How I got a 9 in GCSE English Literature… You can too!

About Me

I have to be honest, getting a 9 is no easy feat - but with the right effort, attitude and technique, it is certainly possible.

Trying to maintain my hobby as a writer whilst being a climate activist and finding the time to revise was difficult to balance at first. Attending the occasional #FridaysforFuture gatherings was not an excuse to miss out on work and revision - if anything, I had to work harder to catch up! So, to manage my time, I wrote down each of my subjects and the topics within them. When it came to revision, I would choose two subjects and topics to go through per day. For example, for English Literature, revising my Shakespeare play consisted of making a couple of main character mind maps (always linked to a theme) and doing a practice question/paragraph which included those characters and themes.

GCSE English Literature

I’ve always loved English Lit - studying the subject gives you the greater ability to empathise with others: you see yourself mirrored within books and delve deeper into what makes people, people.  The modern prose (I did ‘An Inspector Calls’) is especially relatable today, and even Shakespeare’s writing has themes which are still relevant.  But, of course, less of the supernatural ghosts! Once you get past Shakespearean language (Sparknotes is great to translate his plays into a more modern English) you can see the destructiveness of greed, what drives ambition, and the undying power of love. The very things that run the world today!

As I said before… it’s not easy! A 2 hour 15 minute long exam? 3 essays? I’ve always struggled with timings and structure - but these things can be refined with a bit of hard work. Being a visual learner, making diagrams and using colour helped me remeber the key points to mention in each paragraph. For example, using a point, evidence, explain structure and remembering to include context on what the writer is trying to show about society through their choice of language.  

By the way, I used The Exam Coach’s Online Exam Preparation Bootcamp to help me through my GCSE year. Now more than ever, students need all the help they can get, and this audio course would be my number one recommendation for you this year. You can also apply a 75% discount if you use the code: REVT1 at the checkout after reading my post (available for a limited time only).

The Classwork

I think the most important way to get good grades in English is consistency. Do not underestimate the importance of classwork because, at the end of the day (or two years), that’s the content you’ll be assessed on. What helped me most were practice questions. After you study the text thoroughly: characters, themes, plot, quotes, different interpretations and perspectives - do a practice question so you get used to applying your knowledge - like you would do in an exam.

It can seem quite daunting at first, which is why I strongly recommend getting started early on. Over time, your technique will get better as you apply the teacher’s feedback. For example, once my ideas were perceptive and I explored different views within my text. I also needed to work on my structure in order to make my essays clearer and more precise. This eliminated all the unnecessary waffle so the examiner can match my response to the mark scheme and easily award me marks. Examiners are looking for the quality of the points you make, not the quantity!

English Literature is also all about ideas: the more you read, the better your ideas will become. You’ll start thinking differently about the plot and linking the themes with characters, or even start to see how the author’s life and what was going on around them influences how they write. This is called perception, and it’s a crucial skill to develop in order to qualify for the top grade bands. When you start re-reading your texts regularly, you’ll not only consolidate the key points, but also think differently about what’s going on and be able to approach the text from a broader perspective (knowing how the text will end and what happens next).

An example of the feedback I received over the course of the year - this was for unseen poetry

The Revision

Revising consistently is good, but you need to find the right methods. Using a wide range of vocabulary can help explain your ideas in a more sophisticated and precise manner. I find that Quizlet is great for this as it’s easy to do on the go, or, you can make it more fun and visualise it through adding diagrams and using fancy fonts. Sparknotes (No Fear Shakespeare) is also extremely helpful to act as a basic outline for your own notes and revision resources. They include main themes, characters, plot and quotations. That said, don’t make it your only revision resource. 

An example of a flashcard testing set on Quizlet

Learning quotes is often overestimated when revising for English Literature, people often spend more time learning how to memorise reams and reams of quotes. What’s more effective is learning a few short quotes which are easy to remember. These are called ‘microquotes’ and linking them to a bigger theme through a character is a great way to show skill. Remember that your quotes should always have a dramatic device to analyse in detail: common dramatic devices are contrast (juxtaposition), metaphors and similes.

