Example Candidate Responses: Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Responses
Paper 4
Cambridge IGCSE™
Literature (English) 0486
For examination from 2018
Version 1.0
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Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................4
Question 1.........................................................................................................................................................................6
Example Candidate Response – high............................................................................................................................6
Example Candidate Response – middle...................................................................................................................... 11
Example Candidate Response – low...........................................................................................................................16
Question 2.......................................................................................................................................................................21
Example Candidate Response – high..........................................................................................................................21
Example Candidate Response – middle......................................................................................................................25
Example Candidate Response – low...........................................................................................................................29
Example Candidate Responses – Paper 4
Introduction
The main aim of this booklet is to exemplify standards for those teaching Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English)
(0486), and to show how different levels of candidates’ performance (high, middle and low) relate to the subject’s
curriculum and assessment objectives.
In this booklet candidate responses have been chosen from June 2018 scripts to exemplify a range of answers.
For each question, the response is annotated with a clear explanation of where and why marks were awarded or
omitted. This is followed by examiner comments on how the answer could have been improved. In this way, it is
possible for you to understand what candidates have done to gain their marks and what they could do to improve their
answers. There is also a list of common mistakes candidates made in their answers for each question.
This document provides illustrative examples of candidate work with examiner commentary. These help teachers
to assess the standard required to achieve marks beyond the guidance of the mark scheme. Therefore, in some
circumstances, such as where exact answers are required, there will not be much comment.
The questions and mark schemes used here are available to download from the School Support Hub.
These files are:
June 2018 Question Paper 42

June 2018 Paper 42 Mark Scheme
Past exam resources and other teacher support materials are available on the School Support Hub.
www.cambridgeinternational.org/support
Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 4

How to use thisExample

bookletCandidate Responses – Paper 1 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 1
This booklet goes through the paper one question at a time, showing you the high-, middle- and low-level response for
each question. The candidate answers are set in a table. In the left-hand column are the candidate answers, and in
the right-hand column are the examiner comments.
Example Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner Comments
Example
in the left column, and the Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner Comments
Example Candidate Response – Question 1, low, continued Examiner comments
comments’ paragraph style.
1 The answer opens with a general
mments’ paragraph style with
comment that is not developed.
Thesecond
12 This answer opens
short with a general
paragraph
1
1 comment that is notabout
makes a basic comment developed.
the poem’s content but does not
relate it to the question’s key
2 This second short paragraph
2 words ‘strikingly convey feelings of
makes a basic comment about
uncertainty’.
2 the poem’s content but does not
relate
3 Hereitisto
Examiner the question’s
a general
comments key
comment about
are
enjambment
words and development
‘strikingly convey feelings of
alongside the answers. These
Answers are by real candidates in exam conditions. 3 uncertainty’.
explain where and why marks
to support the assertion about
These show you the types of answers for each level. wereenjambment
awarded. portraying
This helps you of
a sense
Discuss and analyse the answers with your learners in to interpret the
development. standard of
3 Here is a general comment about
the classroom to improve their skills. Cambridge
enjambment examsand so you can
development
4 There is an attempt to
helpbut
yourwithout
learners to refine
communicate aany basicspecific
responseexample
theirto
exam
support
about
technique.
the
‘feelings assertion about
of uncertainty’,
4 3
enjambment
though the point portraying a sense of
is under-developed.
development.
5 The comment about the phrase
How the candidate could have improved their answer ‘begin afresh...’ might have been
developed further. The logging of
The points are made briefly and without achieving a clear focus on the key words of the numbers
question. For example,
of quatrains the
and syllables
comment on the ‘idea for a cycle .... sense of renewal’
5 showed a basic understanding ofdoes
the poem’s content but was
not really begin to explore
not linked to what the question asks about ‘feelings of uncertainty’. Larkin’s use of structure. This is a
4 There
basic is anapproach
descriptive attemptrather
to
than an analytical one.
communicate a basic response
This section explains how the candidate could
4 6 have improved each answer.about ‘feelings
This
6 Overall, there of
helpsis you uncertainty’,
to
an attempt in
interpret the standard of though
places to the
Cambridge point isand
exams
communicate aunder-developed.
basic
helps your learners to refine their exam
understanding withtechnique.
a little supporting
reference – but points need to be
developed further and linked more
explicitly to the question.
Common mistakes candidates made in this question 5 The comment about the phrase
‘begin afresh...’ might have been
Some answers referred to words which might suggest ‘uncertainty’ such as ‘almost being said’, ‘a kind of grief’ and
developed
‘seem to say’, but the least confident responses did not relate these references to the larger infurther. The logging of
Total ideas the poem
mark awarded = 8 outsuch
of 25
numbers
as the trees’ apparent mortality and the way the speaker of the poem relates this to human life. of quatrains and syllables
does not really begin to explore
5 Larkin’s use of structure. This is a
basic descriptive approach rather
Often candidates were not awarded
than an analytical one.
Lists the common mistakes candidates made
marks because they misread or in answering each question. This will help your
misinterpreted the questions. learners to avoid these mistakes and give them
the best chance of achieving the available
6 Overall, there ismarks.
an attempt in
6 places to communicate a basic
understanding with a little supporting
Cambridge IGCSE (Literature) (0486) 7
reference – but points need to be
developed further and linked more
explicitly to the question.
Total mark awarded = 8 out of 25

5 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486
Question 1
Example Candidate Response – high Examiner Comments
1 This candidate has focused

immediately on the question,
1 on language and on poetic form
(AO1, AO3).
2 Focus on language is
maintained through succinct
2 quotation (AO1) and comment
on the effects of repetition and
hyperbole (AO3).
3 Imagery is identified and

3
followed by comment on what
is implied by the similes and
metaphors (AO3).
4 Deeper implications of the

4 writer’s choice of language are
explored (AO2 and AO3).
5 Comment on imagery is
5 thoughtful, sensitive to the writer’s
likely purpose and detailed. The
phrase ‘this suggests’ avoids
assertion (AO3).
6
6 Comment on rhyme scheme
focuses on variation. The regular
rhyme pattern of this sonnet is
implicitly understood (AO3).
7
7 Commentary is sensitive to
shifts and apparent contradictions
in the writing – this is a key skill
for interpretation of poetry (AO2
and AO3).

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner Comments
8 8 Analysis is detailed and

developed (AO3).
9 Shows understanding of how

impressions of the mother’s
9 complex personality is conveyed
which goes beyond the literal,
engaging with the text’s
individuality and showing insight
(AO2).
10 This response shares a

10 common misconception that it is
the mother, rather than those who
follow her, who are compared to a
little dog. However, the occasional
false note does not lead to
the loss of many marks as the
marking is holistic.
11 11 Succinct summary of second

stanza or sestet, giving an
overview of how it compares and
contrasts with the first stanza
(AO1).
12 12 Understands the form of

defiance and resistance which the
mother represents (AO2).

13 13 Analysis of verse does not

need to be very technical at this
level. This candidate understands
the effect of enjambment here
(AO3).
14 14 Insightful understanding is
expressed and supported by
brief embedded quotation and
comment on the connotations of
word choice here (AO1 and AO2).
15 15 An evaluative judgement is
made here which is justified by
the developed critical comment
on detail which has preceded it
(AO4).
16 Bullet points are used to

16
‘scaffold’ the response and deal
with the text section by section
(AO1).
17 17 Further developed comment on

choice of words and the effect of
techniques (AO3).

