English Literature lessons
A level & IB English Literature: close reading, context, comparison, and essay craft across prose, poetry, and drama.
Key topics
- Close reading & language
- Poetry analysis
- Prose & the novel
- Drama & performance
- Context & criticism
- Comparison & essay craft
Lesson course
Work through each lesson, run the interactive practice, and tick it off as you go.
1. Reading closely
Skills
Language & imagery
Analyse diction, imagery, and connotation precisely.
Close reading means showing how specific words create meaning. Comment on connotation, imagery (metaphor/simile), and tone — not just spotting devices.
Annotate one passage for three deliberate language choices.
Form & structure
Explain how form and structure shape meaning.
Form (sonnet, novel, tragedy) and structure (order, pacing, turning points) guide response. Note shifts, juxtaposition, and where emphasis falls.
Map the structure of one text and its effect on the reader.
Tone & voice
Identify narrative voice and tone with evidence.
Voice is who speaks and how; tone is the attitude conveyed. Distinguish narrator from author, and track how tone shifts within a text.
Compare the voice in two short extracts.
2. Poetry
Genre
Reading a poem
Build an interpretation from language, form, and sound.
Read for meaning first, then how sound (rhythm, rhyme, enjambment) and form support it. Always tie technique back to effect and theme.
Write one paragraph analysing a poem's central image.
Imagery & symbolism
Interpret extended metaphor and symbolism.
A symbol stands for an idea beyond itself; an extended metaphor sustains a comparison. Argue interpretations and acknowledge alternatives.
Trace one symbol through a whole poem.
Comparing poems
Compare two poems' methods and concerns.
Comparison means integrating texts: similar concern, different method. Use connectives (whereas, similarly) and quote both sides in the same paragraph.
Plan one comparative point with linked quotations.
3. Prose
Genre
Narrative & character
Analyse characterisation and narrative perspective.
Characters are constructed: consider what they say/do, how others react, and narrative perspective (first vs third person, reliability).
Explain how one character is constructed through method.
Theme & setting
Link setting and theme to authorial purpose.
Setting creates atmosphere and can embody theme (e.g. decay, class). Connect description to the writer's wider purpose and context.
Explain how setting develops one theme in your novel.
Whole-text argument
Sustain a thesis across a novel.
A strong essay has a clear thesis answering the question, supported by selected evidence from across the whole text, not just one chapter.
Draft a thesis statement answering one essay question.
4. Drama
Genre
Dramatic methods
Analyse stagecraft, dialogue, and dramatic irony.
Drama is written to be performed: consider stage directions, dialogue, asides, and dramatic irony (audience knows more than characters).
Explain one moment of dramatic irony and its effect.
Tragedy & comedy
Apply genre conventions to a play.
Tragedy often follows a flawed protagonist to a downfall (hamartia, catharsis). Comedy moves toward resolution/marriage. Use conventions as a lens, not a checklist.
Map one play against its genre conventions.
Performance & interpretation
Consider how staging choices shape meaning.
A play's meaning shifts with performance: casting, set, pace, and emphasis are interpretive choices you can argue about with evidence.
Suggest two staging choices for one key scene and justify them.
5. Context & criticism
AO3/AO5
Historical & social context
Use context to deepen, not replace, analysis.
Context (AO3) should illuminate the text — link historical/social/literary background to specific choices, rather than bolting on biography.
Add one contextual point to an existing analysis paragraph.
Critical perspectives
Apply critical lenses (e.g. feminist, Marxist).
Critical theories offer lenses (feminist, Marxist, psychoanalytic). Use them to open alternative readings (AO5), always grounded in the text.
Read one scene through two different critical lenses.
Using evidence
Embed quotations and analyse them.
Embed short quotations within your own sentences and analyse the language — never drop a long quote without comment.
Embed three short quotations smoothly into sentences.
6. Essay craft
Skills
Planning an essay
Plan a focused, argument-led response.
Plan before writing: turn the question into a thesis, choose 3 strong points, and pick evidence for each. Argument beats feature-spotting.
Plan one essay: thesis, three points, evidence.
Writing with precision
Use accurate terminology and clear expression.
Write concisely, use accurate critical vocabulary, and make each sentence advance the argument. Vague claims lose marks.
Redraft one paragraph for precision and terminology.
Timed essay
Write a full essay to time and self-assess.
Spend a few minutes planning, watch the clock per question, and leave time to check. Mark against the assessment objectives afterwards.
Write one timed essay, then mark it against the criteria.
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