Making a Critical Judgement Flashcards
All 11 cards in this deck
What does a qualified judgement show the examiner in Paper 1 Question 4?
That you have weighed the evidence rather than simply praising the writer. Phrases like 'This is highly successful at first, but…' or 'The ending is less convincing because…' signal critical judgement, which the top levels reward.
What does evaluative language do in Paper 1 Question 4 or Paper 2 Question 6?
Phrases such as 'convincingly', 'highly effective', 'less successful' show how successfully the writer achieves the aim, not just what they do. They only count as evaluation when the evidence and explanation around them back them up.
Why is it worth tracking how successfully the writer achieves the aim across the whole extract?
Question 4 is about the whole extract, and effects build and change: tension may rise slowly, peak and fall away. Following it from start to end lets you judge where the writer succeeds most and why, rather than basing your verdict on one moment.
What is an alternative interpretation, and why does it strengthen an evaluation?
A different but reasonable reading of the same evidence, e.g. 'This could show confidence, but it could also be a front.' Considering it shows critical thinking; then judge which reading the evidence supports better, and how that affects the writer's success.
What is the difference between evaluation and retelling in Paper 1 Question 4?
Retelling says what happens ('She walks into the room and sits down'). Evaluation judges how successfully the writer creates the effect in the question, and why ('Her deliberate calm is a highly effective way of showing the narrator's unease, because we sense it is an act').
How should a Paper 1 Question 4 answer end?
With a short overall judgement of how successfully the writer achieves the aim across the whole extract, e.g. 'The writer is highly successful in creating tension, because the slow build-up makes the final reveal genuinely shocking.' Your judgement should also run through every paragraph, not only appear at the end.
Is 'Joe opens the door and sees his brother standing in the rain' an evaluation or a retelling? How could you improve it?
A retelling: it only says what happens. Improved: 'The writer makes Joe pause before he opens the door, which is a highly effective way of building tension, because the reader is kept waiting to learn who is there.'
Turn 'The writer creates tension' into an evaluative sentence.
For example: 'The writer creates tension very successfully: slowing the moment down as Mia grips the banister makes the reader share her hesitation, so the noise on the landing feels genuinely threatening.'
What does a critical judgement in Paper 1 Question 4 look like?
A clear view of how successfully the aim is achieved, supported by evidence and reasons, and kept up through the whole answer: 'The writer is highly successful in creating tension, especially through…'
Do you have to decide the writer is completely successful?
No. You can judge that the aim is achieved strongly in some places and less in others. What matters is that every judgement is explained and backed by the text.
What is a 'critical overview' in Paper 1 Question 4?
A view of the whole extract: how its parts work together to achieve the aim, not just a series of separate comments. An opening judgement and a closing verdict help to show it.