How to Analyse Structure in AS-Level English Language 9093
Structure is the skeleton of a text—it’s how it is organised, sequenced, and held together.
To analyse it effectively, you need to think about the writer's choices on every level, from the
whole text down to the sentences.
Use these questions to build a detailed and insightful analysis.
1. The Big Picture: Overall Organisation
• How is the text ordered (chronological, cyclical, fragmented, logical progression)?
• How does the text open? Does it hook the reader immediately? With a quote, an
anecdote, a bold statement?
• How does the text conclude? Does it summarise, offer a final thought, leave the reader
in suspense, or call them to action?
• Does the ending relate to the beginning? If yes, how?
• Does the text build towards a climax, turning point, or moment of revelation? How is
this signaled structurally?
• What effect does the overall structure have on the reader’s understanding or
engagement?
2. Paragraphs: The Building Blocks
• How do paragraphs vary in length and purpose (scene-setting, reflection, dialogue,
action)?
• What is the effect of a particularly short paragraph? (e.g., impact, emphasis, drama,
summary).
• What is the effect of a particularly long paragraph? (e.g., detail, complexity, building a
comprehensive picture).
• Are ideas developed gradually or presented in sudden bursts?
3. Sentences: Pacing & Rhythm
• Where does the pace quicken (shorter sentences, active verbs) or slow down (longer
sentences, descriptive passages)? Why?
• How does sentence variety (short vs. long, simple vs. complex) shape the rhythm and
impact of the text?
• How does the writer build up or withhold information through sentence and clause
structure?
• Does the writer use patterns like parallelism (repeated grammatical structures) or listing
to create rhythm and emphasis?
• How does punctuation (e.g., dashes, colons, semi-colons, ellipses) structure the
information within a sentence and affect how it is read?
4. Flow & Focus: Shifts, Contrasts & Cohesion
• Can you identify moments where the text shifts (e.g., from past → present, calm →
chaos, personal → collective)?
• Where do we see opposites placed side by side for contrast (e.g., hope vs. despair,
beauty vs. horror)?
• What effect do these shifts and contrasts have on the tone and meaning?
• What structural devices tie the text together and ensure cohesion (connectives,
pronouns, repetition, thematic links)?
• Does the text feel unified or deliberately fragmented? Why?
5. The Big "Why?": Purpose & Effect
• Why did the writer choose this specific structure?
• How does the structure support the overall purpose of the text?
• How does the structure position the intended audience and shape their response?
• What is the relationship between the structure and the overall tone of the piece? (e.g.,
Does a fragmented structure create a tone of anxiety?)