## **Learning Outcomes**

After studying this article, you will accurately identify and analyse narrative viewpoint, track and explain point of view changes within a fiction extract, and clearly evaluate their effects on structure and reader response (AO2). You will select precise textual evidence, use subject terminology naturally, and write clear, AO-focused answers to AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Paper 1, Question 3.

## **AQA GCSE English Language 8700 Syllabus**

For AQA GCSE English Language 8700, structural analysis of narrative viewpoint and point of view changes includes:

- Explain how writers use structural features to achieve effects and influence readers (AO2)
- Recognise and comment on narrative viewpoint (first, third, limited, omniscient)
- Track shifts in focus or viewpoint across a fiction extract
- Analyse the reader’s experience of point of view changes and structural control

## **Test Your Knowledge**

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. What is the difference between a first-person and third-person narrator? Give one effect of each.
2. In a fiction extract, how can a sudden change in viewpoint or focus affect the reader?
3. Explain how a shift from a wide setting to a character’s inner thoughts is used as a structural device.
4. What subject terminology would you use to comment on point of view changes?

## **Introduction**

Success in structural analysis for AQA GCSE English Language 8700 depends on identifying how narrative viewpoint is established and how shifts in point of view are used for effect. This article will equip you to spot the narrative voice, trace point of view changes across the extract, and analyse how these choices shape the story’s structure and impact on the reader.

> **Key Term: narrative viewpoint**
> The position or point of view from which a story is told, such as first person (“I”), third person (“he/she/they”), or even second person (“you”).
>
> **Key Term: point of view**
> The character or narrator’s particular way of seeing, understanding, or interpreting events in a text.
>
> **Key Term: omniscient narrator**
> A third-person narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters, offering an all-knowing, all-seeing point of view.
>
> **Key Term: limited narrator**
> A narrator who only has knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of one character, limiting the reader’s access to the inner lives of other characters.

## **Narrative Viewpoint in Fiction (AO2)**

Writers choose narrative viewpoint to control how much the reader knows and to influence what we notice or sympathise with. Common types are first person (“I/we”), third person (“he/she/they”), and, more rarely, second person (“you”). The viewpoint can be limited (focused on one character) or omniscient (all-knowing).

### **Why Viewpoint Matters**

The choice of narrator shapes the reader’s connection:

- First person creates intimacy and limits knowledge to one character.
- Third person can be limited or omniscient, shifting between characters or focusing on a single mind.

When analysing, ask:

- Who is telling the story?
- Whose thoughts and feelings are revealed?
- Does the viewpoint ever shift during the extract?

> **Key Term: focus shift**
> A structural movement in attention from one character, place, or theme to another.

### **Worked Example 1.1**

In a story opening told from the first-person point of view, the narrator says: “I watched the street below, fingers trembling, as my brother disappeared into the fog.”

> **Answer:**
> The first-person narrative viewpoint (“I watched...”) immediately draws the reader into the character’s feelings of anxiety. By revealing the narrator’s inner state (“fingers trembling”), the reader understands their personal concern and is limited to only what they see and know, increasing tension and empathy.

## **Tracking and Analysing Point of View Changes**

Writers sometimes shift point of view or focus to:

- Show different sides of an event
- Withhold or reveal information for dramatic effect
- Change the reader’s feelings about a situation or character

Point of view can switch between characters, or zoom out from the personal to the wider setting (or vice versa).

### **How to Identify Point of View Shifts**

Watch out for:

- Pronoun changes (“I” to “she”)
- New sections focusing on other characters or settings
- Transitions from external (setting description) to internal (thoughts/feelings)

When answering an exam question on structure, comment on:

- What the writer focuses attention on at the start
- Major viewpoint or focus shifts as the extract develops
- How viewpoint changes create impact (e.g., suspense, surprise, empathy)

### **Worked Example 1.2**

An extract begins by following a detective in third person (“She traced the outline of the window...”), then switches in the next paragraph: “Across the street, someone watched her every move.”

> **Answer:**
> The writer starts with third-person limited viewpoint, revealing only what the detective sees and feels. The sudden shift to a new point of view (“someone watched her...”) signals a change in focus and increases suspense, as the reader now knows more than the protagonist. This dual viewpoint heightens tension and creates dramatic irony.

## **Exam Warning**

> If you only describe what happens (“the writer starts with character A, then goes to character B”), you will miss out on AO2 marks. Always analyse the effect these structural choices have on the reader, such as building tension or developing empathy.

## **Analysing Focus Shifts as a Structural Device (AO2)**

Shifting point of view or focal point is a deliberate structural method:

- Moving from setting description to character’s thoughts makes the scene more personal
- Switching points of view can build empathy or reveal contrasting motivations
- Alternating focus between past and present, or internal and external views, guides the reader’s emotions and understanding

> **Key Term: flashback**
> A structural technique where the narrative moves back to an earlier time, often shifting viewpoint or focus to reveal essential background information.

### **Worked Example 1.3**

The extract opens with a panoramic view of a battle: “Smoke covered the hillside as soldiers advanced.” The next paragraph shifts: “Private Reynolds tried not to shake. He remembered his mother’s words as bullets flew.”

> **Answer:**
> By changing focus from the distant, impersonal battle to a specific soldier’s inner experience, the writer uses point of view shift to engage the reader’s emotions. This structural move personalises the chaos, deepening sympathy for the character and making the conflict more immediate.

## **Revision Tip**

> When revising for structural analysis, always practise identifying who is narrating, where the point of view shifts, and what effect each change has on your feelings as a reader.

## **Summary**

For Paper 1, Question 3, always pinpoint narrative viewpoint, track any point of view changes, and explain how these guide the reader’s attention and response. Link your comments to AO2 by focusing on methods and effects, not just what happens.

## **Key Point Checklist**

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Identify the narrative viewpoint and describe its type (first person, third person, limited, omniscient)
- Track and interpret point of view and focus shifts throughout a fiction extract
- Analyse how changes in viewpoint and focus are used to affect reader understanding and emotion (AO2)
- Use appropriate subject terminology and concise examples in AO2 answers

## **Key Terms and Concepts**

- narrative viewpoint
- point of view
- omniscient narrator
- limited narrator
- focus shift
- flashback

Structural analysis (fiction) - Narrative viewpoint and point of view changes