An Inspector Calls – Big Idea 6: Selfishness vs Community

As an AQA examiner, I’ve seen many students miss marks because they focus on quotations or plot points, rather than Priestley’s Big Ideas. One of the clearest and most examinable is the clash between Selfishness and Community.

This resource explores how Priestley contrasts characters who act selfishly (Mr Birling sacking Eva, Gerald abandoning her, Mrs Birling refusing charity) with those who begin to embrace community values (Sheila, Eric, the Inspector). It links directly to the 2018 AQA Paper 2, Question 1:
“How far does Priestley present Eric as a character who changes his attitudes towards himself and others during the play?”

By working through this theme, students learn how to analyse Priestley’s presentation of responsibility, social duty, and change.

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What’s inside:

• A clear overview of Selfishness vs Community, with student-friendly definitions.
• The 2018 AQA exam question, plus an additional exam-style task.
• A Level 6 example response (~500 words) showing how to reach the top band in AO1, AO2, and AO3.
• A full debate lesson: “Is it better to put yourself first, or the community first?”
• Activities including ranking selfish vs community attitudes, an evidence hunt, and character tables to track change.
• A Language Paper 2 crossover task (Q5 article): “Write an article for a national newspaper in which you argue whether people today are too selfish, or if community spirit is still strong.”
• Designed for 4–5 lessons, or as focused revision support.

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Why it matters:

Priestley wrote An Inspector Calls to argue that selfishness damages the most vulnerable in society. By contrasting the older Birlings’ selfishness with the Inspector’s message — “We are members of one body” — he shows that only through community can society progress.

This theme is directly examinable in Literature and also helps students build crossover skills for Language Paper 2, Q5, where they must write persuasively about society and values.

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Key Features

• Written with examiner insight.
• Includes a genuine AQA exam question and a model Level 6 response.
• Debate, discussion, and engaging activities.
• Integrated Language Paper 2, Q5 task for crossover skills.
• Ready-to-teach: works as a mini-scheme (4–5 lessons) or as targeted revision.

Download Big Idea 6: Selfishness vs Community today and help your students understand Priestley’s message that society must choose community over selfishness.

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