Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level

9695 Literature in English March 2022

Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Paper 9695/12
Drama and Poetry

Key messages

• Candidates should ensure essays have a clear and appropriate structure by careful planning
of their response before writing the essay itself.
• Option (b) passage questions may usefully place the passage in the wider text as a relevant
context.

General comments

The general standard was satisfactory with the large majority of candidates showing at least a sound
knowledge of the set texts. There were no rubric errors in this session and very few responses showed
evidence of mismanagement of time. The quality of expression was sound in nearly every case, although
there are some candidates with expressive weaknesses which can impede communication at this level.

There were responses to only some of the texts on the paper, though answers reflecting a wide range of
performance were seen on most of the texts attempted by the candidates. The most popular choices were All
My Sons in Section A and the selection from Songs of Ourselves in Section B.

There are two specific issues to be addressed in this session:

1 Assessment Objective 4 from the Literature in English syllabus states that learners should
‘communicate a relevant, structured and supported response’. Many essays would improve the overall
success of their essays by having a clear structure. This might be best achieved by more detailed and
thoughtful planning, in which the terms of the question are closely considered, before the material to be
discussed in the essay is selected. This material can then be shaped into a structured argument,
appropriately supported and developed.

2 Appropriate contexts may vary according to the type of question being answered. Often in a passage
question, the precise placing of the passage in the wider text can be a useful way of using a textual
context. This equally applies to essays on poetry passages, where the appropriate context might be
how typical or otherwise the set poem or extract from a poem is of the poet generally, with perhaps brief
supporting references to the wider text. Other types of context such as historical or biographical are also
very useful, but learners should be encouraged to explore the use of intra-textual contexts as a useful
way of showing appropriate knowledge of the whole text.

Comments on specific questions

Section A: Drama

Question 1 ARTHUR MILLER: All My Sons

(a) Responses to this question often had a sound knowledge of the text on which to base their
arguments. Most essays focused on the relationships, with nearly all essays discussing Joe Keller
and Steve Deever and the supporting community around the Keller household, though the
‘friendship’ of Chris and Ann was also a popular topic. Most candidates saw how Miller shows the
‘cost of betraying a friend’ in the tragic ending for Joe, but also his family. Others saw the link
between ‘friendship and family’, with better answers exploring the difficulties Miller thereby created
for the likes of Chris and Ann ‘torn between their duty to their parents and their love for and

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

friendship with each other,’ as one suggested. Answers which supported arguments by close
reference to the text were often at least sound, though only a few responses were able to develop
these ideas into a consideration of how Miller presents friendship dramatically.

(b) This was a popular question with over half of the entry choosing this option. Many were able to
place the passage into the context of the wider text, with nearly all answers showing at least a
sound knowledge and understanding of the significance of the passage. Weaker answers tended
either to paraphrase the dialogue or to give a more general summary of the play’s action and its
characters. Better answers at this level kept the question in mind and were able to focus on the
possible audience responses to the dramatically charged scene. More successful answers focused
on Miller’s dramatic methods throughout – the stage directions, the use of different kinds of
dialogue, the language and the movement around the stage. Good answers turned such ideas into
a consideration of the structure of the scene and how Miller builds up the tension until the arrival of
Keller himself. Very good answers developed such interpretations further, for example, by detailed
analysis of some of the details of language and action, noticing for example the ‘controlled violence
of the exchanges between Chris and his father’. Where such ideas were supported with
appropriate contexts the answers often did very well.

Question 2 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Much Ado About Nothing

(a) Answers to this question often had a sound knowledge of the text and the characters. Nearly every
essay referred in detail to the ‘tricking of Benedick and then Beatrice,’ with better answers able to
consider the comedy thereby created. Many answers also noted that deception might also be a
‘malevolent thing in the hands of Don John,’ as one suggested. When such contrasting ideas were
developed into an argument the answers did well. Better answers were able to relate
Shakespeare’s use of deception to his methods of characterisation and to the structure of the play
as a whole, often focusing on the effects created. Where these arguments were supported by
specific reference to the text, the answers did very well.

