How to Write Top Band Answers for Jekyll & Hyde (AQA GCSE English Literature)

If you're aiming for top marks in your Jekyll & Hyde essay responses, it's not just about knowing the plot - it’s about knowing how to structure a well-developed, analytical, and AO-balanced answer. Below, you'll find a complete guide, including the extract, question, detailed essay planning, timing advice, and a high-level sample essay. Perfect for students, tutors, or anyone building their exam skills.

Sample Question and Extract

Read the following extract from Chapter 1 (Story of the Door) of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and then answer the question that follows.

In this extract, Mr Enfield tells Mr Utterson about his encounter with Mr Hyde:

“Well, it was this way,” returned Mr Enfield: “I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o’clock of a black winter morning, and my way lay through a part of town where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps. Street after street, and all the folks asleep – street after street, all lighted up as if for a procession and all as empty as a church – till at last I got into that state of mind when a man listens and listens and begins to long for the sight of a policeman.

All at once I saw two figures: one a little man who was stumping along eastward at a good walk, and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten, who was running as hard as she was able down a cross street. Well, sir, the two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut.

I gave a view-holloa, took to my heels, collared my gentleman, and brought him back to where there was already quite a group about the screaming child. He was perfectly cool, and made no resistance, but gave me one look so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running. The people who had turned out were the girl’s own family; and pretty soon, the doctor, for whom she had been sent, put in his appearance.

Well, the child was not much the worse, more frightened, according to the Sawbones; and there you might have supposed would be an end to it. But there was one curious circumstance. I had taken a loathing to my gentleman at first sight. So had the child’s family, which was only natural. But the doctor’s case was what struck me. He was the usual cut-and-dry apothecary, of no particular age and colour, with a strong Edinburgh accent, and about as emotional as a bagpipe.

Well, sir, he was like the rest of us; every time he looked at my prisoner, I saw that Sawbones turn sick and white with the desire to kill him. I knew what was in his mind, just as he knew what was in mine; and killing being out of the question, we did the next best. We told the man we could and would make such a scandal out of this as should make his name stink from one end of London to the other. If he had any friends or any credit, we undertook that he should lose them.

And all the time, as we were pitching it in red-hot, we were keeping the women off him as best we could, for they were as wild as harpies. I never saw a circle of such hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black, sneering coolness – frightened, too, I could see that – but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan.”

Starting with this extract, explore how far Stevenson presents Mr Hyde as a threatening and dangerous character.

(30 marks)

Planning a Top-Band Essay: Structure and Timing

• Total Time: 45 Minutes

• 5 mins planning: underline keywords in the question, annotate extract for language/methods, jot down key ideas for wider text.

• 35 mins writing: Aim for 3 developed paragraphs + intro and conclusion.

• 5 mins review/edit: Check AO balance, spelling and clarity.

High-Impact Paragraph Structure (PEEL+):

Point – Directly address the question. What idea about Hyde/Stevenson's methods are you exploring?

Evidence – Use a precise quotation. If possible, embed it in your sentence.

Explanation/Analysis – Unpack key words in the quote, explain language techniques, structure, tone. What effect is Stevenson creating?

Contextual Link (AO3) – Tie in a short, relevant comment about Victorian society, Gothic literature, science vs religion, etc.

Link – Return to the question: how does this prove Hyde is threatening and dangerous?

Planned Essay Overview:

Paragraph 1 – Hyde’s violent and malicious behaviour in the extract

Key Quote: "man trampled calmly over the child’s body"

Language: violent verb "trampled", unsettling adverb "calmly"

Stevenson disrupts ideas of moral behaviour and Victorian social order.

Paragraph 2 – Others’ reactions show Hyde’s deep psychological threat

Key Quote: “Sawbones turn sick and white with the desire to kill him”

Language: physical imagery; AO3 link to how professionals were meant to be emotionally detached.

Hyde’s evil goes beyond the physical — it disturbs the soul.

