Explore how Priestley presents the character of Sheila 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 character of Sheila.
7. - Responses may include exploration of: Sheila’s initial superficiality and consumerism (Act 1); Her gradual transformation from a naive, self-absorbed young woman to a more mature and socially conscious individual; Her remorse and acceptance of responsibility; Her growing defiance of her parents and Gerald; Her intelligence and perceptiveness (e.g. recognising the Inspector’s authority, foreseeing future events); Her role as a voice of hope for social change; Her symbolic significance as representative of the younger generation and the audience's potential for change.
8. - Candidates should also consider Priestley’s techniques in presenting Sheila.
9. - For example, candidates may refer to: Language: her initial childish language, her increasing maturity and directness, her use of rhetorical questions, her arguments with her family; Structure: her presence throughout the interrogation, her dramatic reactions to revelations, her development as a foil to her parents; Form: her role as a developing character in a morality play, her function as a dramatic agent for the Inspector’s message; Context: changing roles of women in society, generational conflict, social commentary on materialism, Priestley's didactic intentions.