Examples of choices of non-exam assessment texts and possible connections — AQA A-Level English Literature
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This topic requires students to select two non-exam assessment (NEA) texts for the AQA A-Level English Literature Independent Critical Study (NEA) and justify meaningful connections between them. Success depends on choosing texts with rich thematic, contextual, or authorial links that allow you to compare and contrast effectively within a 2,500-word essay.
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Examples of choices of non-exam assessment texts and possible connections explained
This is a non-exam assessment (NEA) task, so you design the question with your centre and write an extended essay, not a timed exam answer.
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The task asks you to do two connected things. First, compare how women are presented across Keats's three narrative poems and Brontë's novel: consider how Lamia, Isabella, Madeline and Helen Graham are characterised, who controls them, and what sympathy or judgement the writing invites. Second, analyse how Gothic settings — the enchanted palace, the feudal household, the moonlit chamber, Wildfell Hall and Grassdale — shape the portrayal of heroines in peril. Build a clear line of argument, support it with close reference to each text, and weigh similarities against differences rather than listing them.
Your focus
- Compare the presentation of women across Keats's narrative poems and Brontë's novel.
- Analyse how Gothic settings shape the portrayal of heroines in peril.
- Construct and support a sustained comparative argument with close textual reference.
Which command word is this?
Identify similarities and differences between the texts, using comparative language and exploring how each text treats the connection. Must be balanced and analytical.
Examples of choices of non-exam assessment texts and possible connections exam tips
Topic Overview
This topic focuses on the selection and justification of two non-exam assessment (NEA) texts for the AQA A-Level English Literature Independent Critical Study. Students must choose texts that allow for meaningful connections, typically linked by theme, genre, context, or authorial technique. The NEA is worth 20% of the A-Level and requires a 2,500-word essay comparing the two texts, assessed on AO1, AO2, AO3, and AO4.
Choosing the right texts is crucial: they must be rich enough to sustain a comparative argument and offer opportunities for contextual analysis. The connections you identify will shape your essay's argument and determine your ability to meet the assessment objectives. This topic therefore sits at the heart of the NEA, bridging your wider reading with independent critical thinking.
Key Concepts
- →The NEA requires two texts: one must be pre-1900, and both must be chosen independently (not set texts for the examined components).
- →Connections can be thematic (e.g., love, power), contextual (e.g., post-colonialism, feminism), authorial (e.g., style, influence), or formal (e.g., narrative structure, genre).
- →AO4 (connections) is worth 10% of the A-Level and is assessed only in the NEA, so your choice of texts and connections directly impacts this mark.
- →A strong connection should allow for both comparison and contrast, enabling you to demonstrate critical depth and avoid superficial links.
- →The essay must balance all four AOs: AO1 (argument), AO2 (analysis), AO3 (context), and AO4 (connections).
Marking Points
- Compares the presentation of women across Keats's three narrative poems and Brontë's novel, addressing each named text rather than only one or two.
- Analyses how a specific Gothic setting shapes the portrayal of a heroine in peril, linking setting to character and mood.
- Weighs similarities and differences between the writers' presentations rather than listing them separately.
- Supports the argument with close reference to the texts, including quotation or detailed textual detail used accurately.
- Sustains a coherent comparative argument that answers both parts of the question across the whole essay.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Plan the essay around a clear comparative argument that answers both parts of the question.
- 💡Select precise textual detail from each named text and explain its effect rather than retelling plot.
- 💡Check the essay addresses the Gothic settings clause as fully as the presentation-of-women clause.
- 💡Discuss the question and chosen texts with your teacher, since NEA questions are set and approved by the centre.
- 💡Choose texts that you genuinely enjoy and are willing to read multiple times; your engagement will show in your analysis.
- 💡Ensure your connection is arguable, not obvious. For example, 'Both texts are about war' is too simple; 'Both texts use fragmented narrative to reflect the psychological impact of war' is more sophisticated.
- 💡Plan your essay to ensure equal coverage of both texts and all four AOs. Use a comparative grid to map out your points.
Common Mistakes
- Treats the task as a timed exam answer; instead plan and draft an extended NEA essay with a clear argument.
- Discusses only one or two of the named texts; instead address all three Keats poems and the Brontë novel.
- Describes Gothic settings without linking them to the presentation of heroines in peril; instead analyse how each setting shapes character and sympathy.
- Lists similarities and differences without weighing them; instead build a comparative argument that judges significance.
