The Commentary Notes

IB English HL Essay (HLE) Grading Breakdown & Expanded Feedback (20/20)

Criterion A: Knowledge & Interpretation (5/5)

1. Depth of insight & interpretation
   1. The essay demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of The World’s Wife, moving beyond surface-level retellings to uncover how Duffy actively reclaims mythological narratives.
   2. Each poem is read through a feminist lens, interpreting Duffy’s poetic reimaginings as critiques of patriarchal constructs embedded in classical mythology.
   3. The student’s analysis reveals how Duffy doesn’t simply revoice these women but reframes the power dynamics that shaped their original silencing.
2. Engagement with the text & global significance
   1. Every paragraph contains detailed, focused engagement with Duffy’s language, form, and narrative style.
   2. The global significance of gendered storytelling is made explicit, the essay highlights how myths influence modern understandings of female roles, identity, and authorship.
   3. The discussion of objectification, marital fidelity, and narrative control connects the ancient with the contemporary, reinforcing the poem’s cultural relevance.
3. Balancing Close & Wide Analysis
   1. The essay zooms in on key lines and images, such as Galatea’s “Cold, I was,” Penelope’s “scarlet thread,” and Eurydice’s direct address to “Girls.”
   2. It zooms out to examine Duffy’s overarching purpose: reclaiming voice, dismantling mythic male dominance, and celebrating female autonomy.
   3. The approach is balanced and nuanced, combining textual precision with thematic breadth.

Criterion B: Analysis & Evaluation (5/5)

1. Depth of Analysis of Literary Techniques
   1. The student provides detailed analysis of Duffy’s use of dramatic monologue, metaphor, tone, and structure.
   2. Rather than just identifying techniques, the essay explains their function, for example, how Galatea’s performative moans undermine the male fantasy of female compliance.
   3. There is clear attention to form and voice, particularly in the contrast between Penelope’s quiet assertion and Eurydice’s defiant tone.
2. Evaluation of Meaning & Purpose
   1. Duffy’s purpose to challenge traditional gender roles and rewrite male-authored myths, is consistently foregrounded.
   2. The essay explores how each speaker offers a critique of female objectification or silencing, showing how Duffy replaces passive muses with resistant narrators.
   3. There is sustained reflection on the power of storytelling, with recognition of how myth has historically been a male-coded medium.
3. Consideration of Alternative Perspectives
   1. The essay avoids treating the characters as one-dimensional symbols of feminism.
   2. Instead, it acknowledges the complexity of each speaker’s response to patriarchy: Galatea’s manipulation, Penelope’s quiet self-definition, and Eurydice’s refusal to be saved.
   3. These differences are evaluated not as contradictions but as part of Duffy’s wider commentary on the diversity of female experience.

Criterion C: Focus & Organization (5/5)

1. Clear & Logical Structure
   1. The essay follows a well-structured plan: