Studied Text / Unfamiliar Texts (91925, 91927)
Two standards, two reading moves
91925 asks you to discuss specific aspects of a studied text - character, theme, setting, structure, language, or purpose. 91927 asks you to discuss significant aspects of unfamiliar texts you have not seen before.
91925 - Studied text
Choose a clear aspect and build an argument. Use precise evidence: quotations, close reference to a scene, or structural details. Explain how the aspect develops and why the author made that choice.
91927 - Unfamiliar texts
Read for meaning first, then analyse. Use the chain: feature, example, effect, purpose. A feature is only useful if you explain what it does to a reader.
Worked example
Unseen text: 'The harbour lay flat as a coin. Gulls hung in the wind like torn paper.'
Reasoning: 'flat as a coin' is a simile that makes the water seem hard, still, and metallic - perhaps unnatural. 'Like torn paper' compares gulls to something fragile and discarded, creating unease. The effect is not simply 'descriptive'; it builds a mood of stillness and threat. Link to purpose: the writer may be preparing a turning point.
Traps
- Feature-spotting without effect.
- Retelling the plot instead of analysing.
- Ignoring the question's focus.
- Using evidence that does not support the claim.
- Forgetting to link to audience or purpose.