2016/2015 Paper 2 Subject Report Some candidates had difficulty demonstrating understanding of their texts compounded with a limited appreciation for what the question was asking. Students need to use their knowledge judiciously to support an argument/thesis that they wish to present. Knowledge of the texts was at times superficial and lacked any sense of the details that would illustrate understanding. Context responses were often short and vague, with generalizations often replacing analysis. In the attempt to show context, stereotypical assertions dominated some. Candidates did not connect the historical, cultural and social context with the content. Some students relied only on biographical details as context.

Paper 2 2016/2015 Subject Report The language ability shown on some of the responses indicate candidates who are not yet comfortable with English as a written language – spelling, syntax, grammar. Students should define (explain) the terms used in their question early in their papers. Practice organizing papers so that the arguments are clear and focused—use the words of the question in the introductions and conclusions Text choice is important as texts that use dialects, linguistic idiosyncrasies, dense diction and sophisticated phraseology are problematic for many students. Finally, some candidates still seem to struggle with the chosen genres, being unsure of the difference between a play and a novel. (Many candidates choose to write about plays, but treated them as if they were novels.)

Paper 2 Subject Report Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Clockwork Orange and The Colour Purple are some examples of texts in which the language choices were very challenging. Texts such as Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, and Love in the Time of Cholera - fairly dense diction and sophisticated phraseology appeared to be problematic for some candidates leading to limited understanding of the plots and the character relationships. Contextual topics such as “the American Dream” in The Great Gatsby or Death of A Salesman or A Streetcar Named Desire or “absurdism” in Waiting for Godot often led to generalizations.