Paper 2 Elephants mark scheme

The information provided for each question is intended to be a guide to the kind of answers anticipated and is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. All appropriate responses should be given credit. Level of response ma ...

The information provided for each question is intended to be a guide to the kind of answers anticipated and is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. All appropriate responses should be given credit. Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes for GCSE English Language are broken down into four levels (where appropriate). In the first column each level is identified with one or two key words that represent the differences in the skills then described. These key words show the progression from Level 1 to 4 and are: Level 4 Perceptive, detailed Level 3 Clear, relevant Level 2 Some, attempts Level 1 Simple, limited. This is followed in the second column by a description of the different qualities required in the student’s answer for that level. These are called the skills descriptors. In order to reach a given level, a student must fulfil one or more of the skills descriptors for that level. The third column of the mark scheme is the Indicative Standard. This is an important feature of the mark scheme for GCSE English Language. It provides exemplification of the skills descriptors at each level and offers a small number of different comments at the required standard to give an indication of the quality of response that is typical for that level. It shows the progression from Level 1 to 4. The Indicative Standard is not intended to be a model answer nor a complete response, and it does not exemplify required content. Students may reach a given level by making one or more comments of the quality demonstrated by the Indicative Standard and do not have to meet all the skill descriptors at that level. The standardising scripts will further exemplify each of the levels. You must refer to the standardising material throughout your marking. Step 1 Annotate the response When marking a response you should first read through the student’s answer and annotate each section using the comments from the statement bank to show the qualities that are being demonstrated, as instructed during standardising. You can then award a level and a mark. Step 2 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptors for that level. The descriptors for the level indicate the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. The Indicative Standard column in the mark scheme will help you determine the correct level. Remember, students may reach a given level by making one or more comments of the quality