1. Close Reading

2. Final Question Use clear paragraphs or bullet points Make a minimum of three points (encourage as many as possible) Direct quotations are permitted but should be used sparingly – to show the writer has illustrated this Pupils should be given the benefit of the doubt

3. This will be a U or a U/E question (evaluation comes from selecting relevant points) Style is gone It is effective to get pupils to make a general point at the beginning of their answer which starts for example: “Writer 1 thinks chocolate is awesome, writer 2 disagrees with this” – as this will often get them 1 mark

4. Focus 1 The question on both passages Key Points: 1.For candidates: Be careful to check what you are being asked to identify: it could be similarities or differences or both. Plan your answer: use rough notes to help you identify the key ideas and discard less important ones You can write your answer in ordinary paragraphs or in ‘extended bullet points’ – you choose the way you feel most comfortable with. You can quote from the passages, but you don’t have to – it is often better to refer to key details in a more general way; if you do quote, keep the quotation short.

5. 2.For teachers/lecturers: The new style question is a significant departure from the previous type which asked for personal preference and a justification thereof, so marking it may be difficult to begin with. Nevertheless, it should prove simpler in the long run, because it is less subjective: you are looking to establish whether or not the candidate picked up on the required number of key points to qualify for the minimum 3 marks and then judge whether or not it can go to 4 or 5. The examples we are going to look at are based on a hypothetical question and marking instructions based on the 2011 exam. While the exact format of these in 2012 will be broadly similar, there may be slight adjustments over time.

6. Example: Question 13 (Alternative version used at the trial in June 2011) Question: Consider the attitude displayed by each writer to video games and their effects on young people. Referring to important ideas in the passages, identify the key areas on which they disagree. You may answer this question in continuous prose or in a series of developed bullet points. 5U/E Focus I The question on both passages

7. Marking Instructions: The mark for this question should reflect the quality of the response in two areas: - identification of the essential areas of disagreement in attitude/ideas - reference to/treatment of the ideas which inform the writers’ attitudes A response which clearly identifies at least three essential areas of disagreement in attitude and has at least some supporting evidence will score a minimum of 3 marks.

8. These essential areas of disagreement are: 1 the general status of video games 2 the intellectual benefits of video games 3 the educational benefits of video games 4 the challenge involved in video games 5 the reward(s) involved in video games There will inevitably be some overlap among these points (eg between 2 and 3, and between 2 and 4). Markers will have to judge the extent to which a candidate has covered two points or just one. * Where a candidate has identified satisfactorily at least three of these essential areas, then the decision to award 3, 4 or 5 marks will depend on the sophistication of his/her is treatment of the ideas which inform each writer’s attitude. *

9. The following guidelines should be used: 5 marksidentification of essential areas of disagreement, with an intelligent use of supporting evidence 4 marksidentification of essential areas of disagreement, with sound use of supporting evidence 3 marksidentification of essential areas of disagreement, with some supporting evidence 2 marksidentification of only two essential areas of disagreement or identification of more than two without supporting evidence 1 markidentification of just one essential area of disagreement 0 marksfailure to identify any essential area of disagreement and/or complete misunderstanding of the task The following main ideas could be used in support, but some other points might be used successfully:

10. Passage 1: video games are viewed as pointless, but they are not they develop the brain in a number of ways the chess/algebra analogy high level thinking skills are involved they are challenging, at times extremely hard unlike other entertainment, pleasure is not immediate they can appear simple but are often very complex the process is more important than the (often simplistic) content they tap into the brain’s natural desire for reward Passage 2: they are narcotically addictive they are a threat to literacy they require no thought or effort they encourage slovenly behaviour and thinking they may pretend to be educational but are totally lacking in educational value they offer immediate and simple pleasures

11. Some general marking principles: There will never be a single “correct” way to approach this task; different candidates will approach it in different ways. Markers will be open to all reasonable approaches; they will simply be looking to see how well candidates have identified and supported the key ideas. Direct quotation from the passages is permitted, but if used should be used sparingly; a patchwork of quotation will not be an effective way of showing overall understanding. Quality of expression is not, in itself, a criterion in this task; however, responses must be coherent, and better answers are expected to be reasonably fluent. If “extended bullet points” are used they need not be grammatically complete sentences, but should make the point(s) clearly.

12. Focus I — The question on both passages Activity I Answer (1) Overall, the writer of Passage 1 considers video games to have a positive impact on young people while Passage 2 considers their effects to be detrimental. A key area on which they disagree is whether video games teach young people anything. The writer of Passage 1 thinks that video games can be educational and teach them important analytical skills. The writer of Passage 2 disagrees, arguing that video games have a detrimental effect on children’s education and don’t teach them anything. Another key area on which the passages disagree is whether or not they provide instant gratification. The writer of Passage 2 thinks that video games immediately glorify and praise people who have achieved little through the game. The writer of Passage 1, however, thinks that the games provide players with delayed gratification, only achieved once they have done many hard tasks. The writers also disagree about whether video games are difficult. An important idea of the first passage is that gaming is hard and can present complex challenges. The writer thinks that games make young people think. However, the writer of Passage 2 considers the games to be very basic and easy. He thinks that they require young people to do little or no thinking in return for rewards and that they are spoon-fed.

13. Agreed mark Notes: Clearly deals with 3 points Good approach – summary of ideas First point is a general point worth 1 mark Implicitly shows understanding of gratification 4

14. Answer (2) One key area they disagree about is that passage one argues that playing these games helps the mind to develop and have “intellectual virtues in their own right” which means they are good for the mind. However, this disagrees with passage two where it is clear that the writer feels these games are of no intellectual content and do not benefit the mind in any way — in fact he argues they are actually bad for the brain. “The catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy of young males” highlights that the writer feels they do not benefit the mind. Therefore the area in which they disagree is whether or not these games help develop the mind or stifle intellectual development. Another key area they disagree about is that in passage two the writer goes on about how books are the only way of gaining intelligence. However, in passage one the writer recognises that there is intelligence to be gained from other forms of media and that reading books is not the only way to develop the mind. Therefore the area in which they disagree is firstly what their idea of intelligence is and secondly where they feel they can look to deduce intelligence from, e.g. books or the internet. Another area they disagree about is that games/gaming means you are lazy. In passage 2 the writer goes on about how gaming is making young males unresponsive and lazy; “they become like blinking lizards, motionless”. This image is used to convey this argument. However, in passage 1 the writer feels that gaming keeps them alert as people are subconsciously always trying to work the game out in their heads, which is keeping their mind busy all the time. Therefore the writer in passage 1 would argue that gaming does not make you lazy and unresponsive but quite the opposite. Therefore the area they disagree about is whether or not the game/gaming makes you lazy and unresponsive or alert and working on the game subconsciously all the time. Another area where they disagree is that passage 2 feels we should ban games/gaming altogether. However, passage 1 thinks we should encourage gaming and promote it to more people. Therefore, they disagree on the future for gaming.

15. Agreed mark 2 Paragraph 1 starts off talking about intellectual argument but makes more of an educational point Points gained from intellectual point

16. Answer (3) Passage one believes that the video games are beneficial to a child’s mind. This is because the games force children to analyse, choose, prioritise and decide. These all help to build up brain muscles. Whereas passage two believes the games are having catastrophic effects on the youth of today. This is because these games are losing valuable literacy skills as they are not reading enough to gain the vocabulary skills necessary to achieve in life. Passage one also argues that these games reward children for achieving their aims whereas passage two claims they are mindlessly rewarded for everything they do even if they make a mistake. This teaches children that they can make mistakes and still be rewarded which is false. Passage one believes the games are mentally challenging and difficult. Passage two believes the games are not stimulating to a child’s mind and they are mindlessly taking in the game.

17. Agreed Mark 3 Point on gratification not fully developed 3 basic points

18. Answer (4) disagree about the value of games for children: passage 1 says “popular culture steadily, but almost imperceptibly, making our brains sharper”, showing that Steven Johnson feels video games have a value for children and develop the brain. Passage 2 shows the opposite opinion, where Boris Johnson writes “These machines teach them nothing”. disagree about the extent to which video games are challenging to young people: passage 1 says “games are fiendishly, sometime maddeningly, hard”, showing that the writer feels they challenge the gamer hugely and therefore help them develop. Passage 2 describes gamers as being like “blinking lizards, motionless, absorbed” which implies that he feels gaming requires very little brain power and is therefore not in any way beneficial to the gamer. disagree about the way video games should be perceived, by society as a whole but also by parents in particular: passage 1 maintains that “the non-literary popular culture is honing different mental skills that are just as important as ones exercised by reading books”, showing that he feels gaming should be viewed in a positive light and be less condemned by society. In passage 2, Boris Johnson has the opposite viewpoint: “Steel yourselves for the screams and yank out that plug”. By saying this, he refuses to recognise that video gaming has any value at all, and also condemns the use of games in society, particularly parents who allow their children to play them. disagree about the ease of video gaming and the standard of games: passage 1 says games are about “delayed gratification, sometimes... long delayed”, showing that he sees video games as set to a high standard, and never easy. Contrary to this, Boris Johnson writes “Everything was programmed, spoon-fed” which shows he feels games to be too easy and therefore of no value as they do not present any challenges to be overcome or incentives to continue playing.

19. Agreed mark 4 Point 1 – Intellectual Point 2 – Challenging Point 3 – Status Repetition of the idea of change 3 points made + evidence

20. Answer (5) The two writer’s have contrasting attitudes with passage 1 supporting video games and passage 2 disagreeing with them. They both have ideas about what they look like from the inside and the outside while playing a video game. In passage 1 the writer says “inside the gamer’s mind, the primary activity turns out to be another creature altogether”. This writer has a more open-minded view of video games and takes into consideration both sides. The idea of the gamer’s mind being so much more than pressing buttons shows the writer’s true thoughts while also contrasting with the other writer’s view. The second writer is shown to have a more narrow-minded view and doesn’t show what might be happening inside the gamer’s mind. The writer says “They become like blinking lizards, motionless, absorbed, only the twitching of their hands showing that they are still conscious”. This conveys the negative and narrow-minded attitude of the writer extremely well and highlights the contrasting views of the two writers.

21. Agreed mark 1 Makes a general point about what each writer believes.

22. Answer (6) Passage one claims that playing video games has a lot to give a person and can be very beneficial: you gain skills when you have to “analyse, to choose, to prioritise, to decide”. Passage two disagrees with this as it takes the viewpoint that video games deaden rather than benefit ones mind. The image of the “blinking lizards” emphasises how the video games are making people look lifeless and almost soulless. Passage one also claims video games are “making our brains sharper”. The other author disagrees with this and writes of the “catastrophic effect” these games can have on the brain. Passage one credits the games’ good points like the graphics and content whereas in passage two these are not recognised and games are described as “robotic”. Passage one thinks we should look to other forms of media other than books to gain education whereas passage two is completely for books and doesn’t really consider other forms of media to be beneficial also. This is shown in passage one where we are told that other forms of media have “intellectual virtues in their own right”. The other says you won’t even be educated enough to write until you read so does not consider alternative forms of education.

23. Agreed mark 2 Only makes 2 points, shows benefit of bullet pointing (teachers felt this was more like a 4 as it makes 3 clear points and has supporting evidence)