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New
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Year 11
AQA

Writing an extended response on 'A Christmas Carol'

I can create a written response which meets a success criteria.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
AQA

Writing an extended response on 'A Christmas Carol'

I can create a written response which meets a success criteria.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. An excellent introduction could start with a brief summary of the text and its overarching message.
  2. It should then have a specific statement about the focus of the question, followed by a thesis (overarching argument).
  3. Topic sentences need to be clear, linked to the question and led by key ideas (not feature-spotting).
  4. Context can be used to develop arguments.
  5. An effective conclusion will summarise key points in the response and consider the writer’s intentions.

Keywords

  • Subtle - less obvious; nuanced; complex or understated

  • Feature-spotting - leading an analytical paragraph by identifying methods or techniques used by a writer

  • Tentative language - language which indicates a suggestion or idea (as opposed to a fact)

  • Discourse markers - language used to signpost different parts of a text (e.g., 'In conclusion, ...')

  • Redraft - rewriting parts of your work to include missing elements or upgrade the quality of your response

Common misconception

Analytical paragraphs should lead by identifying how a writer uses language, form and/or structure.

The best analytical writing begins by exploring how key ideas or attitudes in a poem link to the question focus, supported by analysis of how the writer uses language, form and/or structure to convey these ideas or attitudes.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Writing an extended response on 'A Christmas Carol', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use a range of different coloured pens/highlighter to encourage students to colour-code their work, identifying strength and areas for improvement.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, as well as a copy of the question and selected extract from Stave 3. You can find this in the additional materials.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each of the components of a single paragraph outline to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:topic sentence,explains the focus of the paragraph
tick

explains the focus of the paragraph

Correct Answer:supporting detail,an analysis of language, form and structure
tick

an analysis of language, form and structure

Correct Answer:concluding sentence,summarises the paragraph
tick

summarises the paragraph

Q2.
It's important to support each of your analytical paragraphs with .
Correct Answer: evidence
Q3.
An effective concluding sentence should …
rephrase the topic sentence.
give your opinion about the text.
Correct answer: have a sharp focus on the writer's intentions.
make a new analytical point.
Q4.
Which of these are key themes from 'A Christmas Carol'?
ambition
Correct answer: poverty
aging
Correct answer: social responsibility
Q5.
What does it mean to 'annotate' something?
to summarise the main points
Correct answer: to add notes or comments to a text for explanation or analysis
to rewrite the text in simpler terms
to memorise the content for future reference
Q6.
A word or phrase used to link ideas or paragraphs and signpost the direction of the writing is called a .
Correct Answer: discourse marker, discourse markers

6 Questions

Q1.
What is tentative language?
language used to embed a quotation into a sentence
language used to signpost similarities and differences
Correct answer: language which indicates a suggestion or an uncertain idea (as opposed to facts)
Q2.
Which of these would you expect to see in an effective introduction?
a brief summary of what you like about the text
evidence from the extract given in the question
Correct answer: a thesis statement
analysis of how writers use language, form and/or structure
Q3.
To complete your analytical response, you will need to use examples/evidence from ...
Correct answer: the extract given in the question.
other texts written by this author.
Correct answer: the rest of the novel.
Q4.
A good topic sentence will begin by ...
exploring the wider context of the text.
Correct answer: exploring key ideas in the text linked to the question focus.
Correct answer: using discourse markers such as 'Firstly, ...' or 'Furthermore, ...'.
'feature-spotting' how the writer uses language.
introducing a key quotations from the text.
Q5.
In an analytical response, context should be used ...
in every paragraph.
Correct answer: where it is relevant to the point you are making.
the first sentence of your response.
Correct answer: the conclusion when you are considering why a writer made certain choices.
as little as possible.
Q6.
A good conclusion to an analytical response will ...
avoid linking to wider context.
Correct answer: summarise the comparisons you made throughout the response.
list some extra points you didn't get to include in the rest of the response.
Correct answer: avoid making new points or introducing new quotes.

Additional material

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