Answering questions like 'Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about passion'

Regardless of the texts that have been covered by the syllabus/school the overall process of answering this question remains the same. This type of question often leads to the student focusing upon events of the text- it is crucial they remember to focus upon what the author’s intention is rather than approaching the text as a narrative e.g. they should say how passion is shown in the scene (literary techniques, wording..) and what this tells us about the idea of passion being conveyed by the author. These questions often lead to students simply rewriting the story from the text without considering how it is presented by the author. A good way to combat this is for the student to be aware that the exam markers will know the text inside out, they just want to hear HOW the author shows passion and HOW it contributes to the overall idea of passion the author creates through the text. Commenting on and recognising different literary styles authors use to display passion is key to this question. In exam conditions a question like this should prompt the student to write down important scenes from the texts where passion is displayed. This will help them have enough references to the texts to answer the question adequately and they will be able to see how to structure their essay even if they lack knowledge of certain parts of the book. This can help avoid the initial panic a student may face when presented with a question they feel unsure about, helping them to create a plan suited to what they know and what they don’t. Although it is difficult learning two or three whole key scenes to a level where a student feels comfortable commenting on passages, learning a few key lines to some degree is a massive benefit in these types of questions. Selecting which passages to memorize has to be done on an individual basis, often something funny or shocking is good as; you already know the author has achieved an emotive effect within it; it should stick in your memory.  Building a repertoire of memorized key lines from a selection of themes most likely to come up in exams, such as ‘love’, ‘conflict’, ‘death’…  has, in my personal experience, been a massive help.