i'm predicted to attain either an A or A* grade in english literature. however, i managed to achieve 93% (28/30) in my poetry coursework, which contributes to 40% of my final grade.
with english literature, you need to make sure that you have a good structure to your essay and are able to order your points in a clear and coherent way. my english teacher also used to say that one of the most important things about writing an essay about a play or a novel is to show a sense of progression, which means analysising points from the beginning of the novel, the middle and the end etc - this is a great way to show the development of your ideas and how the particular theme or character is explored. for example, when discussing how the relationship between two characters changes through the duration of the novel, you should not start off by talking about how the relationship is presented at the end of the book.
in addition, your revision should consist of creating well structured essay plans for theme, characters and relationships. include an introduction and maybe between 3-4 body paragraohs, which are very detailed and show off all of the skills that you have learnt. a* skills consist of; close contextual analysis, alternative interpretations, writers craft, inbedded quotes and a well balanced and supported argument.
your typical paragraph should consist of an overall topic sentence, a quote and analysis, a second quote and analysis, perhaps some close contextual analysis and alternative intepretations, maybe more quotes and analysis and then a statement a time the end of the paragraph. perhaps this statement can demonstrate the overall effect of the point you have made or could link to the next paragraph in a clever way.
message me if you would like to see exemplar a* work for both poetry and prose - i hope i helped! good luck x