The 19th-century novel: Students will study one novel from the list of seven set texts. Students should study the whole text.

The idea

For this component students study one 19th-century novel chosen from the seven set texts. Studying the whole text means knowing the complete narrative, not only selected chapters or an extract. A useful method is to build a chapter map that records key events, turning points and recurring motifs, then revisit pivotal passages for close language analysis. Assessment asks students to respond to an extract and to the novel as a whole, so revision should connect detailed textual evidence with the wider patterns of the text and relevant contextual ideas about 19th-century life and writing.

What earns the marks

• Show knowledge of the whole novel, including opening, development, climax and resolution, and the significance of major characters.
• Analyse how the writer uses language, form and structure, such as narrative perspective, chapter organisation, symbolism and descriptive detail.
• Use precise textual references, including short quotations, to support a personal and critical interpretation.
• Relate the novel to relevant contextual factors, such as social class, gender expectations, education or empire, where this illuminates the task.
• Maintain a focused argument that moves between close analysis of an extract and the novel as a whole.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Relying on film adaptations or summaries instead of the whole novel.

  Put it right: Read and revise the complete text so you can discuss details and endings accurately.

• Writing about characters as if they were real people.

  Put it right: Analyse how the writer constructs character through language, action and narrative viewpoint.

• Using context as a bolt-on list of facts.

  Put it right: Integrate contextual understanding into the analysis of the writer's choices and the reader's response.

Exam tips

• Track themes and characters across the whole novel so you can select evidence that spans the text.
• When responding to an extract, analyse its language closely and then link outward to earlier and later moments in the novel.
• Keep quotations short and precise, and always explain the effect of the writer's choices rather than just identifying techniques.