GCSE English languageee

Can someone let me know what they would give this paper 1 question 4 (AQA) out of 20? I don't mind if it's accurate or not :-)

Thanks!

I completely agree that Sergeant Cuff is a character who is presented as mysterious and insightful. I think it is evident that he knows more than he lets on, and is manipulating.

Throughout the text, Sergeant Cuff speaks with authority, which makes him seem like he knows the answer to all 'sides (of the) questions' , making him seem insightful but also quite dominating. When he answers, 'not a doubt about it' , the declarative sentence feels slightly careless, making the reader feel shocked and as if he is not taking this situation seriously. Furthermore, this potentially illuminates his mysterious nature as he antithesizes the general thought of a police inspector.

His mysterious nature is further exemplified as he often speaks with equivocal language, making it seem he is possibly trying to avoid the 'moon shining' on him, and making it seem as though he lacks knowledge needed for the case. 'The way out is the way in' . The juxtaposition of the two 'ways', 'in and out' , makes him seem as though he is keen to avoid the question, but the fact that it is a declarative sentence makes him seem manipulating, confusing the reader and the woman about his true identity and what he is saying. The noun 'way' connotes exit and entry, and the fact that he has repeated it twice makes the reader feel as though the house is extremely exposed and that the inhabitants are vulnerable due to the potential 'alternative' ways 'in and out'. However, this idea may confuse the reader due to the lack of clarity it holds. Some readers may even suggest he is avoiding questions because it was him who committed the crime during 'the hours of the morning' .

Alternatively, it could be argued that the police inspector is unsure of how to answer the important questions, even though he knows them, leading to his ambiguity. When he says, 'that's the way I see it' the declarative sentence seems innocent as though he is only trying to offer his own interpretation about the crime. This would suggest he has no harmful intentions. This makes the reader feel slightly sympathetic towards him and forgive him for his ambiguous language.

Overall, I think that there is something suspicious and mysterious about the police inspector, and he is trying to manipulate everyone to make them believe he knows what he is talking about, which I believe he clearly does not.

Reply 1

Harfan654

I do Edexcel but I think I can mark yours as marks are completely similar I guess to Edexcel and AQA. There are a couple minior points but overall its a solid 11/20.

Remember that the examiner doesn't want to validate your opinion, so always make sure to put "readers" as for example: Readers completely agree that Sergeant Cuff is a character who is presented as mysterious and insightful and as readers, they think it is evident that he knows more than he lets on, and is manipulating. Again, it's shown in the conclusion as well so be sure to remember that! (So sorry if i feel like a bad person, having a go at you)

Remember also to have paragraphs whereas Sergant Cuff is shown to be mysterious and insightful in the extract, don't meantion how readers feel everytime, try to incorporate that at the end, showing the examiner that your opinion does validate during the essay.

Lastly, remember all essays need to restate a clear point, regardless if the point doesnt make sense or you didn't phrase it correctly, remember to ALWAYS link it back to the point, this will give you more marks, wish i'd done that for my mock last year (yr10)