Each question on this exam paper assesses all four Assessment Objectives equally. This means it is important that you know what skills these Assessment Objectives require you to demonstrate in order to get the most marks.
- AO1 is about demonstrating knowledge of the play’s content through reference to specific sections of the text:
- As you read through the passage, annotate any questions you have
- This objective is about working out what is going on in terms of content, structure and word choice
- AO2 is about going beyond the surface meaning and story to look for underlying ideas and attitudes – the writer’s and your own:
- This requires you to ask “why” the author has made the choices they have
- Some elements of the writer’s context can be used to inform your personal response, but only if relevant to the focus of the question
- AO3 requires critical engagement and evaluation of how the text works:
- “Meanings and effects” suggests that there is more than one meaning for a text, and the language, structure and form of the play contribute to those meanings
- It does not mean just listing the literary techniques the writer has used
- AO4 refers to the way you shape your writing in order to communicate your engagement with the text:
- A personal response means that you may wish to make comparisons with similar experiences of your own, whether in real life or in your reading
- Contextual information should help reinforce your own interpretation, but not replace it
- Your own response is valid as long as it is supported by evidence
The following sections explore the skills you will need to demonstrate in more detail:
- Analysing drama
- Developing a personal respons
Analysing dram
It is essential to remember that drama is written for an audience; plays and drama texts are intended for performance on a stage. This impacts how you read and consider a dramatic text, as you also need to consider how a play would appear to an audience.
Form and structure apply to drama as well as poetry and prose. The form is the type of writing the author has selected to tell their story and explore themes when presenting their work, while the structure is how the piece of drama unfolds. It is therefore important to consider what choices the writer has made in terms of form and structure, and whether they have conformed to, or subverted, the conventions of that particular form or elements of structure. The examples below are not exhaustive, and you are encouraged to research the dramatic form of your set texts
Dramatic form
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Definition
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Example
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Farce
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Comedy that entertains through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous or absurd
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The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
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Satire
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A play written to criticise people or situations in a humorous or ironic way
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Animal Farm by George Orwell
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Melodrama
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A play involving strong or exaggerated events and emotions
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Still Life, Brief Encounter by Noel Coward
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Domestic drama
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A play that focuses on the realistic everyday lives of the middle or lower classes in a certain society
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Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
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Heroic drama
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A play that involves epic stories of noble heroes and lavish, exotic settings
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The Indian Queen by Robert Howard
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Historical drama
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Dramatic texts based on historical material
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Henry V by William Shakespeare
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