GCSE English Literature Study Group 2023-2024

Hi!! Thank you so much for making this forum :smile:

I do AQA: Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Power & Conflict and DNA.
My best question is probably p&c poetry since in my opinion it's my strongest point, but i suck at unseen. like i genuinely don't understand it. so if anyone had advice for it, pleasee help me out lol.
Also, DNA is such a niche text, almost everyone does AIC, so i can never find others outside my school that do that play.
i am currently working at an 8 for lit, and hoping to uphold that in my mocks (fingers crossed)

Reply 22

Original post by shiftycatz

Hi, so I do AQA as my exam board, and my texts are Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and an Inspector Calls, and for poetry, I do Power n Conflict. I'm extremely nervous for my English mocks and real thing- are there any yr 11's or even a-level students who are aiming for 8's and 9's and can help me out, with basic revision, and what the exam board would like to see? Ty in advance xx

I got grade 8 in my lit exam, so i would be willing to help you :smile:

what do you struggle with the most?

Reply 23

shiftycatz

8

Original post by heartz4moushi

I got grade 8 in my lit exam, so i would be willing to help you :smile:

what do you struggle with the most?

Tysm 🙂 - I'm borederline an 8 right now- and predicted a 9- which to me, is crazy.
I struggle with using the higher grade motifs and analysis and stuff, and alos organising my essays.
And thats really impressive grade for lit!

Reply 24

Original post by shiftycatz

Tysm 🙂 - I'm borederline an 8 right now- and predicted a 9- which to me, is crazy.
I struggle with using the higher grade motifs and analysis and stuff, and alos organising my essays.
And thats really impressive grade for lit!

aw tysm!! i suppose i just enjoy lit, so im good at it? ahaha😅 And a 9?! Whoa, that must mean you have potential so just keep enhancing you skills and surely you will get that 8 or even 9 :smile:

motifs are really hard to talk about ik and i wouldnt say im personally good at it myself. but then again i dont think it's THAT important to go in depth into a writer's motif explicitly if your other analysis + context is really good as everything in there reiterates and backs up the writer's message throughout.
however, i can give you analysis advice.
what i do first is write the quote at the top of a blank piece on paper, and somewhere next to it, in the margin or corner, i write down the main theme of that quote in brackets. i.e the surplus quote from ACC's theme is avarice, or the neptune's ocean quote for macbeth is guilt.
then i like to just do the normal analysis strategy:

•

the device being used

•

the key word

•

connotations to the key word

•

suggested meaning

Then I just start making links to the suggested meaning, either through making connections to other quotes in the story, context of the writer's period, alternative interpretations OR sometimes even all three.
This process is sort of like a chain of analysis. you make one point, and then you keep on building on that point until you basically cannot talk about it anymore.
FOR EXAMPLE:
'light as a feather'
device - simile
key word - feather
connotations - lightweight, can float, can represent freedom
suggested meaning:

1.

Scrooge feeling 'light' represents how he's now been freed of the burdening of his sins as he's no longer weighed down by his avarice

2.

It could also perhaps be Dickens' way of echoing earlier connections to height symbolising someone's closety to God as seen through Fezziwig who was just 'inches away from the ceiling' and an embodiment of Christianity. similarly here, Scrooge is now also closer to God and has re-established his connection to Christianity.

3.

Scrooge, now comparable to Fezziwig, has become as role role for Dicken's audience just the same as his past employer. Once again reiterating how Dicken's believes everyone has the capability to change because if someone as cruel and harsh as Scrooge has had a moral redemption, anyone else can to as avarice is not innate in us and is a product of society's infectious capitalist influence

4.

Alternatively, Scrooge has also avoided the consequences Marley fell into due to his incapability to change and therefore his eternal punishment being 'trapped' in the middle world, contrastingly to Scrooge who is a 'free' as a "feather"

The whole point of this is you being detailed + perceptive which gets you into the level 5 & 6 response. And making contextual links or links within the story shows examiners how you have a deeper understanding of the play and how you're basically an expert at it. and trust me, they eat up that kind of stuff🤣

This quote had more things to talk about since it's near the end, but you can do this for a lot of other quotes from even the beginning and stating how this is foreshadowing something that happens later on. Of course, it can't be said for every quote in every piece of lit we study, butttt it doesn't even matter as long as we have a few REALLY good ones, and a few decent ones in the essay.