Some of my notes on ‘Macbeth’. As you can see there’s a mix of mind maps and bullet pointed lists. I used these to better understand the points I could make about characters, themes and scenes in the play.

Some of my mind maps for ‘An Inspector Calls’. I used different colours to help draw my attention to quotes.

A practice essay and the flashcards I made after re reading the essay. This type of repetition helped me remember important points which I could then use in others essays and in the real exam if the right kind of question came up.

A practice essay. Here you can see my short and punchy introduction as well as my first paragraph.

More from the practice essay above.

Remember that the English Lit (AQA) exam is split into two papers and it’s important to keep going through your plays, novels and poetry throughout the year to keep it fresh in your mind. I started alternating my practice questions from February: going over the one text/section of the paper every couple of weeks. I focused on one text at a time and went through it thoroughly, making sure I understood everything in the texts so that I could make links, parallels and contrasts between detailed scenes/chapters as well as the texts as a whole.

This is a screenshot on what’s assessed and how it’s assessed for paper 1 and paper 2 taken from the AQA website.

It’s also essential to revise for the mocks as if they’re the real thing. If anything, because I did this, the real exam was so much more relaxing. After I finished every text I made some revision materials to help me trigger my memory and ideas about the text.

When it came to the exam, I used these materials to go over, because making sure you know and understand the text is essential, how else will you be able to be ‘perceptive’ about it? Essay plans are also really good to do when you’re rushed for time. Use an example question and always, always plan out your answer. What is your first paragraph/point going to be? In each paragraph you should link back to the question, talk about language with quotes to support your point. You should also explain why the writer wanted to write about this - what events were going around at that time? For example, in ‘An Inspector Calls’, remembering the audience knew the Titanic sank after the play was set is dramatic irony.

The Exam

Nonetheless, at the end of paper 1, I thought I had done terribly. After so much revision and preparation, I could only think of what I did wrong. I had a ‘Macbeth’ ‘asses’ question, and although I tried to plan my answer thoroughly, I didn’t have enough time to do a proper counter argument. On paper 2, I was still rushed for time but I made sure I stuck more consistently to timings and planned my answer to every question. Luckily, my poetry question was on the exact same poem that came up on my mock, which is why practice papers are so important (even though it wasn’t the same question). In my mock I over complicated the question and compared it to a loosely connected poem, thinking I would get more marks for a ‘perceptive’ comparison. But luckily I learnt that it is better to make more obvious comparisons and explain them in more detail so the examiner can easily award you some marks. 

Summary and Pro Tip

English Literature is a tough exam and there’s a lot of it, so it’s important to consistently refresh your memory on the texts and revisit them with new ideas over and over again. If you’re not great at timings, first get the skills right. For example, picking specific quotations, analysing them in detail and the linking in what events happened in the author’s lifetime to inspire their point of view. Try and pick apart specific details from a quote and then look at the wider perspective, are there any similarities or sharp contrasts to the rest of the texts? Getting a good grade means you should also persistently look at not only how the author did it (language analysis) but why would they write this novel, play or poem? What is the point they are trying to make to their audience or readers? What is the writer trying to say about human nature, society and the world? 

Thanks for reading my blog, I hope it’s been helpful - good luck!

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The Ultimate Guide On How To Achieve Grade 9 In English Literature

My Background

I studied 10 subjects at GCSE level, I also played netball and basketball during exam season. As a result, I had to balance my time effectively in order to have sufficient revision time and also time for self care (which is just as important.) 

Personally I found the fact that we had to learn 3 books, 15 poems and context for the English Literature exams very overwhelming which made it difficult for me to know where to start my revision.

