Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

      'Jekyll and Hyde': refining written responses on duality

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can refine analytical responses by making them more evaluative.

      Key learning points

      1. Topic sentences should focus on intention, not methods.
      2. Judicious quotations from across the text can be used to create compelling arguments.
      3. Using an adjective to introduce a writer’s method allows for succinct evaluation of the effect.
      4. Tentative language should be used to evaluate different interpretations of a text.

      Keywords

      • To evaluate - to assess or judge the quality or importance of something

      • Ominously - in a threatening or sinister manner, suggesting future trouble

      • Foreboding - a feeling that something bad will happen; premonition

      • Bleak - desolate, grim, lacking hope or cheerfulness

      • Irony - a situation where the opposite of what's expected happens

      Common misconception

      Using tentative language makes you sound unsure in your analysis.

      Tentative language allows pupils to be more evaluative, exploring alternative viewpoints.

      Teacher tip

      If pupils have already written a response to the essay question in a previous lesson, you may wish to get pupils to improve their own work, rather than the work of the Oak pupils.

      Equipment

      You will need access to a copy of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson for this lesson.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of serious crime

      Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

      Loading...

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Complete the quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde': "man is not truly one, but truly..."

      Correct Answer: two, 2

      Q2.
      In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Jekyll describes the idea of man having a dual nature as a "dreadful shipwreck.' What language device does Stevenson use here?

      Correct Answer: metaphor

      Q3.
      In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', why does Hyde murder Carew?

      Carew refuses to be blackmailed by Hyde.
      There is a dark secret in their past.
      Correct answer: The reader does not learn why.

      Q4.
      In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', duality is a key theme. What does it mean?

      state of being joined or working together
      Correct answer: existence of two contrasting elements or concepts
      quality of being unique or individual

      Q5.
      In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Stevenson uses the metaphor of the weather in Chapter 4, when Hyde kills Carew. Which words does Stevenson use to describe Hyde's attack?

      raining
      Correct answer: hailing
      Correct answer: storm
      blizzard
      thunder

      Q6.
      In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', which methods are used in this quotation: “like the Babylonian finger on the wall, to be spelling out the letters of my judgment.”

      Correct answer: simile
      metaphor
      semantic field of the Bible
      Correct answer: biblical allusion

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', we should support your topic sentence by using...

      one interesting and relevant quotation
      a range of relevant quotations, from the same chapter only
      Correct answer: a range of relevant quotations, from across the text if possible

      Q2.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', what skill should we try to use that means 'to assess or judge the quality or importance of something'?

      Correct Answer: evaluation, evaluating, evaluate

      Q3.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', we should try to use tentative language. Which of the following is not an example of tentative language?

      Correct answer: definitely
      perhaps
      may
      could
      arguably

      Q4.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', we should try to use an when introducing a method used by the writer.

      Correct Answer: adjective

      Q5.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', the adjective bleak is useful for describing some of Stevenson's language choices. What does it mean?

      terrifying, horrific, something to be scared of
      shining, full of light or hope
      Correct answer: desolate, dreary, lacking hope or cheerfulness

      Q6.
      When writing an essay about 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', which adjective works best in this sentence: "Stevenson uses the __________ verb 'doomed' to illustrate Jekyll's struggle."

      Correct answer: foreboding
      terrifying
      melancholy

      To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'Jekyll and Hyde': refining written responses on duality, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...