GCSE: English Literature: Drama: By Author: Willy Russell Essays, Coursework and Assignments

"Excellent in-depth analysis showing insight and understanding of the importance of the positioning of the song in the plot."

"This is an excellent essay. The analysis is very good, as is the evaluation of the points that are made. It is, however, a bit lacking in analysis of some very key points. No mention is made of structure or form and the musical is considered more as a piece of prose which misses out some very astute points that could've been made to capitalise on some of the messages the author of the essay wants to put forward. Another weakness is a slight misunderstanding of the play. For example, he claims in his conclusion, that Mrs. Lyons shot the two boys, which is simply not true. These are slight (but serious) complaints, though, against an essay which raises intelligent points and uses evidence throughout the play to reach an informed conclusion on the subject of the essay. TSR User:DavyS"

"good but can you do one on mrs kay and mr briggs "

"Well written and informative but perhaps given slightly over enthusiastic political slant. Mr Briggs , while enjoying being in control does not neceessarily 'not have a clue'. He perhaps wants kids to know that to have achance in life, they must try to achieve more and get out of their comfort zone, using social deprivation as an excuse for not having any ambition. In fact the kids do have ambition, as they say."

"#1# This is a drama question about the creation of tension in the play 'Blood Brothers. This candidate gives a strong response to the question with consistent focus on how Willy Russel uses dramatic techniques such as foreshadowing and direct address to create tension leading to the climax where Mickey and Edward confront each other. #2# The Level of Analysis is somewhat buried beneath the candidate trying to re-tell the story, though ignoring the content that gains no marks, there is sufficient quality content here to achieve a middle B. The candidate has addressed a number of different technique from the source text which illustrate how Russel manipulate the audience to create tension. The key in this question is the effect on the audience. The audience should be constantly referred to when making points about how the tension is built, as it is, at all times, a drama for an audience, and the audience that are feeling the tension. The candidate does this sometimes, though a more explicit reference would earn more marks. The ways the candidate comments on the stage directions as well as certain quotes from the text is also good because it shows an ability to look at exactly what the playwright intended, rather than what they are trying to subliminally convey. Also, the attention to how language shapes tension (Such as when the police officer addresses Mickey and "Michael") shows an astute awareness of less obvious dramatic techniques. #3# The Quality of Written Communication is good. It's not perfect because the quotes the candidate makes are sloppy, and the excessive and unnecessary use of ellipses when quoting lose the candidate marks because they are not adhering to the standard ellipsis format (three successive dots), but also because there are a few spelling mistake and grammatical inefficiencies."