How did everyone do in AQA Lit B?

I got full marks on the Eng LITB3 (Texts and Genres) this year meaning I got an A* overall. Last year I got a very, very poor grade on my AS Lit exam, even after remarking. I had to resit. I think that the huge jump in grades proves that Lit is completely subjective where one examiner can think you're talking utter BS and another can think you're 100% spot on. Saying that someone didn't do something right is quite laughably ignorant, considering it's coming from a person who claims to have such high grades in Lit.

I'd scan and upload my statement of results to validate my 'claim' if you really wanted.

I got a D in LITB1 last year and a C overall. The rest of my class got D's and E's and in the exam. Everyone except me got a remark (I didn't want to risk my overall grade going down), and everybody's paper either stayed the same or went down because they hadn't done what they were supposed to do. They thought because they were so 'good' at English the marking for everyone just had to be wrong.

There was no point in any of them wasting time and money for their papers to go down even further. A remark is worth it if somebody is a few marks away from the next grade (which none of them were); it's not worth it if somebody 2 or 3 grades away from you want. If they're that far away then it's obvious they didn't do what the examiners wanted.

I know I didn't do it right the first time, and neither did everyone else in my class. This time I got it right. Only me and one other person got a high mark in LITB3 in my school. People who got a D in LITB1 the first time, a D the second time and a C or D in LITB3 are obviously doing it wrong.

I'd scan and upload my statement of results to validate my 'claim' if you really wanted.

I got a D in LITB1 last year and a C overall. The rest of my class got D's and E's and in the exam. Everyone except me got a remark (I didn't want to risk my overall grade going down), and everybody's paper either stayed the same or went down because they hadn't done what they were supposed to do. They thought because they were so 'good' at English the marking for everyone just had to be wrong.

There was no point in any of them wasting time and money for their papers to go down even further. A remark is worth it if somebody is a few marks away from the next grade (which none of them were); it's not worth it if somebody 2 or 3 grades away from they want. If they're that far away then it's obvious they didn't do what the examiners wanted.

I know I didn't do it right the first time, and neither did everyone else in my class. This time I got it right. Only me and one other person got a high mark in LITB3 in my school. People who got a D in LITB1 the first time, a D the second time and a C or D in LITB3 are obviously doing it wrong.

I'd advise anyone who was disappointed to remark. Though my AS grade didn't budge I've heard of plenty of success stories where people have jumped two whole grades with remarking.

I am requesting my script back for English LITB3 as I went to pieces in the exam - actually started to cry in the corner lol - as I was absolutely convinced that I had scuppered my chances. My sentences were disjointed and childish and I didn't follow the PQC/PEE/etc structure AT ALL because I was so nervous. I hadn't a clue what the question was even asking me and I couldn't think of any quotes that pertained to the question. I come out with full marks, and yet the girl in my class who had an offer from Cambridge for Lit because of her spectacular AS grades got an E in that exam. Something is VERY wrong with the way they mark these papers, and my performance-to-grade difference is what proves it to me.

So what about those people that got 120/120 in LITB1 first time, obviously doing everything right, and then getting low marks in LITB3?

Some people are too above the cohort that some examiners don't understand.

You have to do different things in LIT1 than LITB3. In unit 1 AQA have told students not to compare texts in section B at all, but you have to in unit 3. The AO's are structured differently between units 1 and 3. Unit 3 requires a higher level of writing and understanding in A2 than unit 1 in AS. When I started unit 3 my teacher said 'This is not like AS where you can get away with writing 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs and then end. This is higher level and you can't do what you did last year.'

Some people don't understand the jump between AS and A2 and think they can just do what they've always done, because it's always worked for them before. People who think they are 'above the cohort' do not understand this. Examiners aren't stupid; they know what good writing is and if somebody is indeed above the cohort they will be awarded a high mark.

You have to do different things in LIT1 than LITB3. In unit 1 AQA have told students not to compare texts in section B at all, but you have to in unit 3. The AO's are structured differently between units 1 and 3. Unit 3 requires a higher level of writing and understanding in A2 than unit 1 in AS. When I started unit 3 my teacher said 'This is not like AS where you can get away with writing 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs and then end. This is higher level and you can't do what you did last year.'

Some people don't understand the jump between AS and A2 and think they can just do what they've always done, because it's always worked for them before. People who think they are 'above the cohort' do not understand this. Examiners aren't stupid; they know what good writing is and if somebody is indeed above the cohort they will be awarded a high mark.

