OCR GCSE Classical Greek Watch

Good luck everyone, (I do Latin, it's really impressive that you do Greek. I did the entry level in Greek a while back and that was hard enough for me)

Hiya

I'm taking it today and I'm so worried!

I don't have any notes to send, but my advice would be to base your 10-marker mainly around content (I think you only need two style points?) and for style, there will probably be some repetition or alliteration...

Best of luck.


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I found the 10 and 8 mark question hard


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(Original post by kart1400)
I found the 10 and 8 mark question hard


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The ten-marker was a bit difficult - but found the 8-marker okay!

(Original post by metellaest)
The ten-marker was a bit difficult - but found the 8-marker okay!

I found it okay overall ... 10mark was a bit weird but hopefully not to bad! Also, if you guys do Latin and did the Pliny yesterday... I found that I had more time today even though it's practically the same exam!

(Original post by fuzz13)
I found it okay overall ... 10mark was a bit weird but hopefully not to bad! Also, if you guys do Latin and did the Pliny yesterday... I found that I had more time today even though it's practically the same exam!

Same about Pliny! I'm doing Aeneid tomorrow. You?

I thought they could have chosen a better passage for the ten-marker. I got lots of content, but struggled a bit with style....

Can I ask what you guys put for the 10 and 8 mark question since I don't think I did well in them. It would be reassuring if yours ideas matched with mine. Thanks.

(Original post by kart1400)
Can I ask what you guys put for the 10 and 8 mark question since I don't think I did well in them. It would be reassuring if yours ideas matched with mine. Thanks.

No problem - I'm sure you did fine. They are fairly generously marked. Personally, I'm worried by 5-mark translation was a little iffy!

For the ten marker, I can't remember exactly, but for content:
- they made them secret - deceitful
- came and sat down beside him - make him feel equal, so he's more susceptible to their manipulation (bit of a dodgy point)
- made other conversation - distracting him
- expressing sympathy - manipulating him
- leading him on in this way - fairly obvious
- 'he would choose' - so they can work out how high his demands are or something (I can't remember what I wrote)
- forget to write this, but 'he, not having heard the prophecy'
- he would in future not be angry - he doesn't realise they have deceived him
- would suffice - he doesn't realise what he could have had

and for style: (I really struggled)
- repetition of 'finest'
- repetition of 'Ap' stem in 'Apolloniates secret'

and for the eight-marker:
Amasis
- shows the oracles to not always be truthful
- shows that people put their faith in them (it's their first port of call)
- shows the respect Amasis gives to the truthful one
Euenius
- shows the brazen nature of the gods ('we urged on the wolves')
- their determination ('we shall not cease avenging')
- their protective nature over victims ('unjustly did you deprive')
Pactyes
- go to considerable extent to teach Aristodicus a lesson
- protector of suppliants
[all points supported with evidence]


Hope that helped?

Yeah Aeneid tomorrow! I agree it wasn't the best passage but still could have been worse like something from Arria!

(Original post by metellaest)
Same about Pliny! I'm doing Aeneid tomorrow. You?

I thought they could have chosen a better passage for the ten-marker. I got lots of content, but struggled a bit with style....

For the 10mark I said..
- they made other conversation to distract him
- I said that one verb bit showed their intention to deceive (leading him on in this way..)
- he chose without having heard the prophecy
- he would choose....optative shows it's hypothetical
- they kept the oracular response a secret
- the kept the identity of the townsmen secret/unnamed, just like they kept the response in secret (bit dodgy!)
- they made a metaphorical descent to sit beside him (again dodgy!)
- the repetition/polyptoton of bring about/accomplish
- wrote something about the future can't remember what exactly!
- how his physical blindness mirrors his mental blindness
- how the use of the superlatives shows how they would have been amazing for him showing how humble he was (incredibly dodgy!) haha

For the 8mark I put
Amasis:- shows it to be a matter of chance whether the oracle is truthful or not
-
Euenius:- that they were taking vengeance for Euenius
- they deceived everyone by urging on the wolves

Pactyes:- disbelieved the oracle
- tried to show the oracle what he thought was right

I swear I must have put more than that...! Tbh, I just blabbed on about how it was interesting that they didn't trust the miracles and Herodotus was painting a dodgy picture!!

(Original post by kart1400)
Can I ask what you guys put for the 10 and 8 mark question since I don't think I did well in them. It would be reassuring if yours ideas matched with mine. Thanks.

