Original post by Emmaalon000Hello!
I am an A level English literature, A level English language and A level French student and am happy to help!
For English literature: ( I'm going to separate this into stages)
Stage 1:
key passages-- this is where you identify the (5 or 4) key moments in a play/novel- E.g When Macbeth gets the prophecies from the witches or when Romeo and Juliet first meet at the masquerade ball etc.
Once you have identified these key passages you need to analyse them:
so ask yourself is the writer using Metaphors, similes, loads of verbs etc.?
what structural elements are used (irony, juxtaposition, contrast etc.)
and then ask yourself why are they doing this and what effect does this produce? ( e.g. Many verbs can produce a tense atmosphere)
Don't forget to link this to context: What were the attitudes of the people at the time ( e.g. Victorian society was very strict, regimented and stoic)
Stage 2:
Create flashcards (you can use physical ones or online ones like anki or quizlet) ( do this only if it helps you otherwise you can write notes)
Flashcard/ write notes of:
Key Passages, themes, characters and quotes. (if you don't have time to do all of them focus on quotes !)
Stage 3:
Essay plans!
Start with an intro (if needed) and outline main arguments and context.
PEE ( pee all over your paragraphs!) you can do 3 or 4 of these PEE paragraphs
Point: state your argument
Evidence: Quote and identification of literary techniques
Explain: Link to context, writers purpose and essay question.
Then conclude: round up- link back to question
Stage 4:
Do some practice essays! yayay!
English language:
Practice papers and questions are your best friend!!
Again when looking at a text ask yourself questions about what techniques the writer uses:
But wait for a second what if there isn't anything there!
Well look at the verbs, nouns, adjectives that are used (this may seem really basic but trust me I still try and identify these at A level and it changes everything)
What effect do these verbs, nouns, adjectives have on the reader?
Why are they used?
What tone is created?
For structure think:
Irony, juxtaposition, contrast, sentence length ( minor sentence, short sentence etc.), asyndetic/syndetic listing, sentence type (imperative, declarative, interrogative etc.)
Then for creative writing:
for the story element: Think of your favourite TV show/ Film and base it off of that... (and don't end it with 'It was all a dream' try to get your reader to imply what happens at the end-- don't make it too obvious!)
Both (article and story)
Use different sentence lengths/types (mentioned above)
Use metaphors, similes, irony, idioms, alliteration etc.
For French:
Practice papers!
Listen to French music and watch french videos just to get used to how the language sounds.
Learn tenses and memorise key verbs for each tense: E.g. Etre, faire, avoir, aller...
Learn stock phrases e.g. Je voudrais etre un pilot...
Je vais aller au cinema avec mes amis ( is a classic one)
Use some complicated grammar such as 'Depuis' But definitely get the basics: Perfect/imperfect (past tense), future, present.
learn vocab: Use quizlet/ anki whatever floats your boat.
I hope this was helpful! It's quite a long one but if you have any more questions feel free to ask!