And you can use a quote about greed to write a response about attitude towards the poor (or any quote linked to one thing but you talk in the context of another) by simply tweaking the suggested meaning. your other steps can remain the same, but make sure to change what the quote shows to something that is relevant to the focus of the question.

for structuring you essay -
1 introduction: set out a thesis focused on the focus of the question. outline an ARGUMENT for it, not the message of the novel of scrooge's character
2 initially paragraph - what is being presented at the start of the play? why is it being presented? what does the writer want to show us?
3 ultimately paragraph - what CHANGE has been made? how has the play/character/theme progressed? why is it important? how does it represent (maybe even differ) ideas from the start? what is the PURPOSE of this?
(these are some question you can think about for the main part of your essay, you dont need to answer all of them, but it would be great if you could! ALSO you have to make the DEVELOPMENT between the start to the end CLEAR, as this is basically your main evidence for your argument)
4 conclusion - provide a solution/ or a solution given by the author that resolves the problem that sticks out. how does the writer want his/her novel/play to influence us? what do they hope they can achieve through writing their text? what should things look like if we make the change they want us to?

It's a whole different thing for poetry, but i dont really have any techniques for that i just have a massive A3 sheet for every poem with form, structure, three images and language.
LOL THIS WAS SOOO LONG, BUT I HOPE IT HELPED?? <33

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 25

ksafosobre

3

Original post by Pwca

Welcome to the GCSE English Literature Study Group! :hello:

This is where you can chat with other students studying the same subjects as you and support each other as you head towards your exams :grouphugs:

You can post any useful tips and resources that you come across, offer support to others, share your successes, or just have moan when it gets tough! :yes:

Just remember, it’s against the site rules to ask for or offer any copyrighted papers, or to take conversations off-site to do these things. Posts that break these rules will be removed.

A few possible ice breaker questions are:
What exam board are you with?
What do you enjoy most about this subject/ course?
What area do you struggle with in this subject/ course?

Specifications

Good luck with the next few months. Remember, ask for help, support where you can and together we can do this! :yeah:

hii

Reply 26

chocomallow

Does anyone have any tips to improve creative writing skills

Reply 27

shiftycatz

8

Original post by heartz4moushi

aw tysm!! i suppose i just enjoy lit, so im good at it? ahaha😅 And a 9?! Whoa, that must mean you have potential so just keep enhancing you skills and surely you will get that 8 or even 9 :smile:

motifs are really hard to talk about ik and i wouldnt say im personally good at it myself. but then again i dont think it's THAT important to go in depth into a writer's motif explicitly if your other analysis + context is really good as everything in there reiterates and backs up the writer's message throughout.
however, i can give you analysis advice.
what i do first is write the quote at the top of a blank piece on paper, and somewhere next to it, in the margin or corner, i write down the main theme of that quote in brackets. i.e the surplus quote from ACC's theme is avarice, or the neptune's ocean quote for macbeth is guilt.
then i like to just do the normal analysis strategy:

•

the device being used

•

the key word

•

connotations to the key word

•

suggested meaning

Then I just start making links to the suggested meaning, either through making connections to other quotes in the story, context of the writer's period, alternative interpretations OR sometimes even all three.
This process is sort of like a chain of analysis. you make one point, and then you keep on building on that point until you basically cannot talk about it anymore.
FOR EXAMPLE:
'light as a feather'
device - simile
key word - feather
connotations - lightweight, can float, can represent freedom
suggested meaning:

1.

Scrooge feeling 'light' represents how he's now been freed of the burdening of his sins as he's no longer weighed down by his avarice

2.

It could also perhaps be Dickens' way of echoing earlier connections to height symbolising someone's closety to God as seen through Fezziwig who was just 'inches away from the ceiling' and an embodiment of Christianity. similarly here, Scrooge is now also closer to God and has re-established his connection to Christianity.

3.

Scrooge, now comparable to Fezziwig, has become as role role for Dicken's audience just the same as his past employer. Once again reiterating how Dicken's believes everyone has the capability to change because if someone as cruel and harsh as Scrooge has had a moral redemption, anyone else can to as avarice is not innate in us and is a product of society's infectious capitalist influence

4.

