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• For Eduqas, Leave Taking is part of Component 2.

• You will be presented with one question, which is linked to an extract.

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Remember

As part of your revision, spend time practising planning answers and writing within the time limit.

This will help to build your confidence for the final exam.

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Exam top tip

It is a good idea to spend a few minutes planning your answer before you start writing. You should identify the key words and plan out some of your main points.

You could plan using bullet points or a mind-map, or any other way that you find useful.

Example question

Write about the character of Viv and the way she is presented at different points in the play.

VIV: She was the last of our grandparents. Imagine that, a whole generation gone, and we never met any of them. Never even seen a photograph…

DEL: That’s life isn’t it? What you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be sitting some exam?

VIV: 9 a.m. English Literature. Paper One.

DEL: So, you’d better get a move on. You’re late.

VIV: I’ve already been.

DEL: That was quick. You are a clever girl.

VIV: I walked out.

DEL: What?

VIV: My one act of rebellion and I’m shitting myself.

DEL: Why did you do that? Didn’t your answers come up?

VIV: Oh, I knew all the answers. Pat me on the head and they all come tumbling out, say exactly what the examiners want to hear. But no matter how hard I search for myself in them books, I’m never there.

DEL: And where’s walking out gonna get you? A job in a factory?

VIV: Me and those teachers don’t speak the same lingo. Things I feel they haven’t got words for. I need another language to express myself.

DEL: Go back to school and sit that exam.

VIV: It’s too late. I failed it now.

DEL: You’re bright. You’ll make up the marks in the next paper.

VIV: I thought you of all people would understand.

Before you start writing your answer, make sure you understand the question properly. Ask yourself:

In the exam, the extract from the play will have been chosen to help you answer the question and to shape your argument.

It is a good idea to briefly annotate the extract before you write your answer. This can help you focus your ideas and show you which quotations you could use as supporting evidence.

Some quotations that you might choose to focus on from the extract above are:

Your exam response will be marked using Assessment Objectives (AOs).

The ones for this question are below.

At the start of your answer, it is helpful to have a short introduction. An effective introduction should give a summary of the ideas you are about to present, and link to the question and the writer’s message.

After your introduction, each paragraph should include:

• A topic sentence, which uses some of the language of the question, to introduce your argument

• Evidence that supports your argument

• Analysis of the effects of language or dramatic techniques

• A final sentence that acts as a mini-summary.

An awareness of the writer’s purpose is also important.

You could include a short conclusion at the end of your answer to summarise the points you have made.

Answers could include:

Viv behaves in different ways in this extract. At first Viv seems like she is quite calm as she is talking about the past. We see this when she says "a whole generation gone".

Then when Del asks her about her exam Viv seems to be stressed and she feels like she has to defend herself. Del asks her a lot of questions repeatedly, showing that she can’t believe what she is hearing, but this puts more pressure on Viv. At the start of the play, Viv was hard-working and obedient but now she has done something rebellious, and she expects Del to support her, when she says "I thought you of all people would understand". Viv has also lost her faith in her teachers, using the word "they", which is a big change from when she was happily performing poetry and Shakespeare.

However, Del takes back the big sister role and needs to remind Viv of the consequences of her actions. Del commands Viv to "go back to school and sit that exam". This direct sentence shows that Del is being honest but also taking responsibility. It reminds the audience that Viv is still young, but her sister is older and wiser and wants Viv to avoid making the same mistakes she did.

Answers could include:

In this extract, Viv is presented as someone who is struggling to find her identity, and who is looking for guidance from her sister. Viv’s language is quite tentative at first, and Pinnock uses the hyperbole of "a whole generation gone" to suggest that Viv is thinking about her ancestors and what her future could be like. Viv’s pauses imply that she is uncertain about how Del will respond to her news, as this is her "one act of rebellion" – for Viv, this is a dramatic change from when she recited poetry and Shakespeare earlier on.

The direct questions from Del suggest that she is in disbelief, but they also show that she is pressuring Viv to explain the change in her attitude from the start of the play. Despite Viv’s protests, Del reclaims the role of the older sibling, and the imperatives in "go back to school and sit that exam" remind Viv of the consequences of her actions.

When Viv replies, "I thought you of all people would understand", Pinnock is using an accusing tone to suggest to the audience that what Viv thinks she needs is sisterly reassurance, not criticism. However, it is clear to the audience that Del is not being cruel: she is taking responsibility. Viv has clearly lost her faith in her teachers, emphasising her distance with the pronoun "they", and Del is stepping in to ensure that Viv has someone she can trust and who is looking out for her.