Pearson Edexcel International GCSE In English Literature (4ET1) Paper 1: Poetry and Modern Prose..Mark Scheme (Results) January 2022

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Question Number Indicative content 1 Examiners should be alert to a variety of responses and should reward points that are clearly based on evidence from the text. Evidence of a degree of persona... l response must be given. It is not sufficient to summarise or paraphrase, nor is it sufficient simply to list literary devices. The writer’s descriptive skills: • reaching the age of ten is central to this poem. This poem describes how the child feels about growing up and losing innocence at the age of ten • the title of the poem is significant because it advises the reader what the poem is about; the age is not mentioned explicitly in the actual poem, just the ‘first big number’ • the speaker describes turning ten as a sickness, ‘something worse than any stomach ache’ or other ailments, such as ‘headaches’, ‘measles’, ‘mumps’ and ‘chicken pox’ • the child addresses another person, an adult and possibly a parent. The child suggests the adult will have ‘forgotten’ that every year feels different • the child describes these different ages and how his imagination made him an ‘Arabian wizard’, ‘invisible’, ‘a soldier’ and ‘a prince’ • the child describes what is observed from the window as if his reaching the age of ten changes what he sees: the tree house is now ‘solemnly’ lit by the sun and his bicycle will never be the same again with ‘the dark blue speed drained out of it’ • there is recognition of having to grow up and leave childhood behind: ‘It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends’. There is a suggestion that the child is lonely as the only friends mentioned are ‘imaginary’ • in the final stanza, the child faces the reality that he/she is not extraordinary with ‘nothing under my skin but light’, but perhaps is just like anyone else: ‘I skin my knees. I bleed’. The writer’s choice of language: • repetition of ‘something’ emphasises the pain and discomfort of reaching the age of ten • the adjective ‘disfiguring’ suggests that reaching the age of ten has forever marked the child • the speaker uses juxtaposition when contrasting the ‘perfect simplicity of being one’ and the ‘beautiful complexity introduced by two’ • sibilance describes the innocence at the age of seven, ‘At seven I was a soldier’ • even though only one year before, the ‘nine a prince’ gives a childlike quality to the poem • the adverb ‘mostly’ suggests a change of experience from the active excitement of childhood imagination to the boredom of looking out of the window • the bicycle is personified as it ‘leaned against the garage’ with its ‘dark blue speed drained out of it’ • the metaphor ‘walk through the universe in my sneakers’ suggests the child is aware of being careful when taking steps into adulthood; ‘sneakers’ is an Americanism https://britishstudentroom-b430a.web.app/6 • the writer uses a metaphor of a sidewalk when describing growing up and experiencing life’s hazards: ‘I fall upon the sidewalks of life’; ‘sidewalks’ is another Americanism. The writer’s use of form and structure: • the poem is written in five stanzas of varying lengths and is in free verse. Firstperson narrative conveys the personal thoughts about reaching the age of 10 • the speaker’s ideas are presented using enjambement as the thoughts flow from one to the other in a stream of consciousness • the use of the dash provides short pause for thought before the asyndetic list of ailments: ‘bad light – / a kind of measles … / a mumps … / a disfiguring chicken pox …’ • there is a sad tone to the poem, as the child feels as though growing up is like an illness and that the simplicity of childhood is lost • the caesura in the final line of the poem gives a note of finality and adds emphasis to the realisation that the child is not some superhero, but can be hurt as he/she stumbles through life and grows up • the first stanza conveys how the child feels in the present, the second reminisces about past adventures and the last three stanzas return to the present and the sad realisation that childhood innocence has been forever lost. These examples are suggestions only. Accept any valid responses. Level Mark AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects. (20 marks) 0 No rewardable material. Level 1 1–4 • The response is simple and the identification of language, form and structure used by the writer is minimal. • Limited use of relevant examples to support the response. Level 2 5–8 • The response is largely descriptive, with some comment on the language, form and structure used by the writer. • Some use of relevant examples to support the response. Level 3 9–12 • The response shows an understanding of the range of language, form and structure used by the writer and links these to their effect on the reader. • Use of clearly relevant examples to support the response. Level 4 13–16 • The response is focused and detailed, and the analysis of the language, form and structure used by the writer and their effect on the reader is sustained. • Use of fully relevant examples to support the response. Level 5 17–20 • The response is a cohesive evaluation of the interrelationship of the language, form and structure used by the writer and their effect on the reader. • Discriminating use of relevant examples to support the response [Show More]

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