Exam Technique: Component 2, Section B
Master the 60-minute comparative essay
Time
60 minutes
after Section A
Marks
60 marks total
Format
Choice of 2 questions
Type
Closed-book
Fully comparative
AOs
AO1: 5% | AO2: 7.5%
AO3: 7.5% | AO4: 5%
AO5: 5%
Memorizing Quotations
Minimum
16-20
8-10 per play
Ideal
24-30
12-15 per play
Organize by theme so you can deploy them flexibly across different question types.
Memorization Techniques
Flashcards
Quote on one side, analysis on other
Thematic grouping
Organize by themes (violence, sexuality, class, etc.)
Speak aloud
Say quotes while walking/exercising — muscle memory helps
Write from memory
Test yourself weekly — write all quotes without looking
Little and often
15 minutes daily beats 2-hour weekly cramming
What to Memorize
- Short, punchy quotes (easier to recall accurately)
- Distinctive language with imagery/metaphors
- Mix of speakers (not just protagonists)
- Include key stage directions (e.g., "The 'Varsouviana' is filtered into weird distortion")
Practice paraphrasing: If you forget exact wording, approximate and acknowledge it: "The Duchess asserts something like 'I am still Duchess of Malfi'..."
Understanding Question Types
"Compare how Webster and Williams present violence in both plays."
Approach: Identify theme, find examples from both plays, compare treatment
"Compare the presentation of male power in both plays."
Approach: Analyze Ferdinand/Cardinal/Bosola vs. Stanley/Mitch — how masculinity/authority is dramatized
"'Both plays ultimately show that love cannot survive in corrupt worlds.' Discuss this view."
Approach: Agree/disagree/qualify the statement with evidence
"Compare how Webster and Williams use staging and theatrical devices to create meaning."
Approach: AO2-heavy — analyze verse/prose, stage directions, lighting, sound, structure
"Explore the significance of endings in both plays."
Approach: Broader — allows you to shape argument more freely
Key principle: ALL questions require comparison (AO4) \u2014 never write about one play then the other separately.
Planning Practice
Spend 5-7 minutes planning:
Identify key words
Circle/underline: "Compare," the theme/concept, any specific instructions
Brainstorm comparative points
What are 3-4 main similarities AND differences?
Select quotations
Which quotes support each point? (2-3 per play per paragraph)
Structure outline
Introduction (thesis), 3-4 body paragraphs, Conclusion (synthesis)
Example Plan
Question: "Compare how Webster and Williams present female agency."
Intro thesis
Both show women asserting agency leading to violent male response, BUT Duchess maintains dignity while Blanche is pathologized \u2014 reflects martyrdom vs. medicalization shift
Para 1: Linguistic/sexual agency
Duchess: "flesh and blood," wooing scene — active, joyful
Blanche: "I don't want realism" — defensive, reactive
Compare: Duchess has actual power; Blanche performative only
Para 2: Limits of agency \u2014 surveillance
Duchess: Bosola spies, pregnancy discovered
Blanche: Stanley investigates, past exposed
Compare: Male surveillance destroys female secrets
Para 3: Agency in face of destruction
Duchess: "I am Duchess of Malfi still," choreographs death
Blanche: "kindness of strangers," passive/delusional
Compare: One maintains identity; one loses it
Conclusion
Agency impossible under patriarchy in both, but Webster allows tragic dignity; Williams shows modern erasure
Ready to put this into practice?
Test your skills with practice questions or revise key quotations.