AQA Lang Paper 2 practice paper: 'Black-face' with model answers

A practice / mock AQA Lang Paper 2 exam exploring the tradition of using black face paint as a disguise in Morris dancing. This paper enables pupils to engage with recent events and the renewed focus on systemic racism in our society following growing publicity and support for the Black Lives Matter movement. My aim of this paper is to address and create discussion about issues of racism in Britain, but from an unconventional / less obvious example.

Section A: Reading
Source A presents a ‘celebratory’ account of morris dancing in the 19th c. whereas Source B presents a critical and conflicted view in 21st c. Britain, exploring whether the tradition of using black face paint as a disguise in Morris dancing is now outdated and deemed racist.

Section B of the paper continues with the controversial theme of ‘blackface’ with the statement: “From television shows such as ‘Little Britain’, and ‘The Mighty Boosh’, to traditional English Morris dancers: whatever their justification, black face is always wrong”

PLEASE NOTE: Source B has been purposefully and carefully selected as it presents both the criticisms of black face paint as well as information of the traditional meaning and reasoning behind it. Thus, this should allow pupils to explore the spectrum of the issue and provides some background information to help guide the pupils’ responses.

Included in this purchase are the two sources and the question paper, in addition to a powerpoint presentation that includes example/model answers for questions 2-4, for pupils to mark against ‘student friendly’ skill descriptors, suitable for DIRT activities.

• Source A: A newspaper cutting describing a performance of Morris dancing (traditional English dance), 1886.

• Source B: A newspaper article reporting the criticism of Morris dancers by a London journalist, 31st December 2019.