18
18 This phrase sums up how the
poet conveys his mother showing
knowledge and response to the
question (AO1).
19 19 Commentary on form
and structure (AO3) is deftly
interwoven with how it gives
shape to the poet’s sentiments
about his mother.
20 Analysis of language
20 techniques need not be very
technical. Here it is enough to say
21
what is distinct about rhythm and
sound. Specific terminology is not
required (AO3).
22
21 Candidate does not speculate
beyond the evidence of the text,
hence ‘presumably’. This is the
language of a personal and critical
response (AO4).
23
22 Wider implications are explored
(AO2).
23 Apparent contradictions
are understood as juxtaposing
contrasting ideas to create
an effect on the reader.
Sensitive appreciation of how
imagery contributes to critical
understanding (AO3 and AO2).
Total mark awarded =

23 out of 25

How the candidate could have improved their answer

• This response was awarded a mark which just achieved Band 8. It achieved this mark because of the clarity of
critical understanding, the deft and well-selected reference to the text, sensitive and very detailed reference to
language, structure and form and a perceptive and convincing personal response to the way the poet conveys a
striking impression of his mother.
• The response therefore achieved all the descriptors for Band 7 and the overall sensitivity to detail and response
to language (AO3) lifted it into Band 8. In particular, the candidate showed very clear critical understanding of the
significance of the sonnet form and how poetic structure gives shape to the poet’s ode to his mother.
• There are a few areas where the response could have been improved. Though not a necessity, including a strong
introductory overview to the different aspects of the poem and an evaluative conclusion summing up the effect
on the reader would have made this answer stronger. Though total coverage of all aspects of the poem is not a
requirement, a few extra details could have been considered. The ‘gin and chicken’ helpless in the mother’s hands
add to the poem’s humour, while the analogy of her followers to ‘a little dog following a brass band’ was not fully
understood.
• This response was largely analytical and showed comprehensive analysis of poetic technique without being
overburdened by technical terminology, and the candidate did not impose a meaning on the poem but allowed this
to come out of close attention to the writer’s choice of details and language.

Example Candidate Response – middle Examiner Comments
1 The introductory overview is

brief and sums up some of the
1 qualities of both the mother and
the poet’s response to her (AO1),
but the candidate does commit too
early to an interpretation not fully
supported by the text. Spelling
and grammatical accuracy are not
assessed in this paper.
2 This explores the emotive

2 connotations of the poet’s choice
of language and the use of a
rhyming pair of adjectives (AO3).
3 The candidate’s interpretation

and personal response is
3 grounded in analysis of language
and what is implied by the poet’s
choice of words (AO2 and AO4).
4
4 The candidate appreciates
the poem’s tone and effect (AO4)
developing a relevant personal
response.
5
5 The mixture of exuberance
and sadness is understood and
supported, and there is some
response to the writer’s use of
imagery (AO3).

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner Comments
6 6 Understanding of what is
implicit in the mother’s attitude of
mind and strength of character is
clear and shows engagement with
the text’s deeper implications.
7 7 These comments show a

developing appreciation of
character and context (AO2).
8
8 Understanding of some of the
impact of the allusion is clear here
(AO1 and AO2).
9
9 Quotation is used with some
thoroughness (AO1) to support
overall understanding of the
second stanza.

10 10 While the first idea is well-

supported, the second is
speculative and not clearly
grounded in the text, showing the
uneven quality of this response.
11 11 Here there is more focused

commentary on language, alert to
both imagery and sound effects
(AO3).
12 Overall understanding is sound

here, although the reading that the
mother has just died in an air raid
is at odds with the tenses, tone
12 and meaning of the words of the
poem (AO2).
13 This shows a personal

13 interpretation and response which
reflects some of the mood of the
poem (AO4).
14 The candidate’s interpretation

14 is supported by appreciation of
imagery (AO3) and its emotive or
symbolic effect.

15
15 Some attention to tenses
and the passing of time here,
with careful use of supporting
reference (AO1).
16 16 The question is not forgotten

and there is an attempt to sum up
the overall impact of the poet’s
portrait of his mother.

