Read this poem, and then answer the question that follows it: The City Planners Cruising these residential Sunday streets in dry August sunlight: what offends us is the sanities: the houses in pedantic rows, the planted 5 sanitary trees, assert levelness of surface like a rebuke to the dent in our car door. No shouting here, or shatter of glass; nothing more abrupt 10 than the rational whine of a power mower cutting a straight swath in the discouraged grass. But though the driveways neatly sidestep hysteria by being even, the roofs all display 15 the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky, certain things: the smell of spilt oil a faint sickness lingering in the garages, a splash of paint on brick surprising as a bruise, 20 a plastic hose poised in a vicious coil; even the too-fixed stare of the wide windows give momentary access to the landscape behind or under the future cracks in the plaster 25 when the houses, capsized, will slide obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers that right now nobody notices. That is where the City Planners with the insane faces of political conspirators 30 are scattered over unsurveyed territories, concealed from each other, each in his own private blizzard; guessing directions, they sketch transitory lines rigid as wooden borders 35 on a wall in the white vanishing air tracing the panic of suburb order in a bland madness of snows. (by Margaret Atwood) Explore how Atwood makes this poem so disturbing.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2014). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [AO1] show detailed knowledge of the content of literary texts
2. [AO2] understand the meanings of literary texts and their context, and explore texts beyond surface meaning to show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes
3. [AO3] recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure, and form to create and shape meanings and effects
4. [AO4] communicate a sensitive and informed personal response
5. [25-23] (Band 1) Answers in this band have all the qualities of Band 2 work, with further insight, sensitivity, individuality and flair. They show sustained engagement with both text and task.
6. [22-20] (Band 2) Sustains a perceptive, convincing and relevant personal response; shows a clear critical understanding of the text; responds sensitively and in detail to the way the writer achieves her/his effects (sustaining a convincing voice in an empathic task); integrates much well-selected reference to the text.
7. [19-17] (Band 3) Makes a well-developed, detailed and relevant personal response; shows a clear understanding of the text and some of its deeper implications; makes a developed response to the way the writer achieves her/his effects (sustaining an appropriate voice in an empathic task); supports with careful and relevant reference to the text.
8. [16-14] (Band 4) Makes a reasonably developed relevant personal response; shows understanding of the text and some of its deeper implications; makes some response to the way the writer uses language (using suitable features of expression in an empathic task); shows some thoroughness in the use of supporting evidence from the text.
9. [13-11] (Band 5) Begins to develop a relevant personal response; shows some understanding of meaning; makes a little reference to the language of the text (beginning to assume a voice in an empathic task); uses some supporting textual detail.
10. [10-8] (Band 6) Attempts to communicate a basic personal response to the task; makes some relevant comments; shows a basic understanding of surface meaning of the text (of character in an empathic task); makes a little supporting reference to the text.
11. [7-5] (Band 7) Some evidence of simple personal response; makes a few straightforward comments; shows a few signs of understanding the surface meaning of the text (of character in an empathic task); makes a little reference to the text.
12. [4-2] (Band 8) Limited attempt to respond; shows some limited understanding of simple/literal meaning.