An original Thinka practice paper modelled on the structure and difficulty of the Jun 2024 (V2) Cambridge International A Level Literature in English (0475) paper. Not affiliated with or reproduced from Cambridge.
Paper 1: Poetry and Prose
Answer two questions in total: Section A (Poetry): answer one question. Section B (Prose): answer one question.
2 Question · 50 marks
Question 1 · Analytical Essay
25 marks
In what ways does Wells vividly convey the breakdown of human society and morality in 'The War of the Worlds'?
Show answer & marking schemeHide answer & marking scheme
Worked solution
An excellent response should focus on: 1. The contrast between initial complacency and the rapid collapse of social structures. Wells highlights how easily the veneer of civilization is stripped away. 2. Specific textual episodes: The stampede on the roads leading out of London, where human empathy is replaced by a desperate, violent struggle for survival (e.g., the man crushed while trying to save his dropped gold coins). 3. The characterization of the curate: He represents the failure of religious faith and moral fortitude under pressure, degenerating into greed, gluttony, and madness, which ultimately forces the protagonist to strike him down. 4. Literary techniques: The use of first-person journalistic realism, vivid sensory imagery (the smell of burning flesh, the deafening sound of the Martian sirens, the stifling heat), and the metaphor of the 'Red Weed' symbolizing the physical displacement of terrestrial life and order.
Marking scheme
Level 5 (21-25 marks): Insightful, literary discussion of Wells's techniques. Critical analysis of social collapse and moral decay with precise textual support. Level 4 (16-20 marks): Clear understanding of the theme and characters. Sound analysis of Wells's narrative style and its effects. Level 3 (11-15 marks): Competent discussion of relevant episodes (curate, London panic) with some analysis of how Wells presents them. Level 2 (6-10 marks): Narrative-heavy response with limited attention to Wells's literary craft. Level 1 (1-5 marks): Minimal or highly generalized response showing limited knowledge of the novel.
Question 2 · Analytical Essay
25 marks
Explore how Austen uses the contrast between Darcy's estate at Pemberley and the Bennets' home at Longbourn to develop the novel's themes of class and self-discovery in 'Pride and Prejudice'.
Show answer & marking schemeHide answer & marking scheme
Worked solution
An outstanding essay should explore: 1. Longbourn as a symbol of social insecurity and domestic disorder: The lack of discipline shown by Mrs. Bennet and the younger sisters, alongside Mr. Bennet's detached cynicism, creates an unstable environment that fuels Darcy's initial snobbishness and Elizabeth's defensiveness. 2. Pemberley as a physical extension of Darcy's character: Unlike the ostentatious Rosings, Pemberley is characterized by natural beauty and 'real elegance,' free from 'artificial appearance.' The estate proves Darcy possesses taste, responsibility, and genuine nobility, transforming Elizabeth's view of him. 3. The process of self-discovery: Visiting Pemberley forces Elizabeth to confront her own prejudice and recognize her past errors in judgment. Her appreciation of the estate mirrors her growing appreciation of its owner. 4. Austen's stylistic methods: The use of free indirect discourse to capture Elizabeth's shifting thoughts, descriptive contrast, and structural symmetry in the physical journeys of the protagonist.
Marking scheme
Level 5 (21-25 marks): Highly perceptive analysis of the symbolic significance of setting. Excellent exploration of how Austen links setting to character growth and social themes, supported by precise textual evidence. Level 4 (16-20 marks): Good understanding of the contrast between Pemberley and Longbourn. Sound discussion of class themes and Elizabeth's self-realization. Level 3 (11-15 marks): Broadly relevant discussion of the two settings with some awareness of their thematic significance. Level 2 (6-10 marks): Relies heavily on plot summary of Elizabeth's visit to Pemberley and her life at Longbourn. Level 1 (1-5 marks): Limited response showing very basic familiarity with the settings or characters.
Paper 2: Drama
Answer two questions on two different set texts. You must answer one passage-based question and one essay question.
2 Question · 50 marks
Question 1 · Drama Passage-Based
25 marks
Read this passage from Act 3, Scene 2 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and then answer the question that follows:
HERMIA: O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom! You thief of love! what, have you come by night And stol'n my love's heart from him?
HELENA: Fine, i'faith! Have you no modesty? no maiden shame, No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear Impatient answers from my gentle tongue? Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you!
HERMIA: 'Puppet'? why so? ay, that way goes the game. Now I perceive that she hath made compare Between our statures; she hath urged her height; And with her personage, her tall personage, Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him. And are you grown so high in his esteem. Because I am so dwarfish and so low? How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak; How low am I? I am not yet so low But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.
HELENA: I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen, Let her not hurt me: I was never curst; I have no gift at all in shrewishness; I am a right coward for my nature's sake. Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think, Because she is something lower than myself, That I can match her.