Alternatively, Scrooge has also avoided the consequences Marley fell into due to his incapability to change and therefore his eternal punishment being 'trapped' in the middle world, contrastingly to Scrooge who is a 'free' as a "feather"

The whole point of this is you being detailed + perceptive which gets you into the level 5 & 6 response. And making contextual links or links within the story shows examiners how you have a deeper understanding of the play and how you're basically an expert at it. and trust me, they eat up that kind of stuff🤣

This quote had more things to talk about since it's near the end, but you can do this for a lot of other quotes from even the beginning and stating how this is foreshadowing something that happens later on. Of course, it can't be said for every quote in every piece of lit we study, butttt it doesn't even matter as long as we have a few REALLY good ones, and a few decent ones in the essay.

And you can use a quote about greed to write a response about attitude towards the poor (or any quote linked to one thing but you talk in the context of another) by simply tweaking the suggested meaning. your other steps can remain the same, but make sure to change what the quote shows to something that is relevant to the focus of the question.

for structuring you essay -
1 introduction: set out a thesis focused on the focus of the question. outline an ARGUMENT for it, not the message of the novel of scrooge's character
2 initially paragraph - what is being presented at the start of the play? why is it being presented? what does the writer want to show us?
3 ultimately paragraph - what CHANGE has been made? how has the play/character/theme progressed? why is it important? how does it represent (maybe in differ) ideas from the start? what is the PUPOSE of this?
(these are some question you can think about for the main part of your essay, you dont need to answer all of them, but it would be great if you could! ALSO you have to make the DEVELOPMENT between the start to the end CLEAR, as this is basically your main evidence for your argument)
4 conclusion - provide a solution/ or a solution given by the author that resolves the problem that sticks out. how does the writer want his/her novel/play to influence us? what do they hope they can achieve through writing their text? what should things look like if we make the change they want us to?

It's a whole different thing for poetry, but i dont really have any techniques for that i just have a massive A3 sheet for every poem with form, structure, three images and language.
LOL THIS WAS SOOO LONG, BUT I HOPE IT HELPED?? <33

OMG, TYSM! <333
I've noted down everything youve said- and I feel sm more confident now, thx sm for ur time and effort!
The breakdown of the essay is amazing, like, thank you sm, I've never known how to structure one, and usually just go with it, breaking down in exams- so this helps smmm.
The motifs are also so insightful, this'll rlly help!

Reply 28

Studentanomaly

6

Hi! anyone know 2 points comparing Kamikaze and Emigree? Its an emergency pleaseee reply as soon as possible!

Reply 29

Original post by shiftycatz

OMG, TYSM! <333
I've noted down everything youve said- and I feel sm more confident now, thx sm for ur time and effort!
The breakdown of the essay is amazing, like, thank you sm, I've never known how to structure one, and usually just go with it, breaking down in exams- so this helps smmm.
The motifs are also so insightful, this'll rlly help!

omg im actually so glad😭 and ofc, i love helping others get better at things im passionate about so trust me , this was a really good way of revising for me too😂

I forgot to mention in my previous post since i got completely sidetracked with christmas carol sm💀, but what i wanted to say is that that essay structure can be used for all the LITERARY texts we do. (shakespeare, modern play and post 1900)

For poetry (its similar, but different in some ways as it's comparative) (structures for poetry differ, but i used this one and got 27/30 in my mocks last year)

intro - just introduce the poems. what are the two poems about? what important key ideas do the poets centralise in the poems?
paragraph 1 - initially point. start by outlining the way in which the poems are SIMILAR

•

quote from named poem

•

quote from chosen comparative poem

•

quote from named poem

•

quote from chosen comparative poem

paragraph 2 - ultimately point. how do the two poems DIFFER

•

quote from named poem

•

quote from chosen comparative poem

•

quote from named poem

•

quote from chosen comparative poem

[NOTE] - talk about the structure and form for both poems in any paragraph that is relevant. USE THEM AS ACCESSORIES , SO DON'T WASTE TOO MUCH TIME ANALYSING IN GREAT DETAIL BUT INSTEAD BRING IN THESE AS A WAY OF GIVING EVIDENCE FOR AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED ARGUMENT FROM PREVIOUSLY USED IMAGERY (imagery includes language quotes too)

conclusion - sum up the similarities and differences of comparative poems. don't fall into the trap of heavily talking about the one in the question or the one you preferred, but instead keep both of them in the focus by creating a short comparative analysis to solidify all the ideas you talked about.

