AS-LEVEL CLASSICAL CIVILISATION

Transcription

1 AS-LEVEL CLASSICAL CIVILISATION CIV2B Homer Odyssey Report on the Examination 2020 June 2015 Version: 1.0

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3 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION AS-LEVEL CLASSICAL CIVILISATION CIV2B JUNE 2015S CIV2B Homer Odyssey General Comments The level of performance on Homer s Odyssey in 2015 was generally in line with that of recent years. Nearly all students were familiar with the storyline and characters; many had clearly taken a great interest in the themes and issues relating to the era during which the poem developed. For Section 1, the great majority of students elected to answer Option A, based around Poseidon s storm and Zeus support on the journey to Ithaca. Performance here was generally better than on the Option B questions featuring Athene and Odysseus use of trickery. Marks were much more evenly balanced in Section 2 where there were nearly double the takers for Question 09 on the Suitors than the Option D essay on fathers and their children. In fact the average marks on all four Homer 30-mark questions ( Iliad and Odyssey ) were very similar this year. The two Odyssey questions each produced a very even percentage of students at both the Level 3 and Level 4 thresholds. Section 1 Option A In Question 01, nearly all students made a good start by identifying Ino and Athene as the two goddesses who had aided Odysseus; Calypso was allowed as an alternative, but Circe s occasional appearance went unrewarded. A number of answers mistakenly offered the Ino story for Question 02, but the set passage comes after her intervention, not before; many correctly identified Athene s help in grasping the rock, followed by help from the unnamed river god. The passage in Question 03 had much material for students to examine. The majority identified and discussed enough examples to reach Level 3, but it was disappointing that only a relatively small number went on to analyse these in sufficient depth to gain the top level marks. A few students managed to write a page of analysis without making any direct references to the passage: these did not score highly. At the other extreme, the quotation of phrase after phrase from the passage, linked by a vague narrative commentary, achieved equally little. Very few students offered any real analysis on the long, painful illness simile. Many misread the short final paragraph as forming a plea to Zeus, as opposed to an expression of Odysseus helplessness. On the other hand there were some quite sophisticated points regarding Homer s use of physical surroundings (the mood of the sea etc) as parallels for the changing moods of Odysseus. Answers to Question 04, asking students to compare the contributions of Zeus and other immortals to Odysseus return to Ithaca, were quite well done (the vast majority reaching at least Level 3 and a fair proportion going on to Level 4), but suffered in some cases from a number of repeated errors. In particular there was much discussion of Athene s help to Telemachus and immortal support for Odysseus when back in Ithaca; neither was strictly relevant here. Often the bullet points were tackled one at a time in apparent isolation; sometimes a perfunctory sentence of analysis was tagged onto a narrative account of what each character did ( so Circe was very helpful to Odysseus etc); on occasion even this was lacking. These issues kept many essays within the Level 3 boundaries (or lower). The better essays (and there were a significant number) often saw Zeus as rather different to the other immortals and profitably discussed his extra responsibilities and relationships with other gods and goddesses before reaching a considered conclusion. Ino confused many students, as her part is a brief one but could be (and sometimes was) argued as the only intervention vital to our hero s survival. 3 of 5

