Cambridge IGCSE™

Cambridge IGCSE™ Literature in English 0475

Paper 1 Poetry and Prose – Using candidate responses in the classroom

Stories of Ourselves – Writing a response to a prose passage-based question

• The purpose of the response is to make a sensitive, informed (AO4) and supported response to
the question that shows a detailed knowledge (AO1) and understanding (AO2) of the passage and
a critical engagement with the writer’s methods (AO3).
• The candidate will use a relevant short quotation from the passage (AO1) as evidence for each
point they make.
• The candidate will use the quotations to support an informed personal response to the writer’s
methods: the ways in which Frame uses language, structure and form (AO3) to create such a sad
picture of the old woman in the extract from the short story The Bath.

Tips for learners

• Read the question and highlight the key terms that you need to focus on.
• Read the passage carefully and highlight relevant parts that you might
use in your answer. Do not highlight too much as you should use short
quotations to address precisely the points you make.
• Remember you cannot write about everything in 45 minutes. Be selective,
but make sure you have comments to make about the beginning and
ending of the passage as well as key points in between.
• Keep focused on the question. You are not expected to show everything
you know about the story.
• Contextualise the passage, showing briefly how the passage fits into the
overall story.
• Support your points with quotations from the passage given in the paper.
• Comment precisely on the ways in which the writer achieves her effects in
creating such a sad picture of the old woman.
• Aim to make at least 10 points so that you can develop a convincing
response to the question.
• Try to address all the assessment objectives in each point you make
rather than deal with them separately as this will make your argument more
convincing and less likely that you will repeat yourself.

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 Examination question
We have annotated the question below with some guidance for learners to help them prepare their answer
and encourage them to focus on what the question is asking for. This information is not given to candidates in
the examination.

The purpose of your

response is to show that
Once you have read through you can develop and The key terms of this
the question instructions, you sustain a critical question are ‘How?’,
need to identify the key terms engagement with both the ‘create’ and ‘such a sad
in the question and which passage and the question. picture’.
sections of the passage you
are going to use.

STORIES OF OURSELVES

Remember to support your ideas with details from the writing.

Read this extract from The Bath (by Janet Frame) carefully, and then
answer the question that follows it:
You need to On Friday afternoon she bought cut flowers – daffodils, anemones,
support each a few twigs of red-leaved shrub, wrapped in mauve waxed paper, for
point you
make with a …
You need to show briefly that you
short understand the context of the
quotation She was alone now. passage: how it fits into the overall
from the story about the old woman.
passage.
How does Frame create such a sad picture of the old woman in this
extract?

You have 45 minutes to read the passage and to write your

answer: it needs to be long enough and detailed enough to
show that you have a clear understanding of the passage and
to show a developed critical response to the question.

This question is from the Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 past paper March 2019 Paper 12
Question 21. For the passage, go to the School Support Hub

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 Suggested lesson activities
Assessment objectives

AO1: Show detailed knowledge of the content of literary prose texts, supported by reference to the text.
AO2: Understand the meanings of literary texts and their contexts, and explore texts beyond surface
meanings to show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes.
AO3: Recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure and form to create and
shape meanings and effects.
AO4: Communicate a sensitive and informed personal response to literary texts.

Learning objectives

• To explore the deeper implications of texts, going beyond surface meanings

• To develop informed personal responses to prose fiction
• To develop confidence in analysing the ways in which prose writers achieve their effects

Starter:
Project an image of an old woman such as David Hockney’s photograph ‘My mother’.
Ask learners to note down individually what they see, think and wonder. Then take answers from
as many individuals as possible in this starter activity.
Development:
Put the exam question on the board and ask for a volunteer to identify the key words of the
question. Ask for volunteers to read the passage, and learners annotate words and phrases which
create a sad picture of the old woman.
Read the candidate response and focus on examiner comments six and seven. Ask your learners
to consider what made the candidate response ‘critical’ and ‘sustained’? Encourage your learners
to consider the use of terminology, the judicious quotation, the developed interpretation and the
focus on the question.
Learners choose one of their possible quotations and comment precisely on the effects Frame
creates by her use of language. How do the words create ‘such a sad picture’ of the woman?
Using the candidate response as a model, learners should analyse their own quote making sure
that they use the same structure to ensure that their paragraph is critical and sustained.
Ask for examples, pointing out the need for concise quotation and precise analysis of specific
effects.
Main task:
Read, as a class, the section which focuses on how the candidate could improve the answer.
Ask learners what ‘form’ looks like in prose fiction texts (e.g. description, dialogue, narrative
viewpoint), with learners identifying quick examples in the extract.
In pairs, learners explore the effect of:
• the narrative viewpoint, looking for those moments where the reader is taken inside the
woman’s thoughts (exploring how Frame uses a mixture of direct and indirect thoughts)
• the sequence of the events of the day: ‘On Friday afternoon she bought cut flowers…’; ‘That
evening she filled the coal bucket…’

