How to revise GCSE English lit in a month & how to impove essay writing skills ?

user01906002

I'm really bad at English literature and i need a 6 to get into the sixth form i want to get into. i have done some revision for it but not enough, i half know all the texts i'm studying (an inspector calls, romeo and juliet and frankenstein) and i don't really know any of the poems. I don't know many quotes, and I don't know how to approach learning quotes as I don't really feel I have time to spend ages going through the texts, picking them out and condensing it down to just a couple that cover loads of themes/characters etc (given its now only just over a month til exams start). This might also sound a bit stupid but I don't understand how to plan and structure essays either, I always get told by my teacher I don't analyse quotes or whatever textual references I'm using in enough depth but I don't understand how to get better at this? I can analyse to an extent and apply a bit of context but after that I just get stuck. I have actually been told by my teacher that my writing is about a grade 6 level, but because i get stuck i write really slowly and never finish on time which brings me down to a 5 (I usually manage an introduction and 2 main ideas as well as sometimes a conclusion in the time given, bearing in mind I already have extra time). If anyone knows of any detailed essay structures/plans (something like the PEEL structure is too vague for me), revision resources or just any advice would be very much appreciatedl. Thank you!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

purplepengu1n

Hello,
Can't say I'm an expert but I'll say what I think I know from A Level English Lit. Most of this focuses around Frankenstein, because it's the text that I am most familiar with. Don't stress too much - I hope it goes well!

1. Check the Assessment Objectives. For my GCSE, context was 50% of the marks, which *does not mean you need to write 50% of your words about context*. If you make a contextual reference in every paragraph, you can get half the marks! So check and see if you need to have context, or close analysis, or just a general understanding :smile:

2. Don't forget the basic points. I've written essays about transgression in Frankenstein where I've completely forgotten to include the fact that the creature kills 3 people and frames Justine.

3. Try and think about what the point you're saying means. To use transgression as an example:

point:
- transgression results in punishment (context here could be Prometheus)
- for Victor, this is mental torture, and later physical
- for the creature, this is guilt and isolation
- but the creature was already ostracised from society before he murdered. Is his transgression just existing? Is he paying for Victor's transgression?
- other innocent characters are punished, like Justine

what does this mean?
- transgression does end with punishment
- but often, the innocent are punished for the crimes of others. Especially for the creature, this was due to appearance and prejudice
- so maybe Mary Shelley warns against the dangers of injustice due to prejudice
(anyway that was a bit of a nerdy digression)

4. quotes are kind of important, but I remember for my GCSE I had a few quotes that I put into everything! It's probably a good idea to have a quote in each paragraph, but you could just reread the texts as much as possible, because close references are still allowed (eg "when Frankenstein dreams about Elizabeth who turns into the corpse of his mother, this could be seen as..." )

5. most intros will be quite standard, so you could learn a little context for your book and then literally use the words from the question. It can be good to have an argument in the intro but you could equally say that "an examination of topic x in this book offers some interesting points."

6. In your paragraphs, pick a point, state the point, discuss the point - examples and the effect/message behind this/what it means and then conclude the paragraph with your argument and the point (eg "while it is clear that transgression is punished, the uneven nature of this punishment reveals Mary Shelley's true agenda: to comment on the injustices created by prejudice in her society." )

7. (this should have been point 1) PLAN - do a five minute scribble of everything you can, any quote that comes to you, and then try and connect them into 2-3 paragraph headings. You don't have to include everything you think of.

8. If you've got an unseen and the essay, you could look at what the essay question topic is first, then do the unseen, then do the essay and hopefully your subconscious will be mulling it over.

9. Tbh I don't know how to revise quotes. Some of them really work for me, others don't, but you don't need to be word-perfect. Make them as short as possible eg instead of saying "a dreary night in November" you could just remember that Shelley uses pathetic fallacy as the setting was "dreary"
I know someone that sticks post-it notes everywhere with quotes. I like to reread as much as possible, then try recalling a quote I could use for a particular topic.

10. Whatever you write, I find it usually sounds better if
a) I tell myself that the work I am reading is a work of genius, the best poem I have ever read!!! It gets me psyched up I guess?
b) I have confidence in my answer - I think that helps with clarity and creating an overall argument

I hope some of this helps. I realise I've just written a mini-essay on essays which might seem a bit daunting, but honestly the bottom line is just do your best. If you can write at a level 6 standard, then have faith!! Try some practice essays and good luck :smile:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

user01906002

Original post by purplepengu1n

2. Don't forget the basic points. I've written essays about transgression in Frankenstein where I've completely forgotten to include the fact that the creature kills 3 people and frames Justine.

3. Try and think about what the point you're saying means. To use transgression as an example:

point:
- transgression results in punishment (context here could be Prometheus)
- for Victor, this is mental torture, and later physical
- for the creature, this is guilt and isolation
- but the creature was already ostracised from society before he murdered. Is his transgression just existing? Is he paying for Victor's transgression?
- other innocent characters are punished, like Justine

what does this mean?
- transgression does end with punishment
- but often, the innocent are punished for the crimes of others. Especially for the creature, this was due to appearance and prejudice
- so maybe Mary Shelley warns against the dangers of injustice due to prejudice
(anyway that was a bit of a nerdy digression)

4. quotes are kind of important, but I remember for my GCSE I had a few quotes that I put into everything! It's probably a good idea to have a quote in each paragraph, but you could just reread the texts as much as possible, because close references are still allowed (eg "when Frankenstein dreams about Elizabeth who turns into the corpse of his mother, this could be seen as..." )

5. most intros will be quite standard, so you could learn a little context for your book and then literally use the words from the question. It can be good to have an argument in the intro but you could equally say that "an examination of topic x in this book offers some interesting points."

6. In your paragraphs, pick a point, state the point, discuss the point - examples and the effect/message behind this/what it means and then conclude the paragraph with your argument and the point (eg "while it is clear that transgression is punished, the uneven nature of this punishment reveals Mary Shelley's true agenda: to comment on the injustices created by prejudice in her society." )

7. (this should have been point 1) PLAN - do a five minute scribble of everything you can, any quote that comes to you, and then try and connect them into 2-3 paragraph headings. You don't have to include everything you think of.

8. If you've got an unseen and the essay, you could look at the essay question first, then do the unseen, and hopefully your subconscious will be mulling it over.

9. Tbh I don't know how to revise quotes. Some of them really work for me, others don't, but you don't need to be word-perfect. Make them as short as possible eh instead of saying "a dreary night in November" you could just remember that Shelley uses pathetic fallacy as the setting was "dreary"
I know someone that sticks post-it notes everywhere with quotes. I like to reread as much as possible, then try recalling a quote I could use for a particular topic.

10. Whatever you write, I find it usually sounds better if
a) I tell myself that the work I am reading is a work of genius, the best poem I have ever read!!! It gets me psyched up I guess?
b) I have confidence in my answer - I think that helps with clarity and creating an overall argument

I hope some of this helps. I realise I've just written a mini-essay on essays which might seem a bit daunting, but honestly the bottom line is just do your best. If you can write at a level 6 standard, then have faith!! Try some practice essays and good luck :smile:

Thank you so much this is super helpful!!