English Language GCSE
Juxtaposition
What Juxtaposition means in English Language GCSE, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Juxtaposition
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
The placement of two contrasting ideas, images, or characters close together to highlight their differences.
Placing two contrasting ideas, images, or concepts close together to highlight their differences.
Placing two contrasting ideas, characters, or settings close together for effect.
Placing two contrasting elements side by side to highlight their differences.
Placing two contrasting ideas, images, or characters side by side for effect.
Topics that use Juxtaposition
- Communicating information and ideas (01) (OCR GCSE)
- Exploring effects and impact (02) (OCR GCSE)
- Presenting information and ideas (OCR GCSE)
- Reading meaning and effects (OCR GCSE)
- Writing for audience, impact and purpose (OCR GCSE)
- Reading: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Writing: Fiction and Imaginative Writing (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- Writing: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
- Register
- Rhetorical Question
- Connotation
- Discourse Marker
- Discourse Markers
- Implicit Information
- Semantic Field
- Cyclical Structure
Using Juxtaposition in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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