A Guide for Students Writing Diploma Exams
Completion requirements
These are past submissions that received a score of excellence.
The Personal Response to Texts Assignment
The Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment
The Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment asks you to demonstrate your understanding of a literary text (or texts) that you have studied in detail in your English Language Arts 30–1 course. The assignment is a further exploration of the topic introduced in the Personal Response to Texts Assignment. You will be asked to write about how the topic is reflected in the ideas developed by the text creator. You are expected to write a thoughtful, well-developed composition in which you synthesize your thinking about both the topic and your interpretation of your chosen text. Your composition will be assessed on the basis of your ability to express your understanding of the literary text, to relate that understanding of the text to the assignment, and to support your ideas with evidence from your chosen text.
In this assignment, you must focus your composition on a text or texts other than those provided in the examination booklet. Compositions that refer only to the texts provided in the examination or that make no reference to literature studied are assessed as Insufficient. A composition will also be assessed as Insufficient when so little has been written that it is not
possible to assess Thought and Understanding and/or Supporting Evidence, or the marker can discern no evidence of an attempt to fulfill the writing task presented in the assignment.
When considering which text to discuss, select a literary text that you know well, that is meaningful to you, and that is relevant to the topic. Choose from short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, films, or other literary texts that you have studied in English Language Arts 30–1.
The time suggested for you to complete the Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment, including time for Personal Reflection on Choice of Literary Text(s), is approximately 1½ to 2 hours.
The Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment is worth 30% of your total examination mark (Parts A and B combined) and is assessed according to five scoring categories:
Thought and Understanding and Supporting Evidence (each worth 7.5% of your total examination mark) and Form and Structure, Matters of Choice, and Matters of Correctness (each worth 5% of your total examination mark).
In this assignment, you must focus your composition on a text or texts other than those provided in the examination booklet. Compositions that refer only to the texts provided in the examination or that make no reference to literature studied are assessed as Insufficient. A composition will also be assessed as Insufficient when so little has been written that it is not
possible to assess Thought and Understanding and/or Supporting Evidence, or the marker can discern no evidence of an attempt to fulfill the writing task presented in the assignment.
When considering which text to discuss, select a literary text that you know well, that is meaningful to you, and that is relevant to the topic. Choose from short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, films, or other literary texts that you have studied in English Language Arts 30–1.
The time suggested for you to complete the Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment, including time for Personal Reflection on Choice of Literary Text(s), is approximately 1½ to 2 hours.
The Critical / Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment is worth 30% of your total examination mark (Parts A and B combined) and is assessed according to five scoring categories:
Thought and Understanding and Supporting Evidence (each worth 7.5% of your total examination mark) and Form and Structure, Matters of Choice, and Matters of Correctness (each worth 5% of your total examination mark).