How to Analyse Structure in an English Language Exam
If you are studying English Language at GCSE, IGCSE, A level or IB, you can achieve very high marks for commenting on the structure of a piece of writing. You may even have a dedicated question on structure, such as in the AQA GCSE English Language exam.
Contents
What do we mean by “structure”?
Put simply, the structure of a text is how it has been put together or constructed. Think of a writer being a builder: just like a building is meticulously planned, a writer very deliberately constructs their writing. They consciously decide what comes at the beginning of their text, and how this opening relates to the middle and the end of their text. Structural features can be:
Whole-text level | Paragraph level | Sentence level |
|---|---|---|
For example, beginnings, endings and the relationships between sections of a text | For example, topic changes, shifts in focus or mood or single-sentence paragraphs | For example, sentence length |
Unpicking writers’ intentions in their use of structure
When analysing structure, comment on the effects of the structural features a writer uses. You will not be rewarded with top marks for spotting that a writer has used foreshadowing, for example, if you don’t also explain why they have used it.
Often, a writer is trying to create a certain mood with their piece of writing or to elicit a certain emotional response from their readers. When you analyse the structure, you should identify the changes of mood, meaning or atmosphere in a text.
For example, a writer might create a calm, sedate mood at the start of a short story before shifting the atmosphere later on to one of panic or terror. They might do this to give the reader the same abrupt shock that their characters feel in this drastic change in mood. Or perhaps a writer is writing crime fiction. They might intentionally withhold information from the reader about a criminal's identity, and other crucial plot points, to create a sense of mystery and to build tension.
In both these cases, your analysis should focus on the effects of the writers’ structural choices (to allow the reader an insight into a character’s perspective or to build mystery and tension).
What can the structure of a text reveal?
Remember, a writer uses structure to build their piece of writing. Understanding where and when a writer places their building blocks helps us understand the different meanings and messages a writer wants to convey. We can interrogate the structure of a text by asking simple questions:
What to look for | Questions to ask yourself | |
|---|---|---|
What? | What is the writer focusing on? |
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When? | When is the text set? |
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Where? | Where has the writer set their text? |
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Who? | Who are the characters and how are they introduced? |
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How? | What patterns can you spot? |
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Once you’ve asked these questions, the final question you must ask is “why?” Why has a writer decided to make all of these decisions? The best marks in any English Language exam come from answering this final “why” question with your own opinion or interpretation of a writer’s intention.
Structural devices
As we’ve said, focusing on the effects of a writer’s structural choices is one of the ways you can get top marks. It is not important to know the names of lots of structural devices: as long as the examiner can see you are interrogating the meaning and intention behind a piece of writing, they can reward you with a high grade.
However, there are useful structural devices that can help you in your exam:
Structural technique | Definition |
|---|---|
Openings |
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Endings |
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Foreshadowing |
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Juxtaposition |
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Motifs |
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Linear narrative |
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Non-linear narrative |
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Cyclical structure |
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How do I analyse structure in a paragraph?
When analysing structure, you can use quotations to support your ideas or you can simply refer to the structural decisions a writer has made. Just make sure you explore in detail what you think the intended effects of the writer’s choices are by providing your own interpretation.
Grade 9 Structure Analysis
Let’s take Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour, as an example of an English Language text.
Full-mark analysis |
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Chopin suggests that although a sense of strength can be possible for women, ultimately any self-determination they achieve is only ever temporary. Chopin uses a circular structure in her short story, beginning and ending with descriptions of Louise’s physical fragility. While Chopin allows for the development of her protagonist during the middle of the story, with Louise’s new-found vitality in stark contrast to the subservient wife she is first presented as, the devastating conclusion to the story marks a return to physical and mental frailty. Chopin could be suggesting through her story’s structure that society places too many restrictions on women for them to be truly free or escape societal limitations. |
How do I structure my analysis of structure?
Many schools teach paragraph structures or “scaffolds” to help students analyse texts, either for language or structure. You may know these as Point, Evidence, Explanation (PEE) or Point, Evidence, Analysis and Link to the question (PEAL) paragraphs. As much as these can be helpful when you are first learning to analyse language or structure, exam boards don’t like students to use them: they think students can offer more original ideas and interpretations if they aren’t limited by these rigid scaffolds.
Instead, look at the full-mark analysis above:
It begins with a topic sentence, which is a main point that relates the exam question that has been set
It includes evidence — “Chopin uses a circular structure in her short story, beginning and ending with descriptions of Louise’s physical fragility” — which, although it is not a quotation, refers specifically to a writer’s method
It then concludes with its biggest section: extended analysis which offers both the student’s own interpretation and refers to the writer's possible intentions
Lastly, don’t worry too much about using “specialist terminology”. If you’re able to offer original or interesting analysis on a text’s meanings, an examiner will reward you for it!
Further reading
For more comprehensive guides on how to analyse language in any English Language exam, check out the links below:
How to Analyse Language in an English Language Exam
Analysing Non-Fiction and Fiction in an English language Exam
Narrative Perspective and a Writer’s Point of View
The Top 127 Literary Devices You Need to Know to Save Your Exams
For dedicated revision notes on each GCSE and IGCSE course — including question-by-question walkthroughs and model answers — follow the following links:
GCSE English Language revision notes
IGCSE English Language revision notes
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Written by Nick Redgrove
English Senior Content Creator 14 articlesNick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.
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