17 out of 25


• In this response, understanding of the text and its deeper implications is generally clear and this was supported
by some response to language. All the Band 5 criteria were met, as textual evidence was well-integrated showing
some thoroughness in the use of supporting evidence, and there was some response to the choice of words, some
appreciation of imagery and sound effects and reasonably developed personal response. The quality of personal
response to mood and to what is implicit in the text lifted the answer into the next Band.
• A higher mark required demonstration of clearer understanding. The candidate made an early commitment to a
particular reading of the poem, reading it as an elegy, or poem of mourning over the loss of the poet’s mother,
although neither the tone nor the form of the poem fully support this. A stronger critical reading would have shown
more awareness of poetic form and genre, perhaps noticing that the poem is a sonnet, with certain structural
implications, and that the title suggests it is an ode, a poem of praise. Candidates should be prepared for this paper
by reading a wide variety of poems, so that they are used to different forms and styles of poetry.
• Attention to individual words and their connotations and implications was impressive, but stronger answers
needed more response to whole phrases, following their meaning over the line endings, and more interpretation
of the poet’s choice of imagery. While there was some interpretation of ‘huge as Asia’ and ‘seismic with laughter’,
there was little on the other images in the sestet, such as the comparison with a ‘procession’ or a ‘brass band’.
Candidates succeeded where they had recognised the poet’s uses of figurative language and let their interpretation
of the text develop from a response to different possible ways of reading the images.
• Selective and partial readings of the poem were rewarded on the basis of the quality of personal response and
analysis of language and imagery, but did not demonstrate the clear understanding and convincing personal
response required for the higher range of marks. The interpretation of the sestet was also over-literal, seeing it as
a description of the mother’s death rather than a description of her death-defying attitudes, and some reading was
speculative and unsupported.
• The answer generally showed close attention to imagery, dealing well with the simile comparing the mother to a
mountain, and the idea of ‘morning’ in the final line. This candidate demonstrated the ability to read language with
some attention to detail, but could have been more aware of poetic form and structure and committed less quickly
to a definite narrative or ‘back story’.

Example Candidate Response – low Examiner Comments
1 1 Like a number of more basic

responses, this begins by looking
at the mother-child relationship,
although this is not the primary
focus of the poem, so there is
some understanding of meaning
(AO2).
2 This begins to consider what

the simile may represent about
the mother, going beyond surface
meaning without quite capturing
the idea that she is larger than life
(AO2). There is some comment on
the poet’s choice of the continent
2 of Asia (AO3).
3
3 Quotations are used, so there
is some supporting textual detail
(AO1) but these are presented
like a list, instead of being fully
integrated within the response.
4
4 Some response to language
and the choice of imagery here
(AO3).
5 5 Some understanding of context

(AO2) and begins to develop
a personal response to what is
unusual about the poem and its
display of apparently contradictory
emotions.

6 6 These comments show a

relevant personal response to the
poet’s humorous choice of details
beginning to emerge (AO4).
7 7 However, this kind of personal

response is not really relevant.
8 8 This paragraph shows some

struggle to sustain a relevant
focus and develop ideas, as these
observations are peripheral to the
main thrust of the poem.
9 This paragraph is closer to the

9 emotional world and exuberance
of the octave. It begins to explore
implied meaning (AO2 and AO4).

10 While the comment on the

imagery of the dog shows the
10 beginnings of response to
language, it is misapplied to the
mother rather than her followers
(AO2 and AO3).
11 11 Comment on the sestet is quite

brief, suggesting that this essay is
not well planned. There is some
understanding but a lack of detail
(AO1 and AO2).
12 12 The quality of comment on

the imagery of the final lines is
stronger (AO3).
13 This paragraph shows some

13
personal response but lacks
contact with details of the text
(AO4 and AO1).
14 Assertions are now made about

14 the poet and his situation, reading
the poem as biography and not
using the text to support these
ideas (AO1).

