Each question on this exam paper assesses all four Assessment Objectives equally. This means it is important that you know what skills these Assessment Objectives require you to demonstrate in order to get the most marks.
- AO1 is about demonstrating detailed knowledge of the text:
- This can be through reference to specific quotations and indirect references to the text
- Whatever references you make, they need to be well-selected and well-integrated into your response
- AO2 is about going beyond the text’s surface meaning and plot to look for underlying ideas and attitudes – the writer’s and our own:
- This requires you to ask “why” the author has made the choices they have
- Some elements of the writer’s context can be used to inform your personal response, but only if relevant to the focus of the question
- AO3 requires critical engagement and evaluation of how the text works:
- “Meanings and effects” suggests that there is more than one meaning for a text, and the language, structure and form of the text contribute to those meanings
- It does not mean just listing the literary techniques the writer has used
- In prose, this also means considering how the writer has presented settings, characters and events
- AO4 refers to the way you shape your writing in order to communicate your engagement with the text:
- These responses directly address the words in the question, which are designed to elicit personal responses, such as “powerful”, “vivid”, “striking”, “memorable” and “moving”
- Contextual information should help reinforce your own interpretation, but not replace it
- Your own response is valid as long as it is supported by evidence
The following sections explore the skills you will need to demonstrate in more detail:
- Analysing prose
- Developing a personal response
Analysing prose
Your study of prose in this IGCSE will be based on short stories, extracts from longer prose works or novels. You will either choose a passage-based question, and base your response on the passage given on the exam paper, or an essay question, which will ask you about an aspect of the whole text.
Analysing a piece of prose involves not just looking at the language the writer has used. You might also wish to consider:
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Form
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Explanation
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Plot structure
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A plot could be cyclical:
- This means there could be a recurrent theme or motif
- Or it could mean that the plot “circles back” to the beginning
The writer might also use parallelism:
- This means the use of matching sentences, phrases or longer marks to balance ideas of equal importance
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Mood
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Mood describes the feelings or attitudes of roles and/or characters
It is the emotional impact intended by the writer
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Juxtaposition
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To place two things side by side to compare or contrast for effect:
- This might include the use of foil characters
- A foil is a character who contrasts with another character
- For example, Harry Potter and Voldemort are foils
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Foreshadowing
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This is a warning or a prediction of a future event in the story
The writer might also employ dramatic irony, where the reader might be aware of what is coming, but the characters are not
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In medias res
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This is when the story starts in the middle of the action
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Flashbacks
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A scene set in a time earlier than the main story:
- This device can be used to convey extra information about plot or character
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Soliloquies/dialogue
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A soliloquy is a speech which a character makes to themselves:
- It is a device in which a character’s inner thoughts can be made known to the reader
- Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters in a novel or play
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What to do when analysing the author’s methods
- Take a whole-text approach:
- In the essay question, this could involve commenting on structure: “at the start”/“this changes when”/“in contrast…“
- In the passage-based question, consider how the passage given on the exam paper relates to the rest of the text: where does it appear in the text? What is significant about its position in the text?
- Always frame your essay with the author in mind:
- As the examiners say: “writers use methods, including language and structure, to form and express their ideas – the choices the writer makes are conscious and deliberate”
- Therefore, write that the author “highlights X”, “suggests Y”, “challenges Z”
- Use the words “so” and “because” to push you to explain your own ideas further
- Zoom out to big ideas in your analysis:
- Go from analysing language, or other writer’s choices, to the author’s overall intention or message
- This should always link to the focus of the question
What not to do when analysing the author’s methods
- Do not just “spot techniques”:
- Examiners dislike it when students use overly sophisticated terminology unnecessarily and without analysis
- Knowing the names of sophisticated techniques will not gain you any more marks, especially if these techniques are only “spotted” and the author’s intentions for this language are not explained
- Instead of technique spotting, focus your analysis on the reasons why the author is presenting the character or theme the way they are
- Do not just limit your analysis to a close reading of the author’s use of language:
- You gain marks for explaining all of the author’s choices, not just their language
- Instead, take a whole-text approach and think about the author’s decisions about:
- Form
- Structure
- Characterisation
- Setting
- Never retell the story:
- “Narrative” and “descriptive” answers get the lowest marks
- Move from what the author is presenting to how and why they have made the choices they have
Perspective
The narrative perspective of a piece of prose is the point of view from which the story is told. It is like a lens through which we view characters and events; we interpret those characters and events based on what the speaker shows and tells us.
