AQA GCSE English Language 8700/1 - Explorations in creative reading and writing - Mark Scheme 2

Mark Scheme

Introduction

The information provided for each question is intended to be a guide to the kind of answers anticipated and is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. All appropriate responses should be given credit.

Level of response marking instructions

Level of response mark schemes are broken down into four levels (where appropriate). Read through the student's answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then award a mark.

You should refer to the standardising material throughout your marking. The Indicative Standard is not intended to be a model answer nor a complete response, and it does not exemplify required content. It is an indication of the quality of response that is typical for each level and shows progression from Level 1 to 4.

Step 1 Annotate the response

Annotate the response to show the qualities that are being looked for. Credit relevant evidence, methods and explanation where they meet the skills descriptors for the question.

Step 2 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 descriptors 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 be able to quickly skip through the lower levels for better answers. The Indicative Standard column in the mark scheme will help you determine the correct level.

Step 3 Determine a mark

Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. Balance the range of skills achieved; allow strong performance in some aspects to compensate for others only partially fulfilled. Refer to the standardising scripts to compare standards and allocate a mark accordingly. Re-read as needed to assure yourself that the level and mark are appropriate. An answer which contains nothing of relevance must be awarded no marks.

Advice for Examiners

In fairness to students, all examiners must use the same marking methods.

1. Refer constantly to the mark scheme and standardising scripts throughout the marking period.
2. Always credit accurate, relevant and appropriate responses that are not necessarily covered by the mark scheme or the standardising scripts.
3. Use the full range of marks. Do not hesitate to give full marks if the response merits it.
4. Remember the key to accurate and fair marking is consistency.
5. If you have any doubt about how to allocate marks to a response, consult your Team Leader.

SECTION A: READING - Assessment Objectives

AO1

• Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas.
• Select and synthesise evidence from different texts.

AO2

• Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views.

AO3

• Compare writers' ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two or more texts.

AO4

• Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references.

SECTION B: WRITING - Assessment Objectives

AO5 (Writing: Content and Organisation)

• Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.
• Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts.

AO6

• Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. (This requirement must constitute 20% of the marks for each specification as a whole).

Answers

Question 1 - Mark Scheme

Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 9.

Answer all parts of this question. Choose one answer for each.

[4 marks]

Assessment focus (AO1): Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas. This assesses bullet point 1 (identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas).

• 1.1 Who is pushing rainwater towards the door?: a cleaner - 1 mark
• 1.2 What colour is the cleaner's broom?: red - 1 mark
• 1.3 What word appears repeatedly on the board?: delayed - 1 mark
• 1.4 What does the station seem to have?: one language - 1 mark

Question 2 - Mark Scheme

Look in detail at this extract, from lines 11 to 20 of the source:

11 The last coach hissed into bay six, breathing out warm diesel and a thin cloud of steam. Its headlights swept across the seats, the vending machines and the cleaner's red broom, turning each ordinary thing pale before leaving it behind in the yellow station light.

16 Its windows were black mirrors, and the passengers inside looked like thoughts trapped behind glass. Now and then a face moved, but the reflection of the station slid over it, so I could not tell whether anyone was watching me or only looking at themselves.

How does the writer use language here to present the coach and its passengers?

You could include the writer's choice of:

• words and phrases
• language features and techniques
• sentence forms.

[8 marks]

Question 2 (AO2) - Language Analysis (8 marks)

Use a best-fit judgement for AO2 language analysis. Credit valid alternative interpretations rooted in the source.

Level 4 (Perceptive, detailed) - 7-8 marks

Shows perceptive and detailed understanding of language:

• analyses the effects of the writer's choices of language
• selects a range of judicious textual detail
• makes sophisticated and accurate use of subject terminology

Indicative Standard: A Level 4 response would address the coach and its passengers through evidence such as "hissed into bay six" and "breathing out warm diesel". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer presents the coach and its passengers through a pattern of precise, cumulative choices. The phrase "hissed into bay six" personifies the coach and makes its arrival sound secretive or uneasy. This is effective because the detail does not simply describe the scene; it directs the reader towards the pressure and mood of the moment.

The description then develops through "breathing out warm diesel". It continues the impression that the vehicle is alive and physically present. The wording encourages the reader to notice how the character or setting has an impact before anything fully dramatic happens.

The detail "black mirrors" also matters because it makes the windows seem dark and reflective, hiding what is inside. This creates a layered impression, linking physical description with atmosphere and the viewpoint of the narrator.

