We -could- use Love Island, as some kind of extended metaphor today, but I haven’t seen it, and never will. So I’m going to go for soap operas, partly based on the old chestnut that says that Shakespeare would be writing Eastenders or Emmerdale if he were alive today. It’s probably true, by the way …

Thanks to Josh Spector, who suggests we blog about the questions we are answering for our clients. Well, this is what I’ve mostly been helping tutees with over the past week or so.

TL;DR part one

You can always look at past papers and see the kind of things that exam boards generally choose. TL;DR parts two, three and four appears later in this piece!

OK, let's set the scene. Time’s getting increasingly short - in fact some of my students are hitting up against the 75-days-to-go mark this week - and many of you are getting increasingly worried, perhaps even stressed. English Lit is only one of your subjects (as all English teachers and tutors have to remind themselves every so often), but to many of you I know it feels like the heaviest load in terms of material to cover. It’s no wonder that last time I checked on Reddit, English Lit was frequently nominated as one of the most difficult A-Level subjects. Who knew?

We did. We knew. You and I.

If only there was a way to identify the bits which -might- come up, or be useful …

This is, by the way, in some ways part of what Assessment Objectives 1 and 2 are looking for. Not just the WHAT (your argument), but the WHERE (your textual evidence).

My first bit of advice

... is to make sure you know the plot well: what happens, in what order, and things like cause/effect. Here are the other things I’ve suggested people look for and consider paying attention to. Some of these categories overlap. And, if you DON’T know the stories well … there may be spoilers ahead!

TL;DR part two

Well ... I already have this sort of information - ie ‘the answers’ - available for several plays. My students and e-mail subscribers (hint, hint) have free access to those. Let me know which play you're studying: I might even make one specially for you if I haven't already.

Let's be brutally honest, though - they aren’t a magic bullet. I’m the kind of tutor who prefers to give you the skills rather than the answers. The most successful students are the ones able to apply skills, and think for themselves, to cope 'nimbly' and brilliantly with whatever the exams throw their way. Doing the work of selecting what you think you need to cover will almost always get better results.

So, here goes.

Things to look for in your texts, with GCSE and A-Level examples. A lot of these overlap, but they are worth looking at separately.

Conflict

Scenes or chapters which feature arguments are always worth revisiting, especially if the confrontation is a climactic showdown between two antagonists which has been brewing, soap opera style, for a while. If you're an Eastenders, let's call them the 'Dooff! Dooff!' bits. As in 'DOOFF! DOOFF! DOOFF! D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d 🎶 Na na na na na na, na. 🎶 Examples?

GCSE

• Of Mice and Men - the fight between Curley and Lenny

A-Level

• Henry IV Part 1 - the final showdown between Prince Hal and Harry Hotspur
• A Streetcar Named Desire - the climax of the sexual tension between Blanche and Stanley

Drama

Similar to above, these might be moments when secrets are exposed; or life events; exciting climaxes / cliffhangers (again, think of the 'Doof! Doof!' bits; or perhaps the beginning / ending of relationships / friendships. Soap-opera fans might think about the things that come up in Christmas Specials. Examples?

GCSE

• The Sign of the Four - the boat chase which finally captures Tonga and Jonathan Small (I say this affectionately, but perhaps the slowest chase scene in all of literature?)
• Jekyll and Hyde - the description of the murder of Sir Danvers Carew

A-Level

• Jane Eyre - Rochester's proposal; Jane’s wedding day, and the trip to the attics which follows (pure Eastenders, this one)
• Dr Faustus - the moment when Faustus signs his contract with the devil in blood

High Emotion

Is it a ‘thing’ that your English Lit texts are, overall, a pretty depressing bunch?

Actually, I have had this conversation with a student very recently. I think on the whole it’s true; the jaded old cynic in me suggests that they are good prep for navigating the adult world!

It’s a little more that that, though. This is what audiences want. What they really, really, want. Shakespeare was primarily writing for bums on seats. I went through a period many years ago where I would say to myself, ‘at least I’m not Ian Beale’. For the uninitiated, he was an Eastenders character about my age who seemed to have a love life which consisted entirely of wives or girlfriends either cheating on him or actively trying to kill him! But even Ian was sometimes excited or happy, and you might find celebratory moments amongst the despair, jealousy, shame, fear, rage, etc. Examples?

