An Inspector Calls, AQA GCSE Revision

AQA specificationWritten by a 160/160 student

Everything you need to revise An Inspector Calls for AQA GCSE English Literature, written by a student who scored 160/160. Start with the plot summary, learn the key quotes, then go deep on the characters, themes and Priestley's 1945 message. Every page turns knowing the play into knowing what to write in the exam.

An Inspector Calls Key QuotesEvery key quote, by character and theme, with Grade 9 analysis.An Inspector Calls Context1912 vs 1945, why the gap between setting and writing is the whole point.An Inspector Calls ThemesResponsibility, class, gender and generational change.An Inspector Calls SummaryThe whole play, act by act, in plain English.An Inspector Calls Practice QuestionsReal AQA past paper questions and exam-style practice, with plans.An Inspector Calls QuizTest yourself on plot, quotes, characters and context.An Inspector Calls FlashcardsPrintable and digital flashcards.An Inspector Calls Grade 9 EssaysFull-mark essays, annotated.

Character profiles

Every character AQA asks about, each with a brief overview, key themes, key moments and key quotes.

Mr BirlingCapitalist, complacent, and wrong about everything, Priestley's target.Sheila BirlingThe character who changes most, and Priestley's hope for the future.Eric BirlingGuilt, drink and the son who finally takes responsibility.Inspector GoolePriestley's mouthpiece, and possibly not a real inspector at all.Eva SmithThe character who never appears, and why that's the point.Gerald CroftCharming, useful, and ultimately unchanged.Mrs BirlingCold charity, class prejudice and refusal to accept blame.

Quotes by theme

Responsibility Quotes, An Inspector Calls'We are members of one body', the play's central message.Class Quotes, An Inspector CallsEdwardian class division and Priestley's socialist critique.Gender Quotes, An Inspector CallsHow women are treated by the Birlings, and by 1912 society.

How to revise An Inspector Calls

The order you revise in matters. Get the story straight first, then build out from it. Most students waste time rereading the play when what they actually need is to know a handful of quotes really well and to understand why Priestley wrote it. This section shows you the route through the pages here.

Begin with the plot summary so you can follow the whole evening, then move to the key quotes, the most important page for the exam. Study the people through the character profiles and the ideas through the themes pages. Then add the context, which in this play is half the meaning, and test everything with the practice questions.

The exam does not reward retelling the plot. It rewards a clear argument, close analysis of short quotes, and, above all, treating the play as Priestley's deliberate message to his 1945 audience. So as you work through these pages, keep asking not just what happens, but what Priestley is doing and why, because that is the difference between a Grade 5 and a Grade 9.

✍ Chloe's Grade 9 tip: This is the one text where context is the meaning. An answer that treats the play as a message about society in 1945 will always beat one that treats it as a story about a family. Weave Priestley's purpose into every paragraph.

📥 Want it all in one download? The An Inspector Calls packs in the shop bundle every page here into printable PDFs, flashcards included.