15 Although there is some

15
personal engagement with the
poem’s wartime setting and
themes, there is no exploration of
how the mother’s reaction to the
air-raid is described.
16 16 These are personal reflections

rather than literary criticism of
Barker’s poem, but there is some
understanding that the roles of
mother and son have become
reversed to a degree in the last
part of the poem (AO2), although
its ‘mother’ shows no signs of
getting scared or needing physical
help.

13 out of 25


• The candidate began to shape a personal response. However, for higher marks the candidate would have needed
more thorough use of evidence to support their arguments, through the use of brief embedded quotation within
their response. They would also have needed a clearer understanding of the text itself and the particular person
and relationship described, instead of generalising about relationships between mother and child.
• Greater structuring of the answer, encouraged by the bullet points, would have allowed a more developed
response to imagery and descriptive detail in each part of the answer. Candidates could be encouraged to divide
the texts into relevant sections and to identify descriptive passages so that they can explore their implications and
emotive effects.
• The answer lacked an argumentative structure or overall reading of the poem, and so could not be described as a
‘reasonably developed personal response’. Candidates should practise writing succinct summaries of poems and
evaluating their overall effect on the reader in order to construct effective introductory overviews and developed
conclusions.
• The candidate went some way beyond the literal meaning of the poem and began to explore distinctive aspects of
language. There was some appreciation of mood and the importance of the poem’s imagery.
Common mistakes candidates made in this question

• Some candidates missed the humour of the poem’s exaggerated comparisons: tone is an important element of
poems, alongside structure.
• If tone and structure are not fully understood and the rhyme scheme missed, it is much harder to appreciate how
the poem develops and changes tone after the eighth line.
• Some would have benefited from making greater use of the bullet points as they provide a helpful guide to the
poem’s structure.
• Many asserted, speculated or invented a story for the poem (the mother is dead or an alcoholic), the poet is dead
or at war making up a subtext, instead of working with the images and words of the poem.
• The words and ideas of the text provided all candidates with a need to explore deeper implications.
• The quality of quotation from and commentary on descriptive details and figurative language marked out stronger
responses from weaker ones.
• Some did not leave enough time to comment in sufficient detail on the more difficult second stanza: planning and
time management are key.
• Further guidance can be found in the relevant section of the Principal Examiners’ Report for June 2018.

Question 2
Example Candidate Response – high Examiner Comments
1 1 The candidate’s judicious

choice of adjective captures the
desperation in the narrative voice.
Thus the question is addressed
and not just repeated (AO1).
2 Brief quotation is skilfully

integrated within the candidate’s
own sentence to show
2 engagement with the descriptive
details of the text and what they
imply here (AO1 and AO2).
3 The candidate’s own lively

3 rephrasing of the writer’s image
shows sensitive engagement with
the language of the text and its
effects.
4 There is an impressive degree

of synthesis here: the candidate
4 cross-references details from
later in the text to show a deeper
understanding of the implications
of Hilary’s desire to escape,
relating it to the futures of young
women and especially to the fate
of the unfortunate Sylvia (AO2).
5 5 Once more the candidate’s
language reflects and responds
to the words and imagery of the
original to support an overview
of the whole text with attention to
verbal detail (AO3 and AO4).

6 Quotation is interwoven with

6
commentary on the lives and
emotions of the siblings to show
how language reveals their dislike
of life at home (AO1).
7 Textual support is integrated

with descriptive details from
different parts of the text and
appreciation of the deeper
7 implications of an ‘honour code’
among the children so, at variance
with the family’s apparent values.
8 Most candidates found plenty

to say about the way Hilary sees
her mother: here there are many
distinctive details. Hilary’s view
is accepted a little uncritically
although there is a hint that she is
unreasonable to see her mother
8 as humiliating ‘just by being
pregnant’ (AO2).
9
9 The candidate advances a
relevant personal response here
to highlight why Hilary feels so
uncomfortable around her mother
(AO4).

