Link to this page: https://short-stories-anglais.netlify.app/general/c1c2-essay.html
Subject: “In a great short story, the last line changes everything.” Discuss this statement with reference to at least two stories of the sequence. 400 to 500 words, 2 hours.
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Argument: thesis, nuance, counter argument | 6 |
| Use of the texts: precise references and short quotations | 5 |
| Literary analysis: irony, narrator, structure, effect | 4 |
| Language: range, accuracy, register | 5 |
| Total | 20 |
| Level | Argument | Texts | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 20 | original thesis, real debate | well chosen quotations, analysed | rich, accurate, fluent |
| 11 to 15 | clear plan, some nuance | relevant examples | good range, few errors |
| 6 to 10 | list of ideas | retelling of the plot | basic, errors that do not block meaning |
| 0 to 5 | off topic | no reference | communication difficult |
Possible plan. I. The last line reorganises meaning: “Wolves.” reverses the reconciliation in Saki; the paste necklace in Maupassant turns ten years into irony. II. But the ending works only because everything prepares it: Poe's unity of effect, O. Henry's narrator who comments on the “wisest” gift. III. Beyond the trick: a great story survives a second reading, when we know the twist; the tension moves from surprise to irony and meaning.
Reminder, the sequence online: https://short-stories-anglais.netlify.app