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GCSE English Literature AQA 8702 struggling to answer macbeth question

Hi there

so i am struggling to answer the Section A Shakespeare Macbeth question im sitting the exam in June 2019 so i don't have long and i need to get as close to 30 marks as possible i don't know how to revise Macbeth or structure my essay i have tried to look at the AQA mark scheme indicative content but i don't know where some of these ideas are coming from i understand that i need to write about Language and Structure and Form and Context and i don't know though im struggling here pls help

Reply 1

Sinnoh

In essence, it's quite simple. You make an argument and try to convince the person reading your essay that you're as right as possible.

Your introduction just briefly outlines your main points that you're going to make. Then you have a few large paragraphs - 3 or 4. In each of those paragraphs you start with an argument and spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. Each argument you make has to relate to the question.

How do you support your argument?
Evidence. You can't only just find a relevant quote, throw it in there and assume that's backing up your argument. You have to analyse it as much as possible, look for deeper meaning and explore the impact it has. Maybe there's a literary technique being used that really emphasises what a character is feeling? Or maybe the historical context of the period in which the play was written comes into this as well.
If you ever feel like you're going too deep in an answer, don't worry, you're not.

As for actually revising it, there's no clear-cut way for English like there is for maths. My suggestion is: plan essays, just to organise your information and draw links between the evidence you have. Just planning them can help. Also, just talk about it with friends? Find a question and just chat about how you could answer it, what points you could make, what evidence is relevant, what links you could make.

Reply 2

Brooklyngirl1899

Original post by liamlarner

To revise things for English and remember quotes it's a case of reading and re-reading the text again and again until you know the plot inside out, back to front and could recite it standing on your head while juggling (Mild exaggeration but you get the picture) as for context it would be really helpful if you take GCSE History but essentially Macbeth was written in the 1600s where there was a CRAZY big obsession with witchcraft (This is when all the witch trials happened) and its is set just before 1066 (Seeing as Edward the Confessor is the king of England during the play- which you learn in act 4 or act 5 when Malcolm is in England after fleeing). if you just go over everything multiple times it should begin to sink in. hope this helped in some way.

Reply 3

absolutelysprout

your essay doesn't need to have an intro, but it can be useful if you're struggling with ideas. it doesn't need to be long, just a brief idea or direction of your essay.
try to avoid phrases like "this quote shows"- embed them into your work eg. "macbeth's fear of the supernatural is suggested by..."
if you don't understand where certain ideas are coming from- that's okay. try rereading parts of the play or expanding on the idea- if you don't understand the idea try to make sense of it; don't toss it in your essay if you don't understand it as your analysis is likely to be more shallow.
start a paragraph with your idea or the quote and analyse around it; pull apart the quote, consider shakespeare's intentions, methods, the presentation of a character or idea... and how the audience would have reacted. if relevant include context. just always make sure your answer is relevant to the question- alternative interpretations are especially good as it shows you've given a lot of thought :wink:

there's lots of different ways you can revise a text- shakespeare can be a little more difficult admittedly but nothing wrong with using the same methods you use for your other texts :yep:

flashcards are good for quotes whether these are physical or on a site like quizlet. utilise the resources you have available- there's tons online and most of them are pretty good! i used mindmaps to revise characters and themes, and highlighted quotes so they were easy to remember. notetaking's important, but so is essay practice. make essay plans, annotate extracts, write timed essays.. just practice them- you may find yourself thinking up new ideas and making better links which can be really useful as you're practicing exam technique.

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