Part B: What The Question Is Asking (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Shakespeare Part B: What The Question Is Asking

The Edexcel GCSE English Literature examination requires you to write about a Shakespeare play from a set list of six texts. They are:  

• Macbeth 

• The Tempest 

• Romeo and Juliet 

• Much Ado About Nothing 

• Twelfth Night 

• The Merchant of Venice

In part (b) you will be asked to respond to an essay question and make reference to the rest of the play you have studied. This is a closed-book examination, meaning that you will not have access to a copy of the text in the exam. 

The guide below will enable you to approach Section A part (b) on your chosen Shakespeare play with confidence. This is divided into:

• Overview

• Breaking down the question

• Top tips

Overview

The Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 1 examination consists of two sections and lasts for 1 hour and 45 minutes. All of the questions in Section A have two parts, (a) and (b), and you need to answer both parts of the question on the Shakespeare text you have studied. Overall, you should aim to spend 55 minutes on Section A. A total of 40 marks are available for Section A: 20 marks are awarded for part (a) and 20 marks are awarded for part (b).

• In Section A, part (b), you need to draw on your knowledge of the text and give examples from elsewhere in the play:

  • You must also make links to the context in which the play was written

• It is important that you understand which assessment objectives are being assessed in each part of Section A:

  • For part (b) this is AO1 which is worth 15 marks, while AO3 is worth 5 marks

• Part (b) is focused on how a theme is explored elsewhere in the play:

  • You need to determine which other parts of the play you will refer to in your answer

  • You must not refer to the extract in your response to part (b)

• You may, depending on the question, explore a specific area in detail or cover a range of examples

You should aim to spend approximately 28 minutes on part (b). The suggested timings for part (b) are:

Breaking down the question

1. It is tempting to jump straight in and start answering the question immediately. However, completing the steps below first will ensure you answer the question in the way that examiners are looking for.

   1. When you first open your exam paper, you should look at the question:

   2. This may sound very obvious but it’s important to read the question through several times

2. The single biggest error that students make on exams is that they don't read the question through well enough, leading them to answer the question they believe they are being asked, instead of the one that they are actually being asked

   1. Identify the keywords of the question:

3. The keywords are the focus of the question and will relate to particular themes, characters or ideas

   1. Analyse the idea or theme of the question in relation to the play as a whole:

4. Writing about unrelated ideas will actually lose you marks as you aren’t responding to the question set

   1. Identify the parts of the play which you are going to explore in your answer:

5. This will make it easier for you to select quotes and evaluate the most pertinent references in order to support your analysis

Below is an example of this task from the Shakespeare section:

Top tips

• You are more likely to perform well on the paper if you keep in mind the dominant assessment objectives for each part of Section A:

  • For part (b) this is AO1 which is worth 15 marks, while AO3 is only worth 5 marks

  • The assessment objective weightings indicate the knowledge and understanding that you should use to drive forward and support your response

• You are not required to analyse language and structural features in part (b):

  • This is not required for this section of the paper

• You must discuss other areas of the play when answering part (b):

  • Any references you make to the extract in part (a) will not be credited

• It is important to use your understanding of the text to interweave social, cultural and historical contextual comments throughout your response:

  • Avoid adding them as a stand-alone, bolt-on paragraph

• AO3 is best approached through providing specific examples of characters, events and themes within the text:

  • It should not be treated separately by providing background information that is unrelated or often irrelevant to the question 

• Always refer back to the question in order to maintain your focus

• Respond to the question with flexibility and imagination:

  • Ensure you are answering the question, rather than what you think is being asked

• Always try to offer an informed personal response to the question posed, rather than simply repeating pre-prepared material

• Keep your textual references succinct:

  • One or two-word examples are often much more successful than longer quotations

• Compose your response with careful attention and accuracy:

  • The time invested in planning, reading and reviewing your response can have a significant impact on your overall grade