PastPaper.question 1 · Comparative Essay
25 PastPaper.marksRead Text A and Text B below, which both focus on individual experiences of the Antarctic environment.
**Text A** is an edited transcript of a podcast interview broadcast in 2021. The speaker, Dr. Fiona Vance, is a marine biologist reflecting on her first winter stationed at the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica.
**Text B** is an extract from an online expedition blog entry written by solo adventurer Arthur Pendelton in 2018 during his unsupported trek across the polar plateau.
**Analyze and compare how the language of both texts is shaped by their context (including mode, field, function, and audience). Refer to linguistic frameworks and levels in your response.**
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### Text A (Spoken Transcript)
**Interviewer:** so (.) what was that first winter actually like (.) when the last boat leaves?
**Dr. Vance:** oh (.) it’s (.) it’s the most extraordinary feeling of (.) like absolute isolation [laughs] but not in a bad way? you look out and the sea is literally freezing over in front of you (.) like these giant plates of grease ice just (.) sliding together (1.0) and you realize you’re on your own with just twenty-two other human beings for the next eight months (.) erm (.) the scale of it is just (.) it completely dwarfs you (.) you’re this tiny microscopic speck on a shelf of ice (.) and the silence (.) oh my god the silence is so heavy you can almost (.) like (.) hear your own blood pumping (.) but then the storms hit and the wind just (.) it howls through the scaffolding of the labs like some kind of living beast (.) it's absolutely terrifying but brilliant
---
### Text B (Written Expedition Blog)
**Day 34: The White Desert**
The sastrugi—frozen waves of wind-blown snow—are brutal today. They rise like jagged concrete ridges across my path, forcing me to haul the 120kg sled over a relentless, bone-jarring obstacle course. Antarctica does not negotiate. It is a sterile, monochromatic landscape of absolute indifference.
For ten hours today, my world was reduced to the physical horizon, the hiss of my skis, and the rhythmic, raspy pattern of my own breathing inside the polar hood. When the wind dropped at mid-afternoon, the silence was absolute—a crushing, physical weight that amplifies every heartbeat. In this endless white desert, survival relies entirely on meticulous routines and a stubborn refusal to submit to the scale of the void.
**Text A** is an edited transcript of a podcast interview broadcast in 2021. The speaker, Dr. Fiona Vance, is a marine biologist reflecting on her first winter stationed at the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica.
**Text B** is an extract from an online expedition blog entry written by solo adventurer Arthur Pendelton in 2018 during his unsupported trek across the polar plateau.
**Analyze and compare how the language of both texts is shaped by their context (including mode, field, function, and audience). Refer to linguistic frameworks and levels in your response.**
---
### Text A (Spoken Transcript)
**Interviewer:** so (.) what was that first winter actually like (.) when the last boat leaves?
**Dr. Vance:** oh (.) it’s (.) it’s the most extraordinary feeling of (.) like absolute isolation [laughs] but not in a bad way? you look out and the sea is literally freezing over in front of you (.) like these giant plates of grease ice just (.) sliding together (1.0) and you realize you’re on your own with just twenty-two other human beings for the next eight months (.) erm (.) the scale of it is just (.) it completely dwarfs you (.) you’re this tiny microscopic speck on a shelf of ice (.) and the silence (.) oh my god the silence is so heavy you can almost (.) like (.) hear your own blood pumping (.) but then the storms hit and the wind just (.) it howls through the scaffolding of the labs like some kind of living beast (.) it's absolutely terrifying but brilliant
---
### Text B (Written Expedition Blog)
**Day 34: The White Desert**
The sastrugi—frozen waves of wind-blown snow—are brutal today. They rise like jagged concrete ridges across my path, forcing me to haul the 120kg sled over a relentless, bone-jarring obstacle course. Antarctica does not negotiate. It is a sterile, monochromatic landscape of absolute indifference.
For ten hours today, my world was reduced to the physical horizon, the hiss of my skis, and the rhythmic, raspy pattern of my own breathing inside the polar hood. When the wind dropped at mid-afternoon, the silence was absolute—a crushing, physical weight that amplifies every heartbeat. In this endless white desert, survival relies entirely on meticulous routines and a stubborn refusal to submit to the scale of the void.
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PastPaper.workedSolution
### Indicative Content
#### Contextual Factors
- **Text A**: Spoken, spontaneous but edited interview; informal/reflective register; functions to share personal, emotional experience of scientific residency; aimed at a general public interested in science/nature podcasts.
- **Text B**: Written, planned digital travelogue/blog; highly crafted, literary-nonfiction register; functions to document physical endurance, update followers/sponsors, and reflect on survival; aimed at outdoor enthusiasts, supporters, and the general public.
#### Points of Comparison and Analysis
**1. Lexis and Semantics**
- **Text A**: Uses highly subjective, emotional adjectives ("extraordinary", "terrifying", "brilliant") alongside similes ("like some kind of living beast") to convey awe and fear. Colloquial fillers ("like", "erm") and hyperbolic language ("tiny microscopic speck") reflect spontaneous, spoken mode.
- **Text B**: Employs technical, domain-specific terminology ("sastrugi", "monochromatic", "polar hood") to establish authority and authenticity. Uses stark, hostile metaphors ("frozen waves", "concrete ridges", "scale of the void") to conceptualize the environment as an adversary.
**2. Grammar and Syntax**
- **Text A**: Features non-fluency features, coordination, and fragmented sentences ("it’s (.) it’s the most extraordinary...") typical of spontaneous spoken discourse. Second-person pronoun ("you look out", "you realize") is used universally to invite the listener to share the sensory experience.
- **Text B**: Features highly structured, complex declarative sentences designed for dramatic narrative effect. Use of active, aggressive verbs ("brutal", "forcing", "haul", "submit") emphasizes the physical struggle. Minor sentence ("Day 34: The White Desert") establishes journal structure.
**3. Pragmatics and Representation of Place**
- **Text A**: Represents Antarctica as a sublime, living presence ("living beast"). The silence is pragmatically represented as an active force ("so heavy you can almost... hear your own blood pumping").
- **Text B**: Represents the landscape as an inanimate, hostile, and indifferent opponent ("Antarctica does not negotiate", "absolute indifference"). The focus is heavily on self-reliance and psychological grit.
#### Contextual Factors
- **Text A**: Spoken, spontaneous but edited interview; informal/reflective register; functions to share personal, emotional experience of scientific residency; aimed at a general public interested in science/nature podcasts.
- **Text B**: Written, planned digital travelogue/blog; highly crafted, literary-nonfiction register; functions to document physical endurance, update followers/sponsors, and reflect on survival; aimed at outdoor enthusiasts, supporters, and the general public.
#### Points of Comparison and Analysis
**1. Lexis and Semantics**
- **Text A**: Uses highly subjective, emotional adjectives ("extraordinary", "terrifying", "brilliant") alongside similes ("like some kind of living beast") to convey awe and fear. Colloquial fillers ("like", "erm") and hyperbolic language ("tiny microscopic speck") reflect spontaneous, spoken mode.
- **Text B**: Employs technical, domain-specific terminology ("sastrugi", "monochromatic", "polar hood") to establish authority and authenticity. Uses stark, hostile metaphors ("frozen waves", "concrete ridges", "scale of the void") to conceptualize the environment as an adversary.
**2. Grammar and Syntax**
- **Text A**: Features non-fluency features, coordination, and fragmented sentences ("it’s (.) it’s the most extraordinary...") typical of spontaneous spoken discourse. Second-person pronoun ("you look out", "you realize") is used universally to invite the listener to share the sensory experience.
- **Text B**: Features highly structured, complex declarative sentences designed for dramatic narrative effect. Use of active, aggressive verbs ("brutal", "forcing", "haul", "submit") emphasizes the physical struggle. Minor sentence ("Day 34: The White Desert") establishes journal structure.
**3. Pragmatics and Representation of Place**
- **Text A**: Represents Antarctica as a sublime, living presence ("living beast"). The silence is pragmatically represented as an active force ("so heavy you can almost... hear your own blood pumping").
- **Text B**: Represents the landscape as an inanimate, hostile, and indifferent opponent ("Antarctica does not negotiate", "absolute indifference"). The focus is heavily on self-reliance and psychological grit.
PastPaper.markingScheme
### Marking Scheme (25 Marks Total)
**AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression (10 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (9-10 marks)**: Excellent, systematic application of precise linguistic terminology. Consistent, highly structured, and fluent academic writing.
- **Level 4 (7-8 marks)**: Frequent, accurate use of terminology. Expresses ideas clearly with structured linguistic frameworks.
- **Level 3 (5-6 marks)**: Some accurate terminology applied. Clear but sometimes inconsistent analysis of linguistic levels.
- **Level 1-2 (1-4 marks)**: Basic or narrative approach; limited or inaccurate terminology.
**AO3: Analyze how contextual factors shape meaning (10 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (9-10 marks)**: Perceptive, highly nuanced exploration of the relationship between mode, field, function, audience, and language choices.
- **Level 4 (7-8 marks)**: Clear and consistent explanation of how contextual factors influence the linguistic choices in both texts.
- **Level 3 (5-6 marks)**: Some awareness of context, but may treat it separately from linguistic analysis.
- **Level 1-2 (1-4 marks)**: Supericial reference to context; relies on generalities.
**AO4: Explore connections across data (5 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (5 marks)**: Sophisticated, integrated comparisons highlighting subtle similarities and differences across modes.
- **Level 3-4 (3-4 marks)**: Clear, structured comparison pointing out explicit links in theme, mode, or audience.
- **Level 1-2 (1-2 marks)**: Separate summaries of texts with minimal or superficial comparative links.
**AO1: Apply appropriate methods of language analysis, using associated terminology and coherent written expression (10 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (9-10 marks)**: Excellent, systematic application of precise linguistic terminology. Consistent, highly structured, and fluent academic writing.
- **Level 4 (7-8 marks)**: Frequent, accurate use of terminology. Expresses ideas clearly with structured linguistic frameworks.
- **Level 3 (5-6 marks)**: Some accurate terminology applied. Clear but sometimes inconsistent analysis of linguistic levels.
- **Level 1-2 (1-4 marks)**: Basic or narrative approach; limited or inaccurate terminology.
**AO3: Analyze how contextual factors shape meaning (10 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (9-10 marks)**: Perceptive, highly nuanced exploration of the relationship between mode, field, function, audience, and language choices.
- **Level 4 (7-8 marks)**: Clear and consistent explanation of how contextual factors influence the linguistic choices in both texts.
- **Level 3 (5-6 marks)**: Some awareness of context, but may treat it separately from linguistic analysis.
- **Level 1-2 (1-4 marks)**: Supericial reference to context; relies on generalities.
**AO4: Explore connections across data (5 Marks)**
- **Level 5 (5 marks)**: Sophisticated, integrated comparisons highlighting subtle similarities and differences across modes.
- **Level 3-4 (3-4 marks)**: Clear, structured comparison pointing out explicit links in theme, mode, or audience.
- **Level 1-2 (1-2 marks)**: Separate summaries of texts with minimal or superficial comparative links.