This book is a superb all-in-one guide to success GCSE English Language and English Literature - GCSE English 2003

Answering Literature Questions
Section Two — Writing Literature Essays

There are different types of literature questions and you need to know how to answer all of them.

Step 1 — Work Out What the Questions Are About

1) You have to answer the question properly to get a decent grade.

2) The first thing to do is work out what the question is about.

3) The two subjects that come up time and again are the writer's message and the characters:

Step 2 — Choose the Question That’s Best For You

1) You always get a choice with literature questions.

2) There's usually a choice of two questions on each book.

3) For questions on stuff from the Anthology you could get a choice of three questions.

4) Obviously you want to choose a question that you can answer really well, but in the panic of the first few minutes of the exam, it's easy to make a bad choice.

5) Don't panic. Take a deep breath, and then choose:

✵ A question which gives you lots of IDEAS on what to write about.

✵ A question which is on material you're FAMILIAR with.

(i.e. you've read the book, the poems or the stories)

✵ A question which you definitely UNDERSTAND.

6) If you're doing coursework this isn't as relevant. Just make sure you understand the question before you stay up all night writing your essay.

Use your brain to choose the right question

It's simple — just PICK THE EASIEST ONE. Lots of people go wrong by picking the most interesting one, then finding out it's very hard once they start writing. Don't fall into that trap.

Step 3 — Break the Question Into Bullet Points

1) You can't just give a one-sentence answer to literature questions.

Does Little Red Riding Hood change at all in the course of the story?

Write about two episodes, one at the beginning of the story and one at the end, showing how she changes or stays the same.

2) You have to go into detail and make lots of separate points.

3) If you're doing Foundation, the exam paper helps you by breaking the question into bullet points:

4) If you're doing Higher, you'll have to break the question into bullet points yourself.

Ask your teacher for a stack of old literature Foundation papers so you can practise.

5) Scribble a plan based on the bullet points.

Step 4 — Write a General Answer Thein Fоllоw the Plan

You can make your introduction pretty short — just make sure it gives a quick answer to the question so the examiner has a rough idea of what you're going to say.

There are several episodes in the story which show how Little Red Riding Hood changes — in particular the flower-picking in the forest glade, and the escape from Grandmother’s house. They show how Little Red Riding Hood starts off naive, but learns from her experience.

The rest of your essay should back up what you say in the introduction.

1) Keep your essay clear by dealing with the bullet points in order.

2) Don't chop and change between different ideas.

Deal with one at a time and use a separate paragraph for each one.

Step 5 — Don’t Forget the Conclusion

Run through all your points briefly in your conclusion and sum up.

Make sure your summing-up answers the original question.

At the start of the story Little Red Riding Hood doesn't have a care in the world. By the end she has been through a terrifying experience. The writer shows that she has learnt from her experience and become more wary and cautious.

Break the question up

If there's not enough in your plan, there won't be enough in your essay. Simple as that. Get the planning right and not only will the essay be easier to write, it'll be a better essay.