Do I need to memorise lots of quotations for my AQA English exam?

For your AQA English exam, you are assessed on four key categories. Each of these categories is called an ‘Assessment Objective’ - an AO. The first of these AOs, AO1, is to ‘read, understand and respond to texts’. The examiner wants you to do this firstly by having your own interpretation of the text, and secondly by using references to the text to back this up. You should always include a reference to the text in any answer, although this does not necessarily need to be a quotation. For example, if you are asserting that Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as an extremely powerful woman, you might then reference a moment in which she exerts power over Macbeth, and how this event demonstrates her dominance in comparison to a male. Alternatively, you could discuss the quotation ‘unsex me here’, and how it reveals her desire to be a powerful individual regardless of gender, rather than a powerful woman. The examiner wants to see how you have formed your opinions based on the text. Try to include a handful of quotations in your answer, but don’t worry if you can only remember an event - it’s best to back up your answer than not back it up at all! If you are aiming for a particularly good mark, try to combine AO1 with AO2. AO2 wants you to 'Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ It will be very impressive to the examiner if you can analyse the language, form, and structure of your quotation to back up your point. For the ‘unsex me here’ example, you could say that the iambic pentameter creates harsh stresses on each words, adding a force and power to her dialogue.