To and from the Set Text

The set text can be defined as the class or group reader which is set by the teacher for study, or as the text set for examination at C.S.E., 16+, ‘0’ or ‘A’ Level, by an external examining board. In either case the aim must be to encourage pupils’ understanding of these texts through their reading of them, which should be both pleasurable and active. That is, they provide the material on which pupils will try their critical skills, asking questions of the text, of the characters, and bringing to the pages their own experiences and understanding of human relationships. Far from wilting, intimidated by the prospect of ‘literature’, pupils will need to articulate their own grasp of how the raw material of action and speech have been significantly shaped by the writer.