Fiducia TogetherClose reading
Reading a short passage in detail, word by word. The core literary skill.
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
Close reading is sustained attention to a small amount of text — the connotations of particular words, sentence structure, sound, imagery and what is left unsaid.
Where it applies
English Literature and Language at every level.
How it works
It works because meaning is carried by specific choices. Changing one word changes what a sentence does, and asking why THIS word rather than a plausible alternative is the engine of literary analysis.
How to use it in your work
Practise on three lines rather than three pages. Depth is what is rewarded.
Ask what the alternative would have been. "He walked" versus "he trudged" makes the choice visible.
Notice what is absent — a character who is not named, a reaction that is not described.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's mark scheme and its examiners' reports — those say exactly what separates the bands, and they are free.
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.