Authorial craft
What Authorial craft means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Authorial craft
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Authorial craft in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: OCR
The way writers shape meanings in texts through deliberate choices across language, imagery, form and structure, evaluated for their effects rather than merely identified.
The original author's linguistic and structural techniques, which you imitate, adapt or subvert and then justify in the commentary.
Topics that use Authorial craft
- 2d. Content of non-exam assessment in A Level in English Literature (Component 03) (OCR A-Level)
- Literature post-1900 (Component 03) - Task 1: Re-creative writing with commentary (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Academic collaboration
- Close reading
- Contemporary literature
- Contextual analysis
- Coursework planning
- Critical commentary
- Historical context
- Independent reading
Using Authorial craft in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise English Literature questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge