2015 HKDSE Literature in English Briefing Session · Section B: Seen Poetry Vague/tenuous connections between technique and effect Examples 1. No specific rhyme scheme implies the

12 October 2015 E306 EDB Kowloon Tong Centre

Dr. Neil DRAVE Senior Manager Assessment Development Division Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority

HKDSE 2015 Literature in English – Briefing

Rundown

• 4.30 Welcome and introductions

• 4.40 Overview of the 2015 exam

• 5.00 Paper 1 (Terri Donlon) and Q&A

• 5.25 Paper 2 (Raymond Ng) and Q&A

• 5.50 Paper 3 (Connie Chung) and Q&A

• 6.15 The 2016 paper and beyond to SBA

• 6.30 Finish

Overview of the 2015 paper

• Candidates’ performance

• Questions

• Marking Scheme

• Major Paper 1 issue

Candidates’ performance

• 392 candidates in total (+27 cf. 2014)

• 3+ 80.5%

• 4+ 55%

• 5+ 22% (-3% cf. 2014)

• Slightly weaker than 2015, with fewer top-performers

• Samples of 2015 performance posted on web soon (end October)

Questions

• Aims – coverage of important issues

– bring out what candidates know rather than trick them

– stimulate critical thinking rather than plot recall

– focus on how (technique) as well as what (effect/outcome)

– Film technique and language

• Allow for choice of texts to answer on

Marking scheme

• Aims – balance of standardised presentation (e.g. tables) and

variable analysis

– indicative only, not model answers

– give markers a sense of the range of answers that might be expected

– quantitative and qualitative

– intended to be used with training and feedback from CE, not a guide to teaching

– appropriate literary terms are desired

Mark penalties for incomplete coverage

Genres NOT covered

Genre Novel Play Film Stories TOTAL

No. candidates 16 21 30 01 62 (15%)

1 genre missing

56

2 genres missing

6

Paper 1 Appreciation (Set 1) Popularity & Mean score

A Q1 Q2 B Q3 Q4 C Q5 Q6

Pop=56% 44% 43% 57% 55% 45%

M=58% 62% 37% 50% 48% 43%

Paper 1 Section A: Critical Analysis Quite full responses

Sound knowledge of texts

Very few incomplete answers

Storytelling in place of analysis

Heavy repetition of points

Laden with quotations without explaining meaning

Illogical assertions / problems with expression

Example:

Othello becomes violent because of his lust of self-identity.

Section B: Seen Poetry Question 3 proved very problematic

This Lunar Beauty and Cut Grass (i) What do the poems say about time and mortality?

(ii) Discuss the use of rhyme and rhythm in (A)

(iii) Comment on how punctuation contributes to the effect of both poems

Section B: Seen Poetry Vague/tenuous connections between technique and effect Examples 1. No specific rhyme scheme implies the actions of the moon.

2. Poem (B) is written in iambic pentameter to portray the

snow falling mysteriously in the woods.

3. Poem (B) uses repetition of “ee” sound to show that winter is very long.

4. Iambic dimeter is used so it can be sung easily.

5. Enjambment in line 6-7 shows the “lover” of the moon used for comparison.

Candidates should incorporate a recognition of technical elements of a work into a logical understanding of its meaning

Examples

1. Onomatopoeia in ‘breeze’ is like a decoration in winter.

2. Sibilant sound is used in “cracks and crazes” to show the hard /k/ sound.

3. Words like “his woods” tell us it is someone’s woods and words like “see me stopping” tell us it is windy and cold.

4. In lines 35-36 it says “kicking his way down through the air to the ground” which tells us he was kicking his way through the air and swinging on the tree.

Tighter explanation needed to link a technical discussion back to the question

Examples

1. The use of plosives shows how difficult it is to walk through deep snow.

2. Auden uses monosyllabic words to show the transience of the moon.

3. “pathless” and “flakes” give a cold feeling because we blow air out with pronouncing.

