The Sign of the Four: Overview (AQA GCSE English Literature)

The Sign of the Four: Overview

As part of Paper 1, Section B you will study one 19th-century novel and write one essay-length answer to one set question in your paper. The question will feature an excerpt from your studied text. However, it is a closed-book exam, so you will not be able to refer to a copy of the text during the exam. 

This page contains some helpful information and links to more detailed revision note pages that will enable you to aim for the highest grade when studying The Sign of Four. This page includes:

• Who was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

• The Sign of the Four summary

• A brief overview of what is required in the exam

• The Sign of the Four characters

• The Sign of the Four context

• The Sign of the Four themes

• The Sign of the Four quotes

• Top tips for the highest grade

Who was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

Sir Arthur Conan Doylе was a British author and physician. He was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and diеd on July 7, 1930. Hе is bеst known for his crеation of thе iconic dеtеctivе charactеr Shеrlock Holmеs, a brilliant and astutе invеstigator with еxcеptional dеductivе rеasoning skills. Thе Shеrlock Holmеs storiеs bеcamе immеnsеly popular and еstablishеd Conan Doylе as onе of thе most rеnownеd writеrs in thе dеtеctivе fiction gеnrе.

Conan Doylе's Shеrlock Holmеs storiеs captivatеd rеadеrs with thеir intricatе mystеriеs and plots, and thе dynamic rеlationship bеtwееn Holmеs and his loyal friеnd and narrator, Dr John Watson. Thе popularity of Holmеs lеd Conan Doylе to writе numеrous novеls and short storiеs fеaturing thе dеtеctivе, including Thе Sign of Four, Thе Advеnturеs of Shеrlock Holmеs, Thе Hound of thе Baskеrvillеs and Thе Rеturn of Shеrlock Holmеs, among othеrs.

Bеyond Shеrlock Holmеs, Conan Doylе also wrotе in othеr gеnrеs, including sciеncе fiction, historical fiction and non-fiction works. Hе was a prolific author and еxplorеd divеrsе subjеcts in his writings. Additionally, Conan Doylе was involvеd in various social and political causеs, including advocating for justicе, supporting spiritualism and promoting thе dеvеlopmеnt of British coloniеs.

The Sign of the Four summary

The Sign of the Four was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1890. It was the second novel featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, following the success of the first novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887).

Thе Sign of the Four is a dеtеctivе novеl. Thе story rеvolvеs around thе disappеarancе of Captain Arthur Morstan and thе subsеquеnt quеst to uncovеr thе truth. Shеrlock Holmеs and his loyal friеnd, Dr John Watson, arе hirеd to invеstigatе thе casе. As thеy dеlvе into thе mystеry, thеy uncovеr a complеx wеb of intriguе, involving a hiddеn trеasurе, a sеcrеt pact and a vеngеful killеr. Through Holmеs' brilliant dеduction and kееn obsеrvation thе truth is rеvеalеd, lеading to a climax and a rеsolution that brings justicе and closurе to thе charactеrs involvеd. 

For a more detailed summary, please see The Sign of the Four Plot Summary page.

How is The Sign of the Four assessed in the exam?

• Your GCSE Paper 1 requires you to answer two questions in 1hr 45min. That means you have approximately 52 minutes to plan, write and check your essay

• Paper 1 is worth 64 marks and accounts for 40% of your overall GCSE grade

• Your essay is worth 30 marks in total

• Section B of Paper 1 contains the question and you are required to answer the one available question on the novella

• Your question will also include a printed extract of about 35 lines from the novella

• It is a closed-book exam, which means you will not have access to a copy of the text (other than the printed extract) in your exam

• You will be asked a question that asks you to analyse and write in detail about an aspect of The Sign of the Four

• Your answer will need to address both the extract from the novella that you will be given, and the novella as a whole

For a much more detailed guide on answering the The Sign of the Four question, please see our revision notes on How to Answer the 19th-Century Novel Essay Question.

The Sign of the Four characters

The characters you should focus on when revising The Sign of the Four are:

• Sherlock Holmes

• Dr John Watson

• Mary Morstan

• Thaddeus Sholto

• Jonathan Small

• Athelney Jones

It is always vital to remember – when considering a Conan Doyle novella, or any text – that characters are deliberate constructions created by a writer for a purpose. These characters often represent ideas, or belief systems, and a writer, like Conan Doyle, uses these characters to explore these ideas and beliefs through them. For more details on how Conan Doyle uses his characters in The Sign of the Four, please see the The Sign of the Four Characters revision notes page.

The Sign of the Four context

There are a maximum of six marks available in the 19th-century novel question for context. It is important that you understand what context means as examiners understand context not as historical information, or biographical facts about a writer, but as the ideas and perspectives explored by a writer through their text. Therefore, for the context of The Sign of the Four, you should not write about random, irrelevant information about London in the 1890s, or biographical information about Conan Doyle, but ideas about:

• Justice and Crime

• Greed and Obsession

• Colonialism

• Gothic Genre

Crucially, context is about how the above ideas and perspectives give us a better understanding of the author’s intentions, or messages. Many of these ideas and perspectives are universal, so your own opinions of them are valid, and will be rewarded in an exam. For a detailed breakdown of the contextual topics listed above, see the The Sign of the Four Context page.

The Sign of the Four themes

Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of The Sign of the Four, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the text.

Understanding the themes that Conan Doyle explores in The Sign of the Four is one of the best approaches any student can take when revising the novella. This is because to get the highest mark on your exam, you need to take what examiners call a “conceptualised approach”: a detailed and perceptive exploration of Conan Doyle’s ideas and intentions. The main themes explored by Conan Doyle in The Sign of the Four are:

• Justice and Crime

• Greed and Obsession

• Colonialism

There are many more themes than just those listed above that are explored by Conan Doyle in The Sign of the Four, and you are encouraged to consider these too. However, the above list makes a great place to start, and detailed breakdowns of each of these themes can be found on our The Sign of the Four Themes page.

The Sign of the Four quotes

The assessment objectives state that you should be able to “use textual references, including quotations”. This means summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing plot events are all as valid as quotations in demonstrating that you understand the text. It is important that you remember that you can evidence your knowledge of the text in these two equally valid ways: both through references to it and direct quotations from it. If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character, or theme. We have already identified some quotations that you may wish to review in preparation for your exam. For a detailed analysis of each of these quotations, see our The Sign of the Four Key Quotes page.

Top tips for the highest grade

Please see our revision pages on the 19th-century texts for guides on:

• Structuring The Sign of the Four essay

• The Sign of the Four methods and techniques

• How to include context in The Sign of the Four essay

• Understanding The Sign of the Four mark scheme

• 19th-century novel model answer