How to Revise An Inspector Calls for GCSE English Literature
June 2026
An Inspector Calls is one of the most popular GCSE English Literature set texts, and because most exams are closed-book, you need to recall quotations and analyse them from memory. It's a hugely popular modern-text choice, especially for AQA, and its clear messages make it one of the more approachable set texts to score well on. This guide breaks down what to revise and how.
Know the assessment objectives
Your essay is marked on how you respond to the text and use evidence (AO1), analyse the writer's methods (AO2), and link to context (AO3), with a few marks for accurate spelling and grammar (AO4). Every paragraph should knowingly hit these — especially AO2, where most marks are won or lost.
The themes to master
- Social responsibility versus self-interest
- Class and inequality
- Gender and the role of women
- Age, generation and the capacity to change
- Guilt and accountability
Characters to know
- The Inspector — Priestley's mouthpiece for social responsibility
- Mr and Mrs Birling — capitalist self-interest and the older generation
- Sheila and Eric — the younger generation who learn
- Gerald Croft and Eva Smith / Daisy Renton
Context that earns marks
Priestley wrote the play in 1945 but set it in 1912, letting the audience see the disasters (two world wars, the Titanic) the characters cannot. A socialist, Priestley used the play to argue for collective responsibility just as Britain debated the welfare state — powerful AO3 material.
Build a quotation bank
Pick quotes that capture Priestley's message — 'we are members of one body', 'fire and blood and anguish', 'a girl died in great agony' — and connect them to his didactic purpose. Aim for 8–10 short, flexible quotations you can analyse in depth rather than long passages you can only recite.
Practise and self-test
Turn your quotes, themes and context into flashcards and test yourself daily — recalling a quote from a prompt is exactly what the exam demands. BrightRevision's flashcards with spaced repetition cover the major set texts including An Inspector Calls, so you can revise actively right up to the exam.