This document provides the marking criteria for Section A and Section B of the General Certificate of Secondary Education English Language exam. Section A is worth 30 marks and focuses on analysis of an extended literary text. Candidates are placed into bands from 1 to 8 based on their response. Section B is worth 30 marks and involves imaginative writing assessed across two parts. Each part is marked out of 30 and focuses on control of material, understanding of task, and use of vocabulary, structure, and punctuation.

1. GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
ENGLISH LANGUAGE A651 / Mark Scheme
Extended Literary Text and Imaginative Writing
MARK SCHEME
This mark scheme remains live
for the life of this qualification
* O C E / 3 8 8 4 6 *
* A 6 5 1 *
INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS
• Section A is worth 30 marks.
• Section B is worth 30 marks.
• The total number of marks for this paper is 60.
• This document consists of 8 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
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2. 2
Section A : Extended Literary Texts Marking Criteria
Candidates submit one task for assessment. The task is marked out of 30 marks using the marking
criteria below.
Band Marks Descriptors AO3
1 30 • A cogent and explicitly relevant response
29 • Explores and evaluates a range of interpretations of language and structure
28 as appropriate
27 • Analyses in detail the writer’s perspective
• Precise quotations/comparisons enhance analysis of writer’s intentions
2 26 • A personal and persuasive response
25 • Develops interpretations and evaluates language and structure as
24 appropriate
23 • Identifies and discusses writer’s perspective
• Apt quotations/comparisons are used to illuminate meaning
3 22 • A personal, well developed and critical response
21 • A clear understanding of how meaning is conveyed, evaluating language and
20 structure as appropriate
19 • Well selected quotations/comparisons enhance analysis
4 18 • A personal and critical response
17 • Understands and demonstrates how meaning is conveyed
16 • Quotations/comparisons used to justify views
15
5 14 • Begins to develop a personal and relevant response
13 • Understands some of the ways meaning is conveyed
12 • Uses quotations/simple comparisons to support views
11
6 10 • Makes some comments relevant to task
9 • Some attempt to show how meaning is conveyed
8 • Quotations/comparisons used to make simple points
7
7 6 • Describes some of the main features of a text in attempting to address task
5 • Some awareness of how the writer achieves effects through simple
4 comparison/quotations
3
8 2 • Some comments on text with very little or no relevance to task
1 • Struggles to develop a response
0
© OCR 2011 A651 Jan/Jun (Mark Scheme)

