P2 Q4 Feedback

• Shows simple/vague awareness of writers' ideas and perspectives

• Makes simple or irrelevant links between the two texts

• Vague or minimal comment on language

• Simple/vague use of details from one/both texts

In source A it's a good thing that his son is getting older. He includes lots of examples and uses words like ‘blasting ahead’. However, in source B it's bad that her son growing up. She misses what he was like when he was a baby. 

• Shows some awareness of writers' ideas and perspectives

• Attempts to compare the ideas and perspectives between the two writers

• Some comment on writers' use of language but not fully explained

• Selects details from one/both texts that back up points made

In Source A, the writer is pleased that his son is growing up and doing more. He uses language to describe the things he can do and says that his son is 'blasting ahead', which suggests that he thinks his son is progressing quickly. On the other hand, in Source B, the writer is sad because her son has now grown up. One method she uses to show this is by writing a list of all the things she still wishes she could do for him like 'replace lost buttons and obliterate mud stains', suggesting that she misses the way he relied on her for everything.

• Shows clear understanding of writers' ideas and perspectives in both texts

• Compares the ideas and perspectives between the two writers clearly and in a relevant way

• Clearly explains how language has been used by the authors to express their views

• Selects relevant details from both texts that back up points made

The writer of Source A, a modern father, is both saddened and pleased by his son’s growth. He finds it difficult to accept that time is moving so quickly; he ‘blinked’ and his son is already a year old. However, the pleasure he feels is also obvious, using comparisons like ‘blasting ahead’ to suggest his son is taking off like a rocket before his eyes. In contrast, the writer of Source B, who presents a Victorian mother’s perspective, has a negative reaction to her son growing into a young man. She conveys a sense of loss at his independence, even using the phrase ‘My little boy is lost’. By using the word ‘lost’ we understand that she no longer sees herself as part of his life and she regrets that he is no longer dependent on her to ‘replace lost buttons’. 

• Shows detailed, perceptive understanding of writers' ideas and perspectives in both texts

• Compares the ideas and perspectives between the two writers in a perceptive way

• In depth analysis of how language is used to gain a greater understanding of the authors' perspectives

• Uses a range of well selected details to back up points made in both texts.

Heritage, a 21st century father, is in disbelief at how the first year has flown; he ‘blinked’ and the transformation from baby to toddler seemed to happen overnight. There is clearly a tone of fatherly pride as he describes his son’s growing independence; the comparison ‘blasting ahead’ suggests he is powering through each stage of development with unstoppable force like a rocket. The Victorian mother of Source B, however, although perhaps secretly proud of his ‘manly figure,’ conveys her feelings of sadness that her son no longer needs her: ‘It is a long while now since he disappeared,’ implying the loss is literal, whereas it is in fact metaphorical - the mother has emotionally, not physically, lost him. She uses a repetitive structure to emphasise her tone of regret. Each paragraph begins with the guests’ views on the positive aspects of life without young children, which is, ironically, the opposite of how the mother feels.