Exam Technique
The Modern Text Essay: What Lifts an Answer
Modern text essay questions on DNA ask you to write about how Kelly presents a theme, character, or idea across the whole play. You will usually be offered a choice of two questions and must answer one in full.
Crucially, modern text papers are typically closed book and do not provide an extract. You must write about the whole play from memory. This makes the modern text essay one of the most demanding parts of your literature course, because everything depends on what you can remember. On AQA Paper 2 Section A the 30 marks are split AO1 12, AO2 12 and AO3 6, with a further 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
A strong modern text essay on DNA delivers four things: a sustained, personal response to the play supported by references from memory; analysis of Kelly’s methods — the four-act structure, the staging, the silences — and the effects they create; context (Milgram, 2008 youth violence, moral philosophy, Connections programme) embedded in your analysis; and clear, fluent academic writing.
What Each Strand of Your Essay Needs to Do
Argument and response: Have a clear thesis and support it with textual evidence. Maintain an analytical style throughout — every paragraph should develop your reading of the play. Kelly’s methods are part of that argument: AO2 carries 12 marks, so say what his choices — the four-act structure, the silences, the field they keep returning to — actually do to an audience.
Context: Show understanding of the relationships between the text and the contexts in which it was written. For DNA, this means: Kelly’s response to 2008 youth violence, Milgram’s obedience experiment, gang culture, moral philosophy, and the National Theatre Connections programme. Context must be embedded in your analysis, not bolted on as a separate paragraph.
Writing quality: Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose, and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. This rewards clear, fluent academic writing.
Naming a device (“Kelly uses a metaphor…”) earns nothing on its own. AO2 rewards analysis of the effect a choice creates, so discuss Kelly’s structural and dramatic choices — staging, silence, the four-act structure, the field as a recurring space — and explain what each one does to an audience. Treat every observation about method as an opportunity to say more about meaning; a technique checklist with no meaning attached still earns nothing.
Quotation Strategies for a Closed-Book Exam
Since you do not have the text in front of you, you need practical strategies for incorporating evidence. You do not need to memorise long quotations. Relevant references to the play earn credit, and they can take several forms:
- Short quotations (1–4 words): These are the most effective for a closed-book exam. Examples: Phil’s “silence,” Leah’s “bonobos,” John Tate banning the word “dead,” Richard reporting that Cathy “cut a first year’s finger off”
- Paraphrased references: Describe a specific moment accurately. Example: “When Phil puts his Coke down, calmly outlines the plan and then picks it up again, Kelly contrasts his detachment with the group’s panic.”
- Structural references: Refer to the play’s form and design. Example: “The replacement of Leah with Richard in the final field scene shows that the play’s moral conscience has been silenced.”
For a closed-book exam, memorise short quotations (1–4 words) and specific moments. You do not need long quotations. Accurate paraphrased references to the play count just as much as direct quotation. Aim for 2–3 key references per paragraph.
Essay Planning: The 5-Minute Plan
Assume you have around 45 minutes for the modern text question. Spend the first 5 minutes planning. A strong plan should include:
- Thesis: One sentence stating your overall argument. Example: “Kelly presents guilt as widespread but ultimately meaningless, because no character translates their guilt into action.”
- 3–4 paragraph topics: Each covering a different character, moment, or aspect of the play. Aim for chronological coverage (early play, middle, end) to show whole-text knowledge.
- Key references: 2–3 short quotations or specific moments for each paragraph.
- Context links: One context point per paragraph (e.g., Milgram, 2008 youth culture, Connections programme).
Model paragraph (for the question: “How does Kelly present ideas about guilt in DNA?”):
“Kelly presents guilt as something that is felt but never acted upon, suggesting that moral awareness without courage is ultimately meaningless. Leah is the character most consumed by guilt, delivering long monologues in the field about bonobos — apes who resolve conflict through empathy rather than violence — as an alternative to the group’s behaviour. However, Phil’s refusal to respond renders her moral questioning powerless. Leah knows the cover-up is wrong, yet she never defies Phil or leaves the group. Kelly may be drawing on Milgram’s 1963 obedience experiment, which showed that most people will follow immoral instructions when an authority figure takes charge: Leah, like Milgram’s distressed participants, continues to comply despite her visible anguish. Her disappearance in Act 4 confirms that in Kelly’s world, the voice of conscience is silenced, not because it is wrong, but because it lacks the power to be heard.”
What this paragraph does well: It opens with a clear point about the theme. It uses a short keyword reference (“bonobos”) and a paraphrased moment (Phil’s silence, Leah’s disappearance) rather than long quotations. Context (Milgram) is embedded naturally, not bolted on. It ends with analysis of Kelly’s wider message.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistakes in the modern text essay are:
- Retelling the story: The reader already knows the plot. Every sentence should analyse, not describe. Use “Kelly presents…” or “Kelly suggests…” rather than “Then Phil says…”
- Bolting on context: Do not write a separate paragraph about Milgram or 2008. Weave context into your analysis: “Kelly, writing in 2008 during a period of intense public anxiety about youth violence, uses Phil’s calm detachment to show how…”
- Technique-spotting: You can mention dramatic choices (structure, staging, dialogue style) to support your argument, but do not write paragraphs about “Kelly uses a metaphor to…”
- Only writing about one part of the play: You must show knowledge of the whole text. Reference events or characters from at least three different parts of the play.