Paragraph 3 – Hyde’s murder of Sir Danvers – wider text reference

Key Quote: “ape-like fury”, “clubbed him to the earth”

Language: metaphor/simile, primitive, animalistic.

AO3: Hyde challenges class order and Victorian identity; an outsider killing a respected politician is shocking.

Full Model Essay Response

Each paragraph below follows the PEEL+ structure:

Point: What idea about Hyde/Stevenson's methods are you exploring?

Evidence: A relevant and embedded quote from the text.

Explanation/Analysis: Language/structural analysis and effect on reader.

AO3 Contextual Link: Comment on relevant context – Victorian society, science vs religion, morality, class.

Link: Connects ideas back to the question and consolidates the paragraph argument.)

How far does Stevenson present Mr Hyde as a threatening and dangerous character?

Stevenson presents Mr Hyde as a deeply threatening and dangerous figure whose presence evokes fear, disgust, and moral outrage. In the extract, Hyde's violent actions and inhuman mannerisms mark him as a disturbing figure, while throughout the rest of the novel, he continues to embody chaos, violence, and the breakdown of moral order. This portrayal reflects Victorian anxieties about hidden evil, the duality of man, and the disruption of social hierarchies in a rapidly changing society.

Paragraph 1 – Hyde’s violent and malicious behaviour in the extract presents him as threatening. Stevenson presents Mr Hyde as a deeply malicious and violent character, immediately signalling him as a threat to others. “The man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground.” The violent verb “trampled” evokes brutality and carelessness, suggesting Hyde shows no regard for human life. The adverb “calmly” is particularly disturbing, contrasting sharply with the violence, making his behaviour seem abnormal and inhuman. This unnatural composure reinforces his sinister nature. Hyde’s disregard for social norms deeply unsettles readers, particularly in a respectable area of London, where such violence would be unheard of. Through this disturbing moment, Stevenson introduces Hyde as a dangerously unpredictable force who defies moral and social codes.

Paragraph 2 – Hyde’s threat is reinforced by others’ extreme reactions to him.

Stevenson presents Hyde as so inherently threatening that even rational and respectable individuals are physically affected by his presence. “I saw that Sawbones turn sick and white with the desire to kill him.” The adjectives “sick and white” highlight a visceral, almost uncontrollable reaction to Hyde’s presence, suggesting that his evil nature goes beyond normal comprehension. For a “cut-and-dry apothecary”, typically calm and composed, to feel such violent hatred reflects how deeply disturbing Hyde is. In Victorian society, doctors were expected to be rational and emotionally restrained, so this loss of composure emphasises the unnatural threat Hyde poses. This reaction reinforces the idea that Hyde is not only physically dangerous but symbolically represents a deeper moral and psychological threat.

Paragraph 3 – Hyde’s murder of Sir Danvers further emphasises his violent and uncontrollable danger. Stevenson continues to present Hyde as a terrifying figure through his murder of Sir Danvers Carew, demonstrating his capacity for unprovoked and explosive violence. “With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim underfoot.” The simile “ape-like fury” links Hyde with primitive, animalistic violence, suggesting regression and loss of humanity. The violent action “trampling” mirrors the earlier attack on the child, showing his uncontrollable aggression. Sir Danvers is a respectable upper-class gentleman, and Hyde’s ability to murder him without consequence challenges Victorian social order, frightening contemporary readers who feared the rise of the criminal underclass and the fragility of civilisation. This event reinforces Hyde’s role as a destructive force, highlighting the sheer danger he poses to both individuals and the structure of Victorian society.

Conclusion:

Overall, Stevenson presents Mr Hyde as a threatening and dangerous figure throughout the novel. Through his violent behaviour, others’ reactions to him, and the shocking murder he commits, Hyde becomes a symbol of the darker, repressed side of human nature. His character embodies Victorian fears about moral decay, social disruption, and the frightening duality hidden within all men.