AQA A-Level English Literature A Paper 1: Love through the ages, June 2025: Question 6

25 marks · Hard difficulty · Extended Response

Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about the loyalty and faithfulness of lovers, writing about at least two poems and one prose text.

Practise this question

Question

Question 06 asks students to compare how the authors of two texts they have studied present ideas about the loyalty and faithfulness of lovers. A rubric note specifies: 'You must write about at least two poems in your answer as well as the prose text you have studied.' The question is worth 25 marks.
Question text

Either

06 Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about the loyalty

and faithfulness of lovers.

You must write about at least two poems in your answer as well as the prose text you

have studied.

[25 marks]

Mark scheme

Show the mark scheme Mark scheme for Question 06 outlining possible content broken down by Assessment Objectives: AO5 (interpretations of loyalty and faithfulness), AO4 (connections across texts), AO3 (contexts), AO2 (authorial methods in poetry and prose), and AO1 (argument and written expression). It notes that students must write about at least two poems from the poetry text to achieve Band 4 or higher.

Question 06

06 Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about the loyalty

and faithfulness of lovers.

You must write about at least two poems in your answer as well as the prose text you

have studied.

[25 marks]

Possible content:

Please refer to pages 4 to 7.

AO5 Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations

Students might consider:

• loyalty and faithfulness as distinct notions (equally or unequally handled) or as one

• loyalty and faithfulness as sexual and/or emotional exclusivity, seen as an expectation of

committed relationships and marriage

• different kinds of loyalty and faithfulness

• how the two operate in love relationships, as opposed to friendship

• situations where there is one but not the other, or perhaps neither

• loyalty and faithfulness as being completely truthful in words and deeds

• the significance of not adhering to expectations of loyalty and faithfulness

• texts where lovers are loyal/disloyal, faithful/unfaithful, perhaps in different ways and to different

degrees

• texts where the importance of loyalty and faithfulness are considered and discussed

• texts where loyalty and faithfulness are seen as essential

• texts where lovers are loyal and faithful because they are compatible/respectful

• texts where relationships impose a legal and/or moral obligation of loyalty and faithfulness

• texts where the narrative depends upon loyalty and faithfulness in some way

• texts where there is a revelation or realisation of loyalty/disloyalty/fidelity/infidelity and the effect of

this on the narrative/poem

• texts where lovers claim one or both, but this strains credibility and/or challenges expectations

• the use of ‘loyalty’ and ‘faithfulness’ in the question

• etc.

AO4 Explore connections across literary texts

Focus might be on (in the literature of love):

• representations of: ideas about loyalty and faithfulness; the effects of disloyalty and/or infidelity

• similarity and/or difference at the level of subject matter

• the extent to which each text’s presentation of loyalty and faithfulness can be seen as typical of its

genre, form or historical period

• etc.

AO3 Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which

literary texts are written and received

Focus might be on:

• reference to historical periods

• the ways in which social and cultural attitudes may be reflected in their chosen texts

• the ways in which social and cultural attitudes may have changed over time

• reference to the gender of the writers and the ways they present loyalty and fidelity

• reference to how the differing male/female experience of loyalty and faithfulness is presented

• aspects of text type and differences of genre context

• aspects of time and geographical setting

• etc.

AO2 Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts

Focus might be on relevant aspects of:

• genre differences

• poetic methods

• prose methods

• etc.

AO1 Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated

concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression

• quality of argument

• organisation of ideas

• use of appropriate concepts and terminology

• technical accuracy

• comparing texts.

Accept any valid interpretations, any valid comments on contexts and any valid discussion of

authorial methods.

Note: Students must write about at least two poems from the poetry text to achieve a mark Band 4

or higher.

How to answer it

Comparative Essay: The Loyalty and Faithfulness of Lovers

AQA A-Level English Literature A • Paper 1: Love Through the Ages • Section C • 25 Marks

What This Question Tests

This synoptic comparative question tests your ability to explore how core themes of romantic constancy, betrayal, and obligation are constructed across time, literary movements, and genres.

AO1 Coherent Argument & Terminology: Fluent, concepts-driven critical essay structure with accurate literary metalanguage.
AO2 Methods & Form: Analysis of how poetic techniques (meter, stanzaic structure, imagery) and prose techniques (narrative voice, dialogue, focalisation) create meaning.
AO3 Context: Influence of historical, gender, social, and moral codes surrounding fidelity and sexual double standards.
AO4 Cross-Text Comparison: Illuminating connections, parallels, and divergences across literary traditions.
AO5 Critical Interpretations: Nuanced debate on whether fidelity is an authentic virtue, a transactional obligation, or an impossible ideal.

1. The Non-Negotiable Rubric Rule

Avoiding the Band Ceiling Trap

❌ Crucial Mark Scheme Hurdle (Band Cap Warning)

Official Examiner Note: "Students must write about at least two poems from the poetry text to achieve a mark Band 4 or higher."

