GCE Advanced Level - StudyGuide.PK

Question 21Almost all candidates gave the correct answer.Question 22Nearly all identified the key word as revoltosas but many had difficulty putting that into English, with wordssuch as ‘revolted’ and ‘rebellious’ being quite common.Question 23No candidates scored all three marks. The main problem was a failure to refer to ‘reverence’, while, in othercases, there was reference to ‘reverence for one’s parents’.Question 24There were several very good answers, although in some cases the words Nos llevaremos un rosario wererendered as ‘he will bring a rosary with him’.GCE Ordinary LevelPaper 3035/01WritingGeneral commentsThe standard of entries was similar to that of previous sessions. There were some very good scripts butmany candidates struggled with verb forms, in particular the past tense.Comments on specific questionsQuestion 1Picture essayThe context was accessible to most candidates and the storyline presented no difficulties. Some candidatesset the scene in a department store and others in a shopping centre. There were a number of interpretationsof the opening scene – buying or repairing tennis racquets. The lost child gave rise to dialogue seekingpersonal information. Problems with vocabulary included confusion between llorar and llover, and moresurprisingly, tienda. The past tense was not always secure although there were fewer cases of the incorrectuse of the perfect tense. Few candidates successfully negotiated the use of the subjunctive in an indirectcommand. Other weaknesses were found in agreements of adjectives and use of ser and estar.Question 2(a)LetterThe majority of candidates who attempted this question were able to respond to the tasks. Spellingwas insecure in some fairly common words and there were some problems expressing the conceptof ‘ago’.(b)ConversationThis topic gave no difficulties regarding vocabulary as candidates were able to use well rehearsedphrases for leisure activities, such as going to a restaurant, dancing and playing music. The skill inwriting a successful conversation lies in avoiding unnecessary repetition and creating a structureddialogue. This was achieved by some candidates who had practised the technique.60