom audience,
though the candidate’s interpretations of what is
appropriate may vary.
• The context implies a degree of formality, but
some use of slang or colloquial expression for
particular effect might not be inappropriate. The
use of street language would be out of place.
• ‘Speech’ also implies a degree of formality, as
opposed to a ‘talk’. Its structure and expression
should show an awareness of a listening
audience; thus the use of rhetoric, and of words
and phrasing patterned for their sound, would
merit reward. A text which simply reads like an
essay would be less effective.
• To ensure the argument is clear and logical,
sentences are likely to be complex, with verbal
linking and a sequenced paragraph structure.
• Emotive language may also be used for particular
effect as the context implies the need to
persuade other students to the candidate’s point
of view.
• Candidate should use examples and evidence to
support their ideas.
• The question asks candidates to argue for one
side or another. This might be achieved in a
number of ways, including balancing ideas for
and against, but ultimately the candidate should
make clear whether s/he supports or opposes the
statement.

Weaker answers are likely to be brief and undeveloped

in argument, perhaps merely expressions of opinion, and
show little awareness of the ‘live’ context.
More successful answers will be strong in terms of
argument and style, and give a clear sense of the
classroom context and supposed listeners.

NOW REFER TO PAGES 13-14 FOR THE ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE

GRIDS.

In applying the grids, bear in mind the need for the ‘best fit’ approach

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Question 2 (b)

Range of writing: advise

Assessment Objectives:
• communicate clearly and imaginatively, using and adapting forms for
different readers and purposes
• organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts
• use a range of sentence structures effectively, with accurate
punctuation and spelling.

In all answers to writing questions, the examiner’s focus should be

on the quality of the writing.

• It is important not to have preconceptions of what is

appropriate or not, particularly in terms of ideas or the expression
of them.
• Each answer will need to be judged on its merits, and the skill
and effectiveness with which the candidate answers the question.
• Examiners must be alert to unusual, perhaps original
approaches (for instance in style, content, structure, ideas and so
on) which address the question in an engaging, yet relevant way,
and reward these positively.

In this question, the clarity and detail of the advice are the key
discriminators.

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Question
Indicative content Mark
number
2(b) • The chosen style should reflect the specified audience.
The audience of older people implies a degree of
formality, but some use of more direct or informal
expression for particular impact might be appropriate.
• The tone should also show awareness of the audience,
but it is important not to be over prescriptive in this
respect. Various approaches are possible, including
both the light-hearted and the indignant.
• It is difficult to give indications of typical content as
much of this is likely to be culturally or student
specific. Advice may focus, however, on the following
issues:
• social changes compared with older people’s
possibly outmoded ideas and outlooks
• changing values
• the importance of older people remembering
what it was like to be young
• modern pressures on teenagers – teenage
responsibilities and work load
• interpreting (or misinterpreting) teenage
behaviour including tastes in music and fashion
• the positive things teenagers do
• Be particularly alert for alternative approaches (for
instance agreeing with the implication of the question
that teenage behaviour is, indeed, incomprehensible)
and reward appropriately and positively. Remember
that it is the quality of expression which is being
judged not the content.

Weaker answers are likely to be straightforward and give

brief points of advice in an uncertain structure with a
limited grasp of context.
Stronger answers will make a good range of aptly
chosen points of advice, with clear explanations, and show
an effective command of an appropriate register for the
suggested audience.
15

NOW REFER TO PAGES 13-14 FOR THE ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE

GRIDS.

In applying the grids, bear in mind the need for the ‘best fit’ approach.

13
Question 2 (c)

Range of writing: imagine, entertain

Assessment Objectives:
• communicate clearly and imaginatively, using and adapting forms for
different readers and purposes
• organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts
• use a range of sentence structures effectively, with accurate
punctuation and spelling.

In all answers to writing questions, the examiner’s focus should be

on the quality of the writing.

• It is important not to have preconceptions of what is

appropriate or not, particularly in terms of ideas or the expression
of them.
• Each answer will need to be judged on its merits, and the skill
and effectiveness with which the candidate answers the question.
• Examiners must be alert to unusual, perhaps original
approaches (for instance in style, content, structure, ideas and so
on) which address the question in an engaging, yet relevant way,
and reward these positively.