3. Section B Imaginative Writing
© OCR 2011
Candidates submit one task containing two parts for assessment. Each part is marked out of 30 marks using the marking criteria below (out of 20
marks for AO4i & AO4ii and out of 10 marks for AO4iii), giving a total of 60 marks. Divide the total by 2 to provide the overall mark out of 30 for this
section.
Band Marks Descriptors AO4i & AO4ii Marks Descriptors AO4iii
1 20 In this band a candidate’s writing: 10 In this band a candidate’s writing:
19 • shows sophisticated control of the material and makes effective use of 9 • uses a wide range of sentence
18 linguistic devices. structures to ensure clarity and to
• demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the task, addressing it achieve specific effects relevant to the
with complete relevance and adapting form and style with flair to suit task.
audience and purpose. • uses ambitious vocabulary with very few
• uses precise vocabulary which is fully suited to the purpose of the spelling errors.
writing, conveying subtlety of thought and shades of meaning, and • uses punctuation consciously and
where appropriate is imaginative and ambitious in scope. securely to shape meaning, with very
• uses structure to produce deliberate effects, developing the writing few errors.
3
coherently and skilfully from a confident opening which engages the
reader to a very convincing and deliberate ending.
• is organised into coherent paragraphs which are clearly varied for
A651 Jan/Jun (Mark Scheme)
effect and used confidently to enhance the ideas and meaning.
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4. Band Marks Descriptors AO4i & AO4ii Marks Descriptors AO4iii
© OCR 2011
2 17 In this band a candidate’s writing: 8 In this band a candidate’s writing:
16 • shows full control of the material and makes some effective use of • uses a range of sentence structures to
linguistic devices. ensure clarity and to achieve specific
• demonstrates a confident understanding of the task, addressing it with effects relevant to the task.
consistent relevance and adapting form and style with assurance to • uses more complex and irregular
suit audience and purpose. vocabulary, almost always securely
• uses imaginative vocabulary which is appropriate to the purpose of the spelled.
writing, conveying some subtlety of thought and shades of meaning, • uses punctuation to shape meaning,
and where appropriate may show some ambition in scope. mainly securely, with errors only in more
• uses structure consciously for effect, developing the writing coherently complex, irregular structures.
from an opening which engages the reader to a convincing and
deliberate ending.
• is organised into paragraphs which have unity, are varied for effect and
are used to control the content and achieve overall coherence.
3 15 In this band a candidate’s writing: 7 In this band a candidate’s writing:
4
14 • shows generally competent control of the material but may not always • uses generally well controlled sentence
convey meaning clearly when using more ambitious linguistic devices structures which are varied in length and
and structures. type and show evidence of being used
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• demonstrates a secure understanding of the task, addressing it in deliberately to create specific effects
a relevant way and adapting form and style with confidence to suit appropriate to the task.
audience and purpose. • shows secure spelling of complex
• uses varied vocabulary to create different effects which are mainly regular words and generally secure
appropriate to the purpose of the writing, conveying thought and spelling of irregular or more complex
meaning clearly. vocabulary.
• uses structure deliberately and with direction – a focused and • uses punctuation to enhance or clarify
interesting opening, events and ideas developed clearly and in some meaning – is accurate both within and
detail, an appropriate ending. between sentences, but may make some
• uses paragraphs of varying length and structure for effect, which errors in complex sentence structures.
effectively organise and link ideas and create an overall sense of
coherence.