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 Suggested lesson activities
Learners should list examples of the ways in which Frame uses form and structure to create a sad
picture of the old woman.
Using the candidate response as a model, learners should add their own paragraph to follow on
from paragraph two of the candidate response focusing on narrative viewpoint.
Plenary:
Select examples from learners’ work which show an informed (i.e. supported) personal response
to Frame’s use of form and structure.
Extension (optional homework activity):
Research ways in which artists have depicted ageing.
Read and compare poems that explore getting older (e.g. Liz Lochhead’s For My Grandmother
Knitting, Norman Nicholson’s Rising Five). Exploring poems independently could be useful for
learners following the Coursework or Unseen options. However, the main aim is to get learners to
read and enjoy poetry and the ways in which poets communicate universal experiences such as
getting old.

Example candidate response and examiner comments

Example Candidate Response – high Examiner comments
At the beginning of this extract Frame paints the impression of a 1 The first two sentences engage
immediately with the key words of
sad, old woman as she mentions how it was the ‘seventeenth the question. The textual reference
anniversary of her husband’s death’. Immediately, this evokes a sense to the anniversary of the husband's
death 'evokes a sense of sadness'.
of sadness as we learn that the old woman is alone as her husband (AO1)
is no longer with her, which creates a sense of sympathy for her 2 The well-selected references
circumstances. 1 The description of how the old woman ‘forces support the judgement that the
woman, though fragile and old,
herself to make the journey that each year became more hazardous’ 'pushes and exposes herself to the
and the ‘bitterness of the winds’ blow across ‘unsheltered rows of harsh journey'. (AO1, AO4)

tombstones’ evokes pity for the old woman as she is so fragile and 3 Informed and sensitive comments
about the old woman's need to
old, 2 yet pushes and exposes herself to the harsh journey just so she
'retain some sense of attachment'
can attend to her dead husband’s grave. Although the husband does and 'her desperation for relief'.
(AO2, AO4)
not get impacted by it, it is clear that even despite this the woman

needs to retain some sense of attachment. The fact that she ‘longed’

to lie in the soft grass besides the grave further creates an

impression of the suffering experienced by the old lady and her

desperation for relief. 3

The description of her ‘slow and arduous movements’ and how with

each step she experienced ‘so much pain’ really paints the picture of

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 Example Candidate Response – high Examiner comments
the intense physical pain the woman endures and the description of 4 Continued and sustained
engagement with the effects of the
her movement makes the reader feel pity for her. 4 language Frame uses. (AO3)

Also, what makes her suffering more heart wrenching is when 5 A clear focus on the question
throughout the response, with the
Frame writes the line ‘though she knew that she was gradually perceptive comment that the
losing power’, and it adds another layer of sadness to the depiction
woman's awareness of her gradual
decline 'adds another layer of
of this women’s character because it shows us of how even she is sadness'. (AO2, AO4)
aware of the gradual decline in her ability which would only add to 6 Developed critical analysis of the
her disappointment and sadness. 5 effect created by the simile of 'the
edge of a cliff'. (AO3)