I just wanted to say, not to do with essay writing or anything, but I find annotating the actual anthology really useful. so after doing a lesson on the poem, i just like to go back to my anthology and re-read the poem myself and really quickly summarise the things i've already done by highlighting, underlining, and drawing arrows to the side to jot down the analysis. and then, with previous knowledge of the poem from class, finding other small or big quotes/examples that back up the writer's messages (and that only goes in my anthology and not my schoolwork as that's basically sort of MY OWN poetry ideas, separate from school). ig, this just helps with understanding the poem a lot better, and also enhancing your critical thinking which can be applicable for things like unseen poetry and even language papers!

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 30

Original post by Studentanomaly

Hi! anyone know 2 points comparing Kamikaze and Emigree? Its an emergency pleaseee reply as soon as possible!

similarity - both Rumens and Garland critique the people in power that corrupt their positions to destroy the underlying peace within society. rumens does this by heavily criticising tyrannical leaders as the believes it can lead to an individual's loss of identity and feeling of displacement through emigrating to flee possible civil war or turmoil in their native countries. garland takes a different approach to this by specifically condemning the power of the japanese military, and military institutions as a whole, as she shows it can alter and affect one's identity and the views and opinions of society (in the poem, seen through the pilot's perception of himself, and others perception of him)

difference - the poets outline the same problem, but offer different solutions. rumens promotes an acceptance of circumstances and implicit hope of embracing out newly-found identity even if it takes a different form than anticipated. garland takes a more passive approach, by encouraging society to see past misleading information and propaganda, reversing decades of indoctrinated views and pressuring corrupt institutions in means to create a change for the better.

Reply 31

who has some really good analysis for tissue??

Reply 32

if anyone on this forum does DNA for aqa gcse, what would be context for it be bc i swr theres actually none except what i was taught in skl which was '21st century', 'developing technology', 'playstation and ps5' and so on

Reply 33

Sarah21456

Original post by *LifeHappens*

Hello, thanks for making this thread!

I'm doing AQA english lit: so I'm studying a christmas carol, an inspector calls, L&R poetry + much ado about nothing.
I do enjoy reading and discussing about the texts/poems.
I struggle a bit with starting my paragraphs, but once I get started with writing them I'm able to do them properly.

Hi, I'm doing aqa english literature. I struggle with writing paragraphs a lot. I got grade 2 as my mock result. I want to get grade 5 in real gcse. I"m also doing Christmas carol aqa. Can you please help me to improve my skills with writing paragraphs. I just want you to tell me what do I have to improve when I send you a paragraph

Reply 34

*LifeHappens*

12

Original post by Sarah21456

Hi, I'm doing aqa english literature. I struggle with writing paragraphs a lot. I got grade 2 as my mock result. I want to get grade 5 in real gcse. I"m also doing Christmas carol aqa. Can you please help me to improve my skills with writing paragraphs. I just want you to tell me what do I have to improve when I send you a paragraph

Hello, I'd be happy to help, you can send the paragraph over - it can be private or on this thread!

Reply 35

Sarah21456

Original post by *LifeHappens*

Hello, I'd be happy to help, you can send the paragraph over - it can be private or on this thread!

Thank you so much. I'm new to this app. I tried to upload my eaasy. But I could not find how to upload it. Should I type the whole eassy and send it to you

Reply 36

Sarah21456

Original post by *LifeHappens*

Hello, I'd be happy to help, you can send the paragraph over - it can be private or on this thread!

How does Dickenes present the poor people
novel?

