This is an extract from my guide:
What Do You Need to Do?
The question will ask you to write about something both texts have in common. Both texts in paper 2 will be about the same topic.
The question will take part of that topic. Let’s imagine the two texts were both about tennis matches. The question will take part of the match – the final games, or the winning players, or the losing players, or the lines people, or the role of the crowd – whatever, something which is in both texts, but in parts of it.
This is because the examiners want you to prove that you can find relevant information.
In theory, the examiners could ask you to find similarities and differences. For example, “write a summary of the similarities and differences of the winning players of both matches.”
But instead, they will almost definitely ask you to write about only one of these, just the similarities or just the differences. This is because the examiners want you to have to find most of the information for full marks.
For example, there might be only 5 possible quotations to compare in each text, and you would need to find 4 from each to get full marks.
What is a Summary
This means: cut out the fluff, cut to the chase, just give me the facts…
The most fool proof way of doing this is to answer in numbered points. No one does this in the exam, because teachers train you to write in paragraphs. I also write in paragraphs, and I also used to train my students to write in paragraphs for this question in the exam.
But after reading and writing over 100 answers to this question, I realise it is far easier to force the examiner to give you marks this way (starting a new line for each point).
Let’s imagine the question is:
Use details from both sources to write a summary of what you understand about the differences between the players who win both tennis matches.
The Salles Method
1. In Source A the winning player feels X (insert quote to prove).
2. From this we can infer Y.
3. However, in Source B the winning player is different. She feels A (insert quote to prove)
4. From this we can infer Z.
5. Repeat until you have made 4 comparisons, and made 8 inferences.
In all the answers, look out for the text in bold italic. This is always where the student is showing their inference.
How This is Marked
The mark scheme is full of abstract ideas, which make it very tricky to use:
Level 1: Simple: limited summary 1–2 marks
Level 2: Some: attempts at summary 3–4 marks
Level 3: Clear: relevant summary 5–6 mark
Level 4: Perceptive: detailed summary 7–8 marks
Giving a Mark
But how do you decide what ‘simple’ looks like compared to ‘some’? What ‘clear’ looks like, compared to ‘perceptive’? What ‘relevant’ looks like compared to ‘detailed’?
And then, how do you make sure that your decisions are the same as your teacher’s? And how does your teacher make sure that their decision is the same as an examiner? And how does the examiner make sure their decision is the same as a senior examiner?
Well, the answer is, you can’t.
Ofqual, who regulate the exam boards, have found you can’t get examiners to fully agree on a mark in any subject, and that the subject with least agreement is English. Yes, GCSE exam marking is a lottery, and most dodgy of these lotteries is English. Let me show you what this means:
So, examiners are allowed to disagree by at least 1 mark on this question, and Ofqual and AQA say that’s perfectly fine. Because there are only 8 marks, but 9 GCSE grades, 1 mark is at least 1 grade different! Yes, it is totally ok for the examiner to give you the wrong grade, as long as it is only 1 grade out, rather than 2.
That’s Why the Salles Method Works
The method makes it almost impossible for the examiner to give you the wrong grade.
Points 1 and 3 give you a comparison, with a quote as evidence. 1 mark.
Points 2 and 4 give you an explanation of the quotations in 1 and 3. 1 mark.
Do the same for the next two quotations that show your similarity or difference. 2 more marks.
Do the same for the next two quotations that show your similarity or difference. 2 more marks.
Do the same for the next two quotations that show your similarity or difference. 2 more marks.
Question finished!
Based on AQA Paper 2 November 2021
Question 2
You need to refer to Source A and Source B for this question.
The boys and girls in Ibiza in Source A and girls making candy in Source B have different experiences.
Use details from both sources to write a summary of what you understand about the different experiences all the children had.
8 marks
My Response 6
The children in Source A were united in play and being able to go to the cinema. They had freedom, “We ran and played on dirt tracks all summer”. They had leisure to discover “two ways to eat these, [treats] balancing greed and sociability”.
Their families could also afford to buy them all treats at Christmas, “Every Christmas, without fail, we all gorged ourselves on turron”. They used treats as a way to make friends, “Or you could invite a friend to join you and elegantly take turns” eating churros.
This paints a picture of a happy childhood, where children enjoy each other’s company and have fun filled activities.
However, in Source B, the girls have “hungry bellies”. They are also “largely employed” rather than free to have fun. Although the girls were also able to eat lots of sweets, this was possibly instead of real food.
My Marking
There seems to be a detailed summary of Source A and clear summary of Source B. All of the summary is relevant because each point about Source B is a comparison to Source A.
So, overall the best fit is 6 marks.
But, my marking is wrong!
Let’s See it Using the Mr Salles Method
1. The children in Source A were united in play and being able to go to the cinema.
2. They had freedom, “We ran and played on dirt tracks all summer”.
3. They had leisure to discover “two ways to eat these, [treats] balancing greed and sociability”.
4. Their families could also afford to buy them all treats at Christmas, “Every Christmas, without fail, we all gorged ourselves on turron”.
5. They used treats as a way to make friends, “Or you could invite a friend to join you and elegantly take turns” eating churros.
6. This paints a picture of a happy childhood, where children enjoy each other’s company and have fun filled activities.
7. However, in Source B, the girls have “hungry bellies”.
8. They are also “largely employed” rather than free to have fun.
9. Although the girls were also able to eat lots of sweets, this was possibly instead of real food.
5 marks
Examiner Comments
The comparisons don’t begin until point 7. Points 7, 8 and 9 are each comparisons with any or all of the points 1-6. So, there are 3 comparisons for 3 marks.
There are lots of explanations about the experiences of childhood for Source A, but only two for Source B, in points 8 and 9. Every time there is an explanation for Source A and another for Source B, we can award 1 mark. So, this scores 2 marks.
You can see that this student could easily have scored more marks by organising their writing so that each point made about Source A was compared to Source B.
In other words, if the student had used the Salles Method I set out at the beginning, they would have scored many more marks.
What Does a Full Mark Answer Look Like?
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