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Year 10
AQA

Exploring model responses to an essay about Viv and belonging in ‘Leave Taking’

I can understand what makes an excellent analytical paragraph about ‘Leave Taking’, and develop my own excellent analytical paragraphs.

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Year 10
AQA

Exploring model responses to an essay about Viv and belonging in ‘Leave Taking’

I can understand what makes an excellent analytical paragraph about ‘Leave Taking’, and develop my own excellent analytical paragraphs.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Topic sentences should link to the question.
  2. References to the text should link to your topic sentence, come from across the play, and be rich in methods.
  3. Writer’s methods should be explored without always relying on single word analysis.
  4. Context should be woven into analysis, not bolted on to the end of a paragraph.

Keywords

  • Belonging - The feeling that you are accepted in a group, community or society.

  • Eurocentric - When there is a focus on European culture or history, ignoring or excluding cultures and history from the wider world.

  • Dramatic methods - The tools a playwright uses to create drama. Examples are setting, stage directions, dialogue and language choices.

  • Weave - In relation to context, when you embed it into paragraphs rather than including it as a series of isolated facts.

  • Colonialism - When a country establishes control over another country, exploiting it for economic gain.

Common misconception

Context can't be included in a topic sentence or analysis. It must be confined to its own sentences.

Context can be woven into any moment in a paragraph; you must decide where it will be most purposeful.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Exploring model responses to an essay about Viv and belonging in ‘Leave Taking’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider whether you can use models from your own class to replace the models in the lesson.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Contains strong language
  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'Leave Taking', Viv and Del, Enid's children, are generation immigrants.
Correct Answer: second, "second", Second., Second, second.
Q2.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', Viv says she wants to visit the West Indies. What reason does she give?
She wants to escape Enid.
She wants to visit Uncle Brod's family.
Correct answer: She feels it will help her understand her identity.
Mai suggests she goes rather than attending university.
She and Del have always talked about visiting.
Q3.
What does Viv tell Del in Scene Five of 'Leave Taking'?
That their father used to abuse their mother.
That their grandmother is dead.
That she has booked a ticket to Jamaica.
That Enid has kicked her and Brod out.
Correct answer: That she skipped one of her A-Level exams.
Q4.
When writing an essay on 'Leave Taking', you can include context to develop your ideas. There are four different types of context you could use. Match each to its definition.
Correct Answer:Historical,What was happening when the text was written
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What was happening when the text was written

Correct Answer:Literary,The text's style, genre and publication history
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The text's style, genre and publication history

Correct Answer:Social,Attitudes and values of the time period(s)
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Attitudes and values of the time period(s)

Correct Answer:Biographical,Details from the writer's life
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Details from the writer's life

Q5.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Viv quotes from two British writers: William Shakespeare and Rupert Brooke. How does Enid respond?
She is angry that Viv is studying rather than helping her clean.
She quotes these writers back to Viv as well.
She asks her if she also knows who Nanny of the Maroons is.
Correct answer: She is proud, but confused as she doesn't know these quotations herself.
She asks Mai if this is enough to ensure Viv passes her exams.
Q6.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says her parents were "indoctrinated by a colonialist that lionised [celebrated] all things British".
Correct Answer: education, Education, "education", Education., education.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Context can be used in essays on 'Leave Taking'. How should you incorporate it?
In an individual paragraph at the end of the essay.
At the end of each paragraph as a bolt on.
Just in your introduction: context must be clear from the beginning.
Correct answer: Weave it into your response where appropriate.
In the final sentence of your conclusion.
Q2.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', how does Viv describe Mai's house once inside?
as smelly
Correct answer: as like a museum
as likely full of rats
as a farmyard
as probably full of stolen items
Q3.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Brod asks Viv about Nanny of the Maroons. Why?
He wants Viv to go and meet her when she visits Jamaica.
Correct answer: He wants her to know about her cultural identity and history.
He thinks she is an historical figure that may come up in her exams.
He and Enid have been talking about her recently so she is on his mind.
Correct answer: He is angry about her Eurocentric education.
Q4.
In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Viv tells Enid that she is unhappy about spending her "life bent over that have nothing to do with me."
Correct Answer: books, Books, "books", Books., books.
Q5.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says one reason she wrote the play was to explore the experiences of "this breed of black British woman".
Correct Answer: new, "new", New, New., new.
Q6.
In Scene Five of 'Leave Taking', Viv tells Del she skipped an exam even though "pat me on the head and they [the answers] all come tumbling out, say exactly what the want to hear."
Correct Answer: examiners, Examiners, "examiners", Examiners., examiners.