(b) This was the slightly more popular choice on this text. Nearly every answer was able to place the
passage in its context, the masked ball, and knew ‘why Benedick was so antagonised against
Beatrice’, at this point. Weaker answers tended to retell the wider ‘story’ of Benedick and Beatrice,
with too little focus on the details of the passage. Answers which explored some of the detail often
noted the comedy, though some saw, in Benedick’s language a ‘genuine hurt at Beatrice’s
comments’. Good answers explored the ironic undertones of Benedick’s words, though some
answers thought his words ‘were sincere and he really does hate her now’. Very good answers
considered Shakespeare’s choices here, noting the methods of characterisation and the
significance of this scene to the play’s overall structure and development.

Question 3 WOLE SOYINKA: The Trials of Brother Jero and Jero’s Metamorphosis

There were too few responses to this text to be able to make a general comment on performance.

Question 4 THOMAS MIDDLETON AND WILLIAM ROWLEY: The Changeling

(a) There were only a few responses to this question. Nearly every answer was able to discuss the
relationship between Beatrice and De Flores in some detail, often showing a sound knowledge and
some understanding of the text. Better answers, noticing the ‘with this comment in mind’, shaped
their responses to the given quotation. Many thought that the two were equally guilty, ‘destroyed by
their desires’, as one suggested. Good answers developed their arguments by considering the
wider significance of the relationship to the plot and to the key themes of the play. Where such
ideas were supported by close reference to the text and with some sense of the wider context, the
answers often did very well.

(b) There were too few responses to the (b) question on this text to be able to make a general
comment on performance.

Section B: Poetry

Question 5 ROBERT BROWNING: Selected Poems

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

(a) There were too few responses to this question to be able to make a general comment on
performance.

(b) This was a relatively popular choice of question in this session. Some answers were able to
explore the poem with some knowledge and understanding. Very weak answers, however, were
often puzzled by the situation in the poem and appeared to be responding as to an unseen poem,
with consequent weaknesses in understanding and the discussion. Answers in the lower levels of
assessment often attempted a paraphrase of the poem, with some recognising how the speaker
‘looking at the girl and imagining a painter trying to capture her beauty,’ as one suggested. Some
answers were distracted into considering the relationship between the speaker and the girl. Those
who focused on the set poem were more successful, especially where the personal response was
linked to the meaning and effects of the poem. Better answers considered some of the details of
language and poetic voice and what they revealed about the speaker’s attitudes to the girl and
thereby Browning’s presentation. Some connected this poem to Browning’s dramatic monologues
and considered poetic techniques broadly. Good answers analysed some of the effects of the
language – his use of nature, for example, and biblical references. However all answers would
have been improved had they (i) supported their interpretations with appropriate context and
specific reference to the set poem and (ii) been able to discuss poetic methods confidently, but
those that did explore the verse form and the rhythms often did very well.

Question 6 OWEN SHEERS: Skirrid Hill

There were too few responses to this text to be able to make a general comment on performance.

Question 7 Songs of Ourselves, Volume 2

This was the most popular text from Section B, with over three quarters of the learners choosing this text,
the vast majority of whom tackled the (b) essay option.

(a) Nearly every answer was able to select relevant poems to discuss, the most popular choices being
Futility by Wilfred Owen, Distant Fields by Rhian Gallagher and A Wife in London by Thomas
Hardy. Answers had knowledge of relevant poems but were often limited in understanding of the
poetic concerns, so that the required comparison was at best only implicit. Better answers often
gave summaries of the selected poems and compared them in terms of content and personal
response. Where such responses considered some concerns such as loss, death or the speakers’
attitudes, the answers started to become competent. The few better answers explored the poetic
methods, often the language and the imagery. Where these points were supported by appropriate
reference to the text, an awareness of contexts and a structured argument, the answers did well.

