How to Approach the Shakespeare Question (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Nick Redgrove
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
How to Approach the Shakespeare Question
For Component 1, Section A of your Eduqas GCSE English Literature exam, you will answer one extract-based question and one essay question essay question.
You will have studied one of six texts:
Romeo and Juliet | Othello |
Macbeth | Much Ado About Nothing |
The Merchant of Venice | Twelfth Night |
You can approach the question in Section A with confidence by learning more about the exam question, and specifically what the examiners want to see in any answer.
Section A: Shakespeare question overview
Understanding the exam question
Understanding the assessment objectives
Top tips for a Grade 9
Section A: Shakespeare question overview
In Section A you will answer two questions. In the first question you will be asked to comment on an extract from your chosen Shakespeare play. The second question will ask you to respond to an essay question based on the same play. You will be expected to comment on Shakespeare’s use of language, structure and form and show an understanding of key themes, characters and ideas within the text. The essay question will also test your accuracy in spelling, punctuation and your use of vocabulary and sentence structures.
Here is an overview:
Exam question | Shakespeare question | |
Time that you should spend on the question | 60 minutes | Extract question: 20 minutes |
Essay question: 40 minutes | ||
Number of marks | 40 marks | Extract question: 15 marks |
Essay question: 25 marks | ||
How much you should write | Approx. 5-6 paragraphs | Extract question: 2 paragraphs |
Essay question: 3-4 paragraphs | ||
This is a closed-book examination which means you are not allowed to bring a copy of the text into the examination.
Understanding the exam question
Below are some recent examples of exam questions from Eduqas GCSE English Literature past papers.
Look at the wording of the questions and the question structure and themes. Are there any exam questions that you might struggle to answer?
GCSE Eduqas English Literature Shakespeare questions May 2022 | ||||
Romeo and Juliet | Macbeth | Othello | Much Ado About Nothing | The Merchant of Venice |
Extract question | Extract question | Extract question | Extract question | Extract question |
Look at how Romeo and Benvolio speak and behave here. How do you think an audience might respond to this part of the play? | Look at how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth speak and behave here. How do you think an audience might respond to this part of the play? | What does the extract show about Iago at this point in the play? | Look at how Beatrice and Benedick speak and behave here. How do you think an audience might respond to this part of the play? | What does this extract show about Portia and Bassanio at this point in the play? |
Essay question | Essay question | Essay question | Essay question | Essay question |
Romeo and Juliet is a play about conflict. Write about some of the conflicts in the play and how Shakespeare presents them | Guilt is a key theme in Macbeth. Write about how Shakespeare presents guilt at different points in the play | For which character in Othello do you have the most sympathy? How does Shakespeare create sympathy for your chosen character? | Much Ado About Nothing is a play about friendship. Write about how Shakespeare presents some of the friendships at different points in the play | The Merchant of Venice is a play about revenge. Write about how Shakespeare presents revenge at different points in the play |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
For the extract-based question, placing the extract within the play’s wider events is an effective way into developing your response. This is called “contextualising”, and will also help you to remember that an audience has already witnessed the events that have led up to this scene. For example, if you were given an extract from Act 5, Scene 3 in Romeo and Juliet (which focuses on Friar’s initial shock at finding the bodies of Romeo and Paris) it would be incorrect to write that an audience would also be shocked at the discovery of their corpses, as they will already have witnessed their deaths earlier in the scene.
You can significantly improve your exam performance by paying close attention to the question and understanding it thoroughly. Check the focus of the question and underline any key words and phrases that will support the points you want to make.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It is important to note that the question phrase “how an audience might respond” is an invitation to consider how any audience might respond to events in an extract, not exclusively an Elizabethan or Jacobean one. Therefore you could choose to look at how a contemporary audience might react compared to a modern one, which can be very useful in plays such as The Merchant of Venice or Macbeth. For example, a modern audience might be more sympathetic to Shylock's plea for equality and his argument against prejudice and mistreatment as a Jew in Venetian society. However, it’s important that any contextual information you use should not take you away from your analysis of the events and language of the extract or the play as a whole.
Understanding the assessment objectives
In Section A, there are three assessment objectives.
AO1 |
Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement |
AO2 |
Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate. |
AO4 | Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation |
AO1 and AO2 are both equally weighted and are worth a total of 35 marks. AO4 is worth 5 marks and is only assessed in the essay question.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
While contextual information can often demonstrate understanding that receives credit under AO1, it must be remembered that there are no context marks (AO3) awarded in either of the Shakespeare questions. Therefore, including explanations about Elizabethan gender roles or James I’s obsession with witchcraft will be detrimental to your final mark. Although reference to contextual factors or events outside the extract can sometimes be helpful to include in your response, it should only be very brief, and only used as a means of illuminating something within the extract itself.
Looking at key moments in the play and probing the language choices Shakespeare uses to present them should always be your main priorities in both questions.
Top tips for a Grade 9
Keep in mind the dominant assessment objectives for each section in Component 1:
For Section A this is AO1 and AO2
AO4 is only assessed in the essay question and is worth 5 marks
Write a strong, focused opening which sums up the argument and clearly addresses the question posed:
Always try to offer a personal response to the questions posed rather than simply repeating pre-prepared material
Be specific in your response:
For example, if the question asks how Shakespeare creates mood and atmosphere then you should immediately state what the atmosphere or mood is in your response
Carefully select quotations which fully support the point being made:
Short, concise quotations, such as a word or a phrase, are more likely to support in-depth analysis
Finding examples from across the extract or the text can help you develop your ideas
Textual references do not have to be quotations, but if you do not make use of them, it will be more difficult to address AO2:
Always learn a range of key quotations as these will be extremely beneficial
Aim to write well-developed and detailed analysis of the language, form and structure of the extract and the play as a whole
For the extract-based question, you should aim to place the extract in the context of the rest of the text:
Consider its location to the preceding and subsequent action in the play while remembering that the extract should always be your main concern
Always ensure your response revolves around your analysis of the extract on the exam paper:
The whole of the extract should be considered and there will be a good reason why it begins and ends where it does
One possible approach is to cover points from the beginning, middle and end of the extract:
This approach will enable you to show a greater understanding of the movement across the whole extract
For the extract-based question, do not include or analyse quotations from the rest of the play
For the essay question, aim to track a character, relationship, or theme across the whole text:
Look for instructions such as “presented at different points in the play”:
This signals the requirement to track these throughout the narrative
There tend to be very few, if any, stage directions to analyse in Shakespeare's plays:
Remember that most of the information is in his words
Context is not assessed in either of the Shakespeare questions, so be wary of wasting time on contextual details as you will not be awarded any marks for context alone
Proofread your writing to avoid technical errors:
Forgetting to use capital letters for character names, neglecting punctuation or abbreviating character names will only lose you AO4 marks
Using convoluted sentence structures and an informal register are also cited by examiners as negative aspects of student responses:
Remember, try to not lose formality in your writing in an attempt to save a few seconds of time in the exam
Find out more about how you can write a Grade 9 Shakespeare answer.
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