If you haven’t read my previous post, here’s the link where you can download the sample paper from KGS and see the answers for the multiple choice comprehension.
Section B
For this kind of question, parents and students always want to know exactly how many points, references (evidence) and explanations are required to secure full marks.
That’s fine but students tend to do the bare minimum or even believe that there are a set number of points they should make, but with written comprehension there’s never a limit to the number of comments you can make or how much you can write generally.
With those caveats in mind, for this question, I would recommend:
You make at least 5 specific points about the presentation of the character supported by 5 references to the passage.
Include some direct quotes but also paraphrase as I model below.
Use some subject terminology where you feel confident using it but simply comment on descriptions in the passage if not.
Start a new paragraph for each new opinion or specific comment.
You don’t treat the list of items to ‘consider’ as a checklist.
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot who came to mind with the description of the consul
Model
At first, the consul is presented as proud because his living room walls were ‘decorated with a mass of heavily framed photos of himself.’
This image might even suggest he’s vain, unless the photos are of the consul with political dignitaries.
He also seems to take great pride in his appearance as he has ‘a magnificent beard and carefully waxed moustache’ suggesting he invests a lot of time in personal grooming.
Additionally, he is presented as very methodical as he instructs Gerry to start reciting words from a French dictionary from the first page.
This also speaks to his eccentric nature, especially as the dictionary is ‘fat and battered’ which suggests this is the way he tutors typically.
Shortly after beginning the lesson, he abruptly gets up and shoots something out of the window. This suggests he’s also impulsive.
We might think that the consul is infirm because he is described as a ‘sweet little man’ and told that he lived in a ‘rickety building that leant tiredly over a tiny square’ with the author perhaps employing pathetic fallacy to subtly reflect how tired he appears.
However, because we later learn he shoots the cats to put them out of their suffering because they are ‘starving’ and ‘covered with sores’, he is presented as a very humane person. This is emphasised by the euphemism of sending each cat to a ‘happier hunting ground’.
Further Guidance
Note, this model isn’t intended to be indicative of the length of a typical student response.
I just wanted to give students an idea of the range of the comments they could make on the consul. The response should score 10 marks with just 5 paragraphs.