AQA GCSE English Literature
AQA GCSE English Literature DNA Exam Questions
Free AQA GCSE English Literature practice questions for DNA. Covers dennis Kelly's DNA: responsibility, guilt, power, group behaviour, morality, Leah, Phil, John Tate, Cathy, Adam and Brian.
DNA practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for DNA. Plan and write as many answers as you can under timed conditions, then compare them with the guidance on this page and your notes.
About AQA GCSE English Literature DNA
DNA is a modern drama option on AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2, Section A, answered from a choice of two essay questions with no extract. Kelly's play follows a group of teenagers who believe they have killed Adam while bullying him, then cover it up, framing an innocent man. When Adam is found alive, Phil decides he must be killed. Examiners reward answers that analyse Kelly's fragmented dialogue, short scenes and repeated settings, and that explore what the play says about responsibility, leadership and how groups behave when no adults are present.
Key themes, characters and context
- Phil Phil is silent and constantly eating, but when he speaks he takes control with a calm, ruthless plan. He decides Adam must die to protect the group.
- Leah Leah talks almost constantly to Phil, asking philosophical questions about humanity and morality. Her conscience is ignored, and she eventually leaves the group.
- John Tate and Cathy John Tate's leadership collapses into panic, leaving space for Phil. Cathy becomes increasingly excited by power and violence and ends up in charge.
- Adam and Brian Adam is found living in a hedge, traumatised. Brian is pressured into identifying the 'fat postman' and is kept quiet with pills.
- Responsibility The teenagers protect themselves rather than doing what is right. Kelly asks whether individuals are responsible for what a group does.
- Structure and setting Repeated settings such as a street, a field and a wood, and short scenes with broken dialogue, create tension and show the group's lack of real communication.
Common mistakes in DNA
- Mixing up characters. Keep clear who plans the cover-up (Phil), who finds the postman (Cathy) and who identifies him (Brian).
- Calling Phil a simple villain. Discuss how his silence, detachment and logic make him disturbing.
- Ignoring form. DNA is a play, so comment on stage directions, pauses and the absence of adults.
- Retelling events. Focus on how Kelly presents ideas through dialogue and structure.
- Forgetting the play's purpose. It was written for young performers and asks young audiences to think about peer pressure.
Try three DNA practice questions
1. How does Kelly present the character of Phil in DNA? Write about what Phil says and does and how Kelly presents him by the way he writes. (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss his silence and eating, his long, controlled speech outlining the plan, his decision about Adam and his final isolation, analysing how Kelly uses monologue and stage directions.
2. How does Kelly explore ideas about responsibility in DNA? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would examine the cover-up, the framing of the postman, Brian's treatment, Leah's objections and Adam's fate, linking to group behaviour and the absence of adult authority.
3. How does Kelly present the relationship between Leah and Phil? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse Leah's monologues and Phil's silence, her attempts to provoke a response, their disagreement over Adam and her departure, considering what this shows about power and morality.
DNA FAQs
What does AQA GCSE English Literature DNA cover?
It covers the whole play, including Phil, Leah, John Tate, Cathy, Brian, Adam and the others, and themes of responsibility, guilt, power and group behaviour.
Which paper is DNA examined in?
It is examined in Paper 2, Section A, where you choose one of two essay questions with no extract, worth 30 marks plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
How do I revise DNA?
Learn what happens in each act, who has power at each point, and short lines from Leah and Phil, then practise writing about stage directions and dialogue as dramatic methods.
