This essay explores the theme of uncertainty in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Question: Explore how Shakespeare presents uncertainty in Hamlet. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors and ideas from your critical reading.
Word Count: 2134
This essay explores both the initial uncertainty that plagues Hamlet while he seeks proof of his uncle’s crime as well as Hamlet’s uncertainty of self. Indeed, Hamlet’s ‘need to know’ proves ironic as, even when the uncertainty surrounding the guilt of Claudius is removed, Hamlet’s fatal flaw of procrastination endures.
All quotations used from this play, as well as all critical quotations, are footnoted in the essay for ease of reference. (Page references refer to the Wordsworth Classics edition).
This essay will be useful for any student studying Hamlet as part of their KS5 curriculum.
Exam Board: AQA
Component: 1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
Level 5/A* Essay.
Question: ‘Changes in religion in the reign of Henry VIII up to 1540 occurred because of Cromwell’. Assess the validity of this view.
Exam Board: AQA
Component: 1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
Level 5/A* Essay - Full Marks (25/25)
Question: ‘The establishment of Henry VII’s authority in the years 1485 to 1509 was due to his financial policies.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
Paragraphs cover the following:
Paragraphs 1 & 2 evaluate Henry VII’s financial policies. However, it makes the point that financial policies and control over the nobility were intrinsically linked. Thus, the success of his financial policies in establishing his royal authority was owed largely to the concurrent control such policies exerted over the nobility.
Paragraph 3 analyses Henry’s conduct of foreign affairs during his reign and demonstrates how Henry cemented his authority through various treaties with major foreign powers and through alliances via marriage.
The final paragraph examines Henry’s establishment of royal authority through his successful suppression of pretenders to his throne.
The essay concludes by arguing that Henry VII’s establishment of authority was aided by his financial policies but, ultimately, they cannot be considered the sole reason for his success.
Exam Board: AQA
Component: 1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603
Level 5/A* Essay - Full Marks (25/25)
Question: Rebellions can be seen as the greatest challenge facing Henry VII’s rule, 1485-1509. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
Paragraphs cover the following:
The threat posed by pretenders to the throne.
The threat posed by the strength of the nobility.
The threat posed by foreign affairs.
This essay explores the theme of belonging in the novel Wide Sargasso Sea, written by Jean Rhys.
Question: ‘I know that house where I will be cold and not belonging.’ Discuss the idea of ‘belonging’ in Wide Sargasso Sea.
Word Count: 2199
The essay argues that, for the protagonist of Antoinette Cosway, belonging is an unattainable goal.
It explores her futile attempts to belong through various examples including:
Her relationship with her mother, Anette.
Her relationship with Tia.
Her relationship with her husband.
Throughout, the essay explores how her inability to belong is linked to her crisis of identity and the insoluble problems associated with hybridity as a Creole heroine. It explores her failed attempts to assimilate into her home community in the West Indies and into her husband’s society in Europe. Positioned between two cultural identities, this character is thereby coerced into playing the role of the outsider whose partial belonging to multiple locations results in complete and ubiquitous rejection everywhere.
All quotations used from the novel as well as all critical quotations are footnoted in this essay for ease of reference. (Page references refer to the Penguin Classics edition).
This essay will be useful for any student studying Wide Sargasso Sea as part of their KS5 curriculum or writing on it for their NEA. It would be especially useful for those students looking to engage with the ideas/themes of identity and differences.
AQA A-Level
English Literature A
Paper 1: Love Through The Ages
Section A: Shakespeare
Text: Othello
This is an A*/full mark (25/25) essay for A-level English literature.
As it explores examples from the wider play, as well as the given extract, the essay is useful for wider revision/topic knowledge as well as being an exemplar essay/written response.
Question: ‘In the literature of love, the happiness of lovers is threatened by forces external to their relationship’. In the light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents the destruction of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship in this extract and elsewhere in the play.
(The given extract that this essay engages with is included at the start of the document for ease of reference).
This essay:
Sets out a debate in its thesis derived from the given question/interpretation (AO5). This essay explores and considers the ‘external’ threat of the antagonist of Iago in regard to the demise of the relationship between Othello and Desdemona. However, it ultimately argues throughout its response (AO1/AO5) that the happiness of lovers is actually threatened by forces within their relationship – in this case, Othello’s inner insecurities.
It analyses a wide variety of literary techniques and authorial methods (including: similes, modal verbs, apostrophe, imagery, tone, foreshadowing, metaphor, allusion, the verse form etc.) from both the given extract as well as elsewhere within the wider play (AO2).
It incorporates relevant contextual links that are influential in regards to the question and debate of this essay/question, including: the tragic context, race and reputation (AO3).
It explores connections across literary texts, focusing on the destructive interference of malicious third parties and it considers ideas about the play as a tragedy (AO4).
French A-Level (AQA)
Paper 2: Writing
Section B: Films
Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Un long Dimanche de fiançailles
Question: Examinez les rapports entre les personnages principaux du film.
A* Exam Response.
This essay examines several of the key relationships in Jeunet’s 2004 film.
It starts by examining the relationships between the soldiers stationed at ‘Bingo Crépuscule’ in the trenches of the Somme. The paragraphs focus on the strength of friendship and unity shared between these conscripted men and, specifically, there is a focus on the kindness that the soldiers show towards the much younger and naive, Manech Langonnet. It considers, in particular, the roles of Célestin Poux and Benoît Notre Dame.
The essay then moves from the trenches to the domestic home front and examines the relationships between Mathilde and her aunt and uncle, as well as between Mathilde and the private detective, Germain Pire.
