AQA typically asks students to write about two characters, Pip and another. This can lead to very superficial comparisons, or uneven essays. The attached resource gives students 20 ideas, and 20 quotations they could include in their essay. It also shows students the three big ideas connected to Dickens’ purpose, which will lead to grades 7, 8 and 9. Quotations are deliberately long, so that your students learn to select telling detail. Here is a sample of the first 3 ideas:

This resource teaches students how to use Here is an extract to show you what this resource teaches. What does the AQA mark scheme say? Convincing Critical analysis Conceptualised Exploration of context to author’s and contemporary readers’ perspectives Give interpretation(s) Response to the whole text Analyse it as a play, and deal with the structure Precise references Analysis of writer’s methods Subject terminology used judiciously Exploration of effects of writer’s methods on reader They basically mean this: What you must do Give more than one interpretation of the characters or events. Make sure you write about Priestley’s viewpoint and ideas about his society at the time, in 1945 Write about how the society of 1945 would respond to these ideas, characters and events. Write about the ending of the play, to show how characters have or haven’t changed Write about the ending to show Priestley’s viewpoint. When you do it, make sure you Embed quotations all the time Only use terminology if it helps explain an idea Better still, go back and look at the words in bold in the short essay. This is subject terminology. What does “subject terminology” mean? The words a student of literature at university would use in nearly every literature essay. You could argue that connectives fall under this category as well, if you want. How do you integrate context? All the italics in the short essay is context. Sometimes this is the context of the world inside the play, at other times it is Priestley’s viewpoint and history, and at others it is the shared experience or viewpoints of his contemporary audience. You should notice that it is impossible to write about any author’s purpose or viewpoint without delving into context, which makes it very easy to integrate as part of the evidence for your interpretation. Now we’ve read the key criteria from Edexcel, you can see that “what you must do”, and “make sure you” work perfectly for this exam board as well. There’s a reason for that, whichever exam board you study: literature essays always demand the same skills.

Eric is analysed in more depth than you’ve ever read before. You’ll know him better than you’ve ever done before, and your students will be able to excel. Here is a small sample so you can see what I mean:

“I read Satan’s signature upon a face”. This is part of a series of 5 short extracts on Hyde. They will enable your students to answer any essay on Hyde. Each extract is explicitly linked to the following 5 themes. Understanding any two of these fully ought to be enough to gain a grade 7. Referencing more than 2 is likely to propel students into grade 8. Key words and phrases are analysed in each slide and linked to each of the 5 themes. I’m pricing this as cheaply as TES will allow! If you really want a bargain, buy all 5 extracts in the bundle! If you want any help on how to teach them, follow the links to thee videos. Christian Morality Tale Fear of Scientific Progress Repressed Homosexuality Love of the Gothic and Detective Genres Hypocrisy of Middle Class Men

AQA likes to test the novel by asking students to compare Pip to another character. This is my top tip for 2018. Students often struggle to find interesting comparisons and fail to write about Dickens’ purpose. This resource introduces four big ideas which will allow your students to write confidently about Dickens’ purpose. It also provides 20 ideas and 20 quotations for them to use in their essay. Most quotations, as you can see, are detailed, so that you can give your students practice in selecting judiciously, and so that they learn to embed quotations in their sentences. Below is a sample of the first 4 ideas: Comparison of Pip and Miss Havisham The Big Ideas, which should feature as your argument, and in your conclusion. These points and longer quotations are to help you practise finding the right quotation to embed into your sentences. They are also the key quotations to use when comparing Pip to Miss Havisham. How Dickens uses the relationship to explore the corrupting power of wealth on those who no longer have a moral purpose in life, which is strongly connected to having proper work. ‘“And you live abroad still?” “Still.” “And do well, I am sure?” “I work pretty hard for a sufficient living, and therefore–yes, I do well.”’ How Dickens hints that the is a problem of the patriarchy, where a woman can only be defined by marriage, and is not able to forge an identity of her own through proper employment – which he contrasts to Pip and Herbert. “I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose had shrunk to skin and bone.” ‘“If you knew all my story,” she pleaded, “you would have some compassion for me and a better understanding of me.”’ 3. How her insanity at lost love is only possible in a patriarchal society – Pip does not experience the same level of madness because he can still live a useful and partly fulfilled life without marriage. How she symbolises the proper role of the wealthy, like Scrooge, learning to use her wealth to help others at the end. “‘leaving a cool four thousand to Mr. Matthew Pocket. And why, do you suppose, Pip, she left that cool four thousand unto him? 'Because of Pip’s account of the said Matthew.’”

Arthur Birling in more depth than you ever thought possible. I guarantee you’ll never see him the same way again. Here is an extract to show you what I mean: Social Class is More Damaging to Society Than Capitalism However, as we have seen, this sacking actually led to a better job at Milwards. In this way, capitalism is not the direct cause of her tragedy. Social class, and the immorality of the upper classes, however, is responsible. Birling feels able to justify this cruelty by referring to how much paying his employees would cost the business, “Well it’s my duty to keep labour costs down” rather than increase them by “twelve percent”. Of course, while this seems cruel, it is also true. By 1945, as you will see later in the guide, Britain had lost its monopoly on the cotton trade, precisely because foreign competitors could pay their workers much less. Priestley understands Birling’s view on wages, and knows many in his audience will share it, which is why he has worked so hard to discredit everything else about him. He hopes this will make the audience more likely to question their own belief about fair wages. Priestley also uses Birling quite subtly to criticise the upper classes. Birling has become successful through business, he wasn’t born into privilege. This is the opposite of his son, Eric, who he now criticises, “That’s something this public-school-and-varsity life you’ve had doesn’t seem to teach you.” Even Birling is critical of the effect of being brought up as part of the ruling classes. This symbolises his message to his wealthy audience, a warning to stop trying to climb the social hierarchy, and instead make society fairer. Why pursue higher social status when it will only damage your character? We will see that most when we find out how Gerald and Eric are most responsible for Eva’s tragedy.

“Desire to kill”. This is part of a series of 5 short extracts on Hyde. They will enable your students to answer any essay on Hyde. Each extract is explicitly linked to the following 5 themes. Understanding any two of these fully ought to be enough to gain a grade 7. Referencing more than 2 is likely to propel students into grade 8. Key words and phrases are analysed in each slide and linked to each of the 5 themes. I’m pricing this as cheaply as TES will allow! If you really want a bargain, buy all 5 extracts in the bundle! If you want any help on how to teach them, follow the links to thee videos. Christian Morality Tale Fear of Scientific Progress Repressed Homosexuality Love of the Gothic and Detective Genres Hypocrisy of Middle Class Men

Dickens is a master of his craft, but by God, you can tell he was paid by the word, can’t you? Never was a man so in love with a sentence, loaded with clauses, garnished with phrases and then, to add to the confusion, the main clause tagged on at the end. What 16 year old wouldn’t struggle? I’ve abridged this great novel down to 90,000 words, from 163,000! So each chapter can be read in 20 minutes or less. That’s a 45% reduction in reading time, which buys you an 45% more time to teach your analysis! Better than that, it actually makes for a more entertaining read. The conversation feels much more natural, and has some real pace. You can easily have your students taking parts. As a bonus, I’ve placed in bold the most important quotation in each chapter. This means your students should find it much easier to make notes, and you can find it easier to decide on key passages to approach in your teaching.

Use 8 short paragraphs describing Scrooge and the weather to explore how the weather mirrors the changes in Scrooge’s morality and personality. Teach how Dickens also uses contrast, repetition, personification, sibilance, alliteration to signpost the changes in Scrooge’s character. Show how the descriptions of weather in the countryside and the weather reveal Dickens’ attack on the problems of urbanisation and his campaign to persuade contemporary readers to change their attitude to the deserving poor. Teach students how Tiny Tim is a metaphor for Scrooge himself, and how his weak morality is rescued by Christmas and the child within.

“An Unknown But Innocent Freedom of the Soul”. This is part of a series of 5 short extracts on Hyde. They will enable your students to answer any essay on Hyde. Each extract is explicitly linked to the following 5 themes. Understanding any two of these fully ought to be enough to gain a grade 7. Referencing more than 2 is likely to propel students into grade 8. Key words and phrases are analysed in each slide and linked to each of the 5 themes. I’m pricing this as cheaply as TES will allow! If you really want a bargain, buy all 5 extracts in the bundle! If you want any help on how to teach them, follow the links to thee videos. Christian Morality Tale Fear of Scientific Progress Repressed Homosexuality Love of the Gothic and Detective Genres Hypocrisy of Middle Class Men

This resource takes you through 6 ways to link details of Shakespeare’s marriage to Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Here’s one of them: Now, let’s consider the subservient role of women in the patriarchal society of the day. Yes, women were considered the property of their husbands by law, but what did that mean in everyday life? Is it likely that the 17 or 18 year old Shakespeare seduced Anne, or is it more likely that she took the initiative? When we think this way, we can clearly see why he would write parts for clever, passionate, powerful women, like Lady Macbeth. We might infer that he did not see women as weaker or inferior beings, but men’s equal in many respects. It also links to two videos, one for each play.

This powerpoint teaches 5 key skills which are necessary to get full marks when writing about the structure of the text. The resource includes a full 8 mark answer, with annotations and explanations of how the answer meets all the criteria for Grade 9. This appears in both PPT and Word form, so is fully editable, and can easily be printed so that students can easily make relevant notes based on your teaching.

Grades 7, 8 and 9 depend on students exploring different interpretations. Focus on why Stevenson, the atheist, writes the novella with Christian themes. Then see how his description of Jekyll undermines these themes, promoting a freer society. Watch the video to see how to get the most out of this PPT, or print it off for your students to take notes on while they watch the video. You’ll also see how Hyde acts as Jekyll’s bravo, and why only Jekyll has a motive to kill Sir Danvers Carew and cause the death of Lanyon. This is also explained by the historical context and the 1885 Act of Parliament outlawing homosexuality. Finally, explore why Stevenson might prefer Hyde to Jekyll and how he chooses to reject England and it’s Christian society to live the rest of his life in Samoa.

This is a brilliant way to improve students’ vocabulary, learn to write great description, and to plot a narrative. Then there is the fantastic bonus that it makes the quotations from the poem truly memorable. Here is the beginning. I hope you like it. Description/ Narrative Based on Storm on The Island Wizened by hope, the old man sits in the waiting room. His mind dives from the cliffs of cancer - yes, the tests will show if it has spread, Mr Stook - it twirls through fear, spins at the thought of nothing, of nothing waiting beyond the dark, of emptiness, and summersaults towards hope, spread before him like a sunlit lake. Perhaps they have caught him in time. He chuckles optimistically to himself, fingers curled in a ball upon his walking stick, his back stooped by the blows of time, the blasts of age, rounded, like a ball. He thinks, “I ought to be easy to catch!”

Here is the beginning of the 21st C text, ideal to teach informative writing for Question 5, or how to analyse informative features, for Question 4. Dubrovnik: city of nightmares, or city of dreams? There are few less likely victims of war. Dubrovnik’s thick stone walls stand defiantly on cliff tops, cradled by mountains, an imposing and forbidding barrier to siege. Soldiers would fire down from a hundred feet up, from fortifications far taller than the puny castles you might be used to at home. Magnificent walls, the backdrop to a charming harbour. Yet, as you walk the battlements, gasping at the beauty of the town enclosed within the womb shaped walls, you are struck by a subtle shift in colour. New, tiled roofs abound, like an orange carpet. In 1991 the Serbians attacked from the skies, dropping missiles to spread terror in this most beautiful of preserved cities. The miracle of design, three and four-foot-thick walls built to defeat earthquakes, astonishingly swallowed up the fires and explosions from the skies. The flames burnt out, starved of fuel, even where whole streets are only about eight feet apart. So yes. Dubrovnik is something of a miracle, a survivor with its whole history intact.