4 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION AS-LEVEL CLASSICAL CIVILISATION CIV2B JUNE 2015 Option B Question 05 did not usually provide the firm start that Question 01 did. Only a quarter of students knew Odysseus Cretan story well enough to gain all three marks, while a third got no marks at all. Athene s disguise as a shepherd boy (Question 06) was much better known, although a number of interesting alternative disguises were offered. Again, the passage set for discussion in Question 07 was from a major episode in the poem and so was generally well-known and understood. The general criticisms under Option A above apply equally here, perhaps even more so as the average mark was slightly lower. Several key points were commonly discussed (the smiling and caressing ; her description of him as a consummate trickster ; the degree of equality between a goddess and a mere mortal etc), but opportunities were not often taken to look a little deeper into the relationship. Better responses brought out that alongside the companionship there are suggestions of a significant difference in their statuses; occasional good use was made of Athene s more abrupt tone towards the end of the passage with the list of imperatives (bear... ; tell not... endure... ) suggesting she is running the show. Question 08 offered an opportunity to investigate how far Athene s claim that Odysseus had reached Ithaca by using tricks and lying tales was true; students again often tackled this bullet point by bullet point, producing a rather one-dimensional list ( so here Odysseus didn t use tricks... etc). The quarter of students who reached Level 4 usually discussed a limited number of instances where lies and trickery were apparent, others where he tried an honest approach (often the Phaeacians here) and examples which were more debatable, often involving omission rather than outright deception. The Polyphemus episode alone provided material for all three in some of the best essays. Quality of analysis rather than quantity of examples was often the key to producing a convincing argument. Section 2 The specification details for the 30-mark questions allocate some 12 marks for the knowledge elements of the topic, while the other 18 marks are given over to understanding and evaluation. It is vital for students to read each title carefully as there will always be key words and concepts encouraging an analytical rather than narrative approach to the question. This year many students failed to respond to the words all in Question 09 and events and themes (and, perhaps, relationships ) in Question 10: hence the abundance of Level 3 marks awarded in both. Option C The majority of students opted for Question 09, encouraging them to look at the part played by the Suitors and how far they deserved their brutal fate. There was a great difference in performance between those who had enjoyed the story and gained a general understanding that the Suitors were a bad lot, and those who had detailed knowledge of each occasion when the Suitors featured in the poem. The former students tended to produce a generally persuasive basic argument that the Suitors had been in the palace too long, had neglected xenia badly (thus incurring Zeus wrath), had threatened to kill Telemachus and so deserved all they got. The phrase one of them... (no name) appeared quite tellingly in these responses, which inevitably reached Level 3 but rarely higher. The great majority of student responses achieved at least the Level 3 threshold. The top quarter or so who obtained Level 4 marks or more did so by going on from the basic points to look at the other side of the argument. They posed (and attempted to answer) questions such as: was it not fair to seek Penelope s hand after Odysseus long absence? ; where does fate come 4 of 5

5 REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION AS-LEVEL CLASSICAL CIVILISATION CIV2B JUNE 2015 into the argument? ; did the punishment fit the crime? ; were the Suitors in effect one body with corporate responsibility? etc. They then made use of specific examples (from, for example, Athene s visit in Book 1, Zeus comments in the same book, Teiresias advice in Book 11, details of the events of the later books etc) to produce a coherent argument containing the degree of analysis necessary for Level 4 or Level 5 marks. Option D Question 10 produced a similar overall range of marks to Question 09 but with slightly more students reaching Level 3, yet fewer providing top level answers. A major reason for this was that, while the bullet points left students in little doubt about the characters up for discussion, the emphasis on the importance of family relationships was often overlooked. So Hermes job as messenger of the gods was well-explained, but few attempted to look at what this said about his son / father relationship with Zeus. Some excellent answers pointed out that it was Zeus daughter, Athene, who had a deeper filial relationship with her father (with a few using psychoanalysis based on her curious birth). Some went on to look profitably at parallels between the (immortal) Zeus / Athene and (mortal) Alcinous / Nausicaa relationships. Those who dismissed the Odysseus / Telemachus partnership in a short paragraph before moving on to the next bullet point often missed some major points of discussion on themes. The Poseidon / Polyphemus situation was sometimes compared and contrasted to the Odysseus / Telemachus relationship, leading to interesting discussion on the heroes versus villains theme. A few students discussed the surprising lack of emphasis in the poem (not play or novel ) of the Laertes / Odysseus relationship, while those who briefly drew in Agamemnon and Orestes to illustrate themes of foreshadowing etc (often supported by pointing out Zeus clear interest in these two) also gained credit. Many of these essays were a pleasure to mark, but it would have been good to see more which went beyond the storyline to examine the main themes of the poem in respect of these relationships. Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 5 of 5