Cambridge International AS & A Level

ENGLISH LANGUAGE 9093/12

Paper 1 Reading February/March 2024
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 50

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting bef ore marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report f or
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes f or the February/March 2024 series f or most
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level components, and some Cambridge O Level
components.

This document consists of 15 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers. They should be applied alongside the
specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptions for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these
marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit is given for valid answers which go beyond
the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme, referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these features are specifically assessed by the
question as indicated by the mark scheme. The meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed instructions or in the application of generic level
descriptors.

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GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question (however; the use of the full mark range may
be limited according to the quality of the candidate responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should not be awarded with grade thresholds or
grade descriptors in mind.

English & Media subject specific general marking principles

(To be read in conjunction with the Generic Marking Principles (and requiring further guidance on how to place marks within levels))

Components using level descriptors:

• We use level descriptors as a guide to broad understanding of the qualities normally expected of, or typical of, work in a level.
• Level descriptors are a means of general guidance, and should not be interpreted as hurdle statements.
• Where indicative content notes are supplied for a question, these are not a prescription of required content, and must not be treated as such.
Alternative correct points and unexpected answers in candidates’ scripts must be given marks that fairly reflect the knowledge and skills
demonstrated.
• While we may have legitimate expectations as to the ground most answers may occupy, we must at all times be prepared to meet
candidates on their chosen ground, provided it is relevant ground (e.g. clearly related to and derived from a relevant passage/text and
meeting the mark scheme requirements for the question).

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English Language specific marking instructions:

AO1 Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of texts. (Understanding)

• Marks should be awarded for the accuracy of the candidate’s understanding of the text and its features, not for any analysis of them which is
recognised under AO3.
• Where comparison is required, marks should be awarded for the candidate’s recognition of similarities and differences between the texts and
their features, not for any consequent analysis.
• When awarding a ‘best-fit’ mark within a Level for each AO, consider each bullet point equally.

AO2 Write effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately, for a range of audiences and purposes. (Writing)
• Marks should be awarded equally on the basis of the level of the candidate’s written expression (range of features used and accuracy) and the
development of their writing (its organisation and relevance to task and audience).
• When awarding a ‘best-fit’ mark within a Level for each AO, consider each bullet point equally.

AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’ choices of form, structure and language produce meaning and style. (Analysis)
• Marks should be awarded equally on the basis of the level of the candidate’s analysis of the text’s elements (form, structure and language) and
of the writer’s stylistic choices (including how style relates to audience and shapes meaning).
• When awarding a ‘best-fit’ mark within a Level for each AO, consider each bullet point equally.

In response to Question 1(a), candidates are required to write between 150 and 200 words. While there is no direct penalty for failing to adhere to
this requirement, examiners should consider this an aspect of the response’s ‘relevance to purpose’. As such, adherence to the word limit is assessed
as part of the second bullet point of AO2

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Section A: Directed Response

Question Answer Marks

1(a) Read the following text, which is an article promoting ‘forest bathing’ from National Geographic website. 10

You have recently been on a trip that involved time spent forest bathing. Write a blog post describing your experience
and the benefits of forest bathing. Use 150–200 words.

Mark according to the levels of response marking criteria in Table A.

Additional guidance:

The comments below are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive. Candidates may makeother valid comments that
should be credited.

Responses might feature the following:

• form, audience, purpose, style, conventions, language and structure will be appropriately adapted to suit task
• content may include personal thoughts, feelings and reflections
• tone will be used to have an impact on the reader and to create an effect.

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) Compare your blog post with the article, analysing form, structure and language. 15

Mark according to the levels of response marking criteria in Table B.

Additional guidance:

The comments below are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive. Candidates may make other valid comments
that should be credited.

Candidates may organise their response in any appropriate way. They are not required to focus on form, structure and
language in separate sections.