The key discriminator is the degree to which the candidate engages

and sustains the reader’s interest

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Question
Indicative content Mark
number
(c) • The story should illustrate the title, or relate to it, in
a clear way.
• Relevance is important. In the case of responses
which are only loosely appropriate to the task, the
first paragraph in each band of the marking grid
relating to ‘effectiveness of communication’ can be
helpful. Examiners should consider carefully before
awarding higher band marks to candidates who are
clearly reproducing ‘learnt’ stories, or write stories of
superficial or fleeting relevance with an apparently
appropriate conclusion grafted on.
• The reader’s interest should be engaged by the
story, or by particular aspects of it, for instance
characterisation, suspense, dramatic situations and
so on.
• Any kind of story is acceptable provided it engages
the reader. A light-hearted humorous approach is
unlikely but would be as acceptable as a serious,
possibly tragic one.
• It is also impossible to be prescriptive about style.
The consistency with which a candidate maintains
his or her adopted style may well be important in
defining the overall success of the response.
• An effective beginning and ending are also critical
factors.
Weaker answers will be superficially relevant, brief, with
little development of plot, character or situation, and
written in a way which does not engage the reader.
More successful answers will have a strong sense of
purpose and audience, and will develop character and plot
in a way which fully reflects the title. They will be
expressed in a style which is engaging and entertaining. 15

NOW REFER TO PAGES 13-14 FOR THE ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE

GRIDS.

In applying the grids, bear in mind the need for the ‘best fit’ approach.

15
Writing Mark Scheme: Paper 2 Question 2

Band/
Descriptor
Range
Communicates at a basic level, limited
Effectiveness of vocabulary, little variety of sentence structure.
communication Little awareness is shown of the purpose of the
writing and the intended reader.

Band 1 Organisation is simple with limited success in

Organisation
0-3 opening and development.
The spelling of common words is usually correct
Spelling though inconsistencies are present. Basic
Punctuation punctuation is used with some control.
Grammar Sentence construction and variety shows some
control.
Communicates in a broadly appropriate way.
There is some evidence of control in choice of
Effectiveness of vocabulary and sentence structure. Shows a
communication basic grasp of the writer’s purpose and of the
expectations/requirements of the intended
reader.
Shows some grasp of text structure, with
Organisation Band 2 opening and development and broadly
4-6 appropriate paragraphing and other sequencing
devices
Full stops, capital letters, question marks are
used together with some other marks, mostly
Spelling
correctly/ grammatical structuring of simple and
Punctuation
some complex sentences is usually
Grammar
correct/spelling of simple and more complex
words usually correct.
Generally clear sense of the writer’s purpose
Purpose and
and understanding of the
audience
expectations/requirements of the intended
reader.
Communicates clearly; well chosen vocabulary;
Effectiveness of
some evidence of crafting in construction of
communication
sentences.
Organisation Band 3 Organisation mostly sound; clear text structure;
7-9 controlled paragraphing to reflect opening,
development and closure together with
successful use of cohesive devices.
Spelling of a wide range of words is accurate.
Spelling Punctuation is mostly secure. Sentence
Punctuation construction and variety are
Grammar accurate and used to create effects with only
occasional errors.

16
 Communicates effectively, with aptly chosen
vocabulary and well-controlled variety in
Effectiveness of sentence construction. A secure realisation of
communication the writing task according to the writer's purpose
and the expectations/requirements of the
intended reader is shown.
Organisation is secure, text structure is well-
judged; effective paragraphing and a range of
Organisation Band 4
cohesive devices between and within
10 - 12
paragraphs.
Spelling is almost always accurate, with
occasional slips. Punctuation is accurate with a
Spelling wide range of marks used to enhance
Punctuation communication. A wide range of sentence
Grammar constructions and sentence variety is used
effectively to create intended impact and convey
nuances of meaning.
Compelling in its communicative impact.
Extensive vocabulary and skilful control in the
Effectiveness of construction of varied sentence forms. Strong
communication and assured, sharply focused on purpose and
the expectations/requirements of the intended
reader shown.
Sophisticated control of text structure, skilfully
Organisation Band 5 sustained paragraphing, assured application of a
13 -15 range of cohesive devices
Spelling of a wide and ambitious vocabulary is
consistently accurate. Control of a range of
Spelling punctuation marks is precise, enabling intended
Punctuation emphases and effects to be conveyed. Sentence
Grammar construction and variety is ambitious and
assured; There is sophisticated control of
expression and meaning.

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