Analysing Structure

Analysing structure

Structure is how a text is organised and put together — the order of ideas, how it begins and ends, and how the writer guides the reader through. Structure questions (e.g. AQA Paper 1 Q3) are about the whole text, not individual words.

Structure vs language

• Language = the words and techniques (metaphors, word choices).
• Structure = the shape and order — where the writer starts, what they focus on, how the focus shifts, and how it ends.

Don't drift into language analysis in a structure question.

Whole-text structural features

• Opening: how does it begin (a wide scene, a close-up, action)? What effect?
• Shifts in focus: does the writer "zoom in" from a wide view to a detail, or move from outside to inside?
• Perspective: whose viewpoint, and does it change?
• Time: flashbacks, chronological order, or shifts between past and present.
• Ending: does it resolve, twist, or link back to the opening (cyclical structure)?
• Pace: does it speed up (short paragraphs) or slow down?

Sentence- and paragraph-level structure

• Short paragraphs/sentences create tension or emphasis.
• Repetition or a repeated motif links ideas across the text.
• Paragraph order builds a sequence (e.g. calm → threat → climax).

Method: feature → effect

Name the structural feature, then explain its effect on the reader:

"The writer begins with a wide description of the landscape, then narrows the focus to a single figure. This 'zooming in' draws the reader's attention to the character and makes them feel significant."

Worked example

The text opens calmly but the paragraphs grow shorter as danger approaches. This shortening structure quickens the pace and builds tension, making the reader feel events are spiralling out of control. ✓

Common mistakes

• Analysing language instead of structure.
• Just listing features (a flashback here, short paragraph there) without effect.
• Ignoring the whole-text shape (beginning, middle, end).

Exam tips

• Track how the writer's focus shifts through the text.
• Comment on the opening, a shift, and the ending.
• Always link a structural feature to its effect on the reader.

Quick recap

• Structure = the order and shape of a text (openings, shifts, time, endings, pace) — not individual words.
• Comment on zooming in/out, perspective, repetition and cyclical endings.
• Always connect a structural feature to its effect on the reader.