Structural features are a large part of Paper 1. You must use them in Question 3. You should be analysing them in Question 4 also. You will be required to use them yourself as a writer in Question 5 as a part of your 24 marks out of 40.
One great way to revise structural features is to watch lots of film and TV clips, whether in real time or on YouTube.
Take a film or show you love. What has the writer used to construct a clear story that engages you? How is each element in the story been introduced to you to get you to ask questions about the characters? The story? About what may happen next?
There are more than enough films, TV dramas, trailers and film clips on TV, streaming services and online. Take advantage of this wealth of material to help you revise for your exams. No one can say they don't know how to revise structural features! Read articles, speeches, letters for Paper 2 and stories for Paper 1....practise through reading but practise through watching as well.
Think about the beginning, setting the scene, introduction of new characters, dialogue, topic shift, zoom in/out, pace, foreshadowing, exposition, flashback, pathetic fallacy, cyclical narrative, ending...There are numerous structural features to revise and you can find them throughout all different types of films and TV shows..
If language features are how we tell stories, structural features are how we construct stories.
Don't just follow the story and repeat it. The examiner will be more than comfortable with what happens in the text in the exam. Tell the examiner what structural features the writer has used and what effect they have on the story and the characters in the story.
Remember, don't tell an examiner what they already know. Tell them what you think in your own words.
Next time you watch a film, think about how the writer has constructed it. It's great revision and you can still enjoy yourself without worrying about those exams.
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