Both texts powerfully present young people taking control

Marking points

1. 1 Develop a supported judgement about how far the statement is true.
2. 2 Evaluate the power or effectiveness of the writers' methods, not just the characters' experiences.
3. 3 Compare Text 1 and Text 2 explicitly rather than writing separate unrelated accounts.
4. 4 Use quotations or textual references from both texts.
5. 5 Address both the experience of taking control and how far the characters succeed.

Full-mark answer

I largely agree that both writers powerfully present young people taking control, but the nature of that control is different. In Text 1, Ferraby is given control by Ericson and at first feels overwhelmed by the huge responsibility of a ship with "weapons" and "sixty-odd men". Monsarrat uses the sound of the captain's seaboots as they "died away" to make the moment of isolation dramatic. However, Ferraby begins to succeed because the ship keeps a steady course and he imagines himself as "the focal point" of a pattern, ending "almost heroic". In Text 2, Kya takes control more secretly and independently: she checks the gas, frees the line, and follows Jodie's advice about the turns. Owens also makes this powerful by emphasising her vulnerability as "only seven" and then personifying the natural world as hostile. The ocean "frowned" and the surf "taunted her", so Kya's control is less complete than Ferraby's. A strong comparison is that Ferraby's confidence grows as the extract progresses, while Kya's courage fails when the sea becomes too challenging. Both texts therefore present taking control powerfully, but Monsarrat presents successful control more fully, while Owens presents the limits of control against nature.