Free Teaching Resources An Inspector Calls

Objectives

1. Explain why Priestley set the play in 1912 and wrote it in 1945, and the significance of the dual time frame
2. Identify key historical events between 1912 and 1945 that underpin the play's dramatic irony
3. Understand Priestley's socialist beliefs and how they shape his dramatic purpose
4. Begin to embed contextual knowledge into analytical writing (AO3)

Success Criteria

• I can explain at least three ways in which the 1912 setting and 1945 audience create dramatic irony
• I can describe Priestley's political beliefs and link them to the Inspector's role in the play
• I can write a paragraph that integrates contextual knowledge into analysis rather than treating it as separate background
• I can use key terms: dramatic irony, socialist, welfare state, collective responsibility, Edwardian

Keywords

Homework

Learn two key quotations from Mr Birling's Act 1 speeches (one prediction about the Titanic and one about war or self-interest). For each quotation, write three sentences: one identifying the technique, one analysing the effect, and one linking to Priestley's socialist context.

Teacher Notes

• Students often struggle to understand why the 1912/1945 gap matters. Use the analogy of watching a film knowing how it ends: dramatic irony creates a distance between character confidence and audience awareness that Priestley exploits throughout.
• Contextual references should always be integrated into analysis, not bolted on as a separate opening sentence. Model this distinction explicitly before the main writing task.
• The lighting change from pink and intimate to brighter and harder is worth mentioning here as an early example of how Priestley uses theatrical elements to signal the shift from self-satisfaction to moral scrutiny.
• AO3 -- Relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received

Context Notes

• An Inspector Calls was written by J.B. Priestley in 1945 but set in 1912, creating a deliberate dual time frame that generates dramatic irony throughout the play.
• Priestley was a committed democratic socialist. His wartime BBC Postscripts broadcasts reached audiences of over 16 million and called for a more just, equal post-war society.
• The play was first performed in Moscow in 1945 before its London premiere in 1946. Its socialist message was better received by Soviet audiences initially.
• The 1912 setting places the play in the Edwardian era -- a period of rigid class hierarchy, no welfare state, no NHS, and no votes for women. The Titanic sank in April 1912, weeks after the play is set.
• By 1945, Britain had endured two World Wars. The Labour landslide victory of that year and the creation of the welfare state are the political context in which Priestley wrote.

Key Themes

Key Characters

Key Quotes

Assessment Criteria (AQA GCSE)