AQA AS Level LITB - I GOT A U????

Hi

So yesterday I collected my AS Level results and it turns out I got a D overall. The exam board was AQA and it was English Literature B.

I got a B in the coursework (2 essays on comedy genres - mine were on The Importance of Being Earnest and Twelfth Night) and was really disappointed with my exam grade which was a U.

The exam was Aspects Of Narrative and my texts were The Great Gatsby and Enduring Love and the 2 poets were W.H. Auden and Christina Rossetti.

Okay English Literature isn't my strongest subject and I don't really enjoy it but never in a million years would I ever predict myself to get a U in the exam??????????????

So I just wanted to ask how everyone else did, any unexpected grades? Just for AQA English Literature B please!

Reply 1

Changing Skies

22

Original post by danmynett

Hi

So yesterday I collected my AS Level results and it turns out I got a D overall. The exam board was AQA and it was English Literature B.

I got a B in the coursework (2 essays on comedy genres - mine were on The Importance of Being Earnest and Twelfth Night) and was really disappointed with my exam grade which was a U.

The exam was Aspects Of Narrative and my texts were The Great Gatsby and Enduring Love and the 2 poets were W.H. Auden and Christina Rossetti.

Okay English Literature isn't my strongest subject and I don't really enjoy it but never in a million years would I ever predict myself to get a U in the exam??????????????

So I just wanted to ask how everyone else did, any unexpected grades? Just for AQA English Literature B please!

Every year for English Literature B there seems to be unexpected results, so I highly doubt you're alone :smile:

I'm sorry to hear you got a U in the exam! Did you ensure your answers were as relevant as possible? Did you ensure you properly covered the assessment objectives? :smile:

you could write a beautiful answer but if you don't fulfil the objectives, you won't hit the top marks I'm afraid.

If you feel you have been unjustly marked, definitely consider a remark as literature is so subjective! :smile:

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Reply 2

Zo-e

2

Hi,

I'm in the exact same boat as you, I got a B in my coursework and a U in the exam, I ended up with a D overall. I am truly gutted! Can I just ask, are you carrying it on next year? If so, what are your plans to get a higher grade?

Also, I was wondering if anyone knows how to understand the AQA English Lit grade boundaries? I'm so confused and I just want to know how close I was to the next grade.

Thanks :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

Changing Skies

22

Original post by Zo-e

Hi,

I'm in the exact same boat as you, I got a B in my coursework and a U in the exam, I ended up with a D overall. I am truly gutted! Can I just ask, are you carrying it on next year? If so, what are your plans to get a higher grade?

Also, I was wondering if anyone knows how to understand the AQA English Lit grade boundaries? I'm so confused and I just want to know how close I was to the next grade.

Thanks :smile:

Hey

I can help you with the grade boundaries question if you tell me your raw/UMS mark? :smile:

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Reply 4

Zo-e

2

Hi,

You see that's what I get stuck on. I can tell you the mark that's on my results paper. It says that unit one I got 44 (u) and for unit two I got 63 (b)?

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it :smile:

Reply 5

Zo-e

2

Original post by Changing Skies

Hey

I can help you with the grade boundaries question if you tell me your raw/UMS mark? :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi,

You see that's what I get stuck on. I can tell you the mark that's on my results paper. It says that unit one I got 44 (u) and for unit two I got 63 (b)?

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it :smile:

Reply 6

amy____

5

This English spec is probably the strangest I've encountered - by the looks of it, the main problem is how you engage with the questions in the exam. You can write a sparkling essay about your texts, but if the examiner doesn't think you've 'engaged with the debate' (the amount of times my teacher used this phrase this year is ridiculous) your mark will be slashed! They also like to use the word 'significance' on section B, and if you haven't understood it how they want you to, you can lose marks like that. I'm assuming you're planning to resit - look at past questions, make notes about all the aspects of narrative across all the texts and imagine the 'debates' they want you to discuss in section A question 2. I empathise with you though, it's such a weird spec - I went from full UMS in the AS exam and A2 coursework, a strong A in the AS coursework, to an E in the A2 exam... I'm only assuming I didn't answer the question how they wanted me to! :redface:

Reply 7

Changing Skies

22

Original post by Zo-e

Hi,

You see that's what I get stuck on. I can tell you the mark that's on my results paper. It says that unit one I got 44 (u) and for unit two I got 63 (b)?

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it :smile:

Okay so in terms of raw marks, you got 20/84 in unit 1 and 49/60 in unit 2 :smile:

you were two marks off an E in unit 1 as that required 22/84, and one mark off an A in unit 2. So you were very close to the next grades up :h:

In terms of the whole AS, you got 107/200, you need 120/200 for a C, so you were 13 UMS off :h:

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Reply 8

Zo-e

2

Original post by Changing Skies

Okay so in terms of raw marks, you got 20/84 in unit 1 and 49/60 in unit 2 :smile:

you were two marks off an E in unit 1 as that required 22/84, and one mark off an A in unit 2. So you were very close to the next grades up :h:

In terms of the whole AS, you got 107/200, you need 120/200 for a C, so you were 13 UMS off :h:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Ahhh, thank you :smile:

Reply 9

scavi2008

15

I did this paper! I got an A in it however I really hate the format of the exam, it's so based on the kinda 'tick-the-boxes' mindset - you literally have to follow EXACTLY what it says on the markscheme. What may have happened is that you didn't directly answer the question asked on one or more of the questions - for me, the first 'How is the story told?' questions tends to be a big pitfall!

For the first question, we got taught to do a paragraph each (where applicable) on narrative voice, setting, time & chronology, structure and characterisation, which seemed to work quite well. In class when I first attempted this kind of question I got a C - not because my essay was bad! - because I focused on too small a part of the work (eg focused on repetition, small parts of the text, short snatches of dialogue, analysing individual word use etc) without linking it to the text as a whole.

Then for the rest I just tried my very best and blagged my way through it!

It's a dangerous exam if you or your teachers don't know exactly where the pitfalls of the exam is, and normally from what I've heard it's just that really capable English students write great essays which just don't fill all the boxes on the markscheme. I'm sorry to hear about your results & hopefully you can resit to improve your grade! Google the technique for the exam (I made a step-by-step technique chart to the exam which you can have if you like) and have a look at the markscheme too to help :smile:

I find Eng Lit B1 so much more stressful than many of my friends at other schools studying A level English on different exam boards (it's really put me off English - it used to be my favourite subject!)

Reply 10

scavi2008

15

These are some LitB1 exam technique notes I made based on all the advice I was given pre-exams - feel free to look at them! :h:

I know they helped me a lot so I thought I'd post them on TSR too for anyone retaking/sitting the exam for the first time http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2820735

AQA AS Level LITB - I GOT A U????

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