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

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

The examination requires you to write about a 19th-century novel. You have a choice from seven texts. The novels 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 (b) you will be asked to respond to an essay question and make reference to the rest of the novel 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 19th-century novel with confidence. This is divided into:

• Overview

• Breaking down

Overview

The Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 2 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 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 novel

• The question will focus on one or more of the following areas: 

  • Plot

  • Setting(s)

  • Character(s) 

  • Theme(s) 

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

  • For part (b) this is only AO1, which is worth 20 marks

• You need to determine which other parts of the novel 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

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:

   1. 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 not reading 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

2. Identify the keywords of the question:

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

3. Analyse the idea or theme of the question in relation to the novel as a whole:

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

4. Identify the parts of the novel which you are going to explore in your answer:

   1. 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 19th-century 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 only AO1, which is worth up to 20 marks

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

  • This is not required for this section of the paper

  • Therefore, don’t waste your time analysing the language of any memorised quotations

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

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

• Ensure that your introduction demonstrates that you have understood the task and that you have a thorough knowledge of the whole text:

  • You can do this by defining the focus of the question

• The examiner is looking for a personal judgement which is informed and evidenced through references to the text

• The bullet points underneath the question are there to guide you on what you should consider in your response

• Quotations are intended to support your points, but should not be a point in themselves:

  • The strongest answers show a detailed knowledge of the whole text by integrating precise and concise quotations and indirect textual references to support points

  • You need to be able to explain (in detail) the relevance of the quotations you have chosen to your argument or to the question you are answering

• Ensure all points are fully developed and, where possible, consider alternative interpretations

• Compose your response with careful attention and accuracy:

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