Aspects of comedy - specimen question commentary for AS Paper 1, Section B - Paper 1B

Oct 20, 2026

Resource provides specimen-question commentary for AS Paper 1, Section B, explaining how a Section B question from the assessment material maps to the exam’s assessment objectives and how students might approach it within a closed-book setting. It outlines the Section B focus on critical viewpoints or the significance of comedic aspects in the studied non-Shakespeare play, including timing, what to reference in dramatic methods, and how arguments can be grounded in text and question. Includes sample question on She Stoops to Conquer and guidance on content, contexts, and AO targeting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Aspects of comedy: specimen question commentary for AS Paper 1, Section B

Paper 1B, Section B overview

Sample question

How the question addresses the assessment objectives

Possible content for the mark scheme

Aspects of comedy: specimen question commentary for AS Paper 1, Section B This resource explains how a question taken from the specimen assessment material addresses the assessment objectives, and there are some suggestions of how the task might be approached. Section B questions in Paper 1 are similar in construction to the prose questions on Paper 2. Here though the examination is closed book so students will be dependent on their memories for selecting relevant material. Paper 1B, Section B The questions in Section B will focus on a critical viewpoint or the significance of an aspect of comedy in the non-Shakespeare play studied. Students should spend about 45 minutes on this question. There will be one question on each of the three plays offered in Section B for AS. Students will be asked to explore either a given view or the significance of an aspect of the play. They will be reminded to include relevant comment on the playwright's dramatic methods. In their response, students can show how their text can be interpreted in different ways and they can also offer a strong personal view which is rooted in the text and question. Sample Question Explore the view that, in She Stoops to Conquer, barmaids are not simply figures of fun, they are positively celebrated. Remember to include in your answer relevant comment on Goldsmith's dramatic methods. How the question addresses the assessment objectives: In this question, as throughout the paper, the assessment objectives are all assessed. The application of the AOs in relation to the task is similar to the way it works in Paper 2, Section B questions, though here students are asked to make relevant comment for AO2 as opposed to relevant analysis of the prose writer's authorial methods which is the requirement for Paper 2; this is to reflect the differences in demand for closed and open book exams. It is important that students engage with 'dramatic methods' here showing that they know they are writing about a play. AO3 will be addressed through the students writing about the dramatic context, given that the disguised Kate pretends to be a barmaid, a point which heightens the play's comedy, and through students writing about gender and social contexts since barmaids are clearly female with all kinds of cultural associations around them (in this play they are also representatives of the lower social classes) . It would also be relevant for students to refer to the eighteenth century context in which Goldsmith wrote the play (in relation to the question of barmaids being celebrated or simply figures of fun) and to write about how the play has been received. AO4 will be targeted when students engage with the wider generic aspect of fun and celebration and AO5 will be hit when the students engage with the argument about whether barmaids are not simply figures of fun but are positively celebrated in Goldsmith's play. AO1 will be tested through the way students construct their arguments and the way they express their ideas. Possible content: The possible content of the mark scheme provides some ideas that students might write about. However, there are clearly many others and if students are reading She Stoops to Conquer through the lens of dramatic comedy, they will be able to identify many ideas themselves. It is likely that students who agree with the proposition will focus on the joy audiences receive at watching Kate performing the role of barmaid to trick Marlow and to bring out his confidence. They might focus on the way that Kate has fun herself at the expense of the sophisticated Marlow, how they engage in sexual banter and how their word play and obvious flirtations set the pathway for a romantic ending. There might also be comment on Tony's adoration of Bet Bouncer (if she is a barmaid at The Three Jolly Pigeons) and how she is preferred above the wealthy and cultured Miss Neville. Students might show how Tony elevates her in his speeches and in the play'

FAQs

What is the aim of the AS Paper 1, Section B specimen question commentary resource?

It explains how a specimen assessment question addresses the assessment objectives and suggests ways students might approach the task in a closed-book exam.

What do students need to do in Section B Paper 1B?

Students explore either a given view or the significance of an aspect of the non-Shakespeare play studied, include relevant comment on the playwright’s dramatic methods, and can argue personal interpretations rooted in the text and question.

How does the sample question on She Stoops to Conquer relate to the assessment objectives?

The resource maps AO2, AO3, AO4, and AO5 through discussion of dramatic methods, dramatic context (including disguised Kate and gender/social contexts), generic ideas of fun and celebration, and the argument about whether barmaids are merely figures of fun or positively celebrated.

Oct 20, 2026

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