English Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel 1h 45m

• Many questions on lots of different texts but only two that we answer: one on Macbeth (Section A) and one on A Christmas Carol (Section B)

• 64 marks in total (34 marks for Section A; 30 marks for Section B)

• Responses for both questions are essays based on extracts from the texts.

• The extracts are provided as part of the exam paper but the texts themselves are not.

• Students have to answer the question ensuring that they refer to both the extract and the text as whole (although there’s no need to refer to these equally).

• The exam assesses the ability of students to craft compelling essays about two key texts that have been studied: Macbeth and A Christmas Carol.

•  As well as knowledge of how to write a literature essay, students should have a thorough knowledge of the following for both Macbeth and A Christmas Carol:

  • • Plot

    • Character and character functions

    • Themes and ideas (as well as the context that helps us to understand these)

    • Key quotations

    • The literary methods used by the writer to craft the text (e.g. genre, setting, characterisation, motifs, structure, language).