GCSE

• A Christmas Carol - Scrooge’s amazing joy at the end

A-Level

• Richard III - witness his fist-pumping after he has seduced a widow having murdered both her husband and father-in-law. Yes, really. Even he can’t believe it!
• Antony and Cleopatra - Enobarbus’ guilt at having betrayed his friend and master
• Dr Faustus - his terror as the last few seconds of his life tick away before the devil comes to claim him (spoiler alert, lol)

Moral Dilemmas

One of my favourites, this, and a tentative subject for my next post. In Shakespeare’s plays these are usually soliloquies: introspective moments when a character reveals their inner thoughts to an audience. And we love them when they involve a difficult choice to make, especially where doing the right thing isn’t necessary. Examples?

GCSE

• The Sign of the Four - Dr Watson churned up about whether to act on his feelings for Mary Morstan
• Macbeth - Macbeth makes a for/against list to work out whether or not to kill the king
• Romeo and Juliet - Juliet torn between obeying her father and marrying Paris, even though she is already married
• Julius Caesar - Brutus persuading himself that Caesar has to die

A-Level

• Measure for Measure - Angelo’s temptation after interviewing Isabella
• Othello - working through whether or not to trust Desdemona in the face of Iago’s information
• Hamlet - I particularly like Claudius on his knees trying to get forgiveness, and Hamlet debating whether to take advantage of the opportunity to kill him

First impressions / descriptions of characters

Some novels are extremely detailed when it comes to appearance (apart from a writer’s individual style, there have been periods like the Victorian era when many associated a person’s physical exterior with their inner character), and in most of Shakespeare’s tragedies, it’s the hero’s personality which is in some way given a positive spin. Examples?

GCSE

• Heroes - once read, who can forget the movie star, too good to be true, description of Larry LaSalle?
• A Christmas Carol - the ghosts are described in considerable detail - all four of them!

A-Level

• Dr Faustus - how about the self-descriptions of the seven deadly sins?
• Henry IV Part 1 - you could focus on the exploits of Hotspur
• Antony & Cleopatra - Enobarbus’ description of Cleopatra’s spectacular seduction of Antony on the Nile

Locations

Some writers almost make locations part of the cast! Albert Square certainly is. And the Rover's Return. And the Woolpack. Again, you won't find this in older plays, simply because of practical theatrical restrictions. But here are a few I can think of. Examples?

GCSE

• The Sign of the Four - London
• Of Mice and Men - the bunkhouse, and the opening / closing scene at the pool
• Heroes - the Wreck Centre
• An Inspector Calls - think of the very detailed stage direction right at the beginning

A-Level

• Henry IV Part 1 - actually, consider the Boar's Head tavern in Eastcheap ...
• hey, I'm doing all the work here. Time for you to let me have some, lol.

Recurring Images or Motifs

This seems particularly noticeable as you get to know a poet's work better, but they appear in other texts too. Examples?

GCSE

• An Inspector Calls - interruptions
• Macbeth - birds, blood, and darkness
• Of Mice and Men - the frequent dehumanisation
• Animal Farm - the commandments

A-Level

• Dr Faustus - keep an eye on the good and bad angels, and how they become more audible to Faustus as the play goes on
• Tennyson (Maud) - flowers

TL;DR part three

The list you probably wanted in the first place.

1. Conflict
2. Drama
3. High Emotion
4. Moral Dilemmas
5. First impressions / descriptions of characters
6. Locations
7. Recurring Images or Motifs

TL;DR part four

If you were creating a 3-minute highlights reel of a text for YouTube, which bits would you include? Or, a sporting analogy: think of the editors who decide which bits of football games are shown on Match of the Day - a 90-minute sporting event condensed into 6 or 7 minutes. You are basically doing the same thing.

- - -

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About Abel Guerrero: I'm the 'upstart' in Upstart Tuition. I qualified as a teacher in 2013, and worked in the classroom until December 2024, when I decided my interests and skills were better fulfilled by 1-2-1 and small group tuition, resources, and courses. Whilst I'm on a mission to help you smash your exams, I feel I should warn you in advance that I am also trying to make you fall in love with literature. It's the best subject for learning about who we are, about the world about us, and how to navigate it.

I specialise in Shakespeare, poetry, and the Victorian / Dystopian literary genres. If I'm not reading, I'll probably be trying to grow chillies, with varying degrees of success. 🌶️

Need help? You can book a free, no-obligation chat with me via this link. Let's get together and discuss how I can help you.

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