School / IB / ENG A LANG LIT SL / Literary devices and close textual analysis Exam-style + marking analysis
Literary devices and close textual analysis Close reading of original poetry and prose extracts, identifying and analysing figurative language, imagery, tone and narrative voice.
English A: Language & Literature SL Literary devices and close textual analysis
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1 Read the following original line of poetry: 'The old house exhaled its dust into the evening light.' (a) Identify the figurative device used in this line. (b) Explain the effect of attributing a human action ('exhaled') to the house. Paper 1 style Medium 4 marks No calculator + 2 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original line of poetry: 'The old house exhaled its dust into the evening light.' (a) Identify the figurative device used in this line. (b) Explain the effect of attributing a human action ('exhaled') to the house.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as personification.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Medium 4 marks No calculator + 3 Read the following original sentence: 'Her anger was a kettle left too long on the flame.' (a) Identify the figurative device. (b) Explain what this comparison suggests about the nature of the anger described, beyond simply stating that she was angry. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 4 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original sentence: 'Her anger was a kettle left too long on the flame.' (a) Identify the figurative device. (b) Explain what this comparison suggests about the nature of the anger described, beyond simply stating that she was angry.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as a metaphor (an implicit comparison without 'like' or 'as').” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 5 Read the following original opening of a short story: 'I did not mean to open the letter. I did not mean to read it twice. I certainly did not mean to keep it.' (a) Identify the narrative point of view used. (b) Explain the effect of the repeated sentence structure beginning 'I did not mean to...' Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 6 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original opening of a short story: 'I did not mean to open the letter. I did not mean to read it twice. I certainly did not mean to keep it.' (a) Identify the narrative point of view used. (b) Explain the effect of the repeated sentence structure beginning 'I did not mean to...'” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the point of view as first-person narration.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 7 Read the following original description: 'The market was a riot of colour and noise — crimson chillies spilling from sacks, vendors shouting over one another, the air thick with cumin and frying oil.' (a) Identify two senses this description appeals to, with supporting evidence. (b) Explain how the accumulation of specific sensory details creates an overall impression of the setting. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 8 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original description: 'The market was a riot of colour and noise — crimson chillies spilling from sacks, vendors shouting over one another, the air thick with cumin and frying oil.' (a) Identify two senses this description appeals to, with supporting evidence. (b) Explain how the accumulation of specific sensory details creates an overall impression of the setting.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies sight (supported by 'crimson chillies', 'colour') and hearing (supported by 'noise', 'shouting') as two senses appealed to; smell ('cumin and frying oil') is also acceptable.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 9 Read the following original stanza: 'The clock on the wall does not care / that you are late, that you are tired, / that the world outside has stopped for no one.' (a) Identify the poetic device created by the repeated phrase 'that you are'. (b) Explain the effect of personifying the clock as something that 'does not care'. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 10 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original stanza: 'The clock on the wall does not care / that you are late, that you are tired, / that the world outside has stopped for no one.' (a) Identify the poetic device created by the repeated phrase 'that you are'. (b) Explain the effect of personifying the clock as something that 'does not care'.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as anaphora (repetition of a phrase at the start of successive clauses).” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 11 Read the following original line: 'He smiled the smile of a man who had already won.' (a) Identify the device created by repeating the root word 'smile'/'smiled'. (b) Explain what this repetition suggests about the sincerity of the smile. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 12 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original line: 'He smiled the smile of a man who had already won.' (a) Identify the device created by repeating the root word 'smile'/'smiled'. (b) Explain what this repetition suggests about the sincerity of the smile.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as a cognate/polyptoton construction (repeating a word's root in different grammatical forms), or accepts 'repetition' as a valid broader term.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 13 Read the following original passage: 'She packed slowly: the photograph first, then the chipped mug, then — after a long pause — his old sweater, still smelling faintly of him.' (a) Identify what the selection of these three specific objects suggests about the character's emotional state. (b) Explain the significance of the pause before packing the sweater. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 14 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original passage: 'She packed slowly: the photograph first, then the chipped mug, then — after a long pause — his old sweater, still smelling faintly of him.' (a) Identify what the selection of these three specific objects suggests about the character's emotional state. (b) Explain the significance of the pause before packing the sweater.