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A-LevelEnglish LanguageReading: text analysis and comparison9093/12 · Oct/Nov 2020 · Q225 Marks

The following text is an extract from a short story by the writer Zadie Smith. In the extract, the narrator is on a family holiday in Spain. What is the solution to life? How can it be lived 'well'? Opposite our loungers are two curvaceous girls, sisters. They arrive very early each morning, and instead of the common plastic loungers used by the rest of us they manage to nab one of the rare white four-poster beds that face the ocean. These sisters are eighteen and nineteen years old. Their outdoor bed sports gauzy white curtains on all four sides, to protect whoever lies upon it from the sun. But the sisters draw the curtains back, creating a stage, and lie out, perfecting their tans. The reason I bring them up is that, compared to everyone else here, they are unusually active. They spend more time on dry land than anyone else, principally taking pictures of each other on their phones. For the sisters, this business of photographs is a form of labor that fills each day to its limit. It is an accounting of life that takes as long as life itself. Personally, I am moved by their industry. No one is paying them for their labor, yet this does not deter them. Like photographers' assistants at real photo shoots, first they prep the area, cleaning it, improving it, discussing the angle of the light, and, if necessary, they will even move the bed in order to crop from the shot anything unsightly: stray trash, old leaves, old people. Prepping the area takes some time. Because their phones have such depth of image, even a sweet wrapper many yards away must be removed. Then their props are gathered: pink flower petals, extravagant fruit cocktails with photogenic umbrellas protruding from them, ice creams (to be photographed but not eaten), and, on one occasion, a book, held only for the duration of the photograph and – though perhaps only I noticed this – upside down. As they prep, each wears a heartbreaking pair of plain black spectacles. Once each girl is ready to pose, she hands her glasses to her sister. It is easy to say they make being young look like hard work, but wasn't it always hard work, even if the medium of its difficulty was different? At least they are making a project of their lives, a measurable project that can be liked or commented upon. What are we doing? Later, in the evening, another pair – identical twins, Rico and Rocco, with oily black curls and skinny white jeans, twin iPhones wedged in their tight pockets – have just finished their act and are packing up their boom box. 'We come runner-up “X Factor” Spain,' they say, in answer to our queries. 'We are Tunisia for birth but now we are Spain.' We wish them well, and good night, and divert our children's eyes from the obscene bulge of those iPhones, the existence of which we have decided not to reveal to them for many years, or at least until they are twelve. At the elevators, we separate from our friends and their children and ascend to our room, which is the same as their room and everybody's room, and put the children to bed and sit on the balcony with our laptops and our phones, as we have every night since January. Here and there, on other balconies, we spot other men and women on other loungers with other devices, engaged in much the same routine.

  1. (a)Comment on the language and style of the text.[15]
  2. (b)Imagine you are one of the sisters that the narrator refers to in the story. You write a diary entry for the day described in the text. Basing your writing closely on the material of the original passage, and using 120 to 150 of your own words, write a section of the diary entry.[10]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2020). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. [13-15] Perceptive appreciation of content and ideas. Fluidly relates content to structure, audience, purpose, genre, style; shows keen awareness of intentions of passage.
  2. [13-15] Analyses text with sensitive and discriminating awareness of how language creates effects. Moves with ease between part and whole in discussing specific examples of language use and the effect of the whole passage.
  3. [13-15] Strong structure; may be concise; quotation is used fluently, 'embedded' in the argument.
  4. [10-12] Shows consistent appreciation of content and ideas. Able to relate content to structure, audience, purpose, genre, style, main aims of passage.
  5. [10-12] Analyses text, with awareness of the effects created. Able to relate part to whole in discussing specific examples of language use and the effect of the whole passage.
  6. [10-12] Strong structure used to convey clear argument.
  7. [8-9] Shows steady engagement with content/ideas of piece. Shows general understanding of structure, audience, purpose, genre, style of passage.
  8. [8-9] Thorough analysis of passage is made, correctly identifying a range of features of language, giving examples, and showing ability to explain how they create effects with some relation of part to whole.
  9. [8-9] Clear structure, sustained focus.
  10. [6-7] Shows some engagement with content/ideas of piece. Shows general, overall understanding of structure, audience, purpose, genre, style of passage.
  11. [6-7] Appropriate points are made, correctly identifying some features of language use, giving examples, and showing some ability to explain how they create effects. May be a fragmented approach.
  12. [6-7] Clear structure; may be line-by-line; essay may drift in and out of focus.
  13. [3-5] Makes some relevant points about content. Shows some understanding of some aspects of the structure, audience, purpose, genre, style of passage; with some failures to identify key features and or misunderstanding.
  14. [3-5] Some relevant points made, identifying a restricted range of examples of language use. Some examples are not related to the effects created. Some examples may be listed without development; much generalisation.
  15. [3-5] Little structure; points may be rather disconnected.
  16. [0-2] Comments on content of passage; may be confused.
  17. [0-2] One or two points made about language of passage. May be unclear.
  18. [0-2] Expression breaks down at times. Very short work. Unstructured.
  19. [8-10] A perceptive recognition of context, audience and purpose supported by a good range of appropriate vocabulary and expression suitable for the task.
  20. [8-10] Responses at the top of this band will be persuasive and confident, supported by a consistent, and at best personal, engagement with context and purpose, using fluent and accurate expression accompanied by a strong sense of audience.
  21. [6-7] A clear and informed sense of purpose, context and relevance supported by a reasonable attempt to use language appropriate for the task.
  22. [4-5] An adequate attempt but marked by an inconsistent and uneven sense of purpose, context and style.
  23. [4-5] Generally sound expression and accuracy.
  24. [2-3] The beginnings of an answer, but limited by an inappropriate sense of style, purpose and language.
  25. [2-3] Expression and accuracy may be limited.
  26. [0-1] Confused and unfocused sense of purpose, context and audience. Wholly inappropriate language and style.
  27. [0-1] Work may be brief or fragmented and expression very limited.

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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, Oct/Nov 2020 Paper 1 Variant 2, question 2.

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