Finally, the essay examines the relationship between Mathilde and Manech. Ultimately, this essay demonstrates that this is the strongest relationship within the film.
This essay is also useful for general revision of the film as it covers a multitude of key relationships with precise examples taken from a variety of scenes.
Word Count: 1683
French A-Level (AQA)
Paper 2: Writing
Section B: Films
Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Un long Dimanche de fiançailles
Question: « Un long Dimanche de fiançailles suscite plus de sympathie pour Mathilde que pour Tina. » Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous d’accord avec ce jugement ?
A* Exam Response.
This essay examines the hardships faced by both Mathilde Donnay and Tina Lombardi in Jeunet’s 2004 film & analyses the sympathy which the events of the film elicit for both characters. It ultimately argues that the film elicits greater sympathy for Tina than it does for the central protagonist and narrator, Mathilde.
Word Count: 1040
Exam Board: AQA
Subject: A-Level History
Component: 2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
Exam Question Practice.
Essay Writing Practice.
Level 5/A* Response.
Question: The aims of Soviet foreign policy changed significantly under Stalin.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Word Count: 1246
Exam Board: AQA
Subject: A-Level History
Component: 2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
Exam Question Practice.
Essay Writing Practice.
Level 5/A* Essay.
Question: Stalin’s victory in the power struggle between 1922 and 1929 was due to the popularity of his policies. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
This essay deals with the following key points:
The popularity of Stalin’s policies.
The weaknesses of his opponents.
Fortuitous circumstances.
Stalin’s manipulation and opportunism.
Word Count: 1205
Level 5/A* Essay/Response.
AQA A-Level History
Question: ‘With regards to foreign policy between 1512 and 1529, Henry VIII went from one failure to another’. Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
Exam Question Practice.
Essay Writing Practice.
Exam Board: AQA
Component: 1C, The Tudors
Word Count: 1372
2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
AQA A-Level History
Level 5/A* Response
Exam Question/Essay Writing Practice
This essay deals with the following:
The condition of Russia before the revolution of February/March 1917.
The Tsar and political authority.
The war effort.
The economic and social state of Russia.
Discontent.
1275 Words.
Level 5/A* Exam Response.
Essay discussing William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello
Question/Topic: Examine the view that Othello is presented as a flawed character who is controlled by jealousy.
This essay has also been colour-coded so that you can easily note where the different Assessment Objectives (AOs) have been hit.
AQA History A-Level
2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953
A*/Level 5 Essay
Question: The Provisional Government was Responsible for its Own Downfall. Assess the validity of this view.
Key Points Include:
Lenin’s Leadership & Timing.
Trotsky’s tactical planning & military support.
Continued strains on the homefront as a result of the ongoing war.
The critical mistakes of Kerensky - esp. within the Kornilov affair.
English Literature (AQA)
Modern Times
A-Level Essay
Level 5/A* Exam Response
Question:
‘Modern literature is primarily concerned with the struggle for identity’.
Explore the significance of identity in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Word Count: 1990.
AQA A-Level French
Paper 2: Writing
Section A: Books
Guy de Maupassant : Boule de Suif et autres contes de la guerre
This is a revision booklet for the written paper (paper 2) for French A-level on Guy de Maupassant’s Boule de Suif et autres contes de la guerre.
The document contains the following:
A key words and phrases list with translations into English.
Key sentences for the following stories from Maupassant’s collection: Boule de Suif, La Mère Sauvage and Deux Amis.
An exemplar/A* essay comparing La Mère Sauvage & Deux Amis:
Faire une comparaison entre les deux contes : La Mère Sauvage et Deux Amis
French A-Level (AQA)
Paper 2: Writing
Section B: Films
Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Un long Dimanche de fiançailles
Question: Examinez les méthodes adoptées par Mathilde et Tina à la recherche de la vérité ou de la revanche.
A* Exam Reponse.
This essay examines the antithetical methods adopted by Mathilde Donnay and Tina Lombardi in their quests to uncover the truth and to enact revenge, respectively. This essay argues that Tina’s adopted methods were far riskier than those adopted by Mathilde. Indeed, while Mathilde chooses to spend her inheritance and employ the services of a private detective, Tina chooses to kill the men responsible for Ange’s death. Ultimately, however, this essay makes the point that, though their methods differed greatly, both women were able to achieve success within their quests in this 2004 film.
Word Count: 1165
Level 5/A* Exam Response.
English Literature (AQA)
Love Through the Ages
Comparative Essay comparing Brontë’s Jane Eyre with Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Question: ‘Lovers are driven primarily by a desire to escape the past’.
By comparing two prose texts, explore the extent to which you agree with this statement.
This essay has also been colour-coded so that you can easily note where the different Assessment Objectives (AOs) have been hit.
Question: ‘The consolidation of royal authority, in the years 1487-1509, was due to Henry VII’s control over the nobility.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
AQA
Component 1C: The Tudors: England, 1485–1603
Level 5/A* Essay
3 Key Issues Covered:
Henry VII’s control over the nobility.
His diplomatic skills in dealing with foreign powers (foreign policy).
His use of royal finances.
Full Mark Coursework Essay for the Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) component of the AQA English Literature A Level.
Question Title: It has been said that, in gothic texts, ‘the resolve and identity of female characters is often determined by the type of male tyranny inflicted upon them.’ In light of this view, compare and contrast the ways in which Angela Carter and Jane Austen present the imbalance of power between the sexes within The Bloody Chamber and Northanger Abbey.
A comparative critical study comparing Jane Austen’s novelNorthanger Abbey (pre-1900 text) with Angela Carter’s short story collection The Bloody Chamber.