Task 1: Close Reading: How To Get Full Marks (OCR A Level English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Deb Orrock
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
Task 1: Close Reading: How To Get Full Marks
Regardless of which text you choose, the type of question set for the Close Reading task should always prompt you to critically analyse a poem (taken from a collection) or an extract from a piece of prose or drama and relate this to the rest of the poems from the collection or the text from which the extract is taken.
It is tempting to jump straight in and start writing immediately. However, following this guide will ensure you answer the question in the way the examiners are looking for.
Below you will find sections on:
What skills are required
Each task for the NEA has a dominant Assessment Objective (AO). For this task, the dominant objective is AO2, which requires you to analyse the ways in which the writer of the extract or poem has used language, form and structure to shape meanings. The minor objective for this task is AO1, which assesses you on the way you present your response, in an accurate and coherent manner, so as long as you keep your response sharply focused on the question and the passage or poem, you will hit this objective. The following sections explore the skills you will need to demonstrate mastery of in more detail:
Critical analysis (AO2)
Being able to confidently engage in a critical analysis of a prose or drama extract, or a poem, takes practice. You are being asked to apply everything that you have learnt in your study of English Literature so far to new material. A critical analysis goes beyond just spotting elements of language, form and structure, although these can be used as a springboard for explaining the impact of such choices the writer has made. Essentially, ask yourself how the writer evokes certain feelings or meanings by manipulating language, structure and form.
To begin with, you might find the following questions useful to consider when reading the extract or poem for the first time:
What is the narrative perspective? | Who is the protagonist? | What problems (social/economic/political) can you see in the text? |
Who has the power in this text? | How is the setting described? | What social issues are presented in the passage or poem? How does the author engage with gender, race and/or class? |
How might the date of publication relate to events in the passage or poem or its setting? | What are the gender dynamics in the passage or poem? | How does the writer use language in the passage or poem? Is there anything striking, or are there any patterns? Is there anything that seems “out of place”? |
How does the writer introduce and manage direct speech and/or dialogue? | Is there any use of internal monologue and, if so, for what purpose? | Is there any use of humour or irony? If so, why? Is there anything else you notice about the tone of the passage or poem? |
How are characters introduced and/or described? | How are the events organised in the passage or poem? | Are there any “gaps” or anything you are not told? |
You may also wish to consider:
How the author might give prominence to certain events by their position in the passage or poem
How the author builds suspense, tension or drama
Whether there are any shifts in tone
Whether the presentation of the character(s) is realistic, unrealistic, reliable or unreliable
The writer’s use of symbolism or motifs
Whether the passage or poem presents events from different points of view
In poetry, you should consider poetic form and structure, including any relevant exploration of the purpose of (or absence of) rhyme, rhythm or stanzas
In addition, critically analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices a writer has made to include specific words or phrases in their writing, and why. In order to do this, you should consider both the denotation and the connotations of particular words:
Denotation = the literal meaning of a word or phrase
Connotation = the associations or implied meanings of the word or phrase
When commenting on words and phrases from the text, you should always try to consider why you think the writer has chosen that particular word to use in their sentences. Below are some questions that you might ask yourself when analysing the words and phrases in a text:
Denotations and connotations | Emotional impact | Charactеrisation | Formality and informality |
How do these layеrs of mеaning add dеpth to thе tеxt? | How do the words evoke еmotions or fееlings in thе rеаdеr? Do thеy crеatе joy, sadnеss, fеar or еxcitеmеnt? | Do the words rеvеal aspеcts of a charactеr's pеrsonality, background or еmotions? | Do the words make the text morе rеlatablе or distant? |
Form and structure
Any exploration of form and structure should take into account the type of text being analysed. The following tables give you a starting point when considering these things.
Poetry:
Poems come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Analysing a poem’s form and structure can help clarify the message and meaning of a poem.
Form considerations | Structural considerations |
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Drama:
The form is the type of writing the author has selected to tell their story and explore themes when presenting their work, while the structure is how the piece of drama unfolds.
