How to Get a Grade 9 in Great Expectations – Key Quotes, Themes, and Top Tips for GCSE English Literature

If you’re preparing for your GCSE English Literature exams and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is on your set text list, this ultimate guide is for you. Whether you’re struggling with themes, characters, or how to impress the examiner, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know. With the right techniques, quotes, and analysis, you can get a Grade 9. Let’s break it down.

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📚 Why Great Expectations Matters

Great Expectations is a rich, complex novel full of unforgettable characters, dramatic plot twists, and powerful moral messages. Dickens explores the journey of a young orphan, Pip, as he navigates love, identity, guilt, class, and redemption in 19th-century England.

Exam boards like AQA, Edexcel, and OCR love this text because it’s packed with literary techniques, memorable moments, and timeless themes that challenge students to think critically and analytically.

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🔥 Top 5 Themes in Great Expectations (with Examples)

1. Social Class and Ambition

Social class is one of the novel’s most dominant themes. Pip’s desire to become a gentleman fuels much of the story—and much of his inner conflict.

Key Quote: “I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too.”

📌 Analysis: This moment reveals Pip’s growing shame of his working-class background. It’s the start of his ambition to rise in society, but also the beginning of his loss of identity.

💡 Grade 9 Tip: When writing about class, always link Pip’s character development to Dickens’ critique of Victorian society. Point out how Great Expectations is a Bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, and how Pip’s journey reflects the corrupting influence of wealth and status.

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2. Guilt and Redemption

Guilt follows Pip throughout the novel, from stealing food for the convict to being ashamed of Joe. Redemption comes when he recognises his mistakes and seeks to make amends.

Key Quote: “That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life.”

📌 Analysis: This introspective moment shows Pip’s growing self-awareness. Dickens suggests that personal growth often comes through suffering.

💡 Grade 9 Tip: Connect guilt to Christian morality and Dickens’ message that true gentility comes from kindness and loyalty, not wealth or birth. Reference Pip’s final interactions with Magwitch and Joe as moments of redemption.

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3. Parenting and Surrogate Families

Pip is raised by his sister and Joe, but throughout the novel, various characters act as “parent figures,” including Miss Havisham and Magwitch.

Key Quote: “What larks, Pip!” – Joe

📌 Analysis: This simple, joyful phrase captures Joe’s warmth and love. Joe represents the ideal father figure—kind, forgiving, and morally upright.

💡 Grade 9 Tip: Don’t overlook Joe’s importance. He’s a moral anchor in the novel and a symbol of unconditional love. You can compare his parenting to Miss Havisham’s manipulation of Estella or Magwitch’s desire to give Pip a better life.

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4. Love and Rejection

Unrequited love plays a big role in the story. Pip loves Estella, but she cannot love him back due to her emotional manipulation by Miss Havisham.

Key Quote: “You must know… that I have no heart—if that has anything to do with my memory.” – Estella

📌 Analysis: Estella has been taught to reject affection. Her tragedy lies in her emotional repression. Pip’s obsession with her shows how love can become delusion.

💡 Grade 9 Tip: Link Estella’s coldness to Miss Havisham’s revenge. You can argue that Dickens criticises how bitterness and emotional trauma are passed down, damaging future generations.

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5. Crime and Justice

Crime is a recurring motif—from the escaped convict Magwitch to Jaggers’ law office. Dickens invites us to question the fairness of the justice system.

Key Quote: “Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!” – Magwitch

📌 Analysis: This terrifying introduction makes Magwitch appear monstrous. But as we later learn, he becomes one of the most generous and tragic characters.

💡 Grade 9 Tip: A top-grade response will show how Dickens uses Magwitch to challenge our preconceptions. Initially, he seems evil, but later we sympathise with him. Dickens suggests criminals can be more moral than gentlemen, attacking the hypocrisy of the class system.

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💬 Essential Quotes for Exam Success

Learn these 10 quotes (and their meanings) to boost your chances in the exam:

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🧠 How to Structure Your Essay (For a Grade 9 Answer)

Follow this winning structure in the exam:

1. Introduction

• Briefly introduce Great Expectations.

• Mention Dickens’ purpose and one or two themes you’ll explore.

• Include your argument (thesis).

2. Main Paragraphs (3–4)

Use PEEZ (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Zoom):

• Point: Make a clear statement (e.g., Dickens shows that wealth corrupts Pip).

• Evidence: Quote from the text.

• Explanation: Analyse the language, structure, and context.

• Zoom In: Focus on one word or phrase to show deep analysis.

🔁 Repeat for each theme or idea you’re exploring.

3. Contextual Link

Always link back to Dickens’ Victorian context:

• Class divisions

• The legal system

• Industrialisation

• Christian morality

• Dickens’ own experiences (e.g. his father was imprisoned for debt)

4. Conclusion

Summarise your argument and Dickens’ message. End powerfully.

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🎯 Grade 9 Sample Paragraph

Question: How does Dickens present the theme of social class in Great Expectations?

Grade 9 Paragraph Example:

Dickens presents social class as both alluring and morally corrupting. Early in the novel, Pip wishes that Joe had been “more genteelly brought up,” which reveals Pip’s growing desire to dissociate from his working-class roots. The adverb “genteelly” highlights his internalised shame and ambition to rise in society. However, Dickens critiques this ambition by showing how Pip’s obsession with class leads to emotional emptiness and cruelty towards those who love him, particularly Joe. By the end, Pip learns that true gentility comes from character, not status. This reflects Dickens’ own criticism of Victorian class structures, shaped by his personal experiences with poverty and the rigid social hierarchy of 19th-century England.

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🧩 Exam Hacks: How to Memorise Quotes Fast

Struggling to memorise quotes? Try these proven techniques:

• Mnemonics: Make up silly phrases to remember initials (e.g., “I Have A Giant Purple Elephant” = “I have been bent…”, “He calls the knaves…” etc.)

• Quote Flashcards: Write the quote on one side and the analysis on the other.

• Sticky Notes: Put them around your room, especially on your mirror or desk.

• Record Yourself: Listen to yourself reading quotes while doing chores.

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🏆 Examiner-Approved Tips

✔ Write analytically, not narratively – Don’t retell the plot. Focus on how language and structure create meaning.
✔ Zoom into key words – Analyse one or two powerful words from each quote.
✔ Use context wisely – Don’t just mention it; link it to Dickens’ intentions.
✔ Practice timed essays – Build your speed and confidence under pressure.
✔ Plan before you write – Use bullet points to outline your argument.
✔ Be original – Avoid clichés. Try to offer a personal interpretation.

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📌 Final Thoughts: Dickens Wants Us to Think

If there’s one thing to remember, it’s that Dickens wrote Great Expectations to make us reflect on society. He wanted readers to question class, justice, and what it really means to be “great.” If you can show in your exam that you understand not just what happens in the novel, but why it happens, and how Dickens crafts his message, you’ll be on the path to a Grade 9.

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📝 Ready to Revise?

Here’s a quick checklist to boost your Grade 9 potential:

✅ I can confidently explain the 5 main themes
✅ I’ve memorised at least 10 key quotes
✅ I know how to write a PEEZ paragraph
✅ I can connect Dickens’ message to Victorian society
✅ I’ve practised a timed essay or two

You’ve got this. Dickens may have given Pip “great expectations,” but with focus, hard work, and the right preparation, you can achieve great results of your own.