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Component 3: Independent critical study (NEA)

3 dot points across 3 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you apply a critical theory to your NEA texts without forcing the reading?

Applying critical theory in the independent study: using feminist, Marxist, postcolonial, psychoanalytic, ecocritical or narrative approaches to open up two texts, deploying theory to sharpen argument rather than to replace close reading (AO2, AO3, AO5).
How to apply critical theory in the AQA English Literature A independent study: using feminist, Marxist, postcolonial, psychoanalytic and other lenses to open up your two texts and strengthen AO5, while keeping close reading at the centre.
9 min answer →

How do you connect two texts written in different periods so the comparison reveals continuity and change?

Connecting texts across time in the independent study: comparing texts from different periods, tracing continuity and change in theme and method, using period context to explain divergence, and sustaining an argument across the historical gap (AO3, AO4, AO5).
How to connect texts from different periods in the AQA English Literature A independent study: tracing continuity and change in theme and method, using period context to explain divergence, and building a comparison that spans the historical gap.
9 min answer →

How do you plan and write the NEA comparative essay so that it meets the assessment criteria independently?

Producing the non-exam assessment: an independent comparative critical study of two texts, choosing texts and a focused question, building a sustained comparative argument, and meeting AO1 to AO5 in a single coursework essay.
How to plan and write the AQA English Literature A non-exam assessment: choosing two comparable texts and a focused question, building a sustained independent comparison, and meeting all five assessment objectives in a single coursework essay.
10 min answer →