Explore how Priestley presents the theme of responsibility in An Inspector Calls. Remember to support your answer with relevant textual details.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme. The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and synthesise relevant textual detail to support exploration and analysis.
2. AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure of texts, and explain how these are used to create meanings and effects.
3. AO4: Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts were written and received.
4. AO5: Communicate clearly and cogently in writing, using appropriate vocabulary and grammar and accurate spelling and punctuation.
5. Indicative Content (Examiners should reward any valid interpretations):
6. - Candidates should explore how Priestley presents the theme of responsibility in An Inspector Calls.
7. - Responses may include exploration of: Individual responsibility (each character's role in Eva Smith's demise); Collective/social responsibility ('We are members of one body'); The contrast between Mr. Birling's capitalist, self-serving ideology and the Inspector's socialist message; The younger generation (Eric, Sheila) accepting responsibility versus the older generation (Mr and Mrs Birling) denying it; The idea of shared guilt and interconnectivity of society; The consequences of neglecting responsibility; The moral message that responsibility extends beyond one's immediate family.
8. - Candidates should also consider Priestley’s techniques in presenting the theme of responsibility.
9. - For example, candidates may refer to: Language: the Inspector’s didactic speeches, repeated motifs of responsibility and community, characters’ contrasting language (e.g. Birling’s rhetoric vs. Sheila’s remorse); Structure: the chronological unravelling of events, the cyclical nature of the play (the second Inspector), dramatic irony, the Inspector’s interrogative style; Form: a morality play, a 'well-made play' structure with rising tension, a social drama; Context: post-WWII socialist ideas, class divisions, welfare state, the impact of industrialisation, Priestley's political views.