← GCSE English Literature

S4.4 Macbeth: characterisation methods (speech/action/foil/direction)

Currently Gap · last touched 2026-10-01

Owed: one unaided item on how a character is shown through a single word or action, with Shakespeare as the subject of the sentence.

Every change

WhenChangeEvidenceSession
2026-10-01Not started → Gapopened - taught only. Asked whether Banquo trusts the witches and which word shows it, she wrote unframed: 'Banquo does not trust the witches because he calls them the devil.' 1/1 on a guided yes/no-plus-word question. The Banquo/Macbeth contrast was then stated by the tutor. No unaided item: notstarted to gap under the touched-means-moved rule.session 64

In papers

No marked question has been recorded against this topic yet.

Materials

AQA 8702 specification (live web version, set texts with first/last-exam markers)
THE document. Sections 3.1 (Shakespeare, 19th-c novel) and 3.2 (modern texts, poetry). Set-text list verified live for June 2027 on 5 Sep 2026; three modern texts ended 2024. Any 2027 change would be notified one year ahead — re-check Sept 2026.
notes
8702/1 June 2017 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section.
paper
English Literature syllabus (Paige, June 2027) — decomposed from AQA 8702
File held by the parent: english-literature-syllabus.md (5 Sep 2026). Decomposes spec 3.1–3.3 into the S/N/M x.y, P, U and K x.y refs in this tracker, with the 32-week scheme of work (modern text → Shakespeare → novel, poetry in parallel), dated checkpoints (13 Nov, 11 Dec, 29 Jan, 12 Mar, 30 Apr), the six AQA question stems, all three anthology cluster lists, the terminology set, set-text recommendation and coverage audit. No URL — ask the parent for the file or its hosted copy.
notes
BBC Bitesize: GCSE English Literature — subject hub
Entry point for all Bitesize English Literature material, incl. writing-skills guides. Use Bitesize's own on-site search from here — their URL restructure broke many older /guides/ paths. Fallback if any topic link below is dead.
notes
Branching Story project — stimulus policy
Approved by parent 9 Sep 2026. K-strand skills (K1 what-how-why, K3 methods/structure to effect, K5 writer as subject) may be taught first on Paige's own choose-your-own-path story, then transferred to a set text IN THE SAME SESSION. The transfer is not optional. Nothing in S/N/M/P strands is replaced: set texts, the Power and Conflict poems and all timed essays are unchanged. Set-text knowledge time is ring-fenced.
notes
CGP AQA Poetry Guide — Power & Conflict (OWNED, in the house)
THE TEXT SOURCE FOR ALL 15 POWER AND CONFLICT POEMS. ISBN 9781782943617, for the 2027 and 2028 exams. Owned 9 Sep 2026. Prints every poem in full, with notes on meaning, form, structure, language and context, themed comparison sections and exam-style questions. Free Online Edition unlocks with the code in the book: audio of every poem, per-poem discussions, digital quiz. When a poem's text is needed, send Paige to this book, not to a web copy. Stands in for the official AQA anthology.
book
An Inspector Calls — full play text (OWNED, in the house)
THE PLAY TEXT. Heinemann Plays edition, ISBN 9780435232825 (ISBN-10 0435232827). Owned and confirmed by the parent 9 Sep 2026. In copyright — there is no legal free full text online, so this printed copy is the only source for quotations, stage directions and close reading. Send Paige to the book whenever the text is needed. This is the edition the stored Oak lessons cite by page, so their page references are usable as given.
book
AQA 8702 specification PDF (2015, current version)
Offline copy of the spec incl. skills (3.3), AOs and weightings (AO1 37.5 / AO2 42.5 / AO3 15 / AO4 5), scheme of assessment.
notes
8702/1 June 2017 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
Branching Story — day brief M4 (9 Sep 2026)
Module 4 of the self-paced day. Part A: one what-how-why paragraph about her OWN structural choice, written in the third person ('the writer places the shift at X in order to Y') - one idea developed, not a list (K1, K5). Part B: same sentence shape on Ozymandias, whose nested voices mirror a branching structure, closing the outstanding Shelley 1818 / hostility-to-tyranny context as a clause (P1.01). K3.2 still needs a NEW poem and is not covered here.
practice
AQA 8702 assessment resources page (all series: papers, mark schemes, examiner reports)
