1.1.1

What is Context & Why is it Important?

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What is Context?

Throughout literature exams, students will be expected to consider context in their answers. The way context is applied varies by exam board but regardless - context is important.

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What is context?

  • Context is the background to the text that a student is studying.
  • When discussing context we tend to consider:
    • When the text was written and what society was like at that time.
    • The importance of the setting.
    • The writer's background and influences.
    • How other writers in the same genre may have influenced the writing of the text.
    • The significance of the writer's other works.
    • For plays, how different versions have been performed.
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Coping with context

  • Students often struggle to apply context, especially when older texts are considered.
  • Shakespeare lived over 400 years ago, and there are many different interpretations about what was going on at the time, and what Shakespeare was trying to say.
  • Students are often unsure as to what to include and how they should include it.
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Moving on

  • This section will focus on how students can use context appropriately, effectively, and communicate it in a way that is clear, thoughtful, and relevant to the question.

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