AICE Lit A Level Assessment Quiz

personal response

AO3

evaluation of opinion (literary theory)

AO5

Shakespeare and Drama

Paper 3 Topic

Hamlet by Shakespeare

Paper 3 Essay 1

Sweat by Lynn Nottage

Paper 3 Essay 2

Pre and Post 1900s Poetry and Prose

Paper 4 Topic

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Paper 4 Essay 1

Poetry by William Wordsworth

Paper 4 Essay 2

Scoring

combination with AICE English Literature AS scores

examine

investigate closely in detail

consider

review and respond to given information

contrast

identify/comment on differences

describe

state the points of a topic/give characteristics and main features

assess

make an informed judgement

explain

set out purposes pr reasons/make the relationships between things evident/provide why and/or how in support with relevant evidence

comment

give an informed opinion

demonstrate

show how or give an example

analyze

examine in detail to show meaning, identify elements, and the relationship between them

discuss

write about the issues or topics in depth in a structured way

20%

AO's are worth ___ of the overall score on each paper

knowledge and understanding

AO1

analysis

AO2

communication

AO4

2

Paper 3 and 4 are both ___ hours

50 marks

Paper 3 and 4 are each worth ___

Essay A

students write an essay from memory

Essay B

students will use an excerpt when writing the essay

suggest

apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals

compare

identify/comment on similarities and/or differences

develop

take forward to a more advanced stage or build upon given information

feminist theory

Western culture is fundamentally patriarchal (i.e. created by men, controlled by men, viewed through the eyes of men, and evaluated by men). Works of female writers (or works about females) were examined by the same standards as those by male writers (and about men). Caused old texts to be reexamined, and the portrayal of women in literature is reevaluated. New writers create works that more accurately reflect the developing concept of the modern woman.

marxist theory

Whoever controlled the means of production (the factories) in a society controlled the society. Notes disparity in the economic and political power enjoyed by the few (factory owners) over the many (factory laborers). Since the factory owners possess the means of production - and therefore, control the money - they can manipulate politics, government, education, art, and the media. He believed that the means of production (i.e. the basis of power in society) should be placed in the hands of the masses, the laborers. Asserts that literature is a reflection of culture, and that culture can be influenced by literature; literature can instigate a revolution.

psychoanalytic/freudian theory

First focuses on the text itself, with no regard to outside influences; the second focuses on the author of the text. According to the first view, reading and interpretation are limited to the work itself. The second focuses on the essential relationship between the author and the work itself; to fully understand a text, one must fully understand the author's life and values. The author's bias, therefore, often has an effect on the reader, which is exactly what the author wants.

mythological/archetypal theory

Looking for symbols or figures that repeats itself in the course of history wherever creative fantasy is fully manifested. Takes note of general themes, characters, and situations that recur in literature across writers, genres, periods, and societies.

new historicism theory

Asserts that individuals cannot assume a direct comparison between the culture as presented in the text and as it really was. Since these unrepresented or underrepresented histories often contradict "traditional" understandings, there is no way to know the "absolute" historical truth.

formalism theory

Analyzes how that meaning is communicated. Beyond identifying tone, mood, and author's perspective, it examines HOW the author has created these elements. Study recurrences, repetitions, and motifs in a work in order to understand it.