How do you demonstrate wider reading in your exam?

The ‘Reading for Meaning’ question paper of the English Literature A2 exam, has a large emphasis on demonstrating wider reading, as well as being able to analyse unseen texts.

A good way to prepare for this exam is to keep a log of several analysed quotes from poetry, drama and prose, which fit into the general overall theme of the paper, for example ‘Love Through the Ages’, which is used in the AQA A2 exam.

A good technique is to pick out short, snappy quotes from the text that are easy to remember, and have clear themes or techniques which you can pick out and analyse. For example, if you were reading “The Great Gatsby” you might pick out the following quote:

“Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”

Here you can see some clear key points to pick out. The first sentence “Then he kissed her”, for example, has a very short sentence structure which could be seen to replicate the spontaneity of the action. There is also clear nature imagery used in the simile “blossomed for him like a flower”, and the idea of being reborn through love is also touched upon through the use of the word “incarnation.”

Analysing quotes for your wider reading not only gives great practise for analysing the unseen text in the exam, but also allows you to pick out key themes and techniques that you may be able to compare in the exam. For example, if the unseen text uses nature imagery, or sentence structure in a particular way, you could use this quote in your comparison.

A good way to memorise quotes for the exam is to create mind-maps putting different themes or techniques in the centre, and then putting quotes around the outside which use that technique or tie into that theme.