English Literature

1. 1.

   Analyse the image in this original line: "The city wore its windows like a thousand sleepless eyes." Offer two supported interpretations.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Start with the precise image, then connect individual words to two possible readings supported by the line.
   2. Identify personification of the city or the simile connecting windows to eyes.
   3. Connect 'sleepless' to restlessness or continuous urban activity.
   4. Support another reading, such as surveillance or isolation, using 'thousand' or 'eyes'.
   5. Explain how the wording creates the effect rather than only naming a technique.

   Marking points

   • Identify personification of the city or the simile connecting windows to eyes.
   • Connect 'sleepless' to restlessness or continuous urban activity.
   • Support another reading, such as surveillance or isolation, using 'thousand' or 'eyes'.
   • Explain how the wording creates the effect rather than only naming a technique.

   Examiner tip: Technique spotting alone is not analysis. Explain the effect of the wording.

2. 2.

   Explain how an unreliable first-person narrator can affect a reader's interpretation. Use an invented example rather than a quotation from a set text.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Separate what the narrator claims from what their behaviour reveals. A contradiction can invite readers to interpret beyond the narrator's account.
   2. The account is filtered through the narrator's limited or biased perspective.
   3. A contradiction between claims and actions can signal unreliability.
   4. Give a specific invented contradiction, such as claiming honesty while describing a deliberate lie.
   5. Explain how readers may infer a meaning different from the narrator's stated interpretation.

   Marking points

   • The account is filtered through the narrator's limited or biased perspective.
   • A contradiction between claims and actions can signal unreliability.
   • Give a specific invented contradiction, such as claiming honesty while describing a deliberate lie.
   • Explain how readers may infer a meaning different from the narrator's stated interpretation.

   Examiner tip: A first-person narrator is not automatically unreliable; show evidence for that reading.

3. 3.

   Outline a comparative paragraph on how two poems present loss. You may use poems you know, but do not reproduce lengthy quotations.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Build a single comparative claim and use specific evidence from both poems to develop it, not two disconnected summaries.
   2. State a comparative claim about loss in both poems.
   3. Identify a specific detail or brief reference in the first poem and explain its effect.
   4. Compare a specific detail in the second poem, explaining similarity or difference.
   5. Link the comparison to the claim; other well-supported interpretations are acceptable.

   Marking points

   • State a comparative claim about loss in both poems.
   • Identify a specific detail or brief reference in the first poem and explain its effect.
   • Compare a specific detail in the second poem, explaining similarity or difference.
   • Link the comparison to the claim; other well-supported interpretations are acceptable.

   Examiner tip: These indicative points are not an official essay mark band. Alternative supported interpretations are valid.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions.