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

Revision Summary
Section Five — Stories and Novels

Well, that's another big chunk under your belt. If you can remember the big areas you have to include when you do each kind of essay, that's a good start. But you do have to go into a bit of depth and detail to score the good marks. Go through these questions and make sure you know your stuff.

Drama

1) You're writing about a play. Give four examples of things you can do to impress the examiner.

2) Explain three major issues that a play might deal with.

3) Explain the difference between a tragedy and a comedy.

4) What is dialogue?

a) A character speaking their thoughts aloud

b) One character talking to another

5) What are stage directions? What is the point of giving them?

6) What does personification mean?

7) What is stagecraft? What things should you talk about to show that you appreciate it?

8) How old are Shakespeare's plays? Explain two things about them that are old-fashioned.

9) What's the difference between poetic verse and blank verse?

Poetry

1) What three areas should you write about in every poetry essay?

2) Explain two ways of making your argument convincing.

3) How do you show you appreciate what a poet is trying to do (and get the top marks)?

4) Describe the four different forms of poem.

5) What is: a) a stanza? b) a couplet? c) a triplet? d) a quatrain?

6) Explain three effects that a poem with a first-person narrator can put across.

7) List the nine different technical terms that you can use to talk about poetry. Write a line to explain what each one means.

Stories and Novels

1) When writing about a text, what four things should you do to thrill the examiner?

2) How does an author put a text together? Name the five things they use.

3) Who is the narrator?

a) The author

b) Someone created by the author

4) Write down five questions you could ask about characters to prepare yourself for the exam.

5) What are the two vital things you should include when writing about the message of a text?

6) What three questions should you ask when you're faced with a specific chunk of text?

7) What should you make clear when talking about the writing style?