Analysing texts, Year 10: word choices, structure and interpretations

Sentence forms

HintThink of long versus short, or statement versus command, in how lines are constructed.

The whySentence forms means the kinds of sentence the writer uses and why: a very short one for shock, a long one that builds, a question, a list. The three bullets are suggestions, so you do not have to cover them all.

'Swallowed'

HintLook for the word that would sound odd about a corridor but natural about an animal.

The why'Swallowed' turns the corridor into a creature with a mouth, so the dark seems to be eating the light. A strong answer picks a word like this and explains what it suggests, instead of quoting the whole sentence.

field

HintThink of the label linguists give to a thematic grouping of related vocabulary.

The whySpotting a semantic field lets you comment on a pattern and not just on one word: here the words of war make an ordinary argument sound like a battle.

Level 2

HintContent that ignores the named lines is heavily capped; recall the mark scheme's cap for it.

The whyThe mark scheme places such an answer in Level 1 or Level 2, however good the analysis, because it is not about the lines set. Level 2 is worth 3 or 4 marks out of 8.

B

HintRecall what the mark scheme rewards: the quality of comment, not the quantity of items.

The whyThe highest level asks for detailed, perceptive comment on the effects of the writer's choices. Naming many features without explaining them stays in the lower levels.

structure

HintThink about how the source is organised and how its focus moves.

The whyStructure is how the text is put together: what the reader is shown first, where the attention moves, and how the ending changes what came before.

The whole of it

HintCompare the range of lines in question 2 with question 3, which is not restricted to a chosen section.

The whyQuestion 3 treats the source as one piece. Good answers follow the text from its opening to its ending and say how the order of things creates the effect named in the question.

Link the features to the effect named in the question

HintA list of devices is not yet an answer; the key word of the task must appear in your comment on each one.

The whyFrom summer 2026 question 3 names one effect, such as tension or a feeling of threat. Each feature you mention should be tied to how it raises or lowers that effect.

Narrowing it, from wide to close up

HintTrack how the scale of what is described changes between the first line and the last.

The whyWhere the writer points the reader's attention, and how that changes, is part of structure. A narrowing focus pulls the reader towards the detail that matters most, here the hand on the rope.

B

HintDecide which comment would still be true if the dog were described in the same words but placed elsewhere.

The whyA language comment looks at the words chosen. A structure comment looks at order and position: when information is given, what is held back, and where the text turns.

Juxtaposition

HintUsed for contrast, such as poverty beside wealth; the term is a long single word of five syllables.

The whyA writer might set a child's birthday party beside a funeral procession passing the window. Neither scene changes, but each looks different because of the other.

A cyclical (circular) structure

HintThink about the pattern when an ending echoes an opening.

The whyReturning to the opening image invites the reader to compare the two moments. The chair is the same, but after everything in between it means something different.

An anti-climax

HintThink of a deliberately disappointing payoff to a long build-up.

The whyThe reader is led to expect something terrible and is given something harmless. The tension drains away at once, often with relief or a laugh.

A turning point

HintThink of the moment that divides a text into a before and an after, as a hinge does.

The whyMark schemes also call it a pivotal point. Finding it gives a structure answer its backbone: what the text was like before, what happens here, and what it is like after.

exposition

HintThe first stage of a plot diagram, which sets the scene before any trouble begins.

The whyExposition sets up what the reader must know before the events can matter. In an exam extract it may be a paragraph of background before the action begins.

A shift in perspective (viewpoint)

HintAsk what has changed about who is telling or experiencing the scene, not about the setting.

The whyWriters shift focus, mood, time and perspective. A change of perspective lets the reader know something one character does not, which can build tension or sympathy.

tentative

HintThink of the sort of wording that avoids committing, as in 'perhaps' or 'could'.

The whyTentative language marks an interpretation as an interpretation. It is accurate, not timid: when the evidence allows two readings, 'shows' claims more than you can prove.

Elsewhere in the text: the lines around it

HintA single sentence is rarely proof; where would you gather more clues?

The whyBoth readings fit the sentence. Whether he has just left a sleeping child or a room he was not meant to enter is decided by the lines before and after, so that is where the weighing is done.

B

HintRecall the skill of weighing: what must a reply contain beyond naming two options?

The whyListing two readings shows you have noticed that the line is open. Weighing them means using evidence to say which is better supported, which is what an evaluation asks for.

certainly

HintCompare the strength of the verb with the strength of the other word modifying it.

The why'Suggests' is properly cautious, but the adverb then claims a fact the text does not give. Cutting it, or writing 'may end', keeps the claim within the evidence.

Ambiguous

HintThink of 'I saw her duck' and ask what quality of wording makes it uncertain.

The whyWriters often leave a line ambiguous on purpose, so that the reader has to hold two possibilities at once. Saying so, and weighing the two, is a stronger response than forcing one meaning.