2c. Content of Prose Literature (H443/03) - Group 2 - For examination in 2030, 2031 and 2032 (sixth set text cycle) — OCR A-Level Latin
Verified courseTeaching note checked against the official specification.
2c. Content of Prose Literature (H443/03) - Group 2 - For examination in 2030, 2031 and 2032 (sixth set text cycle) explained
2c. Content of Prose Literature (H443/03) - Group 2 - For examination in 2030, 2031 and 2032 (sixth set text cycle) covers 6 specification points, including Cicero, In Catilinam 2, 1–16 and 27–29 and Cicero, In Catilinam 2, 17–26 and Sallust,….
Read the full explanation
Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Cicero, In Catilinam 2, 1–16 and 27–29
This Group 2 prescription covers In Catilinam 2, sections 1–16 and 27–29, for H443/03 in 2030, 2031 and 2032. Read the set Latin closely, building an accurate translation and noting Cicero's rhetoric. Remember the speech's setting: Cicero delivers In Catilinam 2 to the Roman people (ad Quirites), not to the Senate, so analyse how he addresses and persuades a popular audience rather than senators. Sections 1–16 present Catiline's character and the threat he embodies; sections 27–29 turn to the consequences and Cicero's defence of his own position. Track how Cicero uses characterisation, contrast and vivid description to shape the crowd's judgement, and prepare to comment on specific Latin wording.
English: Cicero, In Catilinam 2, 17–26 and Sallust, Bellum Catilinae, 26–35
This Group 2 prose prescription is studied in English translation, so you work from the translated text rather than the Latin. Read the two set passages as a linked pair: Cicero's In Catilinam 2, 17–26 and Sallust's Bellum Catilinae, 26–35. Build a working knowledge of what each author does and why. For Cicero, track how the speaker characterises Catiline and his followers and what effect he seeks on his audience. For Sallust, track how the narrator presents the conspiracy's origins, the conspirators and the unfolding crisis. Note similarities and differences in tone, characterisation and rhetorical or narrative technique, and support every point with close reference to the translated wording. Prepare to write analytically about both passages, using short supporting references rather than long quotation.
Tacitus, Agricola, 29–40
This row prescribes Tacitus, Agricola 29–40 for H443/03 in the 2030–2032 cycle, read in Latin with English support. The section centres on the campaign in Britain, including the speeches before battle and the account of the engagement, so read it as narrated history shaped by a narrator with a purpose. Track who speaks, who acts and in what order: note where Tacitus reports a speech directly, where he narrates, and where he reports the words of others. Examine how the narrator characterises Agricola and his opponents, and how geography and morale are used. Keep all evidence within chapters 29–40 and this cycle.
English: Tacitus, Agricola, 18–28 and 41–46
This Group 2 prescription is studied in English translation, so analyse the translated text rather than the Latin. The set selection is Tacitus, Agricola, chapters 18–28 and 41–46. Chapters 18–28 cover Agricola's campaigns in Britain, including his governorship and the consolidation of Roman control; chapters 41–46 cover the later material, including the hostility Agricola faced and the closing assessment of his life and character. Read the two blocks as a pair and track how the narrator shapes judgement of Agricola through selection, emphasis and comment. Note where the narrator reports events and where the narrator evaluates them, and distinguish the narrator's voice from the reported words of other figures. Support every analytical point with close reference to the translated wording, and prepare to write about Tacitus's methods and purposes across both blocks.
Petronius, Satyricon, 79–83, 88 and 111–112
This row names a prescribed Latin set text for Prose Literature (H443/03), Group 2, examined in 2030, 2031 and 2032. The passages are Petronius, Satyricon 79–83, 88 and 111–112, read in the original Latin. Learners prepare these sections closely: they build vocabulary and syntax, translate accurately, and analyse literary style, characterisation and narrative technique. They also relate the passages to the wider Satyricon and to Petronius' Neronian context. Study the Latin text itself, using a commentary and dictionary, and practise translating and commenting on the specified sections only.
English: Petronius, Satyricon 68–78
This row names one prescribed prose set text for H443/03: the English translation of Petronius' Satyricon, chapters 68 to 78, studied for examination in 2030, 2031 and 2032 as part of the sixth set text cycle. Read the set passage in English, so the assessment turns on content, characterisation, humour and literary technique rather than on translating Latin. Work through the chapters in order, tracking who speaks and who acts at each point, since the dinner scene moves rapidly between speakers. Note how Petronius uses the narrator's report of others' words, and record the chapter for each observation you may later cite. Build a running log of themes such as wealth, social climbing, pretence and mortality, and check each claim against the exact wording of the translation you are given.
Your focus
- Translate the set sections of In Catilinam 2 accurately.
- Explain how Cicero characterises Catiline for the Roman people.
- Analyse Cicero's rhetorical techniques, supporting points with the Latin text.
Show all 18 objectives
- Explain how Cicero characterises Catiline and his followers in In Catilinam 2, 17–26, using close reference to the translated text.
- Explain how Sallust presents the conspiracy and its participants in Bellum Catilinae, 26–35, using close reference to the translated text.
- Compare the two authors' techniques and effects, supporting each comparison with specific translated wording.
- Read and translate the prescribed chapters with accurate understanding of the narrative.
- Distinguish direct speech, narration and reported speech and explain the effect of each.
- Analyse how Tacitus characterises Agricola and his opponents within chapters 29–40.