(b) This was by far the most popular (b) question from Section B on the paper. Very weak answers
attempting to retell ‘the story of the poem,’ as one suggested, often struggled to show relevant
knowledge, discussing the poem apparently as an unseen and making unconnected points about
some poetic aspects of the poem, with little sense of the underlying meaning. Lower level answers
tended to paraphrase the poem line by line or offer a general summary with some generally
relevant personal response such as ‘it is moving to read about someone’s loss of love in a
relationship,’ as one put it. Sounder answers at this level recognised that the speaker (or
Wordsworth himself for some) was addressing a specific person. Answers were lifted by knowledge
of the context, the changing relationship between Wordsworth and Coleridge, which enabled
specific points of meaning to be explored in a more directed and focused way. Competent answers
linked such ideas to the poetic methods, often focusing on language and imagery, with many noting
the water imagery of the ‘fountain becoming a well, which shows how the relationship has changed
for the worse,’ as one suggested. Good answers developed such ideas into analysis, exploring the
effects of ‘how the flowing water has now become static’ or the imagery of the sparkling
relationship turning into a silent obscure one,’ as one response stated. Very good answers offered
perceptive analysis of the effects of the poetic choices, sensitively interpreting the speaker’s
‘changing emotions as the situation develops,’ as one suggested. Other very good responses saw
how the structure of the poem, the verse form and the metre are all used by Wordsworth to shape
the reader’s response or ‘to show Coleridge how much he missed him,’ as one put it.

Question 8 GILLIAN CLARKE: Selected Poems

(a) There were too few responses to this question to be able to make a general comment on
performance.

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

(b) There were very few responses to this question. Weak answers tended to summarise the poem,
showing some knowledge, but often very limited understanding of Clarke’s concerns. Better
answers had some personal response to the poem, such as ‘the reader feels sympathy for the
child’s situation in this dysfunctional family,’ as one response put it. Sounder answers were aware
of Clarke’s concerns, such as the order and control in the family, the lack of empathy or genuine
love and Clarke’s ‘habitual sense of otherness or being different,’ as one suggested. Good
responses linked these thoughts to Clarke’s methods, particularly her use of language to suggest
the coldness of relationships and the lack of love, with in some cases, well-integrated contextual
pointing to support their arguments.

© 2022
 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Paper 9695/22
Prose and Unseen

Key messages

• Responses which rely on summary of the content of texts or extracts are not successful.
• Successful responses focus on the writing of the texts and how the writer communicates the meaning
and content.
• Successful responses use analysis of specific references and quotations to support points in essays.
This should be particularly remembered for the (a) questions, where candidates select their own
references to answer the question.
• Successful responses to (b) passage questions analyse the writing of the selected extract in great
detail.
• In the Unseen, successful responses show how the literary features communicate the meaning and
contribute to the reader’s understanding of the passage or poem.

General comments

Candidates wrote responses to questions on all of the texts, though there were very few responses to the
questions on Petals of Blood. Most candidates showed knowledge of the subject matter of the texts, and
many were competent in exploring ways in which the writers communicate their concerns through choices of
language, form and structure. Candidates are advised to have a clear sense of direction in their essays,
supported by a firm focus on the writing of the texts. This is particularly true of the (a) questions, where
candidates would be more successful with some analysis of specific episodes from the texts.

Comments on specific questions

Section A: Prose

Question 1 IAN MCEWAN: Atonement

(a) There were too few responses to this question to make a general comment appropriate.

(b) Most essays in response to this question took note of the various objects on Robbie’s desk and in
his room, noting that he has wide interests, but seldom developed those observations into
comments on ways in which McEwan characterises him. The passage presented opportunities to
discuss McEwan’s presentation of Robbie as a young man with both artistic and scientific leanings,
with references to his poetry and his performance in Twelfth Night, for example, as well as the
signs of his medical studies. McEwan draws the two aspects together by describing Robbie’s
drawing of ‘the bones of the hand’. His favoured position within the Tallis family is also made clear
by the gift of the typewriter and Leon’s speech at a party given for his twenty-first birthday. His
patronage by the Tallises might have been linked to the portrayal of the photograph of his parents,
which identifies Robbie as the son of servants, as well as establishing the bond between Robbie
and his mother because of his father’s disappearance. Candidates who were confident with the text
might have been able to comment on Robbie’s emotional turmoil at this point in the novel, indicated
by the end of the first paragraph and ‘Another pathetic hope.’ They might also have commented on
the irony of the end of the extract, noting Jack Tallis’ agreement to ‘help with fees at medical
school’ – despite the ‘application forms’, events of the novel mean that Robbie will never pursue
that dream. It is important for candidates to go beyond noting the content of the passage; they
need to consider its significance and, in this instance, consider how the details present the
character to the reader.