The way I overcame this was by splitting the work into manageable tasks - which I will talk about later in the blog. My learning style is very much visual as I find myself visualising my notes in the exam, therefore I made flashcards and tables (which I will show you later) to aid me in my English Literature revision. 

Classwork

In class, all I did was make sure I  listened to the main points and got them down into my book as I knew I could use these for starting my revision. When you’re reading the books in class make sure you listen and actively read along otherwise you will not understand the text! 

Top Tip: At the end of reading a scene, act or chapter I would usually make a short summary in my book which I could read the next lesson to keep me up to date. 

In English we seemed to have more freedom in the way we structured our notes so do it in a way that benefits you not what the person sitting next to you is doing. I would usually make a timeline that I would add to after reading the next section of the book, adding diagrams would help trigger my memory about that particular scene. But do what works for you!

The Revision

• Table Method

  • I used a table method which enabled me to remember around 40 quotes per exam. First of all, ask your teachers or check past exam questions to see what types of exam questions have been asked in the past. So for me, I did ‘An Inspector Calls’ and questions would often be focused on a character or a theme. Therefore, I divided my revision and notes into characters and themes. 

  • Whereas, for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ I split the book up into the important scenes to enable me to understand the storyline better and memorise a broad spread of quotes from the entire play. This approach helps breaks the content up into manageable sections and makes it so much easier to learn a good number of quotes, I also used a table for the context. I’ve copied some examples below: 

 So first of all I would sort my quotes according to how the essay was structured, then create a blank copy of table along with it. 

Top Tip: Every single morning for around 2-3 weeks I would blurt quotations for 10-15 minutes each morning. This is where you get absolutely everything you remember onto the blank table then check back with the original version you have already written out and add things you missed in another colour. 

At first you will have lots of red quotes however the number should start to go down, here you can see visual progress which can be quite motivating for some people who struggle to revise. 

Also, re read your books and pick out your own quotes this makes it different to everyone else in your class and will make your essay stand out to your teacher and examiner as you can make varied and different points, re reading also gives you a better affirmed understanding of the book as I found it quite hard to concentrate reading in class. Also, ask your teacher if you can borrow the book to read at home so you don't need to spend any money!

YouTube

If you're struggling to understand the plot, YouTube videos will help you get a better grasp of the whole play or novel. But, if you’re aiming for grade 8’s and 9’s, there are specific videos which I found helped the most. I have linked to them below...These 3 channels have many books and poems so just search for your book in their channel, these will really help you to start thinking on a higher level and help you qualify for the top grade bands in the exam. 

• Stacey Reay - The Inspector Grade 9 Analysis 

• Mr Bruff - ‘An Inspector Calls’: Top Set Analysis 

• Mr Salles Teaches English - Grade 9 Analysis Poppies, by Jane Weir

I then created some wrote some structured notes. For these, I would condense the information in the video and add my own knowledge onto a single flashcard, you need to remember thousands of other students will be watching these videos so make sure to add your own quotes and opinions. 

Here are a couple of examples:

Essay Plans 

I often used the ‘rule of three’ to help me make quick essay plans when under time pressure in the exam. Here’s how to do it...

Whatever the question all you need to do is make 3 detailed points about it, this helps you cover a range of the text without writing too much and running out of time. So if the question is “Explore the theme of hatred” you will come up with 3 points in the play where hate is shown, demonstrate this through a quotation and then explain your point and contextualising it within the play as a whole.

Pro tip: Check the mark schemes to see how many marks are available for context as this differs from book to book and you want to make sure you don't over or under do it.

In your essay plans make sure you outline the 3 different things you would talk about depending on what theme came up in the question and decide what context you’re going to link your points to. Do this before the exam! You’ll be able to write far more quickly if you already know roughly what you’re going to say, making it up as you go wastes time and there’s a chance your essay might not flow as well as it could do.  

For character based questions talk about the character at the beginning, middle and end (note: this still uses the rule of three). I allows for a detailed, well-rounded analysis of the character’s development through the novel or play. 

