Mark Scheme (Results)
Summer 2023
Pearson Edexcel GCE
In English Language (9EN0)
Paper 1: Language VariationEdexcel and BTEC Qualifications
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Summer 2023
Question Paper Log Number P72842
Publications Code 9EN0_01_2306_MS
All the material in this publication is copyright
© Pearson Education Ltd 2023General marking guidance
• All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the last candidate in
exactly the same way as they mark the first.
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what they
have shown they can do rather than be penalised for omissions.
• Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme – not according to their perception
of where the grade boundaries may lie.
• All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should always
award full marks if deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark scheme. Examiners
should also be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response is not worthy of
credit according to the mark scheme.
• Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide the principles by which
marks will be awarded and exemplification/indicative content will not be exhaustive.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark
scheme to a candidate’s response, a senior examiner must be consulted
before a mark is given.
• Crossed-out work should be marked unless the candidate has replaced it with an
alternative response.
Specific Marking Guidance
The marking grids have been designed to assess student work holistically. The grids identify
which Assessment Objective is being targeted by each bullet point within the level descriptors.
One bullet point is linked to one Assessment Objective, however please note that the number
of bullet points in the level descriptor does not directly correlate to the number of marks in the
level descriptor.
When deciding how to reward an answer, examiners should consult both the indicative content
and the associated marking grid(s). When using a levels- based mark scheme, the ‘best fit’
approach should be used:
• examiners should first decide which descriptor most closely matches the answer and place
it in that level
• the mark awarded within the level will be decided based on the quality of the answer and
will be modified according to how securely all bullet points are displayed at that level
• in cases of uneven performance, the points above will still apply. Candidates will be placed
in the level that best describes their answer according to each of the Assessment
Objectives described in the level. Marks will be awarded towards the top or bottom of that
level depending on how they have evidenced each of the descriptor bullet points• examiners of Advanced GCE English should remember that all Assessment Objectives
within a level are equally weighted. They must consider this when making their
judgements
• the mark grid identifies which Assessment Objective is being targeted by each bullet
point within the level descriptors
• indicative content is exactly that – they are factual points that candidates are likely to
use to construct their answer. It is possible for an answer to be constructed without
mentioning some or all of these points, as long as they provide alternative responses to
the indicative content that fulfils the requirements of the question. It is the examiner’s
responsibility to apply their professional judgement to the candidate’s response in
determining if the answer fulfils the requirements of the question.Paper 1 Mark scheme
Section A: Individual Variation
Indicative content
Question 1
Text A
Phonology/Graphology
• use of capitalisation for emphasis, e.g. ‘MORE productive’, ‘GOOD karma’, ‘YOU know’
Lexis/Semantics
• use of metaphor may reflect her literary persona, e.g. ‘a fog that is just beginning to
lift’
• contrasting vocabulary used to reflect people´s perception of her contrary to her own
perspective, ‘they commented how I managed to stay so productive´ vs ´I´ve also
been envious of my creator friends´
• emotive language relating to the semantic field of mental health, e.g. ‘kind’, ‘flexible’
‘support’
• negative connotation created from the use of the neologism, ‘doomscroll’
• abbreviation used to represent the style of digital communication, ‘RE’
Syntax
• parenthetical structures adding further detail, e.g. ‘(or at least what they´re posting
about)’
• listing of verbs using present participles to create a sense of immediacy, e.g.
‘learning more tech’, ‘saying no more often’, ‘limiting my contact’, ‘creating in VR’
• use of imperatives in final section, e.g ´remember that every person has much more
going on´
• adverbials used to mitigate imperatives and create an advisory tone, e.g. ´try very
hard to focus on putting GOOD karma out´, ´especially during the pandemic´
• she creates a sense of self-awareness through the repetition of the personal pronoun,
e.g. ‘for me´, ´I had´, ´I knew´
• conditional clauses create a connection with readers, ´even if you don´t read past
this paragraph´
Discourse/Pragmatics
• the first section contains repetition of the word ´negativity´ to characterise the tone
in contrast to the more positive focus of the second section
• passive voice is used to present vulnerability, e.g. ‘one of my favorite kidlit groups
was being torn apart’
• strong focus on the advisory tone of the final section to highlight the ´TAKEAWAYS´,
e.g. ´think about what the impact of what you say might have on individuals´
• she implies a critical commentary of social media through pragmatics, ´why and how
you have chosen a public venue to say what you want to say´
Text B
Phonology
• non fluency features such as pauses and fillers, e.g. ´er´
• parodic representation of journalist’s speech e.g. /h/ dropping• evidence of casual speech, e.g. glottal stops and elision
Lexis/Semantics
• repetition of attributive adjective in order to stress her attempt to create an
impression, ‘big hair... big shoulder pads… big earrings’
• she quotes her own direct speech in order to convey her frustration, e.g. ‘look, I
know it´s hard for you’
• she creates humour through sarcasm in her response to the chairman´s doubts, ‘well
luckily that´s not difficult’
• use of a demeaning reference to the press, ‘little hand’
• she intensifies adjectives for exaggeration, e.g. ‘really serious’ (repeated) and ‘very
dramatic’
• she creates a confident persona using the superlative to imply her determination,
‘best league in the world [Show Less]