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

Question 2 NGŨGĨ WA THIONG’O: Petals of Blood

(a) There were very few responses to this question, but in those answers seen by examiners, there
were appropriate observations of Ilmorog’s change from a drought-stricken rural community to a
developed urban centre. Candidates were also able to demonstrate Ngũgĩ’s critical view of these
changes; while roads and buildings are built, the novel highlights the exploitation of the population
of Ilmorog and the people’s separation from the new wealth. Candidates were able to discuss the
corruption in the capitalism which drives the development of the new town.

(b) There were too few responses to this question to make a general comment appropriate.

Question 3 Stories of Ourselves, Volume 2

(a) There was a small number of responses to this question. Candidates chose to discuss appropriate
stories, which included Edith Wharton’s The Lady’s Maid’s Bell, Saki’s Gabriel-Ernest, M R James’
A Warning to the Curious and Marghanita Laski’s The Tower. The types of horror are different in
each story and the more successful answers considered not just those differences but also how the
writers create the differences, as required by the question. There was, for example, discussion of
the use of gothic ideas in the Wharton story and ways in which Saki develops hints about the
strange boy in the woods before the end of the story confirms his identity. There was some
interesting awareness of James’ use of multiple narrators, while Caroline’s perspective as she
climbs the tower was discussed and linked to issues of gender. These essays had a solid basis of
knowledge of the stories and candidates would improve their responses with greater awareness of
the authors’ techniques.

(b) Most answers on the short stories were responses to this question on a passage from Edith
Wharton’s The Lady’s Maid’s Bell. A number of candidates worked diligently through the passage,
noting the narrator’s illness, her situation, Mrs Railton’s help and her arrival at the Brympton house.
Such answers were often close to summary; for greater success, candidates needed to look more
closely at some of the implications of these aspects of the passage, considering how they define
the character of the narrator. More subtle answers could also look at Hartley’s role as a narrator.
Wharton presents a narrator who is open and honest about her own vulnerabilities at the beginning
of the story, revealing her ill-health, her poverty and her recent immigration to the USA. Key
adjectives are used, such as ‘weak and tottery’, to indicate her physical state, while her pessimism
is shown in a phrase such as ‘I didn’t see why my luck should ever turn.’ As some candidates
pointed out, these suggestions of Hartley’s psychological frailty could inform the reader’s
interpretation of her experiences with Emma Saxton. As narrator, Hartley is also proleptic, with the
comment about her luck changing: ‘It did though – or I thought so at the time.’ Some candidates
also picked up the notes of warning in Mrs Railton’s otherwise enthusiastic endorsement of the
offered position, which are also aspects of Hartley’s foreshadowing. There are also indications of
Hartley’s bravery, apparent in dialogue – ‘I’m not afraid of solitude’ – and her immediate departure
for Brympton Place. A number of candidates noted Hartley’s use of gothic tropes in her description
of the house and grounds, and also her determination to see the best of the house, concentrating
on things being done ‘handsomely’ rather than the ‘thickets of tall black-looking shrubs’ outside.

Question 4 MARK TWAIN: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

(a) There were a very few responses to this question. Essays tended to focus on the importance of the
river journey, rather than the river itself, though the two are clearly connected. A small number of
answers looked at Huck’s affinity to the river, which at some points in the novel is presented as a
location of peaceful escape, but at other points presents considerable dangers. They also
considered the way the river leads Huck and Jim to various key locations along its banks. The idea
of the river as a place separate from society, and potential metaphoric readings, tended to be
overlooked.

