An Inspector Calls – The 7 Big Ideas

This free resource introduces the 7 Big Ideas in J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls — the core themes and messages that students must understand to succeed in the AQA Literature exam.

As an experienced AQA examiner, I created this resource after repeatedly seeing students miss out on higher marks because they focused too narrowly on individual quotations and characters, without addressing Priestley’s bigger ideas. This lesson is designed to bridge that gap.

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What’s included?:

A clear, student-friendly introduction to the 7 Big Ideas:

1. Taking Responsibility (Available here)
2. Class and Inequality (Available here)
3. Growing Up and Changing (Available here)
4. Gender Expectations (Available here)
5. Capitalism vs Caring (Available here)
6. Selfishness vs Community (Available here)
7. Power and Confession (Available here)

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• Activities and discussion prompts to help students see the bigger picture.
• Visual support (theme cards and icons) to aid memory and revision.
• Built-in vocabulary support to make themes accessible for all learners.

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How to use it:

• As the first lesson in a scheme of work.
• As a revision overview before exams.
• As a standalone taster to get students thinking critically about Priestley’s purpose.

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Key Features

• Rooted in examiner insight.
• Accessible and engaging for all ability levels.
• Ready-to-teach, fully resourced.
• Supports AQA exam success.

This overview is part of the Big Ideas series, a full set of 7 detailed lessons that each explore one Big Idea in depth, with:

• Activities, debates, and exam-style practice.
• Model answers written to Level 6 standard.
• Examiner-style guidance on AO1, AO2 and AO3.