AQA GCSE English Language 8700/1 - Explorations in creative reading and writing - Mark Scheme 103

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 How did the narrator's brother respond to the narrator's attempts to speak?: The narrator's brother shook his head and raised a finger to signal 'listen'. - 1 mark
• 1.2 How does the narrator's brother signal to the narrator in response to the narrator's attempts to speak?: By holding up one finger to indicate that the narrator should listen - 1 mark
• 1.3 What physical signal did the brother use to communicate with the narrator when the brother could not hear what the narrator was saying?: The brother raised one finger to indicate that the narrator should listen - 1 mark
• 1.4 How does the narrator's brother indicate that the narrator should listen?: The narrator's brother holds up one of his fingers - 1 mark

Question 2 - Mark Scheme

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

11 the slack, and the whirl of the Ström was in full fury!_ “When a boat is well built, properly trimmed, and not deep laden, the waves in a strong gale, when she is going large, seem always to slip from beneath her—which appears very strange to a landsman—and this is what is called

16 riding, in sea phrase. “Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea happened to take us right under the counter, and bore us with it as it rose—up—up—as if into the sky.

How does the writer use language here to show the narrator’s sudden understanding and the threat at sea?

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 threat at sea through evidence such as "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" and "ridden the swells very cleverly". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer presents the threat at sea through a pattern of precise, cumulative choices. The phrase "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" personifies the whirlpool as enraged and dangerously powerful. 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 "ridden the swells very cleverly". It creates a brief, false sense of skill and control before disaster. The wording encourages the reader to notice how the character or setting has an impact before anything fully dramatic happens.

The detail "a gigantic sea" also matters because it uses scale to make a single wave feel overwhelming and monstrous. This creates a layered impression, linking physical description with atmosphere and the viewpoint of the narrator.

Finally, "bore us with it as it rose" shows the sea seizing the boat and lifting it helplessly upward. 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 threat at sea through evidence such as "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" and "ridden the swells very cleverly". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer clearly presents the threat at sea through the phrase "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury". This helps the reader understand the mood because it personifies the whirlpool as enraged and dangerously powerful.

Another important detail is "ridden the swells very cleverly". This is a clear language choice because it adds to the impression and shows how it creates a brief, false sense of skill and control before disaster.

The writer also uses "a gigantic sea" 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 threat at sea through evidence such as "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" and "ridden the swells very cleverly". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer uses "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" to show the threat at sea. This gives the reader an idea because it personifies the whirlpool as enraged and dangerously powerful.

The phrase "ridden the swells very cleverly" 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 threat at sea through evidence such as "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" and "ridden the swells very cleverly". At this level, the response should link individual words and phrases to their effects on the reader.

Model answer:

The writer uses "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" to show the threat at sea. This gives a simple idea about the scene.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q2 content may include:

• The personification in "the whirl of the Ström was in full fury" makes the sea seem enraged.
• Having "ridden the swells very cleverly" creates a false sense of control.
• The phrase "a gigantic sea" makes a single wave feel monstrous.
• The sea that "bore us with it as it rose" shows the boat being seized and lifted helplessly.

Question 3 - Mark Scheme

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

This text is from part of a novel.

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

You could write about:

• how calm emerges by the end of 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: The source is shaped through clear movement and contrast. It opens with I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother, then shifts towards Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly, so the reader notices a developing change rather than a static description. The later focus on We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl gives the whole extract a deliberate structural direction.

Model answer:

At the beginning, the writer focuses attention on "I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother". This gives the source a clear opening position and establishes what the reader notices first. The opening therefore does more than introduce content; it frames the direction of the reader's response.

As the source develops, the focus shifts towards "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly". This change alters the pace and direction of the extract, so the reader is moved away from the first impression and towards a new emphasis.

The later detail "We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl" broadens or intensifies the source. A perceptive response would explain how this movement affects the reader's expectations, rather than treating it as an isolated quotation.

By the end, "These, no doubt, were singular fancies to occupy a man's mind in such extremity" gives the structure a shaped final effect because the earlier details have prepared the reader for this point. The source therefore feels deliberately organised around development, contrast or escalation.

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: The structure develops clearly from I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother to Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly. This shift helps create the development of calm, and the later detail We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl gives the source a clear ending or turning point.

Model answer:

The writer begins by focusing on "I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother", which introduces the main situation and gives the source a clear starting point.

Later, the focus moves to "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly", so the reader can see a clear change in the source.

Near the end, "We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl" helps to complete the structural effect. A clear response would explain how the beginning, middle and end work together.

This means the answer should not only list events, but should explain how the order of details affects the reader and helps create the named structural effect.

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: There is some structural development from I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother to Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly. This gives the reader a simple sense that the source changes as it goes on.

Model answer:

At the start, the writer shows "I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother". Later there is a change when "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly" is introduced.

This shows a simple development across the source and gives the reader something new to notice.

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: The source starts with I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother and later includes Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly. This shows a simple change.

