ABSTRACT
Most O-level questions-and indeed many A-levels ones-spell out the need to go into detail. You might now, however, be faced by a question which sounds more generalized. Do not be misled. Admittedly, as an advanced student, you should be gradually learning how to offer more sophisticated thoughts about a wider range of literature; but you will also be expected to support those ideas by more skilful use of specific evidence. Sometimes a title’s phrasing will be deliberately vague in the hope of provoking you into thinking and writing more exactly. Choosing-and using-the most localized moments in a text may now matter more than ever. So acquire the habit of chanting to yourself, at every stage of essay composition, ‘Specify; specify; specify’.