Frame’s use of the simile comparing the bath to ‘like the edge of a 7 Sustained focus on the question,
cliff with a deep drop below the sea’ gives the reader an insight into with the candidate's comment on the
'image of how helpless and
this old lady’s thoughts and how something so harmless and non- vulnerable the old woman is'. (AO4)
threatening appears to her like almost a life-or-death situation and 8 Typical of the candidate's
how terrifying it is for her to have 6 to confront that. The fact that response is the use of neatly-
embedded concise quotations as an
the old lady also has a large towel in order to have ‘some way to integral part of the analysis. (AO1,
rescue herself’ creates an image of how helpless and vulnerable the AO3)

old woman is, that she has to prepare to be able to rescue herself, 9 Sustains a clear critical response
to Frame's writing. (AO4).
just to get out of the bath. 7
10 Sustains an informed personal
Furthermore, in the paragraph where she enters the bath Frame response to the passage and
question. (AO4)
describes to us the struggle the old woman has in that she has to

reassure herself every time she has a bath, and has to surprise her

limbs and ‘powerless wrists’ to do something they ‘rebel against’. 8

This demonstrates to the reader that even parts of her own body

will not comply with her and consequently restrict her to enjoy

something like a relaxing bath because she does not dare to lean

back or lie down out of fear of not being able to get out. 9 The way

she looks for excuses and procrastinates getting out of the bath

really reinforces just how much the old woman struggles and fears

what most of us take for granted. 10 The helplessness that Frame

depicts through the image of ‘all the strength and support’ ebbing

from her as she desperately struggles makes us feel sad for the old

woman’s circumstances.

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 Example Candidate Response – high Examiner comments
The last line of the extract ‘She was alone now.’ is short but very 11 A developed comment on
Frame's use of structure: the impact
cleverly used by Frame 11 as it links back to how she has no one of the short final line of the extract.
with her to support her with her husband gone and no one to (AO3)

witness and comfort her in her struggle. The shortness of the line 12 A clear final response to the
question.
also creates the impression of giving up and not wanting to continue

which the reader then feels an immense amount of sorrow and pity

for the old woman as vividly portrayed by Frame and her words. 12

How the candidate could improve the answer

The candidate shows a clear understanding of the bleakness of the woman’s life, and sustains a critical
engagement with the language that conveys among other things the hostile environment and her
consciousness of her own declining physical powers.
There is some comment on Frame’s use of structure, for example, the impact of the final short line. However,
the answer could be improved with slightly more comment on both Frame’s use of structure and also form.
For example, the candidate could explore the way in which the sequence of the old woman’s daily routine is
presented in the second paragraph and how this creates a sad picture of the old woman’s life. The way Frame
uses narrative viewpoint is another area worthy of comment: for example, how the narrative viewpoint is
presented, the way in which the third-person narration takes the reader inside the woman’s thoughts.
The question asks for an exploration of how Frame creates such a sad picture of the old woman ‘in this
extract’. It is worthwhile providing some brief context about how this extract fits into the overall story. After all,
how the woman is presented before this extract will have some bearing on how she is presented within the
extract.

Common mistakes
The most common mistakes in answering this question are:
• writing general introductions instead of addressing the key words of the question ‘How?’ and ‘create such
a sad picture’ from the start
• working through the whole passage from start to finish, instead of selecting the best material to answer the
question
• retelling the story rather than directly addressing the question
• writing a character sketch of the old woman as if she were a real-life person rather than a fictional
character
• writing mainly about the content of the passage rather than the ways in which Frame uses language,
structure and form to ‘create such a sad picture’ of the woman
• using lengthy quotations that do not (cannot) lead to precise analysis
• including background material about Frame’s life without commenting on relevant details of the poem.

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 Examination preparation (advice for learners)
Learners have found some or all of the following advice useful in preparing for prose passage-based
questions:
• Know the text well so that you can see where the passage fits into the overall text.
• Make and learn the following notes on the text: plot summary; timeline; characters; themes; settings.
• Select key extracts from the text and devise your own examination-style questions on them (use past
papers to help you with the wording of questions).
• Annotate copies of these extracts to show how the writer uses language, structure and form to convey
ideas, portray characters and/or depict settings.
• Practise combining short quotations and analytical comment in your written responses to prose extracts.
• Mark your own draft answers, identifying and editing out:
− unsupported assertions
− lengthy quotations
− irrelevant points that do not address the question
− irrelevant background material.

Useful resources
• You can find the syllabus and the most recent past papers at the Cambridge International public website
www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/english-literature-0475/
• A list of endorsed textbooks and digital resources can be found in the Resource centre
• The School Support Hub provides teachers with a wide range of practical resources, detailed guidance
and innovative training and professional development so that you can give your learners the best possible
preparation for Cambridge IGCSE.
• Look out for the Introduction to Learner Guides and Learner Revision Guide videos.
Copyright © UCLES September 2019

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