Here is an example of a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ essay plan where I chose the 3 key scenes I was going to write about and the context to go with it:

Here’s an example of the beginning of an essay, this time on the theme of ‘love’:

Here’s another one in a similar ‘plan then practice essay format’ for ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’:

Here is a more detailed character essay plan for ‘An Inspector Calls’. I didn’t always write out my plans in this much detail, many of them were short and punchy which made them easier to remember and made me feel more confident: 

As you can see, the plan above includes a general introduction, you can use this introduction structure in any essay you write. I like to do this because all you need to do is memorise the basic structure and then adjust slightly to fit the character or theme you are discussing. This lets the examiner know you have a good understanding of the play/novel and sets you up for a good essay. It can also be a good opportunity to frame up the points you’re going to discuss in your essay. 

Analysing Texts 

In the exam you will also get some questions with text from a book you have studied, this requires you to analyse language and structure. To revise for this, find any conversation between two people in your studied book and analyse language form and structure and plan some points you could make about the characters. If you practice doing this regularly it will come more naturally to you in the exam and a section you've already analysed may come up!

The Exam

My strength in an exam is usually my memory, I never seem to forget anything. I attribute this to the repetitive ‘blurting’ revision method I use. My weak point is coming up with the three points I’m going to discuss in relation to the question which has been asked on the exam. I find this quite stressful as the time in the exam is always ticking. Nevertheless, I’d always recommend you go into an essay with a clear plan even if you do take a little longer to get clear on what points you’re going to make. Making sure your essay is clear and easy to follow is so important. 

Stick to the timings of each question, which is usually between 30 and 45 minutes depending on the amount of marks. I’d recommend you’re fairly strict with yourself and move on even if you haven’t fully finished, you will usually find you will have spare time at the end to go back and add details. 

Top Tip: I don't recommend completing past papers…. Hear me out, those questions pretty much have a 0% chance of coming up. Instead, I recommend you use the same format of question but change the character or theme to something which hasn't come up recently. You should absolutely use past papers to predict the trends in what the examiners ask so you can better predict what might come up, this helps when doing poetry, you can make it easier for yourself by not learning the most recent poems and focusing on those which haven’t come up. 

I created essay questions by myself and completed around 10 to 15 of them. In my real exam everything I had practiced and planned came up and I was able to use my table for relevant quotes to support my points. That said, I didn’t know much about the poem which came up. As a result, I picked a poem I knew lots about to compare it to.  In the specification it doesn't mention a balanced comparison is compulsory, therefore it is acceptable to write more about one poem than the other and still achieve top marks. This was clear to me after looking at my grade breakdown - I only missed out on 3 marks in both papers. A clear example of why knowing the specification and how the examiners are instructed to grade your papers really matters! 

Past exam questions and papers:

• Edexcel

• AQA

Summary

All in all, have fun with your revision, using the table method you could turn this into a game with your friends to see who can remember the most quotes, you can also do by picking a character or theme and shouting/saying quotes at each other (this is helpful for auditory learners). As long as you have learned your quotes and know the basic plot of the book or play, you can use your own unique knowledge to ace your exam!

I hope my tips have helped. I’ve tried to be as specific as possible about what I believed helped me achieve a grade 9. I would love to see your feedback on this article and let me know if it helped you. I wish you the best of luck in all of your exams, go smash it!

Want some more help from The Exam Coach this year?

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Learn how to prepare for your GCSE and A Level exams like the top performing students in the UK 🇬🇧

Improve your grades by one and a half grade boundaries (on average). 

This audio programme will make you: 

• More disciplined  

• More motivated 

• Revise faster and better 

For a limited time only, we’re offering you an 80% discount on this course!

Enter discount code BOOTCAMP at the checkout (available for a limited time only). Take a look and find out more about the Online Exam Preparation Bootcamp by clicking the button below.