GCSE English Language Paper 1 Exam Notes: May 2024

Exam Series: GCSE English Language, Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing.
Date and Session: Thursday 23 May 2024, Morning session.
Total Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes.
Total Marks: 80 marks.
Required Materials: Black ink or black ball-point pen and the provided Source A (separate insert).
Mandatory Prohibitions: The use of a dictionary is strictly prohibited.
Administrative Requirements: * Fill in all boxes at the top of the page (Centre number, Candidate number, Surname, Forename, Candidate signature). * Answer all questions in the provided spaces; avoid writing outside the boxes around each page or on blank pages. * All rough work must be done inside the booklet and crossed through if it is not meant to be marked. * Extra space is available on lined pages at the end of the booklet, and the question number must be explicitly written against any such answers.

Section A: Reading (40 Marks): * This section assesses the quality of the candidate's reading skills. * Recommended time: 45 minutes. * Question weights: * Question 1: 4 marks. * Question 2: 8 marks. * Question 3: 8 marks. * Question 4: 20 marks.
Section B: Writing (40 Marks): * This section assesses the quality of the candidate's writing skills. * Recommended time: 45 minutes. * Mark breakdown: * 24 marks for content and organization. * 16 marks for technical accuracy.
Total Distribution: The paper is set at a strictly 50/50 mark split between Reading and Writing.

Reading Time: Candidates are advised to spend approximately 15 minutes at the start reading throughout the source material and all five questions.
Planning: Candidates are specifically advised to plan their answer for Question 5 (the writing task) before they begin writing.
Reviewing: Candidates should ensure sufficient time remains at the end of the exam to check all answers.
Presentation: Candidates are reminded of the necessity for good English and clear, legible presentation in their responses.

Question 01 (Direct Retrieval): * Focus: Lines 1 to 6 of the source. * Task: List four things about the character Mary from this specific section. * Constraint: Answer must be based strictly on information within these lines.
Question 02 (Language Analysis): * Focus: Lines 7 to 17 of the source. * Prompt: How does the writer use language here to describe the effects of the heat? * Candidate Analysis Points: * Writer's choice of words and phrases. * Language features and techniques. * Sentence forms.
Question 03 (Structural Analysis): * Focus: The entire source text (taken from the middle of a novel). * Prompt: How has the writer structured the text to interest the reader? * Candidate Analysis Points: * The focus at the beginning of the source. * How and why the writer shifts the focus as the text develops. * Other structural features that maintain interest.
Question 04 (Critical Evaluation): * Focus: Line 18 to the end of the source. * Task: Respond to a student statement: "Dick’s anger towards Mary is really unfair. The writer makes it clear that Mary is totally powerless in this relationship." * Requirements: * State to what extent the candidate agrees. * Evaluate if Dick's anger is unfair. * Analyze the presentation of Mary and Dick's relationship. * Support the evaluation with specific references to the text.

The Obsession of Heat: As time passed, the heat became an "obsession" for Mary.
The External Environment: * A "rough heap of giant boulders" sat outside. * Heat-waves were seen to "beat up out of the hot stone." * Visual imagery: Heat lizards in "vivid red and blue and emerald" darting over rocks "like flames."
The Internal Environment: * The house was unbearable due to "sapping, undermining waves" from the iron roof. * The dogs, normally active, remained on the verandah all day. * Sensory details regarding dogs: Mary heard them "panting softly" or "whining with exasperation" due to flies.
Mary's Ritual for Relief: * She locked the dogs out of the house. * Mid-morning routine: A worker would carry a "petrol tin full of lukewarm water" to the bedroom. * Private procedure: After ensuring the worker left, Mary stood in a basin on the brick floor and poured the water over herself. * Result: The "scattering drops" hit the "porous brick" floor, which "hissed with dryness."

Question 05 (Creative Writing Section): * Option 1 (Descriptive): Write a description of a very hot place as suggested by the provided picture (not included in transcript but implied to be a heat-focused scene). * Option 2 (Narrative): Write a story about a disagreement. * Technical Requirements: * Must be written in full sentences. * Must be planned in advance. * Criteria for assessment include content, organization, and technical accuracy (grammar, punctuation, spelling). * Marks: Total of 40 marks.