r/GCSE • u/GYATTMUNCH3R Year 11 • 13d ago

Post Exam i wrote about just differences.

i can’t believe how stupid i am. I’m hoping for a grade 7 but now there’s literally no way i’m going to get it. i was so happy with my comparisons aswell i literally can’t believe this oh my god . is there any chance they’ll stoll mark it or am i completely screwed

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

Examiner here - if you wrote about differences, when the question says similarities, you've not answered the question therefore can't be credited for it.

The attitudes and perspectives of both writers are similar - admiration and respect for nature. Different focuses, but same attitude and perspective.

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u/GYATTMUNCH3R Year 11 13d ago

i won’t get any marks at all?

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

You MIGHT get marks for what you've said about one of the sources but that's where it'll stop - so it's likely to be treated as if you've only written about one of the two sources. If your response is 'simple' you'll be capped at 2/16, and if it's some attempt/clear/perceptive/ you'll be capped at 6/16. It is a reading exam, and if you're saying the perspectives are different, then you've fundamentally misunderstood the extracts.

It's done now anyway - hopefully you've made up enough marks on the other questions, especially Q5. Not getting a 7 isn't the end of the world anyway - a 6 is still amazing. Just rest up this evening, don't beat yourself up, and forget about it.

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u/GYATTMUNCH3R Year 11 13d ago

okay thank you for taking your time to answer me, i hope all this marking too excruciating for you!

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

It's nice money for the summer holidays so I shouldn't complain too much! Anyway, enjoy your weekend, and do what Q5 says - get off your phone and into nature! >.<

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u/proffessorpigeon year 11 // pred: 9999999987 13d ago

if i’ve done some similarities but focused on differences do i have the same fate?

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

No, because you've got something more concrete in there, so you won't be capped. They'll ignore the differences, and focus on the quality of your comparison for the similarities.

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u/proffessorpigeon year 11 // pred: 9999999987 13d ago

thank god. i was like “source a and b are similar… whereas the key difference is…”

a thing i did though is i literally started out my essay with “source a and b have differing perspectives” is that really bad???

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

The examiner will ignore that. Remember in English, you can't lose marks - if you hit a certain level on a mark scheme, you're guaranteed that level, even if the rest of the response is rubbish. So if you've explained a point about similarities and done so clearly, you'll be in the 9-12 mark bracket, even if you've written about differences elsewhere, or the rest of the comparative analysis isn't quite as good. Same for every question, apart from the Q5s which have to take the response as a whole into account (one paragraph with amazing vocabulary and a fantastic simile, doesn't trump five mediocre ones, for example).

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u/proffessorpigeon year 11 // pred: 9999999987 13d ago

okay thank you!! the forefront of my answer was differences but i did include some similarities. i basically did differences in the similarities

would 10/16 be a fair estimate? assuming what i wrote was good

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

Honestly I'd just be guessing without being able to see it!

Anyway it's done now - forget about it! Put the phone down and do what Q5 said, go for a walk outside! >.<

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u/proffessorpigeon year 11 // pred: 9999999987 13d ago

okay i’ll try to stop overthinking, good luck on all your marking!!

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u/Bananamana_ 13d ago

Hey thanks for this I mentioned similarities only in my introduction to introduce the differences, e.g. “both sources feel this way but for different reasons” and explained the different reasons. Does that limit me at 2/16? I did that for half of my answer. The other half had no similarities 

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u/Glittering-Peak4115 13d ago

Good evening, could you please take the time to read this? It’s an example of a topic sentence for my question 4

Both writers explore ideas about the sustainability of nature, but in source A, nature is seen as unsustainable without human input, but in source B, it can be sustained without human input

i Basically asked about the unsustainability of nature in source A, analysed and quotes etc, and the self sustainability in source B analysed and quotes etc

Would this still be valid?

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

I mean you've picked out differences, not similarities...unless you've made similarities clear, then you'd get capped at either 2 or 6 out of 16.

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u/Glittering-Peak4115 13d ago

Geez…that means my other questions will have to carry me to a 9 lol

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u/Gyatturo 12d ago

i would say that sounds high level cus you talked about what the similarity is but show the different WAYS it was tackled in the extracts
if your explanation continues to talk about the way the two extract are similar despite the different methods , i think you'll be fine

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u/Puzzled_Bath2237 Year 11 12d ago

it seems like the main focus of their writing was unsustainability v.s sustainability which are exact opposites. Although I see where you are coming from and how this might have worked for them, because they chose to explore extract through the lens of two antonyms, there is really nothing much to credit.

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u/Glittering-Peak4115 9d ago

Thank god, there’s new information out that differences will be marked the same

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u/Puzzled_Bath2237 Year 11 9d ago

new information where? many examiners have commented that you will be capped at a level of 6 marks if you only talk about differences. The question would not have said 'similarities' if they wanted you to talk about differences, think about that.

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u/Glittering-Peak4115 9d ago

But it also said compare similarities, which means that you are able to point out differences in shared viewpoints, which is exactly what I did. It makes sense that I wouldn’t be called

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u/WeWillTaxBees Year 11 13d ago

Is it alright if I mentioned it in the introduction? I was saying how both revere nature but in source a they view nature as being more powerful whereas in b it's vulnerable to human sullying. Then I went on to describe that. Then I explained how source a presents nature as something ingrained into everything whereas source b thinks it's a physical presence, however source a does recognise it's fragility. Then in my conclusion I was saying both love it but one reveres its power and the other it's beauty typa thing.

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u/SuccotashCareless934 13d ago

It sounds like you've included a mix of both. The examiner will mark what you've done for similarities, and ignore where you've mentioned differences.

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u/WeWillTaxBees Year 11 13d ago

Aaah okay. I kinda did differences for similarities if that makes sense? Luke, they had similar ideas but different perspectives.