How to get a grade 7/8/9 in English literature??

I got an 8 in English Literature last year and all I pretty much used were the CPG guides for each of the novels/plays. I wrote mini essay plans for each theme/character with some quotes but lots of context and for poems I paired up each of them and again, wrote essay plans. Context is key for a high grade.

Good luck!

Reply 2

Zasty

19

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Reply 3

cyqix

6

Original post by Zasty

Hhhhhissssttooorrricccaallll annddd ssoooccciaaall cccconnnntteeeexxtttt aaaafffftttteeeer eeevvvvveeeeerrrryyy poooiiinnnttt yoooooou mmaakkkee

Yeap. This is the way to go. Every essay ive done well or badly in has either had or missed these.

Reply 4

Alexty28

19

You can't get a 7/8/9 in GCSE English Lit, not a real grade you can however get a 7 or an 8 or a 9.

Spoiler

Read the book...

honestly, for all my mocks i got an 8 by making up random writers intentions and making up what the reader/audience might think and adding context into it, after all the person marking doesnt actually know the writer personally so as long as you can back your point up well in detail it'll boost up your grade.

Reply 7

Original post by Vanilla Twilight

I got an 8 in English Literature last year and all I pretty much used were the CPG guides for each of the novels/plays. I wrote mini essay plans for each theme/character with some quotes but lots of context and for poems I paired up each of them and again, wrote essay plans. Context is key for a high grade.

Good luck!

Stupid question but what exactly is an essay plan? Is it self explanatory?

Reply 8

Original post by Hiro2468

Stupid question but what exactly is an essay plan? Is it self explanatory?

Not a stupid question at all! I used to bullet point short plans for each character/theme and that included an introduction and then three or four paragraphs (with quotes and relevant context).

So for example, I did Macbeth at GCSE and my plan for the question 'Describe the portrayal of ambition in Macbeth', included a short introduction like 'Shakespeare suggests that when ambition oversteps moral boundaries, devastation occurs etc.' and then a paragraph on how ambition motivates Macbeth, another paragraph on how it motivates Lady Macbeth and then a final paragraph on the exploration that it can be a good thing. That's not a lot of paragraphs but for each I'd include context and highlight the messages that Shakespeare is conveying.

I don't know if I explained that very well but basically an essay plan is a (bullet pointed) summary of the types of things you could talk about in an exam without actually writing the essay.

Reply 9

Original post by Vanilla Twilight

Not a stupid question at all! I used to bullet point short plans for each character/theme and that included an introduction and then three or four paragraphs (with quotes and relevant context).

So for example, I did Macbeth at GCSE and my plan for the question 'Describe the portrayal of ambition in Macbeth', included a short introduction like 'Shakespeare suggests that when ambition oversteps moral boundaries, devastation occurs etc.' and then a paragraph on how ambition motivates Macbeth, another paragraph on how it motivates Lady Macbeth and then a final paragraph on the exploration that it can be a good thing. That's not a lot of paragraphs but for each I'd include context and highlight the messages that Shakespeare is conveying.

I don't know if I explained that very well but basically an essay plan is a (bullet pointed) summary of the types of things you could talk about in an exam without actually writing the essay.

Thank you so much! I was really confused whenever people talked about essay plans.

Oh so would you do an essay plan for different types of questions they could ask? or an essay plan that can be used for all types of questions? Sorry if I’m not making any sense!

Reply 10

anyone1234

10

For my mocks, what has really helped is:

-bullet point plan before you start the essay. Each point could be a quote, a writer's intention, a technique etc, nothing too detailed
-context!
-make inferations and suggest the effect
-use connotations and links (eg. "This word connotates ... which could link to when ... happens which makes the reader/audience feel ... way")
-learn how to recognise and name techniques, structures, sentence forms etc
-use LEAR structure rather than PEE (google it)
-write why you think the author did this/used this technique/structure etc
-if you're really stuck, analyse in depth a single word which really backs up your point!

Hope this helps

Reply 11

Original post by Hiro2468

Thank you so much! I was really confused whenever people talked about essay plans.

Oh so would you do an essay plan for different types of questions they could ask? or an essay plan that can be used for all types of questions? Sorry if I’m not making any sense!

No problem

The most common types of essay questions you get are on characters or themes so I made sure I had a plan for each individual character and then for the biggest themes that were present in the play or novel I was studying. It's impossible to predict or to make a plan for every single type of theme but as long as you have the main ones covered and a general understanding of any other ideas conveyed then you'll do fine. I can't stess enough how important it is to tie in contextual links after every single point you make as well. You need just as much context as you do explanation to get a top mark. Hope this helps!

Reply 12

Original post by Vanilla Twilight

No problem

The most common types of essay questions you get are on characters or themes so I made sure I had a plan for each individual character and then for the biggest themes that were present in the play or novel I was studying. It's impossible to predict or to make a plan for every single type of theme but as long as you have the main ones covered and a general understanding of any other ideas conveyed then you'll do fine. I can't stess enough how important it is to tie in contextual links after every single point you make as well. You need just as much context as you do explanation to get a top mark. Hope this helps!

Thank you!! You’ve helped me a lot! I have my English Lit exam tomorrow so I’ll do as much as possible. Sorry for my questions but do you think I have enough time to prepare for tomorrow? I have my exam first thing in the morining.

Reply 13

Chidowee

9

what does context mean again :s-smilie:

Reply 14

loszie

3

Make sure to always say WHY. As my teacher always says, "so what?". Use terminology at every opportunity, but not just for the sake of it; why did the writer write that and what did they want to achieve?

Reply 15

Original post by loszie

Make sure to always say WHY. As my teacher always says, "so what?". Use terminology at every opportunity, but not just for the sake of it; why did the writer write that and what did they want to achieve?

Fair point! I always lost marks because I never elaborated much and just wrote random things that came to mind.
Thank you!!

Reply 16

Original post by Chidowee

what does context mean again :s-smilie:

I think context is about the background information of the literature? Historical background? I’m not too sure though.

Reply 17