Part (a): Questions 1(a) to 6(a)
Extract analysis
20 marksAO2About 27 min
What it asks
Look closely at the printed extract and analyse how Shakespeare presents a character, a relationship or an idea in it.
What earns marks
- Close analysis of the language in the extract: imagery, word choices and the way characters speak to each other.
- Form and structure as well as language, for example verse and prose, soliloquy, rhyme and rhythm, stage directions, and how the scene builds or shifts.
- Short, embedded quotations from the extract, each with its effect on the audience.
- Subject terms used precisely to develop a point, not just to label it.
What each level looks like
Top level first.
| Level | Marks | What an answer at this level does |
|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 17-20 | Weighs up how the language, form and structure combine to shape the audience's response, with exact subject terms built naturally into the argument. |
| Level 4 | 13-16 | Every paragraph digs into how the language, form and structure work and what they do to the audience, in close detail, with subject terms used accurately to push ideas further. |
| Level 3 | 9-12 | Shows how several of Shakespeare's methods work and what each does to the audience, with relevant subject terms. |
| Level 2 | 5-8 | Mostly describes what happens in the extract, but makes some comments on how it is written, using a few subject terms. |
| Level 1 | 1-4 | Says very little about how the extract is written: a feature or two may be named, with almost no explanation and few subject terms. |
What to avoid
- Writing about the rest of the play: part (a) is marked on your analysis of the extract.
- Adding context: it earns nothing in part (a), so save it for part (b).
- Retelling the extract line by line.
Tip: Annotate four or five key moments in the extract, then build each paragraph around one quotation and what it does.
Mark an answer to this question