The sample written task 2 below has taken its inspiration from a United Colors of Benetton advertisement. Students studied language and taboo in Part 1, with a particular focus on AIDS awareness campaigns. ‘La Pieta’, the Benetton ad, was considered very controversial. As you can read in the sample critical response below, an understanding of the context leads to different interpretations of the same text. The question answered in the task is:
“How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers?”
The sample examines two different interpretations of the Benetton: a Christian perspective and a homosexual perspective.
Tip: For several written task 2 questions, one can easily risk over-generalizing and stereotyping. This question is not an exception. By writing about Christians and homosexuals, the candidate takes a real risk. However, as you will read, careful wording and good research can prevent generalizations.
Primary source
La Pieta
Oliviero Toscani
1991
Examiner’s Comments
G20 English A: Language and Literature 