Q7 — Extended evaluation (10 marks)

Question: 'The way a candidate handles questions matters more than the presentation itself.' Evaluate this statement with reference to the OCR Spoken Language Endorsement criteria and to relevant linguistic theory. (10 marks)

Mark scheme — Levelled (AO8 + AO9):

• Level 1 (1–2): Simple agreement or disagreement. No theory; little reference to OCR criteria.
• Level 2 (3–4): Some reference to OCR descriptors (e.g., 'confident handling of challenge'). Begins to weigh both sides.
• Level 3 (5–6): Balanced argument: presentation establishes content (AO7), Q&A demonstrates spontaneous command of register and reasoning (AO8). One linguistic reference (e.g., Grice 1975).
• Level 4 (7–8): Sustained evaluation with named theory (Grice's Cooperative Principle; Goffman's face-work 1967). Weighs that Q&A is the discriminator between Pass and Distinction because rehearsal cannot disguise weak listening or non-Standard English.
• Level 5 (9–10): Perceptive, conceptualised judgement. Argues that the dichotomy is false — the presentation frames the Q&A, but Q&A validates it. Concludes with reference to the 2023 OCR Examiner Report's note that monosyllabic Q&A answers cap performance at Pass regardless of the original presentation's quality. Sustained Standard English in the response itself.