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A-LevelEnglish LanguageReading: text analysis and comparison9093/12 · May/June 2021 · Q125 Marks

Read the following text, which is an extract from a speech given in 1994 by Hillary R. Clinton at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. At the time, as the wife of President Bill Clinton, she was First Lady of the United States of America. I would like to thank the Secretary General of the United Nations for inviting me to be part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. This is truly a celebration a celebration of the contributions women make in every aspect of life: in the home, on the job, in their communities, as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, learners, workers, citizens and leaders. It is also a coming together, much the way women come together every day in every country. We come together in fields and in factories. In village markets and supermarkets. In living rooms and boardrooms. Whether it is while playing with our children in the park or washing clothes in a river, or taking a break at the office water cooler, we come together and talk about our aspirations and concerns. And time and again, our talk turns to our children and our families. However different we may be, there is far more that unites us than divides us. We share a common future. And we are here to find common ground so that we may help bring new dignity and respect to women and girls all over the world – and in so doing, bring new strength and stability to families as well. By gathering in Beijing, we are focusing world attention on issues that matter most in the lives of women and their families: access to education, health care, jobs, and credit, the chance to enjoy basic legal and human rights and participate fully in the political life of their countries. There are some who question the reason for this conference. Let them listen to the voices of women in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces. There are some who wonder whether the lives of women and girls matter to economic and political progress around the globe Let them look at the women gathered here and at Huairou the homemakers, nurses, teachers, lawyers, policymakers, and women who run their own businesses. It is conferences like this that compel governments and peoples everywhere to listen, look and face the world's most pressing problems. Wasn't it after the women's conference in Nairobi ten years ago that the world focused for the first time on the crisis of domestic violence? Earlier today, I participated in a World Health Organization forum, where government officials, NGOs, and individual citizens are working on ways to address the health problems of women and girls. Tomorrow, I will attend a gathering of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. There, the discussion will focus on local – and highly successful – programs that give hard-working women access to credit so they can improve their own lives and the lives of their families. What we are learning around the world is that, if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations will flourish. That is why every woman, every man, every child, every family, and every nation on our planet has a stake in the discussion that takes place here. *** Let this conference be our – and the world's – call to action. And let us heed the call so that we can create a world in which every woman is treated with respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared for equally, and every family has the hope of a strong and stable future. Thank you very much.

  1. (a)You are a blogger for your university student website and you attended Hillary R. Clinton's speech. Write a blog post for your fellow students, giving your personal account of the event. Use 150–200 words.[10]
  2. (b)Compare your blog post with the original speech, analysing form, structure and language.[15]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. [10] Mark according to the levels of response marking criteria in Table A.
  2. [10] Additional guidance: The comments below are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive. Candidates may make other valid comments that should be credited.
  3. [10] Responses might feature the following: Form, audience, purpose, style, conventions, language and structure will be appropriately adapted to suit task
  4. [10] Responses might feature the following: Content may include key factual information such as venue, time, speaker, subject matter, etc., as well as other relevant ideas
  5. [10] Responses might feature the following: A sense of voice and the persona's personal response to the event, the speech and its content
  6. [10] Responses might feature the following: Tone will be adapted to have an impact on the reader and to create an effect.
  7. [15] Mark according to the levels of response marking criteria in Table B.
  8. [15] Additional guidance: The comments below are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive. Candidates may make other valid comments that should be credited.
  9. [15] Candidates may organise their response in any appropriate way. They are not required to focus on form, structure and language in separate sections.
  10. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Form
  11. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Form - the typical text conventions used in the original extract and the candidate's own written piece
  12. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Form - the ways in which the different purposes affect the content and style of the two texts
  13. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Form - the ways in which the speech and written piece appeal to their respective intended audiences
  14. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Form - any other relevant aspect of the form of the two texts
  15. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure
  16. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure - the way in which long/short paragraphs or sections are used in the text
  17. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure - opening and closing the speech by thanking the conference
  18. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure - the use of discourse markers and anaphoric/cataphoric referencing
  19. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure - the way in which the text develops the idea of the conference being a call to action
  20. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Structure - any other relevant structural features in the texts
  21. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language
  22. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - use of a positive lexicon
  23. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the use of repetition for emphasis
  24. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the way in which pronouns are used in the text for inclusivity
  25. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - use of parallel structures
  26. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the frequent use of listing in the text
  27. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - use of the subjunctive mood
  28. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the way in which contrasts are used in the text
  29. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the use of rhetorical devices including: questions, triplets, allusion, etc.
  30. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - the way in which sentences are used in the text including: sentence variety/function and the use of parenthetical structures
  31. [15] Responses might compare and analyse the following: Language - any other relevant language features in the texts

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About this question

Topic
Reading: text analysis and comparison, A-Level English Language (syllabus 9093). Structured question, 25 marks.
Source
A-Level English Language, May/June 2021 Paper 1 Variant 2, question 1.

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