The short version: Compare the big authorial choices: form (poem/play/novel), structure (order, time, framing), perspective (who tells it), and genre. These whole-work decisions often make the richest Paper 2 comparisons.
Line-level devices matter, but the biggest marks often come from comparing the biggest decisions.
Before a writer chooses a metaphor, they choose a FORM (a sonnet? a novel?), a STRUCTURE (chronological? fractured?), a PERSPECTIVE (first person? omniscient?). Comparing these whole-work choices — why a poet chose a tight form while a novelist chose a sprawling one — shows you see each work as a designed whole.
Big choices to compare
Form
Poem, play, novel, short story — and why the writer chose it.
Structure
Chronological or fractured? A framing device? Where it begins and ends?
Perspective
First person, omniscient, unreliable, multiple voices — and its effect.
Genre & convention
Tragedy, satire, realism… and how each work uses or bends its conventions.
The key move: Compare whole-work choices — form, structure, perspective, genre — and their effects, not just line-level devices. These show you read each work as a designed whole.
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Why it matters in the exam: Criterion B rewards analysis of authorial choices at every level, and the strongest essays compare the big architectural decisions. Comparing why each writer built their work as they did is high-level analysis that many students miss.
Compare the STRUCTURAL choice in two works: Work A tells its story in strict chronological order; Work B begins at the end and works backwards.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't limit yourself to line-level devices (metaphor, alliteration). The big choices — form, structure, perspective, genre — often carry the richest comparison. But always tie them to effect, never just name them.