Finally, "thoughts trapped behind glass" uses a simile to make the passengers appear silent, distant and enclosed. A perceptive response would connect these details to show how the language makes the moment vivid, controlled and meaningful within the extract.

Level 3 (Clear, relevant) - 5-6 marks

Shows clear understanding of language:

• explains clearly the effects of the writer's choices of language
• selects a range of relevant textual detail
• makes clear and accurate use of subject terminology

Indicative Standard: A Level 3 response would address the coach and its passengers through evidence such as "hissed into bay six" and "breathing out warm diesel". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer clearly presents the coach and its passengers through the phrase "hissed into bay six". This helps the reader understand the mood because it personifies the coach and makes its arrival sound secretive or uneasy.

Another important detail is "breathing out warm diesel". This is a clear language choice because it adds to the impression and shows how it continues the impression that the vehicle is alive and physically present.

The writer also uses "black mirrors" to develop the effect. These details work together rather than standing alone, so the extract creates a clear response in the reader.

Level 2 (Some, attempts) - 3-4 marks

Shows some understanding of language:

• attempts to comment on the effect of language
• selects some appropriate textual detail
• makes some use of subject terminology, mainly appropriately

Indicative Standard: A Level 2 response would address the coach and its passengers through evidence such as "hissed into bay six" and "breathing out warm diesel". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer uses "hissed into bay six" to show the coach and its passengers. This gives the reader an idea because it personifies the coach and makes its arrival sound secretive or uneasy.

The phrase "breathing out warm diesel" also adds some detail. It helps make the scene or character easier to picture.

Level 1 (Simple, limited) - 1-2 marks

Shows simple awareness of language:

• offers simple comment on the effect of language
• selects simple references or textual details
• uses simple subject terminology, not always appropriately

Indicative Standard: A Level 1 response would address the coach and its passengers through evidence such as "hissed into bay six" and "breathing out warm diesel". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer uses "hissed into bay six" to show the coach and its passengers. This gives a simple idea about the scene.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q2 content may include:

• "hissed" can suggest secrecy, pressure or threat.
• "breathing out" personifies the coach as a living presence.
• "black mirrors" hides the passengers and reflects the narrator's uncertainty.
• "thoughts trapped behind glass" makes the passengers seem remote and unreal.

Question 3 - Mark Scheme

You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole.

This text is from the beginning of a novel.

How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of unease?

You could write about:

• how unease builds throughout the source
• how the writer uses structure to create an effect
• the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.

[8 marks]

Question 3 (AO2) - Structural Analysis (8 marks)

Use a best-fit judgement for AO2 structural analysis. Credit valid alternative interpretations rooted in the source.

Level 4 (Perceptive, detailed) - 7-8 marks

Shows perceptive and detailed understanding of structural features:

• analyses the effects of the writer's choices of structural features
• selects a range of judicious examples
• makes sophisticated and accurate use of subject terminology

Indicative Standard: A Level 4 response would track the opening focus on an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board, the later shift when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin, and the final movement towards the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. It should explain how that order creates a sense of unease.

Model answer:

The writer structures the source to create a sense of unease by beginning with an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board. This opening works as more than background because it gives the reader a pattern of ordinary details against which later changes can be measured.

The focus then shifts when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin. This change acts as a turning point because the reader moves from observing a place to watching a more active human situation develop.

The middle of the extract is shaped by the woman in the red coat warns the narrator in a quiet voice. The writer slows the pace around these details so that the reader has time to interpret what has changed and why it matters.

By the end, the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. The structure therefore feels deliberate: the opening establishes expectations, the middle complicates them, and the ending leaves the reader with a clearer sense of what the source has been moving towards.

Level 3 (Clear, relevant) - 5-6 marks

Shows clear understanding of structural features:

• explains clearly the effects of the writer's choices of structure
• selects a range of relevant examples
• makes clear and accurate use of subject terminology

Indicative Standard: A Level 3 response would track the opening focus on an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board, the later shift when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin, and the final movement towards the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. It should explain how that order creates a sense of unease.

Model answer:

The source begins with an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board, which gives the reader a clear starting point and sets up the mood.

Later, the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin. This is an important change because the reader's attention moves to a new detail or problem.

Near the end, the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. This helps create a sense of unease because the source has moved from one focus to another in a clear order.

This is a clear structural response because it explains why the order of events matters, rather than simply retelling what happens in the extract.

