How to Revise Great Expectations — OCR GCSE English Literature
Great Expectations is a topic in the OCR GCSE English Literature specification. This guide covers learning objectives, examiner tips, common mistakes, and key terminology to help you revise effectively.
Examiner Tips for Great Expectations
- Plan your essay around a conceptual argument rather than retelling the plot; use the key word 'because' to drive analysis.
- Integrate contextual knowledge subtly—show how specific Victorian issues (transportation, legal reform) illuminate character motivations.
Common Mistakes in Great Expectations
- Treating Pip's moral journey as static rather than a dynamic, often contradictory process of growth.
- Confusing the two endings and failing to discuss the ambiguous original conclusion in relation to Dickens's intentions.
Key Marking Points
- Award credit for close textual analysis, including well-chosen quotations and exploration of language, structure and form.
- Credit references to Victorian social context that demonstrate understanding of how class, crime and reform are reflected in the novel.
- Look for sustained, evaluative comment on characterisation, such as contrasting Magwitch's dignity with Compeyson's superficiality.