how do i revise for gcse english

How in earth could you revise English by using flashcards? What would you possibly write on these flashcards?

people usually write quotes on that and analysis etc then memorise them

Hi @butter fly,

I studied 'Macbeth' and 'A Christmas Carol'.

Flashcards and mind maps did not work for me due to the amount of analysis I could think of! I ended up having too many flashcards. Therefore, I made a Microsoft Word document and started typing all my analysis on there. I have attached to this post a preview of how I laid out my work. You can use the same format for the texts you are studying as well.

In class, we used to pick quotes out and discuss what the author was trying to convey through them. I would write down the points my classmates made on pieces of paper and add them to my document at home. I would make flashcards for the analysis I could not remember and go over them at least 3 times a week. Quotes on one side and the analysis on the other side. My handwriting is quite small, so I could fit quite a bit on it.

To remember the quotes (although I did not struggle too much on this), I made posters on PPT and printed them out. I stuck them everywhere in my bedroom, kitchen and even in the bathroom! My parents were not impressed.

Which texts are you studying?

I am really confused on how to revise for them? I find flashcard and mind maps really ineffective and time consuming. It would be very helpful if someone please could tell me the ways they studied without using these methods.
Thanks

I am really confused on how to revise for them? I find flashcard and mind maps really ineffective and time consuming. It would be very helpful if someone please could tell me the ways they studied without using these methods.
Thanks

Even though, I didn't sit my exams (2020 cohort) I still got a 9 in English Lit so I hope I can give some useful advice.

Just like you, I found learning from flashcards or mindmaps weren't working for me at all, as such, I ended up getting a 7 in my year 11 mocks. Btw a grade 7 is very good, don't get me wrong, it was just that English Lit was my lowest grade so I knew I needed a better method. So, at the start of September, whenever I planned on doing English Lit revision, I would just write an essay (in timed conditions). I would then show this essay to my teacher, get him to grade it and give me feedback. In the beginning, I was getting around 22/30 ish (I did AQA) but then around January time my writing just improved massively, it got to the point where the 28/30 would be my lowest score (the 29/30 were the most annoying ones because the feeling of getting 30/30 on an English essay is unparalleled!).

I did Romeo and Juliet, Frankenstein, Animal Farm and Power & Conflict for poetry. Whilst I don't have any flashcards or anything, I have kept a few essays that I wrote which scored high marks (my prized possessions ).

Hi! i usually find watching analysis videos and summary videos good and writing ten key quotes for each character off the top of my head and then if i can’t get that many i’ll go back and look and try again but without the text also ESSAY PLANS AND PRACTICE ESSAYS !!

For English Language I would recommend making sure you've learnt the structure for each question so you know where you get the marks from (A01, A02, A03, A04 etc). I found the Youtube channel 'Mr Bruff' helpful for this. You could also look at some exemplary answers and break them down e.g highlight each AO objective. Then I would advise practising writing each question until you've mastered it under time pressure (which is a crucial skill for Q5 at AQA / long mark writing questions) and then get feedback from a teacher. Also, practice books specific to your exam board may also help. This got me a 9 in my mocks and worked well for me, but you should experiment to find what works for you. I also studied Inspector Calls, Christmas Carol and Macbeth if you ever need any help with them
Hope that helps
- A former Yr11 student thrilled to be relieved of GCSE English, you've got this!

thanks that's really helpful but i'm scared my teacher will become frustrated if I give her too many essays to mark. also how did you annotate quotes and get them to match the essay question?

Don’t worry about that. It shows that you are hardworking and really are putting in the effort, but during exam weeks don’t give hand in essay as they will have plenty others to mark. Also, give the essays to different English teachers, I’d always give one teacher Frankenstein, another R&J, another Animal Farm, another poetry and another English Language. Most English teachers will be quite happy to mark your essays, as it takes them around 10 mins so just go in after school and ask if they afe free.

It’s less about matching a quote to the essay question and more about matching it to the line of argument that you have presented, because you need evidence to support the point you are making.

I’m not sure if I have understood the second bit of your question, so apologies. Could you try rephrasing it if I have?

for example lets say you memorised a quote about responsibility but the exam question is about greed.

Ah I see. Well, you gotta remember that English Literature have to be accessible to every student so they will try give a concept or a character that everyone has some quotes and knowledge about.

But like you said, if I memorised them wrong quote/have no quotes for the theme in the question then I will try find quotations from the extract. This would be worst-case scenario, however you can always prepare for these situations by practising essays. Even practising writing essay plans, for just 15 minutes is a very beneficial skill because it teaches you how to plan quickly when faced with a question.