Candidates might compare and analyse the following:

Form
• the typical text conventions used in the original article and the candidate’s own blog post
• the ways in which the different purposes affect the content and style of the two texts
• the ways in which the article and the blog post appeal to their respective intended audiences, e.g. through the tone and
register used in each text
• any other relevant aspects of the form of the two texts

Structure
• the ways in which headings and short/long paragraphs or sections are used in each text
• beginning the article with a question and answer (hypophora) in the title
• the way in which the article is structured around a general informative introduction and four sections each
• detailing a different location for the practice of forest bathing any other relevant structural features in the texts

Language
• the use of direct address of the reader
• inclusive first person plural narrative voice/point of view
• factual information about forest bathing and each of the highlighted locations, e.g. 2000 miles of hiking trails
• lexical fields of health (antioxidants, vitamin C, essential oils, mindfulness); forests (evergreens, balsam, pine, fall
foliage, rainforest, Kauri, cedars); environments (Rift Valley, safari, remote island location, Arenal Volcano, Lake Placid,
hiking trails)
• adjectives used throughout (unforgettable, sacred)

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) • vocabulary choices to enhance how beneficial the practice can be in such places – paradise, sensory immersion,
ample room, rich in, award-winning, protected forest reserve
• language of reassurance about safety – certified forest therapy guides
• the Local Tips section
• alliteration – living legends, fall foliage
• any other relevant language features used in the text

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Marking criteria for Section A

Question 1(a)Table A

Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of AO2: Write effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately,
texts. for a range of audiences and purposes.
5 marks 5 marks

5 • Sophisticated understanding of text • Sophisticated expression, with a high level of accuracy

(meaning/context/audience) • Content is fully relevant to audience and purpose; ideas are
• Insightful reference to characteristic features developed throughout in a sophisticated manner
5 marks
5 marks

4 • Detailed understanding of text (meaning/context/audience) • Effective expression, with a few minor errors which do not
• Effective reference to characteristic features impedecommunication
• Content is relevant to audience and purpose; ideas are
developed in an effective manner
4 marks 4 marks

3 • Clear understanding of text (meaning/context/audience) • Clear expression, with occasional errors which do not impede
• Clear reference to characteristic features communication
• Content is relevant to audience and purpose; ideas are
developed clearly
3 marks 3 marks

2 • Limited understanding of text (meaning/context/audience) • Expression is clear but may not flow easily, with frequent errors
• Limited reference to characteristic features which generally do not impede communication
• Content is mostly relevant to audience and purpose; ideas are
developed in a limited manner
2 marks 2 marks

1 • Basic understanding of text (meaning/context/audience) • Basic expression, with frequent errors which impede
• Minimal reference to characteristic features communication
• Content may lack relevance to audience and purpose; minimal
development of ideas
1 mark 1 mark

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Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of AO2: Write effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately,
texts. for a range of audiences and purposes.
5 marks 5 marks

0 • No creditable response • No creditable response

0 marks 0 marks

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Marking criteria for Section A Question 1(b)

Table B

Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’
texts. choices of form, structure and language produce meaning and
style.
5 marks 10 marks

5 • Sophisticated comparative understanding of texts • Sophisticated comparative analysis of elements of form,

(meaning/context/audience) structureand language
• Insightful reference to characteristic features • Sophisticated analysis of how the writers’ stylistic choices
relate to audience and shape meaning
5 marks 9–10 marks

4 • Detailed comparative understanding of texts • Detailed comparative analysis of elements of form, structure
(meaning/context/audience) and language
• Effective reference to characteristic features • Detailed analysis of how the writers’ stylistic choices relate to
audience and shape meaning
4 marks 7–8 marks

3 • Clear comparative understanding of texts • Clear comparative analysis of elements of form, structure
(meaning/context/audience) and/or language
• Clear reference to characteristic features • Clear analysis of how the writers’ stylistic choices relate to
audience and shape meaning
3 marks 5–6 marks

2 • Limited understanding of texts (meaning/context/audience), • Limited analysis of form, structure and/or language, with limited
with limited comparison comparison
• Limited reference to characteristic features • Limited analysis of how the writers’ stylistic choices relate to
audience and shape meaning
2 marks 3–4 marks

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Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’
texts. choices of form, structure and language produce meaning and
style.
5 marks 10 marks

1 • Basic understanding of texts (meaning/context/audience), with • Minimal analysis of form, structure and/or language, with
minimal comparison minimal comparison
• Minimal reference to characteristic features • Minimal analysis of how the writers’ stylistic choices relate to
audience and shape meaning
1 mark 1–2 marks

0 • No creditable response • No creditable response

0 marks 0 marks

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Section B: Text analysis

Question Answer Marks

2 Read the following text, which is a review of a memoir. 25

Analyse the text, focusing on form, structure and language.

Mark according to the levels of response marking criteria in Table C.

Additional guidance:

The analysis should address the style, form, genre, structure and language of the text (including specific and relevant
references), explaining how they create meaning in relation to audience and purpose.

The comments below are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive. Candidates may make other valid comments
that should be credited.

Candidates may organise their response in any appropriate way. They are not required to focus onform, structure and
language in separate sections.

