The following are examples of exam essays set in the last year by the Associated Examining Board, now subsumed into AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance).
Summer 1998:
Look again at Act One, Scene One. How well does this opening scene prepare an audience for the rest of the play?
In what ways is Thomasina important in Arcadia?
January 1999:
What is the importance of Septimus Hodge in the play as a whole?
Look again at the second scene of Act Two which starts with the stage direction "The room is empty". Write about the significance of this scene, paying attention to Stoppard's presentation of character as well as to his development of plot.
Summer 1999:
In Act One, Scene Four, Valentine says "The unpredictable and the predetermined unfold together to make everything the way it is." In what ways are these ideas explored in the play?
Remind yourself of Act Two, Scene Five. Write a detailed commentary on the ways in which Stoppard uses this scene to present the relationships between Hannah Jarvis, Bernard Nightingale and Valentine Coverly.