15/25 The Handmaid's Tale and Persepolis

Read the following Paper 2 exam and the student's response to it, which was written in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Apply the assessment criteria and discuss the marks that you would award the essay before reading the examiner's marks and comments. How different were your marks and comments from the examiner's marks and comments? What improvements could be made to achieve better results?

Essay question: Appearances can be deceptive. Discuss the relevance of this statement in regard to two works that you have studied.

Student Response
Paper 2 SL/HL assessment criteria
Examiner's comments and marks

ATLs

This essay has a lot of potential. Perhaps the most difficult criterion for Paper 2 is B2: comparative analysis. Notice how this essay, like many student responses, analyses one work, then the other, but rarely actually compares them beyond sentences that start with "similarly". True comparative analysis is difficult. Try commenting on the value of one text in light of the other other text.

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