cant stop feeling scared about a level english lit

so i was predicted 5 in gcse but i worked so hard and got a 9, i dont even remember how i did it , i didnt write anything over the summer and i decided to take a level english lit for A level because I didnt want to do science

not saying i dont enjoy it, i did , but it was so much work even at gcse for me , i really want to get A/A*s in A level but i cant imagine how for english,especially when i tried to write something today i just couldnt and my english is just really bad , i forgot all the sophisticated vocab i learnt for gcse and i dont know how to write an essay and i dont read books

i want to take it but i also dont have confidence that i will do well in it , i bought 2 books which i knew we would study (jane eyre / othello ) and i was shocked at not only how thick they were but how i didn't know most of the words in Jane Eyre and i haven't even started reading Othello which i know i wont understand anyway

i also didn't enjoy poetry as much as i did with the text e.g xmas carol
i was lucky i got the easiest poem (osymanidas) for my gcse , if it wasn't that i don't think i would of got a 9

anyway.. yea i just cant stop thinking about how hard it will be and already feel like its impossible for me to get an A ...

Reply 1

Presence

also i read so slow, it takes me 1 hour to read 14 pages of a book minimum, at this speed how can i do wider reading ..

Reply 2

lunarr.

Haven't taken my a-levels just yet so I can't be too useful, but just wanted to wish you luck! If you got a 9 in GCSEs, then you're definitely no stranger to hard work, and I'm sure it'll be fine.

Reply 3

Presence

Original post by lunarr.

Haven't taken my a-levels just yet so I can't be too useful, but just wanted to wish you luck! If you got a 9 in GCSEs, then you're definitely no stranger to hard work, and I'm sure it'll be fine.

thank you , i didnt do anyhting over the summer so i feel like i cant go back lol , but i feel like i worked my max for english gcse so how can i get good grades for A level if they are so much harder if that makes sense xx

Reply 4

username3506416

Hey!
I do English literature at A level :smile:

Stop worrying!
I got a 5 at GCSE I think (yes I know! Really bad! I'm over it lol)... Anyway now I'm predicted an A / A* at A level!

If I can do it then you definitely can!

You don't need to read the books now, your teacher will go through everything with you :smile:

I do Othello at A level so feel free to ask if you need any help with it or anything else! :smile:

Good luck!
Feel free to PM me with any more questions etc

Reply 5

Nathan Scott

Original post by Presence

also i read so slow, it takes me 1 hour to read 14 pages of a book minimum, at this speed how can i do wider reading ..

You don't need to do much wider/extra reading to get an A/A*, you're better off mastering the core texts first then doing extra reading later on. It may depend on which exam board you're on, but for the majority of the A Level you won't have to do 'wider reading' unless it is for a specific part of the exam.

You'll do just fine if you keep practising essay writing from the start.

Reply 6

Presence

Original post by Nathan Scott

really? phew! i heard that you need to read so much in english a levels,

Reply 7

Nathan Scott

Original post by Presence

really? phew! i heard that you need to read so much in english a levels,

Maybe take my advice with a pinch of salt.

I know some study youtubers claimed to read their texts more than 4 times etc. and appeared to have done lots of extra reading whereas for extra reading I'd probably only read some extracts and the odd short story and did just as well as them, so whatever works for you do it, you may find you need to do lots of extra reading, but you definitely don't have to.

Reply 8

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Presence

also i read so slow, it takes me 1 hour to read 14 pages of a book minimum, at this speed how can i do wider reading ..

Wider reading is not essential. What exam board are you on? :smile:

Reply 9

Presence

Original post by 04MR17

Wider reading is not essential. What exam board are you on? :smile:

AQA

foe english , ocr for economics and i think aqa for psychology

Reply 10

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Presence

AQA

foe english , ocr for economics and i think aqa for psychology

I did AQA English Literature B (new spec). You're welcome to ask me any questions on it. :smile:

Reply 11

Presence

Original post by 04MR17

I did AQA English Literature B (new spec). You're welcome to ask me any questions on it. :smile:

i am still very new i dont know there is A/B , i know mine is about love , is that A/B?

how do you find it , the texts are much thicker than gcse and i feel like theres a lot more content , do you think its manageable or really , you need to know a lot about the context etc

do you feel ,for shakespeare that you need to read over a few times or reading the translated version / summaries is all you need ?
do you need to use a lot of hard vocab ?

Reply 12

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Presence

"Love through the ages" is specification A

You should be able to find the specification on AQA's website.

Do not JUST read the summaries. Read the whole full original text. Ideally twice. Leave a gap in between and there'll be bits you've forgotten. If you put into TSR's search "How to tackle Shakespeare" you'll find my guide from last year. :smile:

For vocab, there are a few fancy words that *could* be well placed in your essay. But the best thing is to be yourself. Read last year's examiner's report to get a flavour of what they're looking for.

Reply 13

Presence

Original post by 04MR17

oh cool thank you i will check that out! thank you so much X

Reply 14

Presence

Original post by 04MR17

i hope you dont mind me asking a bit more

are you doing the new a levels where you need to take the exam after 2 years? if so how many books did you study , i remember someone said it was minimm 8 books , do you have to take an exam for all of them after 2 years?