- Students often think any two texts can be connected if they share a broad theme like 'love' or 'death'. Correction: The connection must be specific and allow for detailed comparative analysis; avoid generic links.
- Some students believe they must choose texts from the same genre or period. Correction: Contrasting texts from different periods or genres can yield richer connections and better AO4 marks.
- Students sometimes assume the connection is only about themes. Correction: Connections can also be based on context, authorial style, narrative form, or critical reception.
Revision Plan
- 1Week 1: Research potential text pairings. Read summaries, critical essays, and sample NEA essays to identify strong connections.
- 2Week 1-2: Read your chosen texts closely, annotating for theme, character, form, structure, and context. Note potential comparative points.
- 3Week 2: Draft a comparative essay plan, ensuring each paragraph addresses both texts and the connection. Check that all AOs are covered.
- 4Week 2: Write a first draft of the essay, focusing on integrating quotations and contextual detail. Aim for a clear argument.
- 5Week 2: Review and refine your draft, checking for balance, depth, and adherence to the mark scheme. Seek feedback from your teacher.
Exam Question Types
- 📋NEA Essay (2,500 words): Compare two texts in light of a chosen connection. Advice: Ensure your introduction states your texts and connection clearly, and use comparative language throughout.
- 📋Potential exam question (if NEA is discussed in exam): 'Explain how your choice of texts and connections allowed you to meet AO4.' Advice: Be prepared to justify your choices with specific examples.
- 📋Comparative analysis question: 'Compare how two texts explore a common theme.' Advice: Use this as practice for your NEA by selecting texts and themes you might use.
- 📋Contextual connection question: 'How do contextual factors shape the connections between your chosen texts?' Advice: Link historical, social, or cultural contexts to the texts' themes and forms.
Command Word Expectations (AQA)
Compare
Identify similarities and differences between the texts, using comparative language and exploring how each text treats the connection. Must be balanced and analytical.
Analyse
Break down the texts' language, form, and structure to explore how meaning is created. Use precise terminology and textual evidence.
Evaluate
Make a judgement about the texts' effectiveness or significance, supported by evidence and reasoning. Consider different interpretations.
How Students Lose Marks (Examiner Pitfalls)
Pitfall: Choosing two texts that are too similar in theme, genre, and context, leading to a comparison that lacks contrast and critical depth.
❌ Weak Answer (Loses Marks):Student selects 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and writes: 'Both plays are about love and are comedies by Shakespeare, so they are connected.'
Example improved answer:Student selects 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Wuthering Heights' and argues: 'Both texts explore destructive love, but while Shakespeare presents it as a tragic flaw of youth, Bronte frames it as a supernatural and generational curse, reflecting changing Romantic and Victorian attitudes to passion and social order.'
Examiner Tip: Choose texts that share a clear thematic or contextual link but differ in form, period, or perspective. This ensures you can demonstrate comparison and contrast, which is essential for AO4 (connections) and AO3 (context).
Pitfall: Failing to justify the connection with specific textual evidence and contextual understanding, resulting in a superficial or generic link.
❌ Weak Answer (Loses Marks):Student writes: 'Both texts are about power and control, so they are connected.'
Example improved answer:Student writes: 'Both 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' explore power through the control of female bodies, but Atwood uses dystopian satire to critique 1980s American fundamentalism, while Williams uses Southern Gothic realism to expose post-war patriarchal decline.'
Examiner Tip: Always anchor your connection in precise textual details and contextual factors. Use the NEA mark scheme: AO1 (argument), AO2 (analysis), AO3 (context), AO4 (connections). Aim for a balance across all four.
Step-by-Step Worked Solutions
Question: You are choosing two NEA texts. One is 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley. Suggest a second text and explain three possible connections you could explore in your 2,500-word essay.
- 1.Step 1: Identify a second text that shares thematic, contextual, or authorial links with 'Frankenstein'. For example, 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro.
- 2.Step 2: Establish connection 1: Both texts explore the ethics of creating life and the consequences of scientific advancement. In 'Frankenstein', Victor's hubris leads to tragedy; in 'Never Let Me Go', cloning is normalised but reveals societal cruelty.
- 3.Step 3: Establish connection 2: Both texts use first-person narration to explore the outsider's perspective. Shelley uses Walton's letters and Victor's confession; Ishiguro uses Kathy's retrospective, unreliable memory.