10 By choosing individual
adjectives with care to illustrate
10 an overall argument about the
mother, the candidate shows the
ability to respond to language in
some detail (AO3).
11 The choice of details here links

11
the children’s horror at the sight of
their mother skilfully to their more
general desire to escape (AO2).
12 12 The candidate returns to the

question to show it has been
thoroughly answered through well-
selected textual reference (AO1)
and the candidate has contrasted
it with the way mothers are
usually perceived and understood
showing personal and critical
engagement (AO1).

23 out of 25


• This is a strong personal and critical response showing sustained engagement both with the overall direction of
the text and many of its descriptive details. The voice and viewpoint of Hilary, the close third-person narrator, is
clearly understood, well-selected reference is skilfully integrated, the question addressed throughout and language
receives a sensitive and detailed response. All the Band 7 descriptors have therefore been met, and the quality
of personal engagement (AO4) and judicious choice of supporting detail (AO1) merits the award of a mark at the
bottom of Level 8.
• This answer would have been improved if the candidate had given further thought to the writer’s purpose. While the
passage appears to give uncritical support to Hilary’s view of her home and of her mother, this is because the close
third-person narrative voice mirrors Hilary’s own perspective and imitates what she might have said to her sister,
Sheila. The candidate’s wide-ranging response takes examples from many different parts of the text, but perhaps
misses some of the exaggeration and hyperbole of the language. This is clearly used by the writer for comic effect,
as Hilary mocks the horrors of her home life in her joy at finding a potential escape, and conveys her distress at the
prospect of sharing Sylvia’s fate. However, there may also be a satirical purpose: traditional restrictions on the lives
of women, and the irresponsibility of a father only ‘ever accidentally...side by side’ with his wife, are mocked, but
there may also be some satire at the expense of Hilary herself, and her self-absorption and lack of sympathy for
others.
• The strongest responses to prose pay attention to the writer’s choice of narrative perspective, and they also pay
attention to the writer’s purpose. This passage is partly entertaining and partly a piece of social criticism. The
candidate rightly brings out the hypocritical contradictions between the large and traditional family’s supposed
values and how the children behave towards each other.
• This candidate’s answer is very well-structured, and provides a strong example of how to use brief quotation to
illustrate and advance a critical argument. Critical skills could be further advanced by more extensive commentary
on the writer’s tone and purpose, and a clearer separation between writer and narrator.

Example Candidate Response – middle Examiner Comments
1 The candidate engages with

the question in the third sentence
and accurately summarises
Hilary’s views about her mother,
her anarchic family life and
1 wish to escape showing overall
understanding (AO3).
2 The idea of revolt or rebellion

is a reasonable personal
2
response to the way in which
the children react to their family
and is developed further in this
paragraph (AO4).
3 There is textual support here

3 for the breakdown of normal
family relationships (AO1).
4
4 Focus on individual words and
what they imply addresses AO3
by showing some response to
5 language.
5 There is also understanding

that we see things from the
viewpoint of Sheila as well as
Hilary, although further evidence
would be useful here (AO3).
6 Hilary’s descriptions of her

6 mother are taken at face value
and there is a relevant personal
response, supported by textual
detail (AO4 and AO1).

7 There is supporting evidence

and some response to language
7 although it is rather literal. The
point of the description is to
emphasise the mother’s continual
reproduction rather than her lack
of fashion sense (AO3).
8 The candidate is working

through the three bullet points
and now moves on to how Hilary’s
8
desire to leave is expressed,
showing some response to the
choice of the word ‘project’ (AO3).
9 There is some understanding
of the deeper implications of
the text, and the sense that the
9 children feel culturally trapped
(AO2) and this is supported by
textual reference taken from
different parts of the passage,
showing knowledge and some
effective synthesis (AO1).
10
10 The footsteps of other siblings
are seen as justifying Hilary’s
desire to escape, and encouraging
the reader to sympathise with her
(AO4).

