Italian A subject report · May 2016

May 2016 extended essay reports Page 1 Italian A Overall grade boundaries Grade: E D C B A Mark range: 0–7 8–15 16–22 23–28 29–36 Range and suitability of the work submitted Once again this year there were essays that demonstrated many candidates’ commitment and enthusiasm. There were examples that demonstrated how much candidates enjoyed interpreting literary texts or other artistic creations, and exploring an aspect of the language or a social phenomenon. It is evident that these essays sometimes represent the students' first real piece of research work, which will give them useful skills for their forthcoming studies. However, it is also clear that the quantity and quality of work submitted can vary greatly from one essay to another. We would like to focus on one of the signi ficant trends we observed, namely that of candidates who produce their analysis with little or no access to existing work on the subject. These candidates make a huge effort to produce original and innovative work. The main obstacles they come up against o ften stem from insufficient knowledge of the subject matter, the specific methods of analysis and the existing scientific context. Candidates who embark on research work without having basic knowledge of the subject matter or the appropriate analysis method may receive lower grades for their efforts. As in every year, we see literary analyses that are not always backed up by a sufficient knowledge of the essential basics of narrative and narrative structure. We could also mention attempts at literary crit icism drawing on psychoanalysis. We are not suggesting that some fields should be completely avoided, but rather that candidates should not focus on a field of research or a