AQA Paper 1 Section B tests one 19th-century novel text (your school chooses one). The question gives you an extract (c.400–600 words) and asks a character or theme question. You must write about the extract and the novel as a whole. Total: 30 marks.
The question format
"Starting with this extract, write about how [author] presents [theme/character] in [novel]."
No choice — one question, one text, one hour (recommended). AOs weighted:
- AO1 (20 marks — reading, understanding, textual reference)
- AO2 (8 marks — language, form, structure analysis)
- AO3 (2 marks — context: historical, biographical, literary)
Note: AO4 (spelling, punctuation) is not assessed on Section B (it is assessed on Section A Shakespeare).
Planning strategy (10 minutes)
- Read the extract twice — annotate: circling key words, noting form/structure clues (dialogue, narration, paragraph length).
- Identify the focal technique in the extract: e.g. "free indirect discourse allows Austen to ironise Mrs Bennet's perspective."
- Plan 3–4 points: extract + whole-text example for each. This avoids the extract-only trap.
- Draft your thesis: one sentence answering the question before you start.
AO1 — what examiners want
High Level (5–6): a focused, conceptual argument sustained throughout. Not "Dickens presents Pip as…" repeated — but a developing reading that builds. Textual references integrated (not quotations dropped in without comment). Consistent engagement with the whole text, not just the extract.
Common AO1 pitfall: retelling the plot ("And then Pip goes to London…"). Tell the examiner nothing they don't know. Analyse, don't narrate.
AO2 — language and structure
Pick 2–3 language features from the extract and analyse them properly:
- Identify the technique (e.g. free indirect discourse, metaphor, Gothic imagery, epistolary form)
- Quote precisely
- Comment on effect (not just "this creates tension" but why this word/construction creates this effect on this reader)
For structure: Has the author used anything notable? Dialogue vs. narration? An interruption? A chapter ending? Retrospective narration (Pip as adult looking back)? A Gothic build-up?
AO3 — context (2 marks only!)
Context marks are minimal — but they are accessible. One well-placed contextual point is enough. The best approach is to embed context in analysis:
"Brontë's use of 'coarse hands' reflects Victorian class anxiety at a time when industrialisation was rapidly creating new middle-class aspirations."
Do not write a paragraph of biography. Do not begin with historical context. Make context serve the analysis.
The whole-text requirement
Examiners explicitly want both extract and whole-text analysis. The extract is the starting point — not the end point. Roughly 40% extract, 60% wider novel.
Strong essays track the character or theme across the novel:
- Beginning, middle, and end of the narrative
- Moments of change or development
- How the extract's evidence relates to the novel's ending or arc
High-level mark-scheme descriptors
Level 6 (26–30): perceptive, detailed, critical reading; convincing and compelling argument; judicious selection of quotation; well-integrated AO2; context woven into analysis. Level 5 (22–25): thoughtful, well-developed; purposeful; thorough references. Level 4 (17–21): clear, consistent; references support argument; some AO2.
✦Worked example— Worked example thesis (for any novel)
"[Author] presents [theme] as simultaneously [positive quality] and [negative quality], suggesting that [broader point about human nature/society]."
This structure gives a conceptual argument from the start and avoids "on the other hand" swapping.
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