Writing about only one poem alongside your prose text automatically caps your maximum score at Band 3 (15/25 marks maximum), regardless of how sophisticated your analysis is. You must balance two poems + one prose novel.

🧠 Structural Timing & Balance

Adopt an integrated, theme-led approach rather than writing in isolated silos:

  • Introduction: Define both terms (fidelity vs loyalty), outline conceptual thesis, and introduce texts.
  • Comparative Point 1: Prose text paired with Poem 1 (e.g. idealised fidelity vs bitter reality).
  • Comparative Point 2: Prose text paired with Poem 2 (e.g. patriarchal constraints and double standards).
  • Comparative Point 3: Synthesis across all three texts on resolution / permanence of love.

💡 Unpacking the Prompt: Loyalty vs. Faithfulness

Top-band scripts tease apart nuanced distinctions rather than treating them as mere synonyms:

  • Faithfulness: Often denotes physical, sexual, and emotional exclusivity, sacred vows, or fidelity to marriage oaths.
  • Loyalty: Broader moral devotion, allyship against social pressure, steadfast emotional support, and keeping faith despite absence or adversity.
  • The Friction: Can a lover remain emotionally loyal while physically unfaithful (or vice versa)?

2. Comparative Thematic Frameworks

Example Pairings (AQA Anthology + Prose Text)

✅ Theme 1: Transcendent Constancy vs. Transactional Loyalty

Exemplar Texts: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) paired with Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare) & The Scrutiny (Lovelace).

  • Sonnet 116: Faithfulness presented as an immutable spiritual anchor ( "an ever-fixed mark" ) impervious to time and decay.
  • The Great Gatsby: Gatsby’s obsessive, monomaniacal loyalty to an illusion of Daisy versus Daisy’s retreat into the careless, transactional fidelity of wealth and social status with Tom.
  • The Scrutiny: Cavalier rejection of monogamy; speaker treats fidelity as an unnatural imprisonment that denies male liberty ( "rob thee of a new embrace" ).

✅ Theme 2: Gender Double Standards & Betrayal

Exemplar Texts: Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Hardy) paired with Ae Fond Kiss (Burns) & Non Sum Qualis Eram... (Dowson).

  • Tess: Tess remains spiritually loyal to Angel Clare despite abandonment, yet Victorian moral codes enforce a hypocritical double standard when Angel cannot forgive her past.
  • Dowson ("Cynara"): Explores the Decadent paradox of desperate psychological devotion during physical infidelity ( "I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion" ).
  • Burns: Platonic, courteous resignation to circumstance where loyalty remains unblemished despite inevitable separation.

📐 Step-by-Step Micro-Analysis Method (AO2 + AO3 Integration)

  1. Identify the Authorial Method: Name the specific device (e.g. volta, enjambment, unreliable first-person focalisation, symbolic motif).
  2. Unpack the Literal and Connotative Effect: How does this technique depict the lover’s commitment, temptation, or betrayal?
  3. Anchor in Genre & Historical Context (AO3): Did the period’s legal, religious, or patriarchal framework enforce, punish, or reward this stance?
  4. Direct Comparative Pivot (AO4): Connect immediately to your comparative text using contrastive/connective markers ( "Whereas Hardy exposes the ruinous asymmetry of Victorian chastity codes, Dowson subverts..." ).

3. Examiner Commentary: Band 4/5 vs. Band 2/3

Distinguishing Exceptional Answers from Mediocre Scripts

🧠 What Distinguishes Top-Level Responses (Bands 4 & 5)

  • Conceptual Agility: Directly interrogates the question's premise—asking who demands loyalty, at what psychological cost, and whether fidelity is sustained or eroded.
  • Sustained Cross-Referencing: Weaves between the prose text and both poems within paragraphs rather than writing separate, isolated blocks.
  • Equal Weight on Methods: Explores poetic structure (rhyme schemes, sonnet turns, meter) as deeply as prose mechanics (narrative perspective, character foil, setting).
  • Context as Perspective: Integrates context as the origin of characters' moral conflicts, not as potted history dates tacked onto the ends of paragraphs.

❌ Common Misconceptions & Costly Errors

  • The "One Poem" Disaster: Writing brilliantly on 1 prose text and 1 poem, forfeiting marks above 15.
  • Plot Summary without Method: Retelling the narrative of adultery or romance without analysing authorial crafting and voice.
  • Treating Fidelity Simplistically: Assuming loyalty is always positive; failing to see when loyalty becomes toxic, delusional, or oppressive.
  • Asymmetrical Analysis: Giving 70% of the essay to the novel and hastily rushing through two poems in the final five minutes.
Band 5 (21–25 marks) Descriptor Reminder: Demands an "autonomous, perceptive, and illuminating" comparative argument. Ensure your thesis establishes a clear analytical stance in the very first sentence.

Topics

Love through the ages: poetry and prose · AQA Anthology of Love Poetry Through the Ages

Question and mark scheme from the AQA A-Level English Literature A examination, Paper 1: Love through the ages, June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.