Home > Subjects > English > English level 1 > 1.2 Visual/oral text study > Subject content > Plot
- Subject: English
- AS: 90850
- Level: 1
- Credits: 4
- External
1.2 Show understanding of visual text(s)
Plot
The plot is the order of events in a text. You need a detailed knowledge of important events so you can select appropriate and specific examples to use in your answer.
Key points to study:
- The beginning and end – list important points such as how characters are introduced and developed, any repetition of key scenes, costumes, symbolisms or ideas.
- A turning point – is a moment in the text where a character changes because they were faced with an important decision. Note when this happened, what lead up to the turning point and what was the result.
- The crisis and resolution – is the problem(s) and the solution(s) a character(s) has to face. Note when this happened and how it was solved.
The ending – list important points such as how the characters have changed and developed throughout the text. Does the story have a linear plot (beginning, middle, and end) or is it cyclical (begins and ends at the same point). Note how the beginning and end are similar and/or different.
Ways to study the plot:
- Timeline – organise important events in chronological order from beginning to end of the film by writing keywords or quotations.
- Graph – the changing level of tension (emotional climax) by measuring the appropriate amount of stress when an important events occurs.
Other keywords for plot: events, turning point, crisis, incident, episode, scene, climax, resolution, outcome, action, structure, beginning, end.