(b) In writing about Huck’s relationship with his father as it is presented in the selected extract,
candidates recognised Pap’s irresponsibility and his violence, selecting key examples from the text.
Essays were less successful in focusing clearly on how Twain presents the relationship through
Huck’s narrative voice. Some, however, commented that Huck presents the relationship as a
normal one, using violent language such as ‘thrashed’ and ‘cowhiding’ without recognising the
brutality. Instead, he presents it as commonplace: ‘I was used to being where I was, and liked it’.
He even describes his life as ‘lazy and jolly’. In this way Twain suggests that Huck finds life with
Pap, violent though it is, preferable to his life with Miss Watson, enjoying his leisure and bearing

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

the violence until it goes too far and Pap is ‘too handy with his hick’ry’ and Huck is ‘all over welts’,
signalling the physical manifestations of abuse. Candidates also commented on Pap’s drinking,
though a small number of candidates thought that Huck deliberately borrowed ‘two or three dollars’
so that his father would be drunk and jailed, suggesting a level of manipulativeness in Huck’s
behaviour that Twain’s text does not support.

Section B: Unseen

Question 5 Drama

Fewer candidates chose to respond to the drama extract, but most who did so had a ready recognition of the
situation between the characters and a sound sense of the scene’s dramatic development. Essays
demonstrated a clear understanding of the situation between the three characters, though some candidates
interpreted the description ‘wasted’ in its contemporary sense and believed the Soldier to be drunk, rather
than suffering from the deprivations of warfare. Thoughtful answers noted the uneasiness in the stage
directions for the Girl, who ‘stands rigid’ and then ‘does not move’, contrasting with the Soldier’s friendly
greeting and creating suspense in her lukewarm responses until the appearance of the Man. Strong answers
also noted the way the stage directions indicate his aggression, with his ‘swift movement’ and his ‘half-drawn
… knife’, a clear contrast with the attitudes of the Soldier. Some candidates discussed the implications of the
attitudes of the two men towards the Girl, noting that the Soldier gives her choice – ‘which of us will you
’ave?’ – whereas the Man ‘only want[s] what [he] can take’ and wants to fight for her as a possession he can
win. Answers generally might have looked more at the Soldier’s longer speech ll.10-16 with the romantic
memories and rhetorical celebration of the end of his army life. There might too have been more comments
on the colloquial phrasing of the dialogue in the drama, suggesting the casual speech of relatively
uneducated young people. A rural area is also indicated by the ‘hedge’ and ‘stile’ as well as the Soldier’s
memory of the ‘night in the wood’.

Question 6 Prose

There were more answers on the prose passage and it was clear in several that candidates had begun to
write before they had read and thought about the whole piece, as they had to change direction when they
reached the reference to the card game and the explanatory footnote. It is very important that candidates
read the unseen extract in its entirety before they begin to write, so that they have a clear idea of its
development and structure. Candidates who had read and thought about the whole passage were able to
frame their answer based on the recognition that the passage is a monologue from a wife about her
husband, while the couple are playing cards with another couple who are their friends. This understanding
was very helpful in grasping the attitude of the wife and empathising with the likely responses of Tom, her
husband, though he is silent throughout. Most candidates noted that while the wife claims that she and her
husband ‘feel just the same about everything’, her statement is undermined by her list of complaints and the
changes she has made to Tom’s habits and behaviour. Some did comment, however, that all the changes
have to be made by Tom while the wife seems to make no adaptations at all. There is also the suggestion of
ignorance, as ‘Humoresque’ and ‘Indian Love Lyrics’ are not the height of ‘serious, classical things’ and ‘The
Fool or Lightnin’’ might not be universally considered ‘something worth while’. While some saw evidence of a
happy, loving and adapting couple, more recognised that the tone of the dialogue indicates a domineering
and controlling wife, who disapproves of small aspects of her husband’s taste, like music and theatre,
through more significant areas such as his chosen breakfast, to openly discussing more intimate aspects of
his behaviour, such as his chosen nightwear, even ‘threaten[ing] to leave him if he didn’t buy pajamas.’ Few
picked out the text’s indication of Tom’s embarrassment and anger in her comment: ‘And now he’s mad at
me for telling’. The revelations about Tom’s writing are similar, as it becomes apparent that she has found his
writings while going through his private papers and has not even discussed them with him at all before
discussing them publicly with their friends. As she says: ‘You didn’t know I found it, did you, Tommie?’ In her
apparent support for his writing endeavours, she only undermines him by telling their friends that his work
has been consistently rejected. Careful and empathetic readings of the passage were able to show how the
wife is insensitive at best, a bully at worst, and that even her use of the diminutive ‘Tommie’ is demeaning,
adding to his humiliation through her speech.

