AQA GCSE English Language Model Solutions Paper 2

AQA GCSE English Language Model Solutions Paper 2Q1. ● The writer’s son knows how to turn off the TV. ● The writer’s son has just turned two. ● The writer hasn’t slept well for the past year. ● The writer’s son hasn’t learned to walk yet. Examiner’s report: ● This question assesses the first part of AO1 - ‘identify and interpret explicit information and ideas’. ● The answer selects the four statements that are true, based on the specified lines in the question: lines 1 to 17. Q2. Model Answer As the child in source A is just a baby, he is not developed enough to enjoy the pastimes that the Victorian boy in source B undertakes. The baby in source A mostly engages in activities that are related to his own body rather than external objects; including ‘running’, speaking ‘gibberish’, laughing ‘uncontrollably’ and resting his head on his father’s shoulder. In contrast, the Victorian boy in source B spent his childhood cracking ‘little whips’ and playing with ‘drums and tin trumpets’ as well as ‘pop-guns, bows and arrows, whips, tops and go-carts’. As such, the Victorian child’s sense of play and freedom is found externally, relying on inanimate objects and trinkets, whereas Stuart Heritage’s son has his sense of play completely wrapped up with his own self, and with that of his family. There are repeated references to the physicality of Heritage’s son, he loves ‘running’ up to people, and for them to ‘twang his lips like a ruler…’, and indicates an interactive, personal, and intimate kind of fun. This juxtaposes entirely with the play of Source B’s child, which is completely external, impersonal, and focused around an extended list of objects. It is evident that the ways in which the two boys find enjoyment is starkly different. Downloaded by DANIEL NDAMBIRI () lOMoARcPSD| A++ It is also suggested that as the child in source B grew from a baby ‘lying in his crib’ to an older boy, he needed greater stimulation from toys to learn and develop his creativity. It is notable that the children in both sources attempt to make noise and attract attention, but they do this in different ways due to their difference in age, and perhaps, environment. The author of source A does not mention that his son plays with such toys, although the reader may imagine that the baby is starting to become capable of this type of play, as he ‘knows how to switch off the television’ and is ‘blasting ahead as far as he can’; again alluding to his rapid development. Examiner’s report: ● This answer assesses both parts of AO1 - identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas, and select and synthesise evidence from different texts. ● The answer makes perceptive inferences from both texts, making sure to analyse how the boys enjoy different activities based on their age-related development. ● Makes shrewd references to the text, sometimes using direct quotations, which are relevant to the question. ● The student has shown perceptive similarities and differences between texts, signposting to the examiner using phrases such as ‘in contrast’ and ‘in both sources’. Q3. Model Answer The writer metaphorically describes his son as ‘a sleepy ball of scrunched-up flesh’. This creates an image that is endearing, as it evokes an image of a contented infant curled up in a ‘sleepy ball’. The adjective ‘sleepy’ is suggestive of peace and tranquillity, which creates a sense of innocence when applied to a newborn baby. The infant, however, also seems rather comically revolting, as his ‘scrunched-up flesh’ conjures an image of something wrinkled and unformed, with the verb ‘scrunched-up’ creating a parallel with discarded cloth or rubbish: to the writer, the newborn is not yet recognisable as an individual. A year later, the baby has become ‘determinedly his own person’, and has a recognisable body and personality. It becomes clear from the use of the triplet in ‘me, my wife, my parents’, that the child is considered to be a product of his parents and grandparents, with the list appearing as ingredients in a recipe. Whilst acknowledging this mixture, the author also reinforces his son’s individuality by using hyphens to indicate that the baby is ‘already separate’ from the rest of his family. The author, therefore, uses language to indicate to the reader that the baby has rapidly transformed from an endearing yet removed and unknown bundle of ‘flesh’, into a fully-fledged person with their own unique characteristics and identity. The writer’s use of language continues to paint an endearing picture of the baby, and indicates that the writer’s son is continuing to change and develop, even at the time of writing.