Answering Structure Questions in the Exam

<h3>What are examiners looking for?</h3>

<p>Structure questions ask you to analyse <strong>how</strong> a text is organised from beginning to end. Avoid just describing <em>what happens</em> — focus on the choices the writer makes and their effect.</p>

<h3>A Framework for Structure Answers</h3>

<ol>

<li><strong>Opening</strong> — How does the text begin? What is introduced?</li>

<li><strong>Development</strong> — How does focus, pace, or tone shift?</li>

<li><strong>Ending</strong> — How does the text conclude? Resolution, irony, a twist?</li>

<li><strong>Patterns</strong> — Are there repeated images or motifs?</li>

</ol>

<h3>Useful Phrases</h3>

<ul>

<li>"The writer opens by…, which immediately establishes…"</li>

<li>"As the text develops, the focus shifts from… to…"</li>

<li>"The short paragraph at line X creates a moment of…"</li>

<li>"The final line mirrors the opening, creating a circular structure that…"</li>

</ul>

<h3>Common Mistakes</h3>

<ul>

<li>Simply retelling the story without structural analysis</li>

<li>Writing about language techniques (save those for language questions)</li>

<li>Always link structural choices to their effect on the reader</li>

</ul>