Model answer:

The writer starts with "I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother" and later includes "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly". This shows a simple change.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q3 content may include:

• The opening focus can be linked to "I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother".
• A later shift or turning point can be supported by "Well, so far we had ridden the swells very cleverly".
• The ending or wider movement of the source can be linked to "We were now in the belt of surf that always surrounds the whirl".
• References to structural choices across the whole source rather than isolated language analysis.

Question 4 - Mark Scheme

For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 26 to the end.

In this part of the source, the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool seems unbelievable. The writer suggests that once all hope is lost, fear can be replaced by a strange curiosity.

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

In your response, you could:

• consider your own impressions of this part of the source
• evaluate how the writer creates these impressions
• 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: The strongest answers make a perceptive, balanced judgement about the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool. They use It may appear strange to test the statement closely, then weigh it against Having made up my mind to hope no more and After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself, showing how the writer shapes both agreement and qualification.

Model answer:

I largely agree with the statement because "It may appear strange" gives strong evidence for this view. The writer's choice of detail makes the moment seem significant and encourages the reader to judge it critically. It supports the statement because the detail is not neutral; it pushes the reader towards a definite response.

However, "Having made up my mind to hope no more" complicates the judgement because it suggests there is more to the character or situation than the statement alone covers. This allows the answer to move beyond simple agreement.

The detail "After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself" develops the response further because it points to another possible interpretation. A perceptive answer would use this to weigh the statement rather than just repeat it.

Placed alongside "After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself", these details show that the statement has force but does not account for every aspect of the presentation. The strongest answer therefore evaluates both the evidence that supports the statement and the evidence that qualifies it.

This creates a developed argument because the response keeps returning to the wording of the statement while also considering how the writer's methods shape the reader's judgement.

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: Clear answers give a relevant judgement about the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool. They use It may appear strange and Having made up my mind to hope no more to explain how far the statement is supported, with some comment on the writer's methods.

Model answer:

I agree with the statement to a clear extent because "It may appear strange" supports it. This detail gives a clear reason for accepting the statement and links directly to the writer's presentation.

At the same time, "Having made up my mind to hope no more" gives another side to the moment. This means the reader can make a clear but balanced judgement about how far the statement is true.

The detail "After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself" could also be used to explain the writer's method. A clear answer would link this evidence to the reader's impression of the character or situation.

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: Some answers make a partial judgement about the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool, usually using a detail such as It may appear strange and offering some comment on its effect.

Model answer:

I partly agree because "It may appear strange" supports the statement.

The detail "Having made up my mind to hope no more" gives another simple idea about the statement. This shows that there may be more than one way to respond to the character or situation.

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: Simple answers identify a basic view about the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool, often supported by a simple reference such as It may appear strange.

Model answer:

I agree because "It may appear strange" is linked to the statement. This gives a basic reason for my view.

It gives a basic reason for the view.

Level 0 - No marks

Nothing worthy of credit.

Q4 content may include:

• Judgement about the narrator's sudden feeling of calm in the whirlpool can be supported by "It may appear strange".
• Qualification or alternative readings can draw on "Having made up my mind to hope no more".
• Writer's methods and effects on the reader can be linked to "After a little while I became possessed with the keenest curiosity about the whirl itself".
• Responses may agree, disagree or qualify, provided the judgement is rooted in the specified section.

Question 5 - Mark Scheme

A crime fiction journal is running a competition for new writers.

Choose one of the options below for your entry.

• Option A: Describe a digital forensics lab from your imagination.
• Option B: Write the opening of a story about a hidden message.

[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 digital forensics lab from your imagination. / Write the opening of a story about a hidden message.

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 digital forensics lab looked almost ordinary. Then light shifted across the place and made familiar objects seem newly important. The place seemed to be waiting, full of small signals that refused to settle into silence.

A mark on the floor, a half-open door and a sudden sound drew the eye from one clue to another. 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 final detail made the setting feel charged with a story that had only just begun. 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 digital forensics lab, 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 first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore.

Then a second detail made the situation sharper and harder to explain away. 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, by the end of the opening, the character had a choice that could not be postponed, 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

Light shifted across the place and made familiar objects seem newly important, making a digital forensics lab seem busy and unusual.

A mark on the floor, a half-open door and a sudden sound drew the eye from one clue to another. 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 final detail made the setting feel charged with a story that had only just begun, and I felt that something was hidden.

As I moved my eyes across a digital forensics lab, 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 final detail made the setting feel charged with a story that had only just begun. 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 first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore.

At first the problem seems simple, but then a second detail made the situation sharper and harder to explain away. 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, by the end of the opening, the character had a choice that could not be postponed. I knew the moment was no longer ordinary and that whatever happened next would matter.

Level 2 Upper exemplar

Light shifted across the place and made familiar objects seem newly important in a digital forensics lab.

I could see that a mark on the floor, a half-open door and a sudden sound drew the eye from one clue to another. 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 digital forensics lab 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 first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore.

Something went wrong: the first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore. 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 digital forensics lab.

Light shifted across the place and made familiar objects seem newly important. I noticed a few simple details.

I saw a digital forensics lab 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 first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore.

Then the first warning looked ordinary enough to ignore. I was scared and moved quickly because something bad might happen.

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

I did not know what would happen next, but I knew I had to do something.