The discursive question — Answering the 19th-century prose question — OCR GCSE English Literature J352
OCR GCSE English Literature · J352
The discursive question
What you need to know
How the discursive question works: a short view of the novel to agree or disagree with, how far, using at least two moments from the novel, with no extract printed, for 40 marks in about 45 minutes, closed book.
What earns the marks: response (AO1) and language, form and structure (AO2), equally weighted and carrying the most weight; context (AO3) where it is relevant to the question; and 4 marks for vocabulary, sentence structures, spelling and punctuation (AO4).
Building an argument: a clear answer to 'how far' in the opening, two to four moments analysed closely, both sides weighed, and a conclusion that settles the question; an answer built on one moment is held at Level 3, and one with only a brief second moment at Level 4.
Quoting from memory: short, precise quotations learned for each key moment, woven into your sentences.
The worked example: the June 2025 A Christmas Carol question on whether Bob Cratchit and Scrooge are as brave as each other, with a plan, a model answer of about 800 words, the level and mark an examiner would give and why, and a Grade 5 and a Grade 8 paragraph side by side.
The discursive questions OCR set on each novel in June 2025 and June 2024, and what examiners said about them.
Common mistakes: agreeing without weighing the other side, retelling, background that doesn't serve the argument, and writing about only one moment.