Level 2 (Some, attempts) - 3-4 marks

Shows some understanding of structural features:

• attempts to comment on the effect of structural choices
• selects some appropriate examples
• makes some use of subject terminology, mainly appropriately

Indicative Standard: A Level 2 response would track the opening focus on an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board, the later shift when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin, and the final movement towards the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. It should explain how that order creates a sense of unease.

Model answer:

The writer starts with an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board and later changes when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin. This shows that the source changes as it continues.

At the end, the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. This gives the reader a simple sense of development.

Level 1 (Simple, limited) - 1-2 marks

Shows simple awareness of structural features:

• offers simple comment on the effect of structure
• selects simple references or examples
• uses simple subject terminology, not always appropriately

Indicative Standard: A Level 1 response would track the opening focus on an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board, the later shift when the last coach arrives but ordinary boarding does not begin, and the final movement towards the narrator considers missing the coach on purpose. It should explain how that order creates a sense of unease.

Model answer:

The source starts with an almost empty station and a repeated delay on the departure board and later changes. This is a simple structural point.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q3 content may include:

• The empty station establishes isolation from the start.
• The coach's arrival should solve the delay but instead increases uncertainty.
• The woman's warning creates a pivotal point in the narrative.
• The ending leaves the decision unresolved, sustaining unease.

Question 4 - Mark Scheme

For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 21 to the end.

In this part of the source, the journey seems uncertain and slightly threatening. The writer suggests that ordinary travel has become strange and difficult to trust.

To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?

In your response, you could:

• consider your own impressions of the station and the journey
• evaluate how the writer creates uncertainty and threat
• support your response with references to the text.

[20 marks]

Question 4 (AO4) - Critical Evaluation (20 marks)

Use a best-fit judgement for AO4 critical evaluation. Credit valid alternative interpretations rooted in the source.

Level 4 (Perceptive, detailed) - 16-20 marks

Shows perceptive and detailed evaluation:

• develops a convincing and critical response to the focus of the statement
• shows perceptive understanding of writer's methods
• selects a range of judicious textual detail
• evaluates critically and in detail the effects on the reader

Indicative Standard: A Level 4 response would make a judgement on the statement by using details such as "he did not open the luggage doors" and "You are not meant to be on this one" while also considering whether the later details qualify the view.

Model answer:

I largely agree with the statement because the driver's behaviour makes the normal process of boarding feel suspicious. The detail "he did not open the luggage doors" supports this view and shows how the writer encourages the reader to form a strong initial judgement.

The statement is also supported by "You are not meant to be on this one". The woman in the red coat makes the narrator doubt the journey. This makes the presentation more convincing because the writer uses method and detail to shape the reader's response, not just direct explanation.

However, the judgement needs to be qualified because some details remain ordinary, such as tickets, coffee and passengers, which keeps the threat understated. The phrase "Warm air rolled out" complicates the statement and stops the response becoming one-sided.

By the end, the narrator thinks about missing the coach on purpose, leaving the danger unresolved. This means the writer supports the statement in important ways, but also develops a more nuanced impression. I would therefore agree with the main idea while recognising how the ending changes or deepens it.

Level 3 (Clear, relevant) - 11-15 marks

Shows clear and relevant evaluation:

• develops a clear and relevant response to the focus of the statement
• shows clear understanding of writer's methods
• selects a range of relevant textual references
• evaluates clearly the effects on the reader

Indicative Standard: A Level 3 response would make a judgement on the statement by using details such as "he did not open the luggage doors" and "You are not meant to be on this one" while also considering whether the later details qualify the view.

Model answer:

I agree with the statement to a clear extent because the driver's behaviour makes the normal process of boarding feel suspicious. The quotation "he did not open the luggage doors" supports this view and helps explain the writer's method.

Another relevant detail is "You are not meant to be on this one". This shows that the woman in the red coat makes the narrator doubt the journey. It gives the reader a clear impression of the character or situation.

There is also a slight qualification because some details remain ordinary, such as tickets, coffee and passengers, which keeps the threat understated. The ending, where the narrator thinks about missing the coach on purpose, leaving the danger unresolved, makes the response more balanced.

Level 2 (Some, attempts) - 6-10 marks

Shows some attempts at evaluation:

• makes some response to the focus of the statement
• shows some understanding of writer's methods
• selects some appropriate textual references
• makes some evaluative comments on effects on the reader

Indicative Standard: A Level 2 response would make a judgement on the statement by using details such as "he did not open the luggage doors" and "You are not meant to be on this one" while also considering whether the later details qualify the view.

