Structure

Also called Structural features, Cyclical structure, Foreshadowing

How a text is ordered — and one of the biggest sources of easy marks, because most students only write about language.

What it is

Structure is the shape of a text: where it begins, what order things are revealed in, where the focus shifts, how it ends. In poetry it covers stanza form, line length and enjambment; in prose, chapter breaks, time shifts and narrative perspective.

Common structural features worth naming: a cyclical structure that returns to its opening, foreshadowing, a volta or turn, a shift from wide to narrow focus, and a withheld revelation.

Where it applies

English Language paper 1 has a question specifically on structure, and English Literature rewards it everywhere. It is the most under-answered part of both.

How it works

Structure controls what the reader knows and when, which controls what they feel. A death revealed in the first line is a different story from the same death revealed in the last.

How to use it in your work

On a structure question, zoom out first: where does the text start, where does it end, and where does the attention move in between? Then pick the two most obvious shifts and explain their effect.

Do not write about language dressed as structure. "The writer uses short sentences" is language; "the writer moves from a wide description of the town to one man's hands" is structure.

Where to get help

Your teacher and past papers — the structure question has a predictable shape and is worth practising specifically.