Form considerations | Structural considerations |
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Prose:
The form is the type of writing the author has selected to tell their story and explore themes when presenting their work, while the structure is how the text unfolds.
Form considerations | Structural considerations |
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is more important to explore the effects of the writer’s choices than it is to use over-complicated terminology. For example, if you want to comment on how the structure of an extract helps to shape its meaning, you can use words as simple as “beginning”, “middle” and “end” in your response. Using the appropriate subject terminology is not the same as “feature-spotting” literary techniques you feel are characteristic of the particular form and genre you are analysing. If you choose to use terms such as “prose”, “verse”, “blank verse”, “iambic pentameter” etc. then you should be certain of their meaning and relevance.
Presenting a response (AO1)
AO1 requires you to write an articulate personal and creative response to a text, and use concepts and terminology written in an accurate and coherent way. Below is a more detailed exploration of what the examiner is looking for:
Assessment criteria | What does this mean? |
“Writе an articulatе pеrsonal and creative rеsponsе to a text” | An “articulatе rеsponsе” means that your answer nееds to bе clеar, well-expressed and еasy to undеrstand. Your idеas and thoughts should bе communicatеd effectively |
A “personal response” mеans offеring your individual thoughts and fееlings about thе tеxt. You should include what you pеrsonally think and fееl whilе reading and analysing thе text | |
A “creative rеsponsе” implies thinking imaginativеly. It could involvе uniquе insights, intеrprеtations or connеctions you draw from thе text | |
“Usе concepts and tеrminology writtеn in a cohеrеnt and accurate way” | “Concepts” rеfеr to kеy idеas, thеoriеs or thеmеs related to the text |
“Tеrminology” means using spеcific languagе rеlatеd to analysing literature, such as iambic pentameter, foreshadowing or parallelism | |
“Coherent” means your usе of thеsе concеpts and terminology should make sеnsе within the contеxt of your response. Thеy should be integrated and enhance thе clarity and dеpth of your analysis |
You will also succeed if you bear in mind the importance of coherent, accurate expression (AO1):
You should try to respond flexibly and imaginatively to the demands of the question set
Answering the question set is an important determining factor for the success of an answer and one of the key matters examiners keep in mind when judging the quality of your response
A personal and genuine response to your text will produce a more impressive effect than a rehearsed presentation of established views
Better answers tend to synthesise a developing argument
Examiners will reward original but well-focused answers and implicit as well as explicit responses to questions
Try to write imaginatively and with a fresh, creative approach:
Your response should not hindered by rehearsed, generalised ideas
Examiners will accept a wide range of responses
Steps for success
To do well in this task, you need to respond to your chosen extract or poem as an interesting example of a piece of literature, but the examiners also want to see evidence of your genuine knowledge and wider reading. Excellent answers will be able to see the extract as a whole and respond to its unique and interesting qualities. It is important to not just hunt for what is “typical” of the genre.
Completing the steps below first will ensure you complete this task in the way that examiners are looking for:
Do your research:
OCR has an online Text and Task tool that students are able to use in the research stage of the NEA
It can be useful to see what other candidates have written about in order to help you formulate your own work
Your teacher is able to make amendments or additions to any text or task submission until the deadline of 31st January (in the year of examination)
Decide on your poem or extract and collaborate with your teacher on the wording of the task:
This may be dictated by your centre, although the exam board do encourage independence and creativity in your choice of text
The task should be kept simple and it should have a thematic or stylistic focus that applies to both the extract or poem chosen and the text (or anthology) as a whole
Ideally, the task should also refer to the text or collection as a whole in the title, as this will help you keep this focus in mind when drafting
Plan and draft your response:
Give yourself plenty of time for this
Try not to leave this until the last minute and without any time for amendments or improvements
Work through the poem or passage in a logical and methodical way, paying particular attention to the writer’s use of language and structure, as well as the form of the text, and draw thematic links to the rest of the text or the collection of poems
Re-read, refine and improve:
Use feedback to make changes and improve the strength of your arguments
Re-read and check your work for overall sense and accuracy before final submission (AO1)
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