Canonical home of every paper and report. File list renders in-browser only, so individual PDFs are stored separately below as they are added. Examiner reports live here.
other
8702/1 June 2018 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section.
paper
PMT index: AQA English Literature Paper 1 past papers & mark schemes (2017–2025)
Mirror of the AQA PDFs, one click per series. June 2021 and June 2022 are split into 1M/1N/1P booklets (pandemic contingency) — same marks and ladders. Nov 2020 is labelled 'June 2020'.
paper
8702/1 June 2018 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
PMT index: AQA English Literature Paper 2 past papers & mark schemes (2017–2025)
Mirror of the AQA PDFs. Every 8702/2 paper prints the three cluster contents lists — use it to check the anthology poems.
paper
8702/1 June 2019 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section.
paper
AQA 8702 specimen Paper 2 question paper (Modern texts and poetry)
Official specimen, 96 marks, 2h15. Pre-dates Worlds and Lives cluster.
paper
8702/1 June 2019 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
AQA 8702 specimen Paper 1 mark scheme (combined)
Shows the six-level ladder and 'how to arrive at a mark' wording the marker skill uses.
paper
8702/1 June 2020 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. PMT label 'June 2020' = the November 2020 sitting (no June 2020 exams).
paper
AQA GCSE subject grade boundaries — June 2025 (8702 row: /160)
8702: 9=136 8=122 7=108 6=92 5=77 4=62 3=46 2=30 1=15. These are the boundaries stored on this subject. College-hosted copy of AQA's PDF; AQA hub: https://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/results-days/grade-boundaries
other
8702/1 June 2020 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder, AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text. PMT label 'June 2020' = the November 2020 sitting (no June 2020 exams).
paper
AQA GCSE exam timetable May/June 2027 (version 1.0)
8702/1 Wednesday 12 May 2027 am (1h45); 8702/2 Wednesday 19 May 2027 am (2h15). Confirm with the centre.
other
8702/1 June 2023 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section.
paper
AQA private candidates page
PARENT: confirm the centre enters 8702 for external candidates and the entry deadline (~21 Feb 2027).
other
8702/1 June 2023 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
8702/1 June 2024 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section.
paper
8702/1 June 2024 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
8702/1 June 2025 — question paper
Section A Shakespeare (Q1–Q6, extract + whole play, 30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 64 marks, 1h45. Answer one from each section. Most recent series.
paper
8702/1 June 2025 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladder (Level 6 26–30 convincing/critical … Level 1 1–5 simple), AO4 4-mark ladder, indicative content per text.
paper
8702/1 Specimen — question paper (PMT copy)
Original 2015 specimen. Section A Shakespeare (30+4 AO4); Section B 19th-century novel (30). 64 marks.
paper
8702/1 Specimen — mark scheme (PMT copy)
FOR THE MARKER. Original 2015 specimen scheme; same ladders as live papers.
paper
8702/1M June 2021 — question paper (Modern texts)
Pandemic-era split booklet: Modern texts (Paper 2 Section A content, 30+4 AO4) despite the '1' code. 2021: no public exams sat; this is the paper AQA prepared and published.
paper
8702/1M June 2021 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1M booklet (Modern texts).
paper
8702/1N June 2021 — question paper (19th-century novel)
Pandemic-era split booklet: 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). 2021: no public exams sat; this is the paper AQA prepared and published.
paper
8702/1N June 2021 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1N booklet (19th-century novel).
paper
8702/1P June 2021 — question paper (Poetry anthology)
Pandemic-era split booklet: anthology comparison (named poem printed, 30). Cluster contents printed inside. 2021: no public exams sat; this is the paper AQA prepared and published.
paper
8702/1P June 2021 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1P booklet (Poetry anthology comparison).
paper
8702/1M June 2022 — question paper (Modern texts)
Pandemic-era split booklet: Modern texts (Paper 2 Section A content, 30+4 AO4) despite the '1' code. Same marks and ladders as normal papers.
