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Question
A ballad includes the telling of a tale as well as a surprise ending. Using evidence from the poem, explain how these features are included in ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’.
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Solution
- Tale: The poem tells the story of Custard, the dragon (setting, characters, rising action, climax, resolution).
- portrays his life with Belinda and the other pets where he is considered a coward.
- The surprise ending: The end of the poem shows how Custard rose to the occasion; gobbled the pirate and proved his bravery.
Notes
The question indicates that the examiner knows the elements of a ballad and that the poem has a few and hence that requires no elaboration.
The question needs an answer identifying the features that match the listed aspects of a ballad.
Content -
Award 1 mark for a full explanation of the two strands (Tale and Surprise ending).
Award ½ mark for a partial explanation.
Expression -
1 mark when both aspects are included.
✓ Answer organised effectively
✓ usage of words linking the ballad to evidence from the poem (similarly, just as etc.)
½ mark when either aspect is missing
Deduct ½ mark from the overall score if the error density is high (more than a total of 2 spellings and grammatical errors).
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Why did the pirate 'gape' at Belinda's dragon?
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Answer the following in about 40-50 words:
Describe how Custard the dragon fights with the Pirate.
Answer the following in about 40-50 words:
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Answer the following in about 40-50 words:
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