(Original post by fuzz13)
Yeah Aeneid tomorrow! I agree it wasn't the best passage but still could have been worse like something from Arria!


For the 10mark I said..
- they made other conversation to distract him
- I said that one verb bit showed their intention to deceive (leading him on in this way..)
- he chose without having heard the prophecy
- he would choose....optative shows it's hypothetical
- they kept the oracular response a secret
- the kept the identity of the townsmen secret/unnamed, just like they kept the response in secret (bit dodgy!)
- they made a metaphorical descent to sit beside him (again dodgy!)
- the repetition/polyptoton of bring about/accomplish
- wrote something about the future can't remember what exactly!
- how his physical blindness mirrors his mental blindness
- how the use of the superlatives shows how they would have been amazing for him showing how humble he was (incredibly dodgy!) haha

For the 8mark I put
Amasis:- shows it to be a matter of chance whether the oracle is truthful or not
-
Euenius:- that they were taking vengeance for Euenius
- they deceived everyone by urging on the wolves

Pactyes:- disbelieved the oracle
- tried to show the oracle what he thought was right

I swear I must have put more than that...! Tbh, I just blabbed on about how it was interesting that they didn't trust the miracles and Herodotus was painting a dodgy picture!!

"- how his physical blindness mirrors his mental blindness" - that is a really good point!

Sounds like you definitely did enough

Good luck tomorrow!

(Original post by metellaest)
"- how his physical blindness mirrors his mental blindness" - that is a really good point!

Sounds like you definitely did enough

Good luck tomorrow!

Thank you!! You too!

Did anyone else do Lucian yesterday?

I did the Lucian questions

(Original post by metellaest)
No problem - I'm sure you did fine. They are fairly generously marked. Personally, I'm worried by 5-mark translation was a little iffy!

For the ten marker, I can't remember exactly, but for content:
- they made them secret - deceitful
- came and sat down beside him - make him feel equal, so he's more susceptible to their manipulation (bit of a dodgy point)
- made other conversation - distracting him
- expressing sympathy - manipulating him
- leading him on in this way - fairly obvious
- 'he would choose' - so they can work out how high his demands are or something (I can't remember what I wrote)
- forget to write this, but 'he, not having heard the prophecy'
- he would in future not be angry - he doesn't realise they have deceived him
- would suffice - he doesn't realise what he could have had

and for style: (I really struggled)
- repetition of 'finest'
- repetition of 'Ap' stem in 'Apolloniates secret'

and for the eight-marker:
Amasis
- shows the oracles to not always be truthful
- shows that people put their faith in them (it's their first port of call)
- shows the respect Amasis gives to the truthful one
Euenius
- shows the brazen nature of the gods ('we urged on the wolves'
- their determination ('we shall not cease avenging'
- their protective nature over victims ('unjustly did you deprive'
Pactyes
- go to considerable extent to teach Aristodicus a lesson
- protector of suppliants
[all points supported with evidence]


Hope that helped?

Its good to see that I have put some information that matches yours. Thanks guys. Anyways what do you think the grade boundaries for this exam might be?

(Original post by kart1400)
Its good to see that I have put some information that matches yours. Thanks guys. Anyways what do you think the grade boundaries for this exam might be?

Not sure - I think it's normally low 40s out of 50 for an A*? But I haven't actually done a Herodotus past paper, so I don't know whether it was harder or easier...

I've never done a paper before although when we had our mock in January my teacher made a paper up and I got 40/50 and he said I only just got an A? So yeah I'm worried....

(Original post by metellaest)
Not sure - I think it's normally low 40s out of 50 for an A*? But I haven't actually done a Herodotus past paper, so I don't know whether it was harder or easier...

(Original post by Rick_mukherjee)
I did the Lucian questions

Me too! 'A True History' is completely nuts, right? Herodotus is probably safer but not nearly as interesting. Mind if I ask you a few questions? What points did you get for q. 23? And what about the translation that showed the planets were bright - would 'resembling fire in colour' work?

I put resembling fire for that question. What was questions 23 again, it's all vanished from my mind now

Oh gosh, you know, now I can't remember either isn't it funny how your mind goes blank a few days after you've done the exam? All I remember is that me and my !only! fellow candidate were asked to write 2 points about... something and we could only think of one.