paper
8702/1M June 2022 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1M booklet (Modern texts).
paper
8702/1N June 2022 — question paper (19th-century novel)
Pandemic-era split booklet: 19th-century novel (extract + whole novel, 30). Same marks and ladders as normal papers.
paper
8702/1N June 2022 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1N booklet (19th-century novel).
paper
8702/1P June 2022 — question paper (Poetry anthology)
Pandemic-era split booklet: anthology comparison (named poem printed, 30). Cluster contents printed inside. Same marks and ladders as normal papers.
paper
8702/1P June 2022 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1P booklet (Poetry anthology comparison).
paper
8702/1M Specimen (2022) — question paper (Modern texts)
2022 specimen in the split-booklet format: Modern texts (Paper 2 Section A content, 30+4 AO4).
paper
8702/1M Specimen (2022) — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1M specimen booklet.
paper
8702/1N Specimen (2022) — question paper (19th-century novel)
2022 specimen in the split-booklet format: 19th-century novel (30).
paper
8702/1N Specimen (2022) — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1N specimen booklet.
paper
8702/1P Specimen (2022) — question paper (Poetry anthology)
2022 specimen in the split-booklet format: anthology comparison (30).
paper
8702/1P Specimen (2022) — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Mark scheme for the 1P specimen booklet.
paper
8702/2 June 2017 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. No Worlds and Lives section (pre-2025).
paper
8702/2 June 2017 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2018 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. No Worlds and Lives section (pre-2025).
paper
8702/2 June 2018 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2019 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. No Worlds and Lives section (pre-2025).
paper
8702/2 June 2019 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2020 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. PMT label 'June 2020' = the November 2020 sitting (no June 2020 exams).
paper
8702/2 June 2020 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders, unseen ladders, AO4 ladder; indicative content. PMT label 'June 2020' = the November 2020 sitting.
paper
8702/2 June 2021 — question paper
Section A modern text (30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks. 2021: no public exams sat; this is the paper AQA prepared and published.
paper
8702/2 June 2021 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders, unseen ladders, AO4 ladder; indicative content. 2021: no public exams sat.
paper
8702/2 June 2022 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. No Worlds and Lives section (pre-2025).
paper
8702/2 June 2022 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2023 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. No Worlds and Lives section (pre-2025).
paper
8702/2 June 2023 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2024 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. Last series with The History Boys, Curious Incident and Never Let Me Go; no Worlds and Lives section.
paper
8702/2 June 2024 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem.
paper
8702/2 June 2025 — question paper
Section A modern text (choice of two, no extract, 30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (named poem printed, 30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks, 2h15. FIRST series with the 2027 text list: Princess & The Hustler, Leave Taking, My Name is Leon and the Worlds and Lives cluster. Best model paper.
paper
8702/2 June 2025 — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. Six-level ladders for Sections A and B (30), 24-mark unseen ladder, 8-mark comparison ladder; AO4 ladder for Section A; indicative content per text and poem, incl. the 2025 additions.
paper
8702/2 Specimen (2022) — question paper
2022 specimen: Section A modern text (30+4 AO4); Section B anthology (30); Section C unseen (24 + 8). 96 marks.
paper
8702/2 Specimen (2022) — mark scheme
FOR THE MARKER. 2022 specimen scheme; same ladders as live papers.
paper
8702/2 Specimen — mark scheme (PMT copy)
FOR THE MARKER. Original 2015 specimen scheme (question paper already stored from AQA filestore).
paper