Responses might analyse the following:

Form
• the typical text conventions used in the review
• the ways in which the purpose affects the content and style of the text
• the ways in which the review appeals to its intended audience, e.g. through the tone and register used in the text
• any other relevant aspects of the text’s form

Structure
• the use of a title to introduce the review, and a pun in the title – A whale of a journey
• the way in which the opening paragraph clearly establishes the facts behind the subject of the book – mother whales
dived deep to hunt for squid
• the way in which the text is structured to evaluate the highlights of the book and to include personal information about
the writer - painful custody dispute with her son’s father
• the lack of chronological structure, as indicated by the inclusion of the personal information in the middle of the review

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Question Answer Marks

2 • the way in which discourse markers and anaphoric references are used in the text for cohesion and to develop the
review
• the way in which the concluding paragraph is structured to suggest the key question that has dominated response to
Cunningham’s book, and to convey the writer’s overall opinion of the book – What could she hope to gain by taking her
two-year-old on such a long journey...?
• any other relevant structural features in the text

Language
• the way in which facts and details taken from the book being reviewed are used by the writer – the whales that migrate
from Baja California to the Arctic; close-knit groups called pods
• the effect of the use of positive adjectives and list of three to describe Cunningham's book – a striking, brave and often
lyrical book
• the use of a lexical field concerned with water and creatures living in it – sperm whales in the Sargasso and Caribbean
seas, ‘allomothers’, caring for the calf at the water’s surface, Pods, human as well as cetacean, travel up the Pacific
coast
• the effect of connecting the humans and whales on their journey – whale and human cultures seem to converge,
eroding the gap, like the whales they pursue, inseparable from their literary quarry, whales act as stepping-stones,
bridges to human relationships
• the effect of other triads or lists – Depleted, insolvent and isolated
• the effect of the language of mythology and story-telling – the male-dominated narratives, Inuit mythology, heroic pair, a
reckless, near-mystical pursuit of an imagined being
• the effect of the metaphors – provides a key thread in the book, a wealth of fascinating ethnographic material, catapult
her further into debt
• the connotations of the phrase simmers, tantalisingly in the final paragraph
• the effect of the interrogative sentence to begin the final paragraph
• any other relevant language features used in the text.

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Marking criteria for Section B Question 2

Table C

Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’ choices of form,
a wide variety of texts. structure andlanguage produce meaning and style.
5 marks 20 marks

5 • Sophisticated understanding of text • Analysis is sophisticated, coherent and very effectively structured
(meaning/context/audience) • Insightful selection of elements of form, structure and language for analysis
• Insightful reference to characteristic features • Sophisticated awareness of writer’s stylistic choices, including how style relates to
audience and shapes meaning
• Uses precise and fully appropriate language to link evidence with explanatory
comments
5 marks 17–20 marks

4 • Detailed understanding of text • Analysis is detailed, coherent and effectively structured

(meaning/context/audience) • Effective selection of elements of form, structure and language for analysis
• Effective reference to characteristic features • Detailed awareness of writer’s stylistic choices, including how style relates to
audience and shapes meaning
• Uses effective and appropriate language to link evidence with explanatory
comments
4 marks 13–16 marks

3 • Clear understanding of text • Analysis is clear, coherent and well structured

(meaning/context/audience) • Appropriate selection of elements of form, structure and language for analysis
• Clear reference to characteristic features • Clear awareness of writer’s stylistic choices, including how style relates to
audience and shapes meaning
• Uses clear and appropriate language to link evidence with explanatory comments
3 marks 9–12 marks

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Level AO1: Read and demonstrate understanding of AO3: Analyse the ways in which writers’ and speakers’ choices of form,
a wide variety of texts. structure andlanguage produce meaning and style.
5 marks 20 marks

2 • Limited understanding of text • Limited analysis, with some structure and limited coherence
(meaning/context/audience) • Some appropriate selection of elements of form, structure and/or language for
• Limited reference to characteristic features analysis
• Limited awareness of writer’s stylistic choices
• Attempts to use appropriate language to link evidence with explanatory
comments
2 marks 5–8 marks

1 • Basic understanding of text • Basic analysis, with minimal structure or coherence

(meaning/context/audience) • Minimal selection of elements of form, structure and language for analysis
• Minimal reference to characteristic features • Minimal awareness of writer’s stylistic choices
• Minimal use of appropriate language to link evidence with explanatory
comments
1 mark 1–4 marks

0 • No creditable response • No creditable response

0 marks 0 marks

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