- Explain how Tacitus narrates Agricola's campaigns and governorship in chapters 18–28, using close reference to the translated text.
- Explain how the narrator evaluates Agricola and his circumstances in chapters 41–46, distinguishing narration from reported speech.
- Analyse how Tacitus's techniques across both set blocks shape the reader's judgement of Agricola.
- Translate the specified Satyricon sections 79–83, 88 and 111–112 accurately into English.
- Identify and explain literary and stylistic features in the prescribed Latin.
- Relate the set passages to the wider Satyricon and its context.
- Identify the prescribed chapters of the Satyricon in English and locate key episodes within them.
- Explain how Petronius characterises speakers through what they say and how the narrator reports them.
- Analyse themes and literary technique using evidence drawn from the set passage with accurate chapter references.
2c. Content of Prose Literature (H443/03) - Group 2 - For examination in 2030, 2031 and 2032 (sixth set text cycle) exam tips
Examiner Tips
- 💡Keep a section-by-section translation of 1–16 and 27–29 with notes on rhetoric.
- 💡Record the audience of each speech so your analysis of persuasion stays accurate.
- 💡Practise explaining the effect of Cicero's word choices with brief Latin quotation.
- 💡Review how the opening characterisation of Catiline connects to the later sections.
- 💡Keep a two-column log for each passage: technique observed, translated phrase that shows it, and the effect created.
- 💡Practise writing short comparative paragraphs that move from Cicero to Sallust and back, always anchored in specific translated wording.
- 💡Rehearse timed plans so you can select the strongest three or four analytical points rather than listing everything you know.
- 💡Map the section by speaker and narrator before analysing, so each quotation can be labelled as direct speech, narration or reported speech.
- 💡Note contrasts the narrator draws between the two sides and explain what each contrast is designed to achieve.
- 💡Draft analytical sentences that name the technique and its effect, then check each against the Latin wording.
- 💡Annotate each set chapter for narrator comment versus reported event, so you can move quickly between narrative and evaluation in an answer.
- 💡Build a bank of short translated phrases that demonstrate Tacitus's techniques, and practise explaining the effect of each.
- 💡Plan comparative paragraphs that link the campaign material of 18–28 with the later assessment in 41–46, showing how the ending colours the earlier narrative.
- 💡Build a vocabulary list from the specified sections and test yourself on it regularly.
- 💡Practise translating each set passage into fluent English, then annotate literary effects in the Latin.
- 💡Rehearse short analytical comments linking style and character to the wider Satyricon and its context.
- 💡Read the whole set passage in English first for narrative flow, then return to key episodes and annotate speaker, audience and effect.
- 💡Keep a chapter-by-chapter log of who speaks, who acts and what is revealed about character, so sequence questions are answered with explicit agents.
- 💡Quote only wording that appears in your prescribed translation, and state whether it is direct speech, narration or the narrator reporting another character.
Common Mistakes
- Assumes In Catilinam 2 is addressed to the Senate; recognise that Cicero speaks to the Roman people (ad Quirites) and analyse persuasion accordingly.
- Reads only an English translation and neglects the Latin; prepare a close translation of the set sections.
- Comments on characterisation without citing the Latin; anchor each observation to specific words.
- Treats sections 27–29 as identical in purpose to 1–16; note the shift in focus and argument.
- Treats the prescription as Latin reading and attempts word-order or diction analysis; instead work from the English translation and analyse the translated wording, characterisation and technique.
- Reads the two authors in isolation and misses the comparative opportunity; instead build explicit links between Cicero's portrayal and Sallust's narrative of the same crisis.
- Retells the plot without analysis; instead make each paragraph a point about authorial method supported by close reference to the translated text.
- Assumes a fixed number of marks or a prescribed essay shape; instead check the current OCR specification and sample assessment materials for the actual requirements.
- Treats the battle speeches as the narrator's own unmediated opinion; distinguish direct speech from Tacitus's narration and attribute each view correctly.
- Retells the campaign without analysing how the narrator shapes it; connect stylistic choices such as word order and contrast to the effect created.
- Uses evidence from chapters outside 29–40; restrict every point to the prescribed section and cycle.
- Places the battle of Mons Graupius and the opposing commanders' speeches inside the set chapters; instead keep analysis within chapters 18–28 and 41–46 and treat that material as outside the prescription.
- Attempts Latin word-order or diction analysis; instead analyse the English translation, focusing on narrative technique, selection and characterisation.
- Confuses the narrator's evaluation with the reported words of a character; instead identify clearly whether a statement is narration or a character speaking.
- Retells events without analysing method; instead make each point about how Tacitus shapes the reader's view of Agricola, supported by specific translated wording.
- Treats the Satyricon passages as an English-translation-only text; prepare the Latin of 79–83, 88 and 111–112 for translation and literary comment.
- Assumes any Satyricon passage may appear; restrict close preparation to the specified sections 79–83, 88 and 111–112.
- Reads the text only for plot; also analyse style, characterisation and narrative technique in the Latin.
- Ignores the wider work and context; connect the set passages to the Satyricon as a whole and to Petronius' Neronian setting.
- Treats the set text as a Latin translation exercise; read the prescribed English version and analyse content, character and technique instead.
- Attributes an utterance to the wrong speaker; check the surrounding sentences to confirm whether the narrator reports the words or a character speaks them directly.
- Cites a chapter number without checking it against the set passage; verify the location before using it in an answer.