clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear - and not only something to make 'em look prettier.'" We’ve linked above to our guides on characters and to AQA’s practice exam questions. We explain the context at key points in this guide and in our characters guide. Birling: ‘Now look at the pair of them – the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke -‘

Mr Birling suggests that he is in line for a knighthood so long as the family have behaved themselves. Gerald confidently makes a joke at Eric's expense which is full of irony. Birling: “We employers at last are coming together to see that our interests – and the interests of Capital – are properly protected. And we’re in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity.’ Sheila: ‘it was anything but a joke. You knew it then. You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way.’ And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night."Understanding the themes in An Inspector Calls is one of the best approaches any student can take when revising the play. This is because to get the highest mark on your exam, you need to take what examiners call a “conceptualised approach”: a detailed and perceptive exploration of Priestley’s ideas and intentions. The key themes in An Inspector Calls are: Perfect preparation for GCSE AQA English Literature Paper 1 and other exam boards including OCR, EDUQAS, Edexcel and more.

Mr Birling makes some old-fashioned and patronising points about women and how they view clothes and appearance. Priestley cleverly ensures his audience do not take Birling’s statements on social class as the truth. Early in the play, Birling talks about the unsinkable Titanic and that there will be no war. Of course the audience in 1946 knows that the Titanic did sink and there were two World Wars in the next 30 years. The An Inspector Calls essay is worth 34 marks in total, because it also includes 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar

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Eva personifies the difficulties faced by young independent women in this time. The attitudes they had to overcome and how society could treat them.