Examiner's Grade
A
The examiner gave this sample answer a Grade A.
Now read the comments below to understand why this grade was given.
The examiner also provides tips on how the answer might be improved.
Comment
AO1: There is a clear sense from the opening that the candidate has a grasp of the whole text and of the question. The answer is shaped by an overview which links together incidents throughout the novel and each paragraph moves the argument forward.
AO2: The response keeps a tight focus on whether or not one may agree with the statement, with a number of telling details about structure and form. Textual evidence is provided for a number of points about Brontë's use of language; quotations are neatly integrated into the discussion.
AO3: There are several indications of alternative interpretations, either through criticism or through reader responses. The connection to feminist readings is effective.
AO4: The question is illuminated by a number of contextual references which address both the construction of the text itself and the ways readers in different periods and with different perspectives may respond.
For an A* grade
- AO2: A closer look at one or two detailed examples of the ways the language and form are used to present the elements of class and gender.
- AO2: Further consideration of ways in which the structure of the novel enhances the sense of tension between the operation of social constraint and the need to be true to the self, as hinted at in the references to wholeness.
- AO3: More developed consideration of alternative readings or creative revisions of the question of a woman's place in society, for example, by reference to feminist rewriting or critical responses.
- AO4: Further exploration of the ways in which the context in which the novel was written and has been read could affect the topic.
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