Example Exam Answers: Q1

1. Explain two ways in which the narrative (characters and events) in the extract fits the action
adventure genre. Use examples from the extract. (10)

This question is the Action Adventure Genre question where you have to show that you understand the conventions of the genre. You need to identify the genre conventions and then use the clip as examples in your answer.This is the easier question and you must attempt it.

Extract from Candidate Script 1: This answer gained 8/10 marks.

The narrative in the extract fits the action adventure genre in various ways. There is a battle between the good and evil which is conventional of the genre, the protagonist (Nic) is shown as confident and able to fight because it’s almost like a one-man army. He is up against more ‘villains’ which makes him outnumbered as they have more weapons too, which again is conventional of action adventure, because it emphasizes his victory (or defeat) in the end.

Another way the extract fits the genre of action adventure is making Nic, the protagonist, independent and confident. The fact that the protagonist is chewing gum in the close-up at the beginning ‘shows’ his confident attitude as if he wasn’t expecting a difficult battle but has come prepared with weapons/objects and team.

COMMENTARY

The candidate doesn’t use the term ‘hero’, and the statement that ‘there is a protagonist’ does not count, in itself, as a generic convention. However, the heroic quality is clearly implied in the candidate’s description of the protagonist as ‘confident’ and like a ‘one man army’ so this answer does just enough to establish the heroic protagonist as a convention.

So the answer clearly states two conventions: a battle between good and evil and the outnumbered hero. The answer has already reached at least level three in the mark scheme by the end of the first page.

The fact the answer then uses some key terms – ‘conventional’ and ‘protagonist’ – raises the answer into level four, but there isn’t a confident, well-exemplified statement of conventions needed for the top of the band.