I am baffled by the ELAT. The question is fine, and I am sure I could come up with a decent response, but the sample answer which scored highest on the website ( with a score of 54) seems incredibly basic in terms of literary imagination and more basic than the first answer which scored less, at least to me. I was always told to include alternative interpretations, really go into depth about one word but the ELAT answer does not seem to do this. It also seems so dull, good english answers are usually passionate! I am not sure if the ELAT wants you to make simpler points but in a controlled fashion, Please look at answer two in the sample answer. I wish there were more high scoring sample answers, I know there are many ways to answer the ELAT, but having some more examples would certainly demystify it. ( English markschemes are so subjective they're usually not that helpful to use when writing essays)
Anyone who has got fifty plus in their ELAT, please PLEASE if you find time let me know how you wrote. Structure in particular, one extract per paragraph? I LOVE practical criticism and have done well in mock interviews with this. But the kind of way I think seems to be very different to what the high scoring student in the sample ELAT answer has done.