From paragraph 3

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. 5(a) [1] (he planned) to re-read / read his/the notes on / about Pichier's (new) novel / on Tears of Sand - Allow lift of lines 18-19 'Laurent was carrying a copy of Pichier's new novel... his notes on it (in peace... bookshop)'
2. 5(b) [1] to see if / he thought that the owner of the handbag was there / nearby / would appear // to find / locate / look for the owner of the handbag // to see if a woman / the owner would claim the handbag - Allow 'bag' / 'purse' (US) for 'handbag'
3. 5(c) (i) [1] it bulged // it obviously / clearly wasn't empty // it obviously / clearly had things inside (it) // it seemed / appeared to have things inside / to be full // he could see it wasn't empty - Allow lift of line 24 ‘From the way the leather bulged, it obviously wasn't empty'
4. 5(c) (ii) [1] the owner wouldn't have left it on top of the bin // the owner would have thrown it into the bin (not left it on top) // the owner wouldn't throw away a handbag full of items/contents/things - Accept passive: it wouldn't have been (left) on top of the bin // it was (left) on top of the bin // it would have been thrown into the bin // it was not thrown into the bin (but left on top) - Allow lift of lines 25–26 ‘(After all), had the handbag been old or damaged, the owner would have thrown it into the bin, (not left it on top)' - 1 mark for each correct response - Accept in any order