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

Revision Summary
Section Two — Writing Literature Essays

There's literally just one page left till this section is over. Keep going — these questions are a pretty good measure of what you've taken in. You know what kind of questions are going to come up. And you know the five-step guide to writing your answer will make it all a whole lot easier. True, there are all those annoying technical bits to learn — but just think how good it'll feel to know exactly what you're on about in that exam.

1) What two subjects are most likely to come up in your literature exam questions?

2) What's the extra topic you'll have to write about for the different cultures and traditions' question?

3) Write down the five steps you should follow to answer an essay question well. Give a short explanation of each step.

4) What should you put in a good conclusion?

5) Explain four things you could talk about when you're writing about characters.

6) What is a third person narrator?

7) What is a first person narrator? Why can't you take what they say for granted?

8) Message questions can be hard to spot — but what is the one thing that they'll all essentially be asking you?

9) Give four areas you could look at if you were working out the message of a set text before an exam.

10) You're writing about different cultures and traditions. What are the two big things you should talk about? Write a quick paragraph explaining each one.

11) What is empathy?

12) What would it pay to know about each of the authors in the anthology?

13) List any four features of writing style.

14) Explain how the style of a text can influence the person reading it.

15) Explain what authors use settings for.

16) What are flashbacks?

17) What is foreshadowing?

18) Write a short explanation for each of these technical words:

i) simile

ii) metaphor

iii) imagery

iv) symbolism

v) allegory

vi) ambiguity

vii) irony

19) Explain what you have to do when comparing two texts.

20) What should you make sure you do in every paragraph of a comparison essay?

21) You're preparing for the exam. List five things you could compare in texts beforehand.