Dickenes uses his novella as a vehicle for social
change Throughout his presentation of the
poor
in the novella Dickenes bighlight the need
of social reform and criticise the social
injustice within the victorian society
In this extract, Dickenas presents poor
people as vulnerable, by using the physical
personification of ignorance and want as
children He uses a list of adjectives to describe
the children. The adjective "wrenched' suggests
the overwhelming unhappiness of the children
The adjective abject suggests the children
does not have a pride or dignity. these
negative adjectives makes the reader think these children represents the poor people
The use of word "children" to represent
poor people and their needs.
suggests poor people has to be look after
some one (Rich peopled and protect by
someone (Rich people). Dickenes is
trying
to indicates the need and importance of
social responsibility of to the victorian upper.
class - Furthermore Dickenes juxtaposes
the children. The comparision between "freshest"
and "shrivelled" suggests even through poor
people are innocence they has to do crimes
to survive - Dickenes
is
trying to make the
victorian upperclass think they are responsible.
for the crimes poor people doing
as poor
people does not have money to cover their
basic needs and they are in this situation because of lack of social responsibility within the upperclass of victorian society.

Reply 37

Kiwi salad

1

Original post by heartz4moushi

who has some really good analysis for tissue??

I have something about the sibilance.

Imtiaz Dharker employs sibilance in a multifaceted manner. The first way serves to convey auditory imagery, which gives a sense of a gentle breeze/soft whooshing sounds, aligning with the poets notion of tissue itself. The auditory quality contributes to the poem's overall flow, enhancing its musicality.

However, she also deliberately uses sibilance to convey a rather deeper layer of meaning by symbolising the control over citizens/individuals via people/tissue/paper. It becomes a tool for silencing people from breaking free, supporting the theme of authority and its suppression of dissenting voices.

Hope this helped :smile:

) i have more points if you wish regarding this.

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 38

*LifeHappens*

12

Original post by Sarah21456

How does Dickenes present the poor people
novel?

Dickenes uses his novella as a vehicle for social
change Throughout his presentation of the
poor
in the novella Dickenes bighlight the need
of social reform and criticise the social
injustice within the victorian society
In this extract, Dickenas presents poor
people as vulnerable, by using the physical
personification of ignorance and want as
children He uses a list of adjectives to describe
the children. The adjective "wrenched' suggests
the overwhelming unhappiness of the children
The adjective abject suggests the children
does not have a pride or dignity. these
negative adjectives makes the reader think these children represents the poor people
The use of word "children" to represent
poor people and their needs.
suggests poor people has to be look after
some one (Rich peopled and protect by
someone (Rich people). Dickenes is
trying
to indicates the need and importance of
social responsibility of to the victorian upper.
class - Furthermore Dickenes juxtaposes
the children. The comparision between "freshest"
and "shrivelled" suggests even through poor
people are innocence they has to do crimes
to survive - Dickenes
is
trying to make the
victorian upperclass think they are responsible.
for the crimes poor people doing
as poor
people does not have money to cover their
basic needs and they are in this situation because of lack of social responsibility within the upperclass of victorian society.

I like your introduction, especially how you linked societal issues like poverty with strong terms such as social injustice - it really shows you know the context. I'd say maybe make it more concise (to avoid repeating words like novella), so instead of saying:
Dickens uses his novella as a vehicle for social change Throughout his presentation of the poor in the novella Dickens highlight the need of social reform and criticise the social injustice within the Victorian society
You could blend the sentences together:
Dickens uses his novella as a vehicle for social reform and to criticise the social injustice within the Victorian society throughout his presentation of the poor

You use very relevant and proper vocab to describe Ignorance and Want, like using 'vulnerable' and language techniques such as 'physical personification'. You could develop it a bit more by explaining how Ignorance and Want represent poverty in society, just to add a bit more of theme/context in your answer.
You comment on adjectives and what effect they have on the reader which shows deeper analysis within the theme you're discussing, which can gain you marks.

I think maybe use more connectives within your sentences so instead of ending the sentence after every point you make, you could use a comma or a semi-colon to expand directly on that point - it also would make your answer easier to read for the examiner. And maybe you can use less repetition of the same words like repeating upperclass and poor people - you could try using different vocab.

Juxtaposition is a high-level language technique which you mentioned and you explained it really well, especially by focusing in on how Dickens specifically presents poverty and I really like how you end with discussing how the upperclass really affected others in Victorian society.

Overall, your answer was really great and you answered the question well - you can develop your answer by discussing the Cratchit family too, but I'd say that you gave a great perspective especially by including things like language techniques, word focus and context related to the theme poverty.

Well done! :smile:

Reply 39