© 2022
 Cambridge International Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Paper 9695/32
Shakespeare and Drama

Key messages

• Quality of insight and selectivity does better than writing at length.

• In (b) questions, the passage printed must be the central focus. A line-by-line, rather than strategic,
going through of the passage is not a productive way to deal with these questions.
• Contexts, when used, need to be integrated and help the candidates move forward their own
arguments.

General comments

When a paper has a very small entry of candidates, there are obviously some texts and questions that are
much more popular than others. The examples used in this report have – intentionally – been taken from the
most popular responses, though they are, of course, illustrative of other answers too.

In general, examiners noted that candidates seemed better prepared this year. However, some candidates
obviously felt that they needed to write at great length in order to get their points across. Whilst there is no
maximum (or minimum) length for answers, very long responses tend to be self-penalising because they lack
the ability to select what is truly relevant.

Most candidates chose to do (b) questions. Having made this decision – which perhaps they viewed as a
more secure option because there is ready source of quotation already printed – less satisfactory answers
often failed to show a grasp of the whole play or failed to discuss the language and action of the passage in
a sufficiently analytical way.

With (a) questions, candidates have the advantage of being able to scope out the answer in their own ways.
There is never an ideal answer in an examiner’s mind, so the quality of the examples adduced, and the
coherence and development of a consistent argument is central. Candidates need to be aware that a good
answer does not need to cover all possibilities or deal with all possible aspects of the question. The skill lies
in choosing aspects of the question that are central and supporting a case. One difficulty is that candidates
often want to range across the whole play. This encourages narration, which is not highly rewarded.
Candidates are better off choosing a few key moments and exploring them in detail with reference to both
language and action. Responses that contain no quotations and no specifics simply cannot rise toward the
top end of the mark scheme, no matter how good a candidate’s general knowledge of the play as a whole.

With (b) questions, the passage printed must be the central focus of the response. Candidates need to be
careful to deal with the precise demands of the question. And for this reason, a line-by-line approach is not
appropriate. For example, with Question 1(b) on The Merchant of Venice, the paper printed two scenes from
the play. Some candidates simply worked through the first and then turned their attention to the second. A
strategic view would have been much more useful. The scenes offer contrast of place and character, values
and attitudes towards money/love and many of the other themes of the play. In short, these scenes offered a
microcosm of the action. The best candidates saw this and were able to use detailed analysis of the action in
the passage to reach across the play as a whole and talk about Shakespeare’s dramatic techniques and his
methods for embodying his themes in action. It follows, therefore, that candidates must be prepared to deal
with the whole of the passage printed and use details from it in order to illustrate bigger aspects of the play
as a whole. Another example of this came with responses to 2(b) on King Lear where candidates elaborated
lengthily on the first elements of the scene but never got to the moment of contrast at line 55 where Lear
offers a more inward view of himself and the action thus far, whilst also using some of the metaphors which
infuse the text as a whole. The best candidates, of course, pointed out that Lear is still a long way from self-
knowledge in this speech.

