Key Extracts & Exam Practice

GCSE English Literature exams typically ask you to analyse an extract from the play and then relate it to the whole text. This lesson provides four key passages, model analysis, and practice in writing PEE/PEAL paragraphs.

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How the Extract Question Works

A typical GCSE question looks like this:

Starting with this extract, how does Shakespeare present [theme/character]? Write about:

• how Shakespeare presents [theme/character] in this extract
• how Shakespeare presents [theme/character] in the play as a whole

You must:

1. Analyse the language, form, and structure of the extract in detail.
2. Use short, embedded quotations from the extract.
3. Link to the rest of the play with further quotations and analysis.
4. Consider Shakespeare's intentions and the effect on the audience.

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Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 3 — The Bond Is Struck