Explaining how writers use structure

AQA

GCSE

Candidates must analyse the architectural organization of a text, focusing on how the writer guides the reader through the narrative or argument. This necessitates the identification of features such as shifts in focus, perspective, and chronological sequencing, distinct from language analysis. Responses must explicitly link these structural choices to their specific effects on reader engagement, tension, or thematic development, avoiding simple narrative summary.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award marks for identification of structural features (e.g., shifts in focus, cyclical structure, foreshadowing) rather than language techniques.
Credit responses that analyse the effect of the structural choice on the reader's engagement (e.g., building tension, narrowing perspective).
Candidates must use specific references to the text (e.g., 'the focus shifts from the external setting to the character's internal thoughts') rather than short quotations.
Reward the use of accurate structural terminology (e.g., exposition, climax, juxtaposition, zoom in/out) integrated into the explanation of effect.

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award marks for identification of structural features (e.g., shifts in focus, cyclical structure, foreshadowing) rather than language techniques.
Credit responses that analyse the effect of the structural choice on the reader's engagement (e.g., building tension, narrowing perspective).
Candidates must use specific references to the text (e.g., 'the focus shifts from the external setting to the character's internal thoughts') rather than short quotations.
Reward the use of accurate structural terminology (e.g., exposition, climax, juxtaposition, zoom in/out) integrated into the explanation of effect.

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡Divide the source text into three distinct sections (beginning, middle, end) to physically locate the major shifts in focus.
💡Use the phrase 'The writer guides the reader's attention to...' to ensure focus remains on the writer's craft and the reader's journey.
💡Avoid zooming in on individual words; imagine the text is a film and describe the movement of the camera.
💡Address all three bullet points in the question prompt: the beginning, the shifts/changes, and the ending/resolution.

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Analysing language features (metaphors, similes, word choice) which belongs in Question 2, resulting in zero marks for that section.
Retelling the narrative or summarizing the plot ('Then he goes to the shop...') without analysing the writer's method of organization.
Focusing exclusively on sentence analysis (e.g., 'short sentences create tension') without linking it to the broader structural sequence.
Using complex terminology (e.g., 'Freytag's Pyramid') incorrectly or without explaining its specific function in the given text.

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Likely Command Words

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