Model answer:

I partly agree because "he did not open the luggage doors" shows the driver's behaviour makes the normal process of boarding feel suspicious. This gives the reader a clear idea about the statement.

The detail "You are not meant to be on this one" also supports the view, but there may be another way to read the ending.

Level 1 (Simple, limited) - 1-5 marks

Shows simple, limited evaluation:

• makes a simple, limited response to the focus of the statement
• shows simple awareness of writer's methods
• selects simple references or textual details
• makes simple comments on effects on the reader

Indicative Standard: A Level 1 response would make a judgement on the statement by using details such as "he did not open the luggage doors" and "You are not meant to be on this one" while also considering whether the later details qualify the view.

Model answer:

I agree because "he did not open the luggage doors" links to the statement. This gives a simple reason for my view.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q4 content may include:

• The driver's delay interrupts the expected travel routine.
• The woman's warning introduces mystery and threat.
• The broken loudspeaker and blurred ticket make information unreliable.
• Ordinary sensory details keep the scene realistic while unease grows.

Question 5 - Mark Scheme

A magazine for young travellers wants creative articles for a special feature.

Choose one of the options below for your entry.

• Option A: Describe a coach station late at night from your imagination.
• Option B: Write the opening of a story about a journey that begins badly.

[40 marks]

Question 5 (AO5/AO6) - Writing (40 marks)

AO5 Content and organisation (24 marks): communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively; organise information and ideas to support coherence and cohesion.

AO6 Technical accuracy (16 marks): use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.

Prompt focus: Describe a coach station late at night from your imagination. / Write the opening of a story about a journey that begins badly.

NB: If a candidate does not directly address the focus of the task, their communication cannot be clear or convincing and the mark for AO5 is capped at the top of Level 2 - 12 marks.

Level 4 Upper exemplar

At first glance, a coach station late at night looked almost ordinary. Then orange light pooled beneath the bays while rain moved across the glass roof. The place seemed to be waiting, full of small signals that refused to settle into silence.

Tickets curled in damp hands, engines idled and suitcases stood like tired passengers. Even the smallest objects appeared to have been abandoned in the middle of a thought, as if the room had swallowed the end of every conversation.

Beyond the first doorway, another space opened into warmer light. Voices moved behind walls, then vanished; footsteps crossed above the ceiling and stopped exactly where listening became rude.

I moved more slowly, noticing how each object seemed to answer a question I had not asked: the turned handle, the scraped floorboard, the careful space left around a chair.

Finally, the last coach waited with its door open and its destination glowing through the dark. Nothing had been explained, but everything had been suggested, and the place felt vivid with stories that had not yet dared to speak.

The longer I looked at a coach station late at night, the less it seemed like one place. It was a series of thresholds: a bright square of glass, a passage holding its breath, a corner where the air felt used and warm. Each detail altered the next, so the setting did not simply sit in front of me; it drew me in and made me sort its signs.

Near the centre, light gathered on hard surfaces and left the edges uncertain. A chair had been pushed back too quickly. A coat hung from a hook with one sleeve turned inside out. These were small things, yet together they made the place feel busy with lives that had passed through only moments before.

Sound changed the scene as much as sight. A far door clicked, then another answered it; somewhere above, movement crossed a ceiling and paused. The pauses mattered most, because they made every object seem ready to speak if I waited long enough.

By the final glance, the setting had become less like a background and more like a person keeping a secret. I stood still for a moment, caught by the controlled, watchful mood, as if the next detail might reveal what the whole place had been hiding.

I did not want to touch anything. The gaps between the sounds seemed as important as the sounds themselves, and every object looked as if it had been placed there to test whether I was brave enough to notice it.

At last my attention narrowed to one small mark near the doorframe. It was no larger than a thumbprint, but it held the whole room in place, and I left with that single dark shape fixed sharply in my mind.

Level 4 Lower exemplar

I had not meant to get involved. The departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay.

Then a stranger lifted my dropped ticket and smiled as if he had been expecting me. The moment seemed to tighten; every sound had become an instruction.

For a moment I did nothing, and that hesitation felt worse than fear. I could still choose to step backwards into my ordinary life, but the chance was shrinking with every second.

The setting seemed to hold its breath with me, and even the ordinary shapes around me looked newly important.

I tried to tell myself that someone else would act first, but the silence after the noise felt like an accusation. My hands were cold, and my thoughts had become strangely neat.

By the end of the opening, the journey had become less like escape than a test, and I knew the moment could not be ignored.

I noticed something was wrong only because the light changed. One moment the place was flat and ordinary; the next, a shape at the edge of my sight had become impossible to ignore. I told myself there would be a simple explanation, but the thought sounded borrowed and unconvincing.

The first step towards the problem was the hardest. Once I had moved, the setting seemed to rearrange itself around me: the door behind me looked further away, the silence ahead looked deeper, and every small noise had the force of a warning.

What made me continue was not bravery exactly. It was the sense that the moment would become worse if I left it alone. The pressure pushed me from hesitation into action, although I still had no idea what would happen when I reached the place where the sound had begun.

By the time I reached the place where the sound had begun, I was no longer thinking about turning back. The opening now had a problem, a witness and a risk. I could no longer pretend this was ordinary, and I was still unsure what I would find next.

Then a hand moved in the narrow space ahead of me. I opened my mouth to call out, but the word stayed behind my teeth, and the door began to move before I could decide whether to run.

Level 3 Upper exemplar

Orange light pooled beneath the bays while rain moved across the glass roof, making a coach station late at night seem busy and unusual.

Tickets curled in damp hands, engines idled and suitcases stood like tired passengers. These details create a clear atmosphere because the setting feels full of things that have just happened.

As I looked further in, the scene became more mysterious. There were ordinary objects everywhere, but they seemed connected to secrets rather than daily routines.

By the end, the last coach waited with its door open and its destination glowing through the dark, and I felt that something was hidden.

As I moved my eyes across a coach station late at night, the first impression became clearer and more atmospheric. Larger shapes gave way to smaller signs, each one suggesting that something had recently happened there.

A door stood half-open. There was a mark on the floor and a sound from another room, so the place felt active even though nobody was clearly shown. I kept looking because every detail seemed connected to the next.

At the end, the last coach waited with its door open and its destination glowing through the dark. That final image made the setting feel more mysterious, and the place seemed more complete than a simple list of details.

I stayed with that final image for a few seconds longer. It made the whole scene feel connected, as if the wider place, the smaller objects and the quiet sounds had all been leading towards that one moment.

Level 3 Lower exemplar

The departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay.

At first the problem seems simple, but then a stranger lifted my dropped ticket and smiled as if he had been expecting me. I stopped and tried to work out what to do next.

I knew I had to make a decision, and that made the moment more tense. I did not know whether moving closer would help or make everything worse.

The opening ends with the problem still unresolved, and I still needed to know what would happen next.

I realised that the situation was not normal. My first thought was to walk away, but the silence made that feel impossible.

I was worried, but I still moved closer. There was a choice to make, even though I did not understand the danger properly.

By the end, the journey had become less like escape than a test. I knew the moment was no longer ordinary and that whatever happened next would matter.

Level 2 Upper exemplar

Orange light pooled beneath the bays while rain moved across the glass roof in a coach station late at night.

I could see that tickets curled in damp hands, engines idled and suitcases stood like tired passengers. These details make the setting seem interesting and a little strange.

There are different parts of the place to look at, so I could picture the scene and understand its mood.

I could see a coach station late at night clearly and noticed several details. The place seemed unusual because there were sounds and objects that made it feel as if something had happened.

I looked from one part of the place to another. First I saw the wider room, then the smaller marks and objects, and this made the setting feel interesting even in a simple way.

Level 2 Lower exemplar

The departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay.

Something went wrong: the departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay. I felt worried and tried to solve the problem, but I was not sure what to do first or who to ask.

I knew something was wrong. I felt worried and tried to decide what to do.

First I noticed the problem, then I moved closer. The opening ended before I knew whether I could help.

Level 1 Upper exemplar

I saw a coach station late at night.

Orange light pooled beneath the bays while rain moved across the glass roof. I noticed a few simple details.

I saw a coach station late at night and noticed a few clear things. The place felt strange and quiet.

There was a door, a floor and a sound. These details made me look again.

Level 1 Lower exemplar

The departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay.

Then the departure board changed just as the last coach hissed into the bay. I was scared and moved quickly because something bad might happen.

There was a problem. I was scared and moved quickly.