Fiducia TogetherCharacterisation
How a writer builds a character — and it is always a construction.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Characterisation is the means by which a character is created: what they say, what they do, what others say about them, how they are described, and what they do not say.
Where it applies
Literature at every level.
How it works
Direct characterisation tells the reader; indirect shows through action and speech. Writers use both, and the gap between how a character presents and how they behave is usually where the interest is.
How to use it in your work
Write about the character as a CONSTRUCT, not a person. "Dickens presents Scrooge as..." scores; "Scrooge is a mean man" does not.
Use the writer's name as the subject of your sentences. It is the single easiest way to lift a Literature answer.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The English Exam Survival Song How to approach the English papers under time pressure.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.