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

19th Century Novel Part A: What The Question Is Asking

The GCSE 19th-century novel examination requires you to write about a novel from a set list of seven texts. They are: 

• Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë 

• Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 

• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson 

• A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens 

• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen 

• Silas Marner – George Eliot 

• Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

In part (a) you will be asked to comment on an extract from your chosen novel. 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 (a) on your chosen 19th-century text with confidence. This is divided into:

• Overview

• Breaking down the question

• Top tips

Overview

The Edexcel GCSE English Literature examination consists of two sections and lasts for 2 hours and 15 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 19th-century novel 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 part (a) of Section A, you are required to analyse a short extract (approximately 400 words) from the novel in close detail:

  • You should only refer to the extract in this part of the question

• It is important that you understand which assessment objectives are being examined in each part of of this section:

  • For part (a) you are assessed on AO2 only

  • Your response should therefore only explore the writer’s use of language, structure and form and its dramatic effects

  • You must not include comments on context (AO3) as this is not required for this question

• Remember, the extract has been specifically chosen for you to use to answer your essay, which means it will contain many lines that you can use as evidence in your essay 

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

Breaking down the question

For this question, you are required to analyse a short extract (approximately 400 words) from the novel in close detail. The most common mistake students make in exams is not thoroughly understanding the question. By paying close attention to the question and understanding it thoroughly, you can significantly enhance your exam performance.

Below is an example of this task from the 19th-century section of the examination:

Top tips

• You must only discuss the extract in part (a) (rather than the novel as a whole) and you should refer closely to it throughout your answer

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

  • For part (a) this is AO2 (and only AO2), which is worth 20 marks

  • This means you need to comment on structure, form and language

• Your response should cover all three and evidence should be selected from across the entire extract

• In order to answer the question, you need to read and fully understand the extract:

  • It is tempting to skip this and just get on with finding good examples of language and structure but you need to make sure you understand what is going on in the whole extract before you start looking at small elements of it in detail

• Choosе quotes that illustrate thе writer’s еffеctivе usе of languagе or structure to convеy mеaning, or which crеatе a spеcific еffеct:

  • For example, you could choose one word or phrase that you feel is particularly rich in meaning

  • Then note down at least two different ideas or connotations that your chosen word or phrase suggests to you

• Avoid speculative and generic comments on how “the reader” might respond

  • Generalised comments such as “This makes the reader want to read on…” are not credit-worthy

  • Try to be as precise and specific as you can

• Ensure you include analysis of the use of structure and form of the extract:

  • Writing just about the writer’s use of language will limit your marks

• Do not just merely state your ideas:

  • The most convincing responses sustain a critical engagement with the ways in which writers achieve their effects

• Make sure you maintain your focus on the extract and the question:

  • Do not refer to or make comments about the rest of the novel in your response