Aspects of tragedy - creating your own questions

Below you will find instructions on how to use the accompanying resources to create your own exam practice questions. This example shows you how to use the Aspects of tragedy: resource package to set questions for Paper 1A, Section B, for the Aspects of tragedy component for A-level English Literature B.

Paper 1A, Section B

If you have used the relevant question from the specimen assessment materials or want to set a question on a different aspect of tragedy, you can use these documents in the following way:

1. Look at how the relevant questions from the specimen assessment materials are constructed, for example:

 'Othello's virtue and valour ultimately make him admirable.'

To what extent do you agree with this view? Remember to include in your answer relevant comment on Shakespeare's dramatic methods.

The question wording (To what extent…Shakespeare's dramatic methods.) can remain unchanged. You will need, however, to construct a different 'view' depending upon the aspect of tragedy and of the text you want the students to explore.

2. Read the relevant text overview to help you construct a different 'view' to debate. Look for aspects of tragedy which occur in the text but don't forget that the absence of aspects in a text is equally valid for debate. Other sources can be used to construct a view:

• look at the list of aspects of tragedy in the specification and make up a critical view around one of these
• research critical views on the text students have studied and use one of these
• take a view from one of the writers in the Critical Anthology around which to structure a debate
• research critical views on another tragedy text and adapt the quote so that students can consider how far this can be said to be true of the text they have studied.

This resource is part of the Aspects of tragedy resource package.