GCSE Examiners are likely to award the highest marks to students whose answers demonstrate that they understand, the key aspects of Macbeth – such as the theme of power as a corruptive influence, the role that gender plays in the story, Shakespeare’s use of supernatural elements such as the witches and Banquo’s ghost, the relationship and similarities or differences between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the play’s symbolic use of blood and weather – and can back these up with relevant evidence