HERMIA: 'Lower'! hark, drawer, lower!
HELENA: Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me. I evermore did love you, Hermia, Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd you; Save that, in love unto Demetrius, I told him of your stealth unto this wood.
In what ways does Shakespeare make this confrontation between Helena and Hermia both dramatic and highly amusing?
Show answer & marking schemeHide answer & marking scheme
Worked solution
An effective response should explore several key aspects of the passage:
1. The Breakdown of Friendship: Students should comment on how Shakespeare highlights the sudden destruction of their sisterly bond. Helena's reminder that she 'evermore did love you' contrasts sharply with the vitriolic insults they trade.
2. Physical Comedy and Height Insults: The humor is heavily derived from physical differences. Hermia is sensitive about her short stature ('dwarfish', 'low', 'puppet'), while she attacks Helena's tallness ('painted maypole'). The physical threat of Hermia reaching for Helena's eyes creates dynamic stage action and visual comedy.
3. Language and Pace: The dialogue is fast-paced, filled with exclamations, rhetorical questions, and stinging insults ('juggler', 'canker-blossom', 'counterfeit'). This energetic verbal sparring keeps the scene highly engaging.
4. Dramatic Irony: The audience is fully aware that the young men's sudden change of affection is the result of Puck's magic, not Helena's deliberate seduction or height advantage. This knowledge frames the girls' fierce personal grievances as absurd and highly comical.
Marking scheme
Band 1 (1-4 marks): Limited response showing simple narrative recall; minimal awareness of dramatic qualities.
Band 2 (5-9 marks): Shows basic understanding of the conflict, pointing out some insults but relying heavily on plot summary.
Band 3 (10-14 marks): Makes straightforward points about the humor and tension; identifies some key language features (e.g., height insults).
Band 4 (15-19 marks): Develops a clear argument showing how the dramatic and amusing elements work together. Good textual support with sound understanding of the comic situation.
Band 5 (20-22 marks): High-quality, analytical response. Explores language, stagecraft, and tone closely. Clear appreciation of the physical comedy and dramatic irony.
Band 6 (23-25 marks): Exceptional response demonstrating a sophisticated, perceptive critical appreciation of Shakespeare's stagecraft, dramatic pacing, and linguistic playfulness.
Question 2 · Drama Essay
25 marks
How does Williams present the relationship between Blanche DuBois and Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell, showing how it contributes to the tragic development of the play?
Show answer & marking schemeHide answer & marking scheme
Worked solution
Candidates should address the following points in their essay:
1. Initial Bond of Grief: Both characters are defined by their experiences with loss—Mitch with his dying mother and a lost love, and Blanche with the tragic suicide of her husband Allan. This shared vulnerability initially draws them together in Scene Three, offering a tender contrast to Stanley's toxic masculinity.
2. The Role of Illusion vs. Reality: Blanche seeks a sanctuary ('a cleft in the rock of the world') and constructs a romanticized persona around Mitch. She uses physical and metaphorical darkness (the paper lantern) to hide her age and her past. Mitch, being somewhat simple and decent, initially accepts this performance, highlighting Blanche's desperate desire for security.
3. Class and Cultural Divide: Williams contrasts Blanche’s faded aristocratic pretensions with Mitch's clumsy, working-class pragmatism. While Mitch is initially gentled by her sophistication, the division between them foreshadows the impossibility of their union.
4. The Tragic Turning Point (Scene Nine): When Stanley exposes Blanche's past, Mitch confronts her. The symbolic tearing off of the paper lantern represents the cruel light of reality shattering Blanche's illusions. Mitch's refusal to marry her because she is 'not clean enough to bring into the house with my mother' is a devastating blow that strips Blanche of her final hope for redemption, paving the direct path to her institutionalization.
Marking scheme
Band 1 (1-4 marks): Offers a few basic assertions about Blanche and Mitch with little focus on the prompt.
Band 2 (5-9 marks): Narrates the plot of their romance with limited engagement with Williams's dramatic methods.
Band 3 (10-14 marks): Shows broad understanding of their relationship, mentioning key events such as the paper lantern and the confrontation in Scene Nine.
Band 4 (15-19 marks): Provides a focused and organized analysis of how the relationship develops and fails, supported by relevant textual evidence.
Band 5 (20-22 marks): Offers a deep, analytical exploration of the relationship's thematic significance, analyzing the contrast between illusion and reality, and the play's tragic trajectory.
Band 6 (23-25 marks): Displays a highly sophisticated, sensitive critical insight into Williams's dramatic craft, exploring subtle stage directions, motifs (such as light and music), and the heartbreaking inevitability of the tragedy.
Wondering how well you actually know this?
Thinka is an AI practice app for DSE students — unlimited questions, instant auto-marking, and detailed step-by-step solutions. 100,000+ students use it to confirm they actually know it, not just think they do.