How to Answer The Jekyll + Hyde June 2022 Exam Question (Dr Jekyll as a Mysterious Character)
Struggling with how to tackle the June 2022 exam question on Dr. Jekyll as a mysterious character? In this blog post, we’ll break down the question, analyse key passages, and provide tips to help you craft a compelling, high-scoring response for Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
If you want more help with the text, click the ‘Learn More’ button for our Complete GCSE + iGCSE Jekyll + Hyde course!
This post will explain how to approach the Jekyll + Hyde AQA GCSE exam question, and how to properly structure an English Literature essay - if you’re interested in reading the question first, view our previous blog post here.
The June 2022 Exam Question states: “Starting with this extract, explore how Stevenson presents Dr Jekyll as a mysterious character.”
KEYWORDS
Firstly, let’s break down the keywords of the question to understand them in more depth:
Starting with this extract - this means you have to read the extract but not only talk about it; you should also reference the whole novella and quote widely from other chapters.
How Stevenson presents - this part of the question means you have to focus on the writer and his intentions, as well as the message or meaning behind the story.
Dr Jekyll as a mysterious character - this is the FOCUS of your question, everything in your essay answer should be about this focal point.
READING
When you read the extract, make sure you highlight or underline any quotes that relate to the idea of Dr Jekyll as a mysterious character. This might include the way he acts or speaks, as well as other characters’ reactions to him.
PLANNING
With this essay, you always want to plan 3-4 middle paragraphs and a thesis (the main argument of your essay, which you outline in the intro).
Intro / Thesis:
Points:
1
2
3
(4)
We recommend writing plans using this structure! It’s also often easier to plan the ‘points’ first, then try and connect the points together into a thesis that answers the question directly and covers them all at the same time.
TIP: It’s best not to plan your points around the extract, then the wider text - if you do this (e.g. talk about the extract in one paragraph, then the whole novella later), you will likely drop marks because your ‘points’ are not driven by your own ideas or opinions and you’ve just dealt with the text in the same order that you found it. Try to be clear and imaginative with your points, presenting clear ‘claims’ or opinions that break down the question into manageable pieces. When you have strong points, fit the extract into them as and when seems suitable, mixing that up with your own quotes from the wider text.
EXAMPLE PLAN:
Intro/Thesis:
P1 On the surface, Jekyll seems to be a serious and respectable man, but we soon realise that this is a veneer.
P2 Stevenson presents Jekyll’s behaviour as unusual and curious, because he is erratic and unpredictable.
P3 Furthermore, other characters’ reaction to Jekyll’s behaviour intensify his mysteriousness.
(P4) Finally, as a proto-detective novella, Utterson’s lack of knowledge places the reader into a similar state of doubt and uncertainty, which further contributes to Jekyll’s strange and secretive behaviour.
TASK: Read the extract, and try this plan for yourself. Read and underline quotes first, then plan your points afterwards. You may want to expand your plan into a more detailed version, for example adding the wider text quotations and context or theme ideas to make it more developed.
WRITING
At this point, you start writing! Make sure your intro explores the question fully, and presents a thesis at the end of it. Then, make sure your middle paragraphs are all separate points that use precise and detailed analysis to go deeper into the message / meaning behind the story. Finally, be sure to include ideas about context, themes and language, form + structure devices!
If you want to see a full Grade 8 student essay example, click here!
Thanks for reading!
Need more help? Our Complete Jekyll + Hyde Bundle includes the following:
A breakdown of the story
Themes, context, critical ideas
Key quotations + analysis
Form, structure + language analysis
Essay writing support
A range of student examples, including full-mark essays, with teacher feedback
Video lessons, digital study guides, printable workbooks + more!
Perfect for GCSE + iGCSE, suitable for all exam boards: AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC
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