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies that the chosen objects (a photograph, a damaged mug, a worn sweater) are sentimental rather than practical, suggesting the character is holding onto emotional attachment rather than preparing efficiently for a simple move.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 15 Read the following original line of dialogue from a short story: '"Fine," she said, in the way that meant nothing was fine at all.' Explain how this line demonstrates the gap between what a character says and what a character means, and identify the narrative technique used to signal this gap to the reader. Paper 1 style Easy 2 marks No calculator + 16 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original line of dialogue from a short story: '"Fine," she said, in the way that meant nothing was fine at all.' Explain how this line demonstrates the gap between what a character says and what a character means, and identify the narrative technique used to signal this gap to the reader.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that the spoken word 'Fine' directly contradicts the narrator's immediate clarification that nothing was fine, creating verbal irony.” Evaluate the response against the complete 2-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 2 marks No calculator + 17 Read the following original extract: 'Rain. Always rain in this city. It fell on the rich and the poor alike, though it pooled longest in the cracked pavements of the old quarter.' Explain how the writer uses the symbol of rain to introduce a social theme in this extract. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 18 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the following original extract: 'Rain. Always rain in this city. It fell on the rich and the poor alike, though it pooled longest in the cracked pavements of the old quarter.' Explain how the writer uses the symbol of rain to introduce a social theme in this extract.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that rain initially appears to be a universal, indiscriminate force affecting everyone equally ('the rich and the poor alike').” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 19 Read the original line: 'The crowd moved like a slow river around the statue.' (a) Identify the device used. (b) Explain what the comparison suggests about the crowd. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 20 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original line: 'The crowd moved like a slow river around the statue.' (a) Identify the device used. (b) Explain what the comparison suggests about the crowd.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as a simile (comparison using 'like').” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 21 Read the original line: 'The sea sighed and slid softly over the sand.' (a) Identify the sound device. (b) Explain its effect. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 22 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original line: 'The sea sighed and slid softly over the sand.' (a) Identify the sound device. (b) Explain its effect.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies sibilance (repeated 's' sounds), a form of alliteration.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 23 Read the original sentence: 'A deafening silence followed his announcement.' (a) Identify the device. (b) Explain why it suits the moment described. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 24 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original sentence: 'A deafening silence followed his announcement.' (a) Identify the device. (b) Explain why it suits the moment described.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the device as an oxymoron, combining contradictory ideas (deafening and silence).” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 25 Read the original letter extract: 'Dear Sam, it was wonderful to see you at the party; the garden looked beautiful and the music was perfect. Please do not write to me again.' Explain how the writer uses a shift in tone to create effect. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 26 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original letter extract: 'Dear Sam, it was wonderful to see you at the party; the garden looked beautiful and the music was perfect. Please do not write to me again.' Explain how the writer uses a shift in tone to create effect.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the warm, polite, complimentary tone of the opening sentences.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 27 Read the original description: 'Beside the glass towers, a woman sold oranges from a cart.' Explain how the writer uses juxtaposition to comment on the setting. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 28 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original description: 'Beside the glass towers, a woman sold oranges from a cart.' Explain how the writer uses juxtaposition to comment on the setting.” Their response addresses only this point: “Identifies the contrast between modern, wealthy 'glass towers' and the small-scale street trader's 'cart'.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + 29 Read the original line from a story opening: 'She noticed the hall clock had stopped, though nobody had remarked on it.' Explain how this detail could act as foreshadowing. Paper 1 style Easy 3 marks No calculator + 30 Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the original line from a story opening: 'She noticed the hall clock had stopped, though nobody had remarked on it.' Explain how this detail could act as foreshadowing.” Their response addresses only this point: “Explains that a stopped clock is a conventional symbol of time halting, often linked to loss, death or stagnation.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks. Marking analysis Easy 3 marks No calculator + Self-assessed 0 / 0
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