11 The candidate returns explicitly

to the question ensuring that
11 the conclusion is relevant and
effective (AO1).
12 The essay concludes with

12
a personal response showing
reasonably developed ideas
about how Hilary’s emotions are
communicated to the reader.

16 out of 25


• This was a reasonably developed and supported personal response with overall understanding of Hilary’s emotions
and the sources of her discontent with her family. It showed some thoroughness in the provision of textual support,
and began to explore the deeper implications of her sense of alienation and of conflict within the family. Her desire
for escape was well understood and supported with relevant textual reference and there was some exploration of
descriptive language, although this was not very detailed.
• The response would have been improved if the candidate had focused on being consistently critical and analytical,
in addition to developing a supported personal response. The critical element might have come from investigating
the writer’s purpose and the reasons why she uses Hilary’s perspective. In particular, it is the lives of women
which come under particular scrutiny in the passage. If the candidate had included some analysis of Hilary’s
vividly communicated horror at the fate of her older sister, Sylvia, this element of the writing might have moved to
the foreground. For Band 6 ‘clear understanding’ it is important not to leave out significant parts of the text. The
description of Sylvia’s kitchen makes explicit parallels between her life and that of Hilary’s mother which many
candidates identified. Combined with the references to ‘not becom[ing] anything like her mother, and how, as girls,
Sheila and Hilary had to be more ‘careful’ in planning their ‘escape’, which were picked up by the candidate, the
deeper implications of Hilary’s bid for freedom from domestic servitude become clearer.
• A more analytical approach would have required closer attention to the details of descriptive passages. This
candidate used a lot of relevant textual reference, but largely to support personal response, observation and
explanation rather than to explore the writer’s use of language (AO3). For this reason, the more exaggerated, and
potentially comic aspects of the description of the mother, Sylvia’s life and Hilary’s burning desire for something
else, were not considered, nor were the more disturbing aspects of the children’s violence to each other. There was
some response to language but higher bands require more engagement with details of the writing. This candidate
might have done more to explain the emotions behind the descriptions (many wrote about the mother as an almost
monstrous figure ‘stalking round the house’ and ‘chasing the little ones’) and how they reveal the extent of Hilary’s
fear of becoming her mother, as Sylvia already has.

Example Candidate Response – low Examiner Comments
1 The candidate finds textual

1 support for a straightforward
response to the meaning of the
text (AO1).
2 2 The key problem in the family

is identified as poverty and the
inability to be fashionable, which
shows some understanding of the
family’s penny-pinching but not of
its causes (AO2).
3 3 Supporting textual detail

shows some engagement with
the passage’s descriptions, at a
surface level (AO1).

4 4 There are several references to

the description of Hilary’s mother;
again the reading is quite literal
and the candidate admits there
is no evidence that she has been
abused. However, there is some
understanding that this is a fate
which Sheila and Hilary want to
avoid (AO2).
5 5 This comment misses the

point: it is the mother’s stomach
which is both huge and ‘deflated’
and this is the result of her many
experiences of childbirth.
6 Comment on Sylvia shows

more understanding of meaning,
6 engaging with both her lack of
communication and the stress
of motherhood (AO2) with some
appreciation of how the writer is
using comparison (AO3).

7 This comment shows personal

response and some overall
understanding of the central
7 situation and Hilary’s emotions
(AO4 and AO2).
8 8 There is also supported

understanding of how Andrew’s
departure has set an example for
the girls to follow (AO1 and AO2).

11 out of 25


• This was a literal reading of the text with quotations from the descriptive passages which support a basic
understanding of surface meaning. It attempted to communicate a basic personal response. However, there were
indications of deeper understanding in places. There was some engagement with descriptive detail and what it
reveals, and a growing appreciation that what Hilary really fears is becoming like her mother or like Sylvia. In this
way implied meaning was touched upon, with some sense of what the details show.
• This answer could have been improved by more focus on AO3, which requires comment on language, structure
and form. The candidate began to develop a relevant personal response but this was not given shape or argument.
For instance, the candidate began the essay with a quotation. This demonstrated some understanding of the
need for quotation and for attention to details of the writing, but practice in introducing a quotation and then
following it with comment on what it shows and the effect of the writing would have helped to raise this candidate’s
performance.
• The candidate might have focused on why Hilary concentrates on particular descriptive details and how her
language reveals her feelings about them. Her irritation at the discomforts of family life and her disgust at the
appearances of her mother might have been explained in more detail, with reference to the writer’s choice
of vocabulary. Even if a candidate struggles with a critical and conceptual approach, effective explanation of
quotations and their effect can help them to construct a reasonably developed personal response.
• This piece of writing was treated as if it were a documentary record of something that had happened to real people.
There were therefore limited opportunities to present the commentary as literary criticism. The answer would have
been strengthened with more focus (as suggested in the question) on the writer’s techniques and what they show
about Hilary’s attitude to her family. Stronger answers showed more careful engagement with the writer’s craft.
Common mistakes candidates made in this question

• Many candidates did not consider the writer’s purpose or engage directly with her choice of Hilary’s narrative
perspective.
• Consequently relatively few responded to the humour in the writing although a number realised that the
descriptions were exaggerated for various effects.
• Some candidates missed out later parts of the passage.
• Consequently they missed the explosive contempt with which Hilary describes Sylvia’s life and what this reveals
about her own fear of her future.
• Some thought Hilary was poor or lived in a violent neighbourhood, although most realised that her problems were
mainly those of family life.
• Less successful responses tended to focus on the literal details of description instead of the emotions they reveal;
both are required for higher level responses.
• Many took Hilary’s condemnation of her mother at face value rather than considering subtleties of narrative
perspective and writer’s intent.
• Stronger responses moved beyond Hilary’s personal situation to consider what the details of the passage reveal
about the lives and opportunities for women more generally.
• Many quoted lines in the first paragraph which show Hilary’s burning desire to escape, but were not always able to
contrast this with the sensual deprivation of her life so far.
• Further guidance can be found in the relevant section of the Principal Examiners’ Report for June 2018.

Cambridge Assessment International Education
The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge, CB2 8EA, United Kingdom
t: +44 1223 553554
e: info@cambridgeinternational.org www.cambridgeinternational.org
Copyright © UCLES November 2018

Example Candidate Responses: Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

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Example Candidate Responses

Copyright © UCLES 2018

June 2018 Question Paper 42

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 4

How to use thisExample

Total mark awarded = 8 out of 25

Example Candidate Response – high Examiner Comments

1 This candidate has focused

3 Imagery is identified and

4 Deeper implications of the

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 6

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner Comments

8 8 Analysis is detailed and

9 Shows understanding of how

10 This response shares a

11 11 Succinct summary of second

12 12 Understands the form of

7 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner Comments

13 13 Analysis of verse does not

16 Bullet points are used to

17 17 Further developed comment on

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 8

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner Comments

Total mark awarded =

9 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

How the candidate could have improved their answer

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 10

Example Candidate Response – middle Examiner Comments

1 The introductory overview is

2 This explores the emotive

3 The candidate’s interpretation

11 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner Comments

7 7 These comments show a

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 12

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner Comments

10 10 While the first idea is well-

11 11 Here there is more focused

12 Overall understanding is sound

13 This shows a personal

14 The candidate’s interpretation

13 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner Comments

16 16 The question is not forgotten

Total mark awarded =

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 14

How the candidate could have improved their answer

15 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Response – low Examiner Comments

1 1 Like a number of more basic

2 This begins to consider what

5 5 Some understanding of context

Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486 16

Example Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner Comments

6 6 These comments show a

7 7 However, this kind of personal

8 8 This paragraph shows some

9 This paragraph is closer to the

17 Cambridge IGCSE Literature (English) 0486

Example Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner Comments

10 While the comment on the

11 11 Comment on the sestet is quite