Close reading
What Close reading means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Close reading
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Reference: OCR
Annotating specific literary devices, structural shifts and narrative perspectives after reading the text holistically to grasp its overarching tone and subject matter.
A detailed analytical essay focusing on a specific extract, rigorously examining the writer's use of language, form, and structure to create meaning.
Detailed analysis of unseen extracts that focuses exclusively on AO2, with all analytical claims supported by precise, well-integrated quotations.
A highly detailed, close critical analysis of a specific extract, examining how the writer uses form, structure, and language to create meaning.
Analysing how the writer uses language and structure to create meaning in an unseen prose extract related to the chosen topic area.
An essay focusing on a single text, demonstrating detailed critical understanding of language, form, and structure.
Topics that use Close reading
- 2a. Overview of A Level in English Literature (H472) (OCR A-Level)
- 2b. Content of A Level in English Literature (H472) (OCR A-Level)
- 2d. Content of non-exam assessment in A Level in English Literature (Component 03) (OCR A-Level)
- Comparative and contextual study (Component 02) - Topics: Close reading (OCR A-Level)
- Literature post-1900 (Component 03) - Task 1: Close reading (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Contextual analysis
- Genre conventions
- Literary devices
- Subjectivity of reading
- Textual selection
- Academic collaboration
- Academic Progression
- Academic register and expression
Using Close reading 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.
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