Annotating texts - CCEA

The material on this page is designed to help you with revision and preparation for your CCEA GCSE English Language exams. It applies to Unit 4, Section B, Task 2: Reading literary texts.

• Unit 4 is assessed by a written exam, worth 30% of your final mark
• There are three tasks (numbered 2, 3 and 4) in Section B of the Unit 4 exam, worth 62 of the 150 marks available
• In task two, you will be given two extracts from literary texts (eg novels)
• You will be expected to compare and contrast these two extracts and explain how the writers have achieved something in particular (eg created a sense of excitement, or presented interesting characters)

You can practice for your English Language GCSE exams with a range of CCEA past papers and mark schemes.

• Annotating means making notes while reading to help you spot important things such as setting, characters and themes
• You can underline, highlight or write in the margins to show what stands out, like interesting language or literary techniques
• In exams, keep annotations short and useful; to save time, use abbreviations and symbols you understand
• To understand structure, look out for things such as sentence length, repeated words and how ideas are ordered
• Focus on language, character, voice and themes; pick out words or phrases that reveal key details or deeper meaning

Annotating is a useful way to keep a track of what you notice while you’re reading – the notes and marks you make can focus on particular details in the text. For example, if you were focusing on setting, you could circle all the words and phrases used to describe that place.

There are many ways to annotate texts. Try out different approaches to see what works best for you. Examples of common techniques include:

• circling or underlining words or phrases that are interesting or important and writing notes in the margin
• using different coloured highlighters to pick out different ideas, techniques or details
• using one margin to make a note of literary devices and the other margin to add your own responses

Closely annotating texts is an effective way to practise analysing a piece of fiction.

However, in exam conditions, annotations need to be brief and a quick way of responding to a new text. You can use your annotations to pick out details from the text and then develop your analysis of these details in your written response.

Tips for annotating quickly in exams

• Use abbreviations for longer words (eg allit for alliteration)
• Don’t worry about making it look pretty – make your marks and notes functional
• Use marks that you understand, eg arrows or question marks to focus your attention on certain details
• Don’t worry about annotating everything – be selective

Annotating structure

Read the text and look for patterns in the structure, for example:

• Sentence length and type – eg single or multi-clause sentences.
• Paragraph lengths and structure – eg focus on how the paragraph opens and closes.
• Repeated words and phrases.
• The order of ideas in the extract – eg where does the narrative start? Does the focus shift?

Annotating language and literary techniques

• Highlight any interesting language features in the text.
• Pick out examples of literary devices that stand out because they’re unusual, or because they link closely to the character, theme or setting.
• Highlight individual words to explore closely – those with particular connotationsor ones that seem to relate to the theme of the text.

Annotating characterisation and voice

• Pick out key elements which show the development of characters.
• Look for phrases that reveal key details about characters. For example, you might highlight an example of where a character’s appearance is linked to a theme.
• Find clues about the main voice in the piece. Is the story told in first, second or third-person? Highlight points where narrative voice is shown through the language.
• Is the author using voice for a particular effect? Pick out examples of where they do so.

Annotating for themes and ideas

Highlight any words or phrases that link to the main themes or a particular semantic field.

Example

Here is an example of some selective annotations. The student is focused on the language choices in this extract:

• metaphor – ‘Nana’s fine hair floated in a halo around her head’ – positive connotations

• sibilance – the repeated use of the letter s adds softness here

• personification – their ‘dark fingers’ is sinister, but then contrasts with the adverb ‘gently’

• personal pronouns – the use of ‘our’, ‘us’ and ‘we’ – sense of family

• tricolonof three single clause sentences – creates rhythm and interest for reader

Key fact

Avoid making so many annotations that you can no longer read the text! Be selective, and pick out the details that interest you.