Time for Section B

The philosophy of LITB

We value coherent, relevant writing which means that students

must answer the questions they are given, taking care with
expression.

We are interested in the ways writers construct texts, particularly the

ways in which narratives are structured.

We value the arguments of students who understand that meanings

of texts are not fixed, that multiple readings are possible.

We are interested in contexts which arise naturally from the text

literary and cultural contexts are the focus of our questions.

Approaching Section B
Candidates must write about three texts

substantially.
There is no need to explicitly compare these
texts.
Things go awry when students choose the
wrong question for their texts.
The same philosophy applies in Section B:
answer the question and you will access the
objectives.

 Your ability to make useful choices of question

and textual support is important throughout

LITB3.
Section B requires you to deal with three texts in
an hour and so choice and swiftness of choice
becomes essential.
You need to practise making the right choices in
this part of the exam.

Task: injunctions, choices and readings

Lets look at the wording of some section B tasks
Given the texts you are studying, which task(s)

seem(s) the right one(s) for you?

What argument(s) would you offer in response to
this task?
What evidence from each text would you use to
support your argument(s)?

 19. Gothic texts show the supernatural intertwined

with the ordinary. Discuss this view in relation to

the texts you have been studying. (40 marks)
20. Gothic literature is concerned with the
breaking of normal moral and social codes.
Discuss. (40 marks)
21. If a text is to be labelled as Gothic, it must
convey a sense of fear and terror. Discuss this
view in relation to the texts you have been
studying. (40 marks)

The importance of question focus

A01 tests the coherence and relevance

of the students response

A03 tests how well the student responds

to the debate or view offered in the
question. Personal views are valued

Students do well when they focus closely upon the terms of the task.

Task: looking at a section B response

Read Exemplar 8.
How closely does it focus on the task?
How well does it use the texts?
How well does it develop / respond to a view?
Identify parts of this response where the student
is displaying evaluative skills.
Which band would you place it in?

Commentary
There is very good coverage of three texts here, with plenty
of textual detail marshalled in support of the views offered.
The student works really well with the key task terms,
distinguishing between mad and bad and dangerous and
focuses the response sharply around a discussion of these
areas. The expression is very good, with a lively voice
emerging at times and we get the impression that this
candidate knows the texts well. There is a confidence and
fluency to the writing and an evaluative quality to the work,
with views being weighed up and judgements offered.
We might have wished for a more thorough conclusion, but
whats here is very good indeed and clearly warrants a mark
in band 6.

The importance of planning

The evaluative circle

Encouraging self-assessment

Ten top tips

. 1. Focus on the question closely
. 2. Practise thinking skills
. 3. Practise constructing arguments
. 4. Practise writing clearly
. 5. Practise structuring responses

Tips continued
6. Learn multi-purpose quotations
7. Avoid irrelevant context
8. Practise developing points
9. Dont forget structure for AO2
. 10. Choose the right section B task.