1. hobbies and interests
2. games
3. board games and puzzles

PART SIX GRADE BOOSTER
GRADE BOOSTER
AO1 Attempt at signposting –
ANNOTATED SAMPLE ANSWERS
but does this sentence
really follow on effectively from
the last point in the previous
paragraph? Why use ‘also’?
Below are extracts from two sample answers to the same question at different grades. Bear
in mind that these are examples only, covering all four Assessment Objectives – you will
need to check the type of question and the weightings given for each AO when writing
your coursework essay or preparing for your exam.
AO1 First few sentences in
this paragraph are rather
general and need to be linked
together more cohesively
Question: To what extent is the corruption of human nature central to Othello?
AO3 Asserts own viewpoint
clearly throughout this
paragraph and arrives at a
sense of overview,
incorporating a critic fruitfully
C ANDIDATE 1
AO1 Should try to avoid
repetition of the same
word; could say ‘is a central
issue’ in the first sentence
instead of ‘important’
AO2 Again, too vague to
show understanding –
what is meant by corruption?
AO2 Has a grasp of Iago’s
role and Othello’s
characterisation
AO2 Sound comment, but
could offer more examples
to illustrate the idea more
fully
AO1 ‘leads him’ is too vague –
what exactly does it mean?
AO3 Considers alternative
audience responses to
Othello, demonstrating an
open-minded approach
The corruption of human nature is important in “Othello”.
The most important example of corruption is Iago’s
poisoning of Othello’s mind. This happens in Cyprus,
when Iago makes Othello believe that Desdemona is
unfaithful to him. Iago corrupts Othello by using the
handkerchief as proof that Desdemona has slept with
Cassio. He makes Othello believe that Desdemona gave
Cassio the handkerchief as a love token, when really she
dropped it by mistake, and Emilia passed it on to Iago. The
handkerchief, which is a symbol of Desdemona’s honour,
becomes a symbol of evil. When he believes Desdemona has
given it away, Othello thinks his wife has been corrupted.
This leads Othello to destroy Desdemona to regain his own
honour.
When his mind is corrupted, Othello is different. In Acts I
and II he was a noble character, who had faith in
Desdemona and her love for him. Infected by Iago’s poison,
Othello becomes jealous, and his jealousy makes him cruel.
For example, Othello verbally abuses Desdemona as ‘that
cunning whore of Venice’ and strikes her in Act IV. When
he uses crude language, Othello sounds like Iago. Othello’s
fit is evidence that the hero has been corrupted. Othello
cannot cope with his jealousy, and falls over in a trance.
When Othello comes round, he says ‘a horned man’s a
monster and beast’. Because he feels humiliated, Othello
becomes obsessed with revenge.
However, we know that Othello is not in control of himself
in the second half of the play because Iago leads him
throughout Acts IV and V. Because of this, the audience
will not blame Othello for what he does. I pity Othello when
he eavesdrops on Cassio and gets ready to kill Desdemona.
Othello is very distressed in Act V Scene 2. I know this
because he has second thoughts about killing Desdemona.
Othello believes that his wife’s death is a ‘sacrifice’ and
after Desdemona is dead refers to himself as an
‘honourable murderer’. Some people might think Othello is
making cowardly excuses. But other people will think that
the ‘noble Moor’ has been ‘perplexed in the extreme’ by evil
Iago.
Immediate focus on task AO2
and identification of key
example, but could be more
precise about the acts/ scenes
being referred to
It is also important to consider Iago’s role. Iago enjoys
corrupting others. Coleridge suggested Iago is ‘a being next
to the devil’. Iago is a lone villain in “Othello”. The
characters he corrupts reject him. Emilia shows he is a
villain, Roderigo dies calling him an ‘inhuman dog’ and
Cassio says Iago’s actions are ‘most heathenish and most
gross’. Lodovico says that the bodies of “Othello”, Desdemona
and Emilia are a ‘tragic loading’ which ‘poisons sight’.
This final reference to poison shows the audience how
destructive Iago’s corruption of Othello has been.
I believe that although Iago’s corruption of Othello is
important, Shakespeare has other points to make about
human nature. In spite of the tragic ending, “Othello” is
not just about defeat. Othello recognises he has been
corrupted and makes up for it by killing himself. As the
critic A. C. Bradley has suggested, Othello never falls
completely. When he picks up his sword to commit suicide,
I believe that Othello redeems himself and regains his
nobility.
PART SIX
Apt reference to a critic, AO4
but could link Iago’s evil
to the context of the play
more thoroughly, and also
explain what Coleridge meant
more fully
Links corruption
AO2
successfully to
destruction and the tragic
denouement, showing a
grasp of structure
Again, the style is a little
bit too close to speech –
and too vague
AO1
EC
Style could be more
AO1
formal – this sounds like a
spoken phrase
GRAD
Links handkerchief to the AO4
theme of corruption
successfully; could make
more of the theme of honour
by relating it to Shakespeare’s
historical context
Clear reference to the
AO4
correct act, but which
scene does this occur in?
Could be more precise about
context
Needs to comment on
this image more fully;
becoming narrative
AO2
Shows awareness of likely AO3
audience responses, but
this is a sweeping statement.
It needs to be qualified, e.g.
‘an audience might not
blame Othello entirely...’
Needs textual evidence
to support this claim
AO2
Comment
The material covered is relevant, and
AO1 arguments make sense, but there is a tendency
towards narrative description of events at
times. Some helpful signposting, e.g. however,
it is important to... Clear concluding paragraph
which returns to the terms of the question.
The candidate has a grasp of some aspects of
AO2 structure e.g. how Othello’s characterisation
changes from Act I to Act V. There are specific
references to and appreciation of some aspects
of language and imagery, e.g. symbolism of
the handkerchief.
For a B grade
l Instead of describing events, focus on
commenting on them consistently for AO1.
l Make more detailed comments on language,
structure or imagery for AO2.
l Make further, more detailed references to
critics and different interpretations for AO3.
l Make references to Shakespeare’s context for
AO4 e.g. Elizabethan attitudes to women/race/
the nature of evil.
There are some well chosen quotations and
AO3 there is a grasp of different interpretations of
Othello’s actions in Act V. Some apt references
are made to critics. There is a strong sense of
personal engagement at times.
More could be made of Shakespeare’s cultural
AO4 and historical context.
98 O THELLO
O THELLO 99