2021 Paper 1: Sample Response 2 (Jake Likes Onions)

This week, I've been working on more Paper 1 samples.  Come May, the focus will change.  Until then, we're trying to provide as many exemplars as possible for you and your students in anticipation of the May 2022 Paper 1 exams.

You can find the new exemplar here.  You can find also find an online link to the text (comic) that was used in the examination here.  And as a friendly reminder, we’ve published another exemplar that scores even better than this one.  You can find that exemplar here.   

What’s interesting about this exemplar is the way in which the student explores the big ideas about technology that the comic strip critiques.  The student has a wonderful grasp of the insidious ways technology has integrated into our lives and not always for the better.   

While there could be tighter, more detailed close language and image analysis, the student does respond to the question in meaningful ways.  In other words, the focus in this response is on meaning and how language creates meaning; it’s not an exercise in naming and spotting as many literary devices as possible. 

Use this exemplar to show students that a focus on the question (and meaning) will serve them well in Paper 1.  Too often, students want to label devices they notice without connecting it to a larger interpretation that is grounded in the text.  

As always, please reach out via the comments section of the site if you have any questions, need any support, or would like to provide a suggestion for the future.

Best,

Tim