Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Question 1

Example Candidate Response – high Examiner comments

Notes by candidates: Commonly,

these notes appear to be rather
random observations, which may
not be that helpful to their writing of
the actual response.
Candidates need to be prepared for
the exam so that they can make a
good use of their note making time.
A good strategy is to have a set of
features to look for in any sequence
from each of the technical areas.

For camera, candidates might

prepare to look for examples of
camera movement, angle, framing,
etc. This candidate picks out a
range of such examples.

For editing, a candidate might

approach the note making looking
out for examples of the 180 degree
rule, short/reverse shot, etc.

There are some good notes here

on sound which is particularly
interesting in this sequence: music,
speech, sound effects, etc.

Good range of mise-en-sense

observed in the note making.

These notes illustrate that the

candidate is observant and is
picking out elements of
significance.

Notes are not marked but

comments are included here to help
teachers to consider the purpose of
notes for candidates and help them
to prepare better.

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner comments

The candidate starts the

response and then restarts. In
preparing for the exam, it is worth
considering how to make an
economic effective start so that
candidates don’t have to worry too
much about this.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner comments

This is a good introduction which

sums up the sequence. The phrase
‘mundane realism’ is particularly
effective.

Good description.

Good points on lighting and

sound.

Good points on editing.

Very good range of examples of

mise-en-scene, well explained.

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner comments

This brings home the point from

the opening paragraph, making the
first page very effective.

The candidate is attempting to

integrate the four technical
elements and to extract meaning as
she progresses.

Again this paragraph is a very

good mixture of each of the
technical codes.

More good use of accurate

terminology and as the paragraph
progresses, a good articulate of
meaning and discussion of how the
audience is drawn in.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner comments

This key moment in the

sequence is well explained and the
meaning of it articulated well.

This key moment could be

pushed further.

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – high, continued Examiner comments

This is a good paragraph on the

wider establishing function of this
scene.

Draws some parallels with the

opening scene, but no discussion of
the interaction with the couple,
which is very important to the
overall tone of the extract.

Good mention of music.

This paragraph is a good

conclusion.

Overall, this is a very strong

response, but the absence of
discussion of the conversation with
the couple in the office, which offers
rich opportunity for further parallels
and to note the comic tone of much
of the extract too. Discussion of this
would take it well into Level 5.

Total mark awarded =

39 out of 50

How the candidate could have improved the answer

The candidate could have balanced up their response more by saying more about the scene in the office,
especially to note its comic tone and to consider the parallels with the first scene in the house. The mark
reflects the range of textual analysis from the extract, which places it at the top of Level 4.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – middle Examiner comments

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner comments

Potentially a good start, but no

examples to support the assertions
made about editing, till later on.

This quickly becomes

chronological recall of all technical
detail. There is some attempt to talk
about meaning, but overall too
much of it is descriptive.

The lack of systematic structure

to the response is made more
obvious by this extremely long
paragraph, which lasts over a page.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner comments

The candidate keeps using

‘donnote’ which appears to be a
combination of ‘denote’ and
‘connote’ thus indicating their
confusion with the terms.

This paragraph does show how

the scene acts as a bridge between
the two conversations scenes and
articulates possible meaning quite
well.

This section is far too brief given

how much of the extract the scene
comprises. The candidate misses
the tone and potential significance
of it in developing aspects of the
central character for the audience.

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – middle, continued Examiner comments

Again, this is largely descriptive

and under developed.

Overall, this is a satisfactory

response, with some use of
technical terms and some
understanding of how meaning is
generated in the extract.

Total mark awarded =

24 out of 50

How the candidate could have improved the answer

The candidate could have broken up the early part of the response into shorter paragraphs, each of which
could deal with a separate aspect of the technical codes. The candidate could have made more of the use of
the establishing shots of the town as a bridge to the second scene in the office, which in turn could have
been analysed to consider the meanings generated.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – low Examiner comments

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 Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner comments

This is potentially a good start,

though the second sentence is a
very particular ‘reading’ of the
extract.

Some good description.

There are some good points here

but they are largely at the level of
character descriptions with a little
on camerawork.

There is no mention of the

exterior scene which links the two
indoor scenes.

This part of the extract is just

described in terms of dialogue and
narrative, with no real attention to
the technical notes.

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Example Candidate Responses – Paper 2

Example Candidate Response – low, continued Examiner comments

Good points on the washing

machine as symbol.

This paragraph largely repeats

points made earlier in the response,
with very little on technical codes
and also misses the humour of the
scene.

Overall, the candidate struggles

with relating technical codes to
meaning in a limited answer.

Total mark awarded =

18 out of 50

How the candidate could have improved the answer

The candidate needed to move beyond character description into making far more reference to the technical
codes and how they construct meaning. Much greater length would be needed to cover the detail of the
sequence in relation to all four technical codes.

Common mistakes candidates made in this question

Candidates commonly described what happens in the sequence, chronologically, rather than analysing how
the technical codes of camerawork, editing, sound and mise-end-scene function to produce meaning.
There was a tendency this year to miss significant parts of the sequence – notably the short scene linking
Editing tends to the technical code least well covered.
Candidates often used inaccurate terminology.

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