OCR A-Level English Language and Literature: comparing and recreating texts (Component 03 Section B and the NEA) overview quiz quiz

Transform or extend the set prose text into a new creative piece, informed by the original

Write a formal analytical essay arguing about the meaning and methods of the set prose text

Compare two unrelated non-fiction texts on a shared theme and evaluate which is more effective

Write an original poem on any theme of your choosing, with no link back to the set text at all

AO3

AO5

AO4

AO1

It copies whole passages of the original text directly, simply reproducing the source word for word

It deliberately ignores the original text altogether and instead invents a completely free, brand new and entirely unrelated story

It is consistent with the original's world, characters, concerns and method, ideally illuminating something it leaves in shadow

It briefly summarises the plot and main events of the original instead of crafting any new creative writing

Using precise linguistic terminology to label the features of your own crafted piece of writing

Analysing the constructed voice of your piece and explaining how its lexis and grammar build it

Linking your recreative piece explicitly back to the world and methods of the original set text

Narrating the writing process ('first I... then I...') instead of analysing how the piece means

AO1, AO2 and AO3

AO5 (creativity) only

AO4 (comparison) only

AO5 and AO4 together

A written closed-book examination sat under timed conditions at the end of the two-year course

An independent study: a comparative analytical essay and an original non-fiction piece, worth 40 marks

A poetry anthology that you compile yourself, annotate and submit for marking by the senior examining team

A formal spoken presentation delivered to the class and assessed live by your teacher on the day

AO5 (creative production)

AO3 (contextual factors)

AO4 (comparison)

AO1 (terminology)

It is graded entirely separately from the set text, with its own distinct mark scheme applied

It must always be the longest of the two non-fiction texts that you choose to write about here

It completely replaces the set text, so the essay only ever discusses the free-choice text alone

AO4 dominance means the essay lives on the comparison, which is only as good as the pairing

AO5 (creative production)

AO4 (sustained comparison)

AO3 (contextual factors)

AO1 (linguistic terminology)

To increase the overall word count of the piece so that it comfortably meets the required length

A sharp brief gives every craft choice a criterion; a vague address produces generic writing that scores modestly

Because OCR sets a single fixed audience and purpose in advance that every candidate must write towards exactly and without deviation

To avoid having to commit to any particular form, register or structure when drafting the piece

It deliberately makes the act of writing slower, which examiners are known to reward in itself

It is strictly required by the word count limit, so a deliberate piece is simply one that happens to be of the right length

Deliberate choices are controlled writing (AO5) and give the commentary or introduction material to analyse

It avoids creativity, since planning every choice in advance leaves no room for original expression

The title of the piece, since a striking headline is what most shapes a reader's whole response

The exact word count, because hitting the prescribed length is what makes a piece read as crafted

The choice of font and page layout, which is what gives a written piece its distinctive character

Voice (the constructed persona or perspective), built through grammar, lexis and rhythm