In what ways does Keatley make you feel sympathy for Margaret? Support your ideas with details from the play.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2010). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [25] Perhaps of the four women in the play Margaret most elicits our sympathy.
2. [25] She steps in to take responsibility for the bringing up of Jackie's illegitimate child, sacrificing much to do so, including her professional advancement.
3. [25] Her husband leaves her and she dies prematurely of cancer.
4. [25] Thus there is much for candidates to explore and consider.
5. [25] The more successful candidates will explore her relationship with Doris and the way she is treated by her daughter, Jackie.
6. [25] She has much to bear in her life and is surely denied the joys experienced by her mother and her daughter.
7. [25] We should look for telling detail and meticulous probing of the text before we go into the highest reward.
8. [25] Refer to the band descriptors in arriving at your mark.