Section C: Unseen poetry Stating the obvious Identifying techniques divorced from meaning or context Misinterpretation Examples:

1. “Let me love you” suggests their love is not accepted by society.

2. The strawberries are a metaphor for war. The colour red represents violence and blood, which washes love away.

3. The relationship is between the dress and the charity shop.

Paper 2 Essay (Set 1) Popularity & (Mean score n>50)

Novel Play Film Short stories

I Q1 Q2

Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8

55% (16.6)

11% (16.4)

14% (14.9)

48% (17.7)

36% (16.1)

9% (11)

11% (16.6)

16% (15.9)

II Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16

30% (17.4)

9% 9% 7% 4% 13% 14% (13.3)

15% (15.7)

Questions 1 and 2 Q. 1 • Many treated it as a character question (focusing on Jack, Ralph, Piggy

and Simon) • Better answers discussed theme(s) in the context of plot and character

development

Q.2 • Quite well answered • Most candidates managed to support their defence of Jack’s actions

with examples from text • Effective answers discussed wider themes and contexts of the story

Question 4

• Well answered

• Good answers provided a sound interpretation of Emilia’s line with a convincing argument

Question 6

• A number of weak or irrelevant answers

• Candidates chose to focus on scenes they deemed “effective”

• “Comical” was largely ignored or misunderstood

Question 7

• Quite a lot of story-telling

• Better answers discussed the various roles television plays in the texts:

– as literary symbol

– as agent of plot development

– as means of characterization

Question 8

• Weak answers mistook question and discussed narrative point of view

• Strong answers focused on narrative techniques adopted to present character development, e.g. symbolism, language and tone

Question 9 • Part 2 • Well answered • Approached question from different perspectives:

– character’s thoughts and actions – dialogue – mode of narration – film technique – setting – language – imagery

Question 16

• A number of irrelevant answers, as “arrogance” was misunderstood

• There was also inadequate attention to the second part of the question, i.e. the consequences of the characters’ arrogance

Paper 3 Portfolio

• Satisfactory performance

• Majority of the portfolios are on films. Works on literary texts or poetry should be encouraged.

• Choice of the films needs to be more carefully worked out, which allows an analytical comparison of the two or three films.

• Comparison of films needs to be more carefully worked out. Not just on a similar topic.

• Choice of the topic determines the general direction of the portfolio and whether it is successful or not.

• Topics need to be defined clearly or controversial enough to allow discussion from different perspectives

• Discussion of the techniques or cinematic techniques need to be related to the argument or the main theme

• Inclusion of screenshots needs to illustrate the treatment meaningfully

• Do not just include the names of the techniques but really show an understanding of how they are used

• Film review is the weakest

• Lack of understanding of the format and the stylistic features of the genre

• The boundary between a review and an essay needs to be defined more clearly

• Some creative short stories that show good understanding of the genre

• Creation of characters supported by dialogues

• Some good use of imagery and language to create the setting

• Shows good understanding of the structure of the story

2016 Paper and beyond (1)

• 2018 SBA Trial Handbook on web http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/SBA/HKDSE/SBAhandbook-2018-Trial-LITE.pdf

• Assessment Frameworks

– 2017, 2018 on web http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/hkdse/assessment/subject_information/category_a_subjects/hkdse_subj.html?A2&2&17_1

– 2019 in progress

• 2016 Examination

– Paper 1= Essay (50%, 3 hours) • Double marked

– Paper 2=Appreciation (30% 2 hours) • Single marked

• A – 2 or 3 sub-questions

– Paper 3 = Portfolio (20%) • Double marked

• 2016 Texts

– Novel = Lord of the Flies OR To Kill a Mockingbird

– Play = Othello OR The Crucible

– Film = The Painted Veil OR Life of Pi

– Short stories – 8

– Poetry – 5 poets, 3 poems each

2016 Paper and beyond (2)

More information

• www.hkeaa.edu.hk

• [email protected]