5. Band Marks Descriptors AO4i & AO4ii Marks Descriptors AO4iii
© OCR 2011
4 13 In this band a candidate’s writing: 6 In this band a candidate’s writing:
12 • shows general control of the material; the response may be • uses sentence structures which show
straightforward and controlled but linguistically unambitious or may some variety. May tend to repeat
lose some control in attempting something ambitious. sentence types, lose control of more
• demonstrates an understanding of the task, addressing it in a mainly ambitious structures, or make some
relevant way with some evidence of adapting form and style to suit syntactical errors.
different audiences and purposes. • usually spells complex regular words
• uses some variety of vocabulary to create different effects and to securely; may make errors with irregular
suit the purpose of the writing, but which may be imprecise or fail to or more complex vocabulary.
convey shades of meaning. • uses punctuation in an attempt to create
• uses structure with a sense of direction – a clear and focused some specific effects; is usually accurate
opening, straightforward development of ideas, an attempt to achieve for sentence separation and sometimes
an appropriate ending. within sentences, but may make less
• is organised into paragraphs which may be varied for effect and secure use of speech marks, colons and
which are carefully linked together to make the sequence of events or semi colons.
development of ideas clear to the reader.
5
5 11 In this band a candidate’s writing: 5 In this band a candidate’s writing:
10 • may not always show control of the material; the response may be • uses sentence structures which show a
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simple and controlled but linguistically unambitious, or may attempt little variety; may tend repeat sentence
something ambitious but tend to lose control. types, lose control of more ambitious
• demonstrates some understanding of the task, addressing it in a structures, and/or include syntactical
sometimes relevant way and with some attempt to adapt form and errors.
style to suit audience and purpose. • usually spells simple regular vocabulary
• uses vocabulary to create some limited effects, which may however be securely but may make errors with
too simple to convey shades of meaning, not fully understood or not complex regular vocabulary.
appropriate and may contain some idiomatic errors. • uses punctuation which sometimes
• uses structure with some sense of direction – a generally clear and helps clarify meaning, usually accurately
focussed opening, some development of ideas, a limited attempt to for sentence separation and sometimes
achieve an appropriate ending. successfully within sentences.
• uses paragraphs which may occasionally be varied for effect and/or
are linked together to make the sequence of events or development of
ideas fairly clear to the reader.
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6. Band Marks Descriptors AO4i & AO4ii Marks Descriptors AO4iii
© OCR 2011
6 9 In this band a candidate’s writing: 4 In this band a candidate’s writing:
8 • does not always show control of the material; the response may have • uses repetitive sentence structures,
a level of linguistic error that distracts the reader from the merits of the which are mainly simple or compound,
content. or lengthy with some sense of control.
• demonstrates a limited understanding of the task and addresses it • usually spells simple regular vocabulary
with some relevance, making a limited attempt to adapt form and style accurately but may make a number of
to suit audience and purpose. typical errors.
• uses vocabulary which is sometimes chosen for variety and interest • sometimes uses punctuation accurately
but likely to be limited in range, sometimes inappropriate and may for sentence separation but has limited
contain some idiomatic errors. success with attempts to use it within
• structures writing with some sense of direction which may not be sentences to clarify meaning.
sustained; a fairly clear opening, some limited development of ideas,
some sense of an ending.
• uses paragraphs which create some sense of sequence for the events
or the development of ideas but which may lack unity or have little or
no evidence of links between them.
6
7 7 In this band a candidate’s writing: 3 In this band a candidate’s writing:
6 • shows limited control of the material; the level of linguistic error may • uses simple repetitive sentence
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require the reader to re-read some sentences before the meaning is structures with little control of more
clear. complex ones and frequent syntactical
• demonstrates a very limited understanding of the task, addressing it faults.
with occasional focus and making limited attempts to adapt form and • spells some simple regular vocabulary
style to suit audience and purpose. accurately but makes random errors.
• uses vocabulary to create occasional variety and interest but which • uses some basic punctuation with some
is likely to be very limited in range and often inappropriate with some success between sentences but, within
idiomatic errors. sentences, usually misuses or omits it.
• shows some signs of organisation and some sense of direction
– a limited attempt to create an opening, very simple or rambling
development of ideas, may come to a stop rather than achieving a
deliberate ending.
• uses paragraphs which may signal only obvious development of
events or ideas, or which may be haphazard and lack clear links or
overall unity.

7. Band Marks Descriptors AO4i & AO4ii Marks Descriptors AO4iii
© OCR 2011
8 5 In this band a candidate’s writing: 2 In this band a candidate’s writing:
4 • offers occasional relevant and comprehensible content, but density of • uses recognisable sentence structures,
linguistic error may require the reader to re-read and re-organise the with some accuracy in the use of more
text before meaning is clear. simple ones.
• demonstrates a little awareness of the task, addressing it with • uses erratic spelling which may be
intermittent focus; form and style may occasionally be appropriate to recognisable for most words but is
audience and/or purpose, but this is unlikely to be deliberate accurate for only a limited number.
• uses vocabulary which is very occasionally chosen for variety and/or • uses punctuation which is occasionally
interest but which is very limited in range and often inappropriate, with successful but is inconsistent and likely
obvious idiomatic errors. to be inaccurate.
• shows occasional signs of organisation and a very limited – if any –
sense of direction.
• uses paragraphs occasionally to signal very obvious changes in the
direction of events or ideas, but which may need to be re-read or
re-organised before the meaning is clear.
7
Below 3 In this band a candidate’s writing: 1 In this band a candidate’s writing:
band 2 • is very short or communicates very little, with some sections making 0 • uses spelling and punctuation so
8 1 no sense at all; may gain some marks where there is occasional clarity imprecisely that very little meaning is
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0 • shows almost no awareness of task, audience or purpose. communicated.
• uses vocabulary which is seriously limited.
• shows almost no signs of organisation or sense of direction.
• uses paragraphs – if at all – in a haphazard way such that, in spite of
re-reading and re-organising, very little sense emerges.

8. 8
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