Grade descriptions give a general indication of the standards of achievement likely to be shown by candidates awarded particular grades.

To achieve a Grade A, a candidate will demonstrate the ability to:

• sustain a perceptive and convincing response with well-chosen detail of narrative and situation;
• demonstrate clear critical/analytical understanding of the author’s intentions and the text’s deeper implications and the attitudes it displays;
• make much well-selected reference to the text;
• respond sensitively and in detail to the way language works in the text;
• communicate a considered and reflective personal response to the text.

To achieve a Grade C, a candidate will demonstrate the ability to:

• make a reasonably sustained/extended response with detail of narrative and situation;
• show understanding of the author’s intentions and some of the text’s deeper implications and the attitudes it displays;
• show some thoroughness in use of the text for support;
• make some response to the way language works in the text;
• communicate an informed personal response to the text.

To achieve a Grade F, a candidate will demonstrate the ability to:

• make a few straightforward points in terms of narrative and situation;
• show a few signs of understanding of the author’s intentions and the surface meanings of the text;
• make a little reference to the text;
• show evidence of a simple personal response to the text.