There are two main types of narrative perspective:
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First-person narrator
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- This means the story is told from the perspective of a character, most likely the protagonist
- It is easily identifiable by the use of the word “I”
- In a first-person narrative, the reader only has access to the experiences and thoughts of the narrator, and we see and experience events through their eyes
- This can lead to the reader feeling sympathy for the character, or exposing the character as an unreliable narrator
- Sometimes, the reader may know something the narrator does not seem to – this is called dramatic irony
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Third-person narrator
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- This means the story is told from a perspective that sits outside of the world of the story
- The narrator refers to all of the characters by their names or pronouns
- A third-person narrator is sometimes referred to as an omniscient narrator, which means that the narrator knows everything about the characters and events
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When considering the narrative perspective, ask yourself if the perspective shifts, or how the perspective affects your understanding of the story.
Characterisation
It is important to remember that characters are constructs, not real people. You should therefore consider what each character’s function is in the novel, how they are presented, how they develop and how they interact with each other. Some characters may also be “foil” characters – this means any two characters who are opposites of each other. For example, Harry Potter and Voldemort are foils of each other – they embody the idea of good versus evil. Foil characters therefore help establish important themes.
There are two main types of characterisation:
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Direct characterisation
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- This means what we are told by the author about a character’s appearance and personality
- It might also involve the writer explicitly showing what characters think of one another:
- For example, a character might directly describe another character’s traits
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Indirect characterisation
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- This involves implying what a character is like
- This could involve what a character says, how they say it or how they interact with other characters
- It might also involve their inner thoughts and feelings, and more subtle indications of character, such as how they move and behave
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Often, characters are symbolic of broader ideas or attitudes. It is therefore important to consider how a character changes as a result of the events in a novel.
Structure
When considering structure, you should think about:
- The way the writer has put the different parts of the story together
- How they set up the world of the story
- How they introduce characters
- What conflicts there are and how they are resolved
- The role of individual chapters or paragraphs in the story arc
- How things change by the end of the story
Developing a personal response
A personal response is your opinion about the text, as relevant to the focus of the question. You are being asked to consider what the writer has tried to do and whether you think they have succeeded. However, it is important that your arguments are convincing, which means that they need to be supported with evidence. Your choice of evidence, whether that be direct quotation of language, or references to the form and structure of a text, must be careful, accurate and effectively explained.
How to structure your response:
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Start with an introduction that demonstrates that you understand the focus of the question and the novel
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You can do this by using the wording of the question to develop a thesis statement
For example: “Orwell strikingly portrays the absolute power of the Party by presenting us with a society in which everything, even a person’s thoughts, is monitored and controlled.”
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Then, structure your response into paragraphs
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Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence
You should integrate direct quotation or specific reference to the text to prove your point
Then comment on how this evidence proves your point
Each point you make must be directly relevant to the focus of the question
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If you have chosen the passage-based question
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Start with a close analysis of the passage, linking to the focus of the question
Then, incorporate commentary on how the extract relates to the text as a whole
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If you have chosen the essay question
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Start with a whole-text approach, discussing the structure and perspectives of the novel as a whole, relevant to the focus of the question
Then, zoom in on particular, specific parts of the novel that are directly relevant to the focus of the question
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Finish with a conclusion
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Summarise your findings and your response to these findings
Do not just repeat the points you have already made
For example: “So overall, Orwell’s dystopian novel powerfully presents the absolute power of the Party by presenting us with a suffocating, bleak vision of the future as a warning against one person or organisation being able to hold complete authority over a society.”
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