- 4.Step 4: Establish connection 3: Both texts critique the societies that allow such creations. Shelley critiques Romantic idealism and Enlightenment hubris; Ishiguro critiques late 20th-century utilitarianism and bioethics.
- 5.Step 5: Conclude that these connections allow for comparison of form, context, and theme, meeting AO1-AO4 requirements.
Final Answer: A strong pairing is 'Frankenstein' and 'Never Let Me Go', connected by the ethics of creation, narrative perspective, and social critique. This enables a balanced comparison across theme, form, and context.
Question: Explain how you would structure a 2,500-word NEA essay comparing 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Atonement' to maximise marks for AO4 (connections).
- 1.Step 1: Introduce both texts and state your central argument: both explore the fragility of illusion and the cost of betrayal, but in different historical contexts (1920s America vs. 1930s-40s England).
- 2.Step 2: Use comparative topic sentences for each paragraph, e.g., 'Both Fitzgerald and McEwan present self-invention as a response to social pressure, but Gatsby's is driven by capitalist aspiration while Briony's is driven by artistic ego.'
- 3.Step 3: Integrate AO4 by explicitly using connectives: 'similarly', 'in contrast', 'whereas', 'both authors', 'while Fitzgerald... McEwan...'.
- 4.Step 4: Analyse form and structure: Fitzgerald's use of Nick as a biased narrator parallels McEwan's use of Briony as an unreliable narrator, both manipulating reader sympathy.
- 5.Step 5: Conclude by evaluating which text offers a more devastating critique of illusion, linking to contextual shifts in modernism and postmodernism.
Final Answer: Structure your essay around comparative points that integrate theme, form, and context. Use explicit comparative language and ensure each paragraph addresses both texts and the connection between them.
Active Recall Memory Test
What are the four assessment objectives for the NEA?
Key Fact: AO1: Articulate informed, personal, and creative responses. AO2: Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped. AO3: Demonstrate understanding of contexts. AO4: Explore connections across literary texts.
Name three types of connections you can make between NEA texts.
Key Fact: Thematic (e.g., love, power), contextual (e.g., feminism, post-colonialism), and formal (e.g., narrative structure, genre).
What is the word count for the NEA essay?
Key Fact: 2,500 words, excluding quotations and footnotes.
Why is it important to choose texts with both similarities and differences?
Key Fact: To allow for comparison and contrast, which demonstrates critical depth and meets AO4 requirements for connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best text pairings for AQA A-Level English Literature NEA?
There is no definitive 'best' pairing, but strong choices often include texts that share a theme but differ in form or context. Examples: 'Frankenstein' and 'Never Let Me Go' (ethics of creation), 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Atonement' (illusion and betrayal), 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (patriarchal control). Choose texts you enjoy and can analyse in depth.
Can I choose two texts by the same author for my NEA?
Yes, you can, but be cautious. If the texts are too similar in style and context, you may struggle to show meaningful connections and contrasts for AO4. It can work if you focus on the author's development or recurring themes across different periods, but it's often safer to choose texts by different authors to ensure a richer comparative analysis.
How do I structure my NEA essay to hit all the assessment objectives?
Start with an introduction that states your texts and the connection. Use comparative paragraphs that integrate AO1 (argument), AO2 (analysis of language/form), AO3 (context), and AO4 (connections). Ensure each paragraph addresses both texts and the link between them. Conclude with a judgement that evaluates the connection. Aim for a balance across all AOs, and use comparative connectives throughout.
What counts as a 'connection' between two texts in the NEA?
A connection is a meaningful link that allows for comparative analysis. It can be thematic (e.g., both explore the corrupting influence of power), contextual (e.g., both respond to post-war disillusionment), authorial (e.g., both use unreliable narrators), or formal (e.g., both use epistolary structure). The connection should be specific and arguable, not just a broad similarity.
How many texts do I need for the NEA and what are the rules?
You need two texts. One must be pre-1900, and both must be chosen independently; they cannot be set texts for the examined components. They can be any genre (novel, play, poetry) and from any period, as long as they allow for a meaningful comparison. The essay is 2,500 words and worth 20% of the A-Level.
What are common mistakes students make when choosing NEA texts?
Common mistakes include choosing texts that are too similar (limiting contrast), choosing texts that are too complex or long (making it hard to analyse in depth), and failing to check that texts meet the pre-1900 requirement. Another mistake is choosing texts based on film adaptations rather than the original literary works. Always read the texts themselves and ensure they offer rich material for comparative analysis.