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 Cambridge International Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

The issue of contexts is worthy of brief exploration. Contexts form part of the mark scheme, but they must be
used with caution. The relationship between an author and the achieved work of art is rarely – if ever –
relevant. Rather, contexts should be considered in relation to the historical or sociological background of the
text, or in terms of how the text might be realised in performance in the modern theatre. Thus, in answers to
5(b) on Indian Ink candidates were able to see that the passage which moves backwards and forwards
between the 1930s and the 1980s offers two perspectives on the British Empire. But the point is that the
context in this case emerges from the texture of the play, rather than being pushed upon it from a feeling of
obligation to include background material. Contextual material should always be used in this way. Similarly,
there is no point in simply discussing the role of fools in Renaissance courts, unless the point is made that
the fool in the passage from King Lear is subverting natural order and respect for kings at this point to
demonstrate something fundamental about the topsy-turvy world of the play as a whole.

The business of evaluating others’ opinions remains problematic for some candidates. At this level, it is
expected that candidates will be introduced to literary criticism and that they will be aware that different
readers, audiences or producers might offer profoundly diverse views of a text. At its most fundamental, a
candidate can simply produce a range of possibilities: ‘At this point Goneril is behaving with immature spite
towards her father; however, his behaviour towards her might be seen as rational because....’ This sets up
alternative possibilities and is therefore a means of fulfilling the objective without having to name critics or
quote from them. At a more sophisticated level, however, a critic might be evoked as a means of the
candidate furthering an argument either by developing the insight further or by disagreeing with it. The most
important thing is that others’ views are invoked and used by candidates, rather than simply being
mentioned. As the mark scheme says, the critics should be mentioned (Level 4 and upwards) ‘to support a
sound argument to the question, with support from the text.’ ‘With support from the text’ should be taken
seriously. Simply asserting that some eminent critic thinks something is not enough: candidates need to
show why the critic’s view might be taken seriously – or dismissed – by demonstrating how the view might be
supported from a close reading of the text under consideration. With a dramatic text, reference to particular
treatments in actual productions (or films) can always be used if relevant to a candidate’s arguments.

© 2022
 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Paper 9695/42
Pre- and Post-1900 Poetry and Prose

Key messages

• When referring to techniques related to writers’ effects, candidates should give specific examples and
explore them in the context of the question.
• The selection of relevant material, and use of a strategic approach to compose an answer, is better than
writing at great length.
• When responding to (b) questions, although the key focus should be the extract given, it is important to
ensure that the wider text is referenced in the answer.

General comments

Candidates generally responded to the paper with enthusiasm and interest. Encouragingly, problems with
rubric infringements were not seen this series as centres and candidates have become more familiar with the
requirements of the specification. Candidates tended to be well prepared and knowledgeable about the texts
studied and their approach to these reflected close reading and understanding of themes and characters.
Most candidates this series chose the (b) question on the text studied. It is vital that candidates understand
the genre of the text they are writing about and its key features. Referring to a poem as having paragraphs or
a novel as having an audience reflects a lack of awareness and knowledge of basic details.

There was evidence in many answers of careful planning and relevant discussion with the question clearly in
view. However, some candidates wrote at great length, losing the sharpness of their argument as a result.
This approach of writing a great deal leads in many cases to loss of the question and strategic direction. It
can also result in candidates spending insufficient time on their second answer or becoming descriptive
rather than analytical. One candidate responding to Question 4(b) on Emily Dickinson’s A Bird came down
the Walk – worked through every part of the poem to the point where the focus of the question was
effectively lost and it became a general analysis.

Candidates choosing the (a) question for a text are most successful when they make focused plans that
respond to the terms of the question. The best answers use specific examples and key moments to support
their arguments and include relevant analysis of the writer’s effects and how these relate to the question.
Answers working around Level 4 tended to use key moments from texts to exemplify relevant ideas. An
example of this is one answer to 5(a) (Paradise Lost) that required candidates to write about love.
Exploration of Adam’s devotion to God transcending his love of Eve were illustrated with reference to Eve
eating the forbidden fruit and her suggestion to divide the labours. The least successful approach to (a)
questions is to try to cover the entire text; this tends to attract narration or a descriptive approach which does
not attract high marks. Apt and relevant use of quotation is essential to performing well on both (a) and (b)
questions; the least successful answers sometimes contain none.

Candidates choosing the (b) question for a text should be careful to check the nature and context of the
passage or poem given. The focus of the question is also important, and it is sometimes the case that
candidates write a general response to the passage rather than a specific answer to the question. The best
answers write specific and strategically planned answers that consider the wider text or body of work with
relevance. An example of this could be seen in a response to 4(b), Emily Dickinson’s poem, A Bird came
down the Walk –. The candidate developed a relevant and lucid discussion of the poem and how effects
created an impression of nature that acknowledged its duality and contrasts. This answer was well-supported
and crucially drew in references to other works by Dickinson, including A narrow Fellow in the Grass with
relevance and supporting explanation. In another successful answer on 7(b), Margaret Atwood’s The
Handmaid’s Tale, the candidate explored selected aspects of the passage in detail, reflecting on implications
related to the wider novel. Less successful answers tend to work through the extract or poem in a methodical
or linear way, sometimes being drawn into narration or paraphrase approaches.

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 Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level
9695 Literature in English March 2022
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

Analysis is an important factor in determining the success of an answer. There should be evidence of
relevant analysis of aspects of form, structure and language in all answers, whether (a) or (b). Analysis
should be linked to the question rather than an ‘add on’ to arguments presented. Examples of unsuccessful
reference to technical features include explanation of the mechanics of Dickinson’s rhyme scheme without
commenting on its effect, and unsupported lists of features that have been seen in the poem, for example,
‘This poem contains alliteration, personification, and metaphors’. Similarly, ‘feature spotting’ should be
avoided. Where analysis is superficial or arbitrary, answers cannot reach the higher levels of the mark
scheme. The best analysis seen is critical, specific, well explained and utilised to support the arguments
being made. Some very good examples of analysis were seen including reference to Atwood’s non-linear
narrative, contributing to not only characterisation of Offred but a view of Gilead as a totalitarian state.
Another effective reference to the patterns of sibilance in A Bird came down the Walk – contributed to a point
about Dickinson’s contrasts and contradictions in her poetry.

Personal engagement was a strength of many answers, candidates engage independently and often
originally with the texts. Examiners commented on some of the interesting ideas and arguments offered in
many responses. For example, some ideas in question 12(b) about Septimus related with sensitivity to
Virginia Woolf’s presentation of his relationships and past experiences. Personal engagement is often
successful when it is linked to other opinions as this creates a natural point of view from which coherent and
thoughtful arguments develop.

The ‘O’ element of the mark scheme remains an area of contention for some candidates who find evaluating
the opinions of others challenging. Candidates should be introduced to a range of literary criticism as part of
their study and where this is done effectively, comments support relevant discussion and offer additional
perspectives that are both insightful and pertinent. Candidates who were able to demonstrate awareness of
the existence of varying opinions tended to be able to explore a range of textual features, characters and
ideas in greater depth. A candidate can use a critical comment to launch an argument, for example in 2(b),
‘As mentioned by critic Woods, romance serves as an agent for moral enlightenment’. Name-dropping critics
without relevant arguments and links to the question are unhelpful and detract from consistent development
of ideas. Some candidates do not mention the possibility of varying opinions at all, and this certainly
compromises achievement. At its most basic, answers can refer to the existence of alternative
interpretations, for example, ‘…on one hand, Adam can be seen as a weak character in Milton’s presentation
of his actions, however he can also be viewed as strong in other parts of the poem’. Support from the text is
vital when referring to the views of critics. Without supporting textual reference it becomes assertion.

Contextual detail was included with greater relevance than in previous series. Many were better integrated
and linked to specific details. Reference to literary context in Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway and how this relates to
her prose style was used with relevance in some answers. Reference to concepts of dystopia and patriarchal
society were well linked to Atwood’s concerns in answers working at Level 4 and above. Context in relation
to Dickinson seems to be an obstacle for some candidates who try to shoehorn details relating to graveyards
and mental health into arguments relating to nature. Details relating to context should form part of the
planning process and relate closely to the question and arguments put forward.

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