2021 Paper 1: Sample Response 1 (Jake Likes Onions)
We have already published a range of Paper 1 responses for May 2021 examination in timezone 2. At the time of writing (March 2022), we have published ten in total, five for each text, ranging from excellent responses to mediocre ones. On this page, available to subscribers here, we publish a generally fantastic response in the equivalent May 2021 timezone 1 examination. The student responds to the cartoon ‘Jake Likes Onions’ (I can’t wait for the thought tube), written by Jake Thompson, and published in 2016. You can find the full text here. The guiding question is how do text and image work together to convey the comic’s message? I like the question in that invites the student to consider the multimodal totality of the text. However, I am much less enthusiastic about the inclusion of the word ‘message’; this potentially suggests that the text has a fixed meaning and function. If only the student is smart enough, they will solve the puzzle and find that message. But language and texts don’t really work in this way, and if we are to promote critical literacy and critical thinking then I think we should permit opportunity for reader response, giving confidence to students that their perspective matters. With my contention in mind, it is interesting to see the way in which the tackles the issue of working with a problematic guiding question. Read on.
dmc