I think almost every student who sat the exam knows this, and for many this was the second time sitting the exam so they would also know what worked before doesn't this time. I went through every mark scheme and examiners report and followed their advice to the letter, I had my ex english teacher and exminer of over thirty years grandparent look at my January script and she said I'd been undermarked, and a girl with an oxbridge offer for english lit in my class was told they would ignore her final english grade after the school got in contact in January after poor results.

You did well so congratulations, but it doesn't mean people who didn't didin't put in as much effort or weren't as inteligent. AQA are well known for being sticklers for the mark scheme in not just this subject as well.

You have to do different things in LIT1 than LITB3. In unit 1 AQA have told students not to compare texts in section B at all, but you have to in unit 3. The AO's are structured differently between units 1 and 3. Unit 3 requires a higher level of writing and understanding in A2 than unit 1 in AS. When I started unit 3 my teacher said 'This is not like AS where you can get away with writing 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs, then 2 paragraphs and then end. This is higher level and you can't do what you did last year.'

Some people don't understand the jump between AS and A2 and think they can just do what they've always done, because it's always worked for them before. People who think they are 'above the cohort' do not understand this. Examiners aren't stupid; they know what good writing is and if somebody is indeed above the cohort they will be awarded a high mark.

I got 120/120 in unit 1, which I got 71 in last year. In unit 3 I got 118/120. How did everyone do?

Oh, and just to prove that you don't even know what is required of you in this exam:

Examiners must remember that in this Unit, one strand of AO3 is addressed by connections between texts. Direct comparison is not required in this unit; it is tested in Unit 4. Connections do not need to be explicit but may be implicit through the consideration of the relevant genre.

What advice do you have for doing well in unit 1? I just got 76 and would be amazing if I could improve as much as you have in my retake


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I don't know what's required of me, yet I got much higher than you? I must have done what the specification said. As far as I can see you're looking for excuses as to why you didn't do as well as you hoped because everything you write has to be amazing. You think the marking must be wrong because you're good at English, and you can't accept you didn't do what you were supposed to do. I accepted I messed up unit 1 last year. I moved on.

As for claiming your points weren't on the suggested content list, that content is only suggested, and English examiners know the texts and will credit responses that include content that's not on the suggested list.

Actually, I am intrigued to get my script back as maybe my answer was too esoteric. I'm not always talking about myself personally here, either.

I am arguing with you because you are taking the classic: "I did well in an exam and everything I say is right". Have fun at university.

At the end of the day you can say anything you want, but the classic 'I did better than you in the exam but you think you know better' stance will always stand, because that's how it is. I obviously did things in the exam you didn't, giving me a higher mark while just try to justify why you didn't.

Know the texts well. Learn key quotes before the exam so you don't manically go through the books and poetry trying to find quotes to fit the points you're trying to make, which is what I did last time. Before the exam make a list of points and quotes you could write about no matter what the questions are. There will always be key points and quotes you can bring up for anything.

Do research about the context of the texts; why they were written, where, what they're really about, etc. For example, the poem Porphyria's Lover was originally called Madhouse Cells in 1842. It was Browning's first dramatic monologue which excited Victorians because they'd never seen a poem in that style before, and it inspired future poets to write dramatic monologues. Integrate the context into the your points; don't just write a paragraph and then bolt a bit of context on at the end of the paragraph.

Make sure you talk about narrative perspective, voice, tone, structure, language and form. Look at the Assessment Objectives in the specification. Some AO's are key in some sections and are not needed in others. Putting irrelevant AO's in wastes time and whatever you write about that AO won't be credited. Not writing about a required AO in a section will lose you however many marks that AO is worth. For example in Section A part A, AO4 (context) is not required, and anything you write about context will be ignored. In Section A part B AO4 is needed, and you will lose about a third of the marks for the question if you don't include AO4. The specification will tell you what AO's to put in each answer.

Don't compare the texts in Section B. Write about them independently like it's 3 mini essays.

I didn't do any of that last year and got 71. My AO's were all over the place and I wasted time looking for quotes.

If you studied Hardy you'll have to learn a new set of poetry. Hardy is being taken out of the specification now and there won't be any more questions about his poetry.

Good luck

I don't know what's required of me, yet I got much higher than you? I must have done what the specification said. As far as I can see you're looking for excuses as to why you didn't do as well as you hoped because everything you write has to be amazing. You think the marking must be wrong because you're good at English, and you can't accept you didn't do what you were supposed to do. I accepted I messed up unit 1 last year. I moved on.

As for claiming your points weren't on the suggested content list, that content is only suggested, and English examiners know the texts and will credit responses that include content that's not on the suggested list.