A* GCSE English Students hellpppp

I have no problem with remembering quotes and things like that it’s just answering the question that I struggle with how do you guys do it

Reply 1

Zahra_2001

I got a 7 in eng lit mocks (ik u asked for A* students so grade 8 and 9 students but wanted to help hope u don't mind)
-u need to remember judicious quotes (the best quotes) also unique ones
-and u need to impress the examiner by saying something different
-also stick to an argument throughout your essay for example in the intro summarise your ideas and focus on them e.g in my Jekyll and Hyde answer I talked about hedonism in the intro and kept on linking back to it in most of the paragraphs. this will create a conceptualised argument which sets u up for higher grades
-contextualize your quotes for example u say after lady Macbeth receives the letter she says....
-I used to use the PETAL structure (point, evidence, technique, analysis, link to context etc.) which is amazing but my teacher gave us a better way which is kinda of hard to follow so I do PETAL and try to add the other structure too whenever I can
the other structure is
20180331_203348-compressed.jpg.jpeg

-also always plan! Like when you read the question write as many quotes u can remember linking to it and then pick out the best quotes then write a brief plan for e.g image-524db8e1-247e-4a6b-9919-6025becf18cf772792878-compressed.jpg.jpeg

image-524db8e1-247e-4a6b-9919-6025becf18cf772792878-compressed.jpg.jpeg

-dont keep on saying and when starting new paragraphs use this instead image-b7b0bb85-2066-4385-ac81-7493ccc83ae71233919798-compressed.jpg.jpeg

image-b7b0bb85-2066-4385-ac81-7493ccc83ae71233919798-compressed.jpg.jpeg

-use sophisticated terminology so instead of saying "the verb" say "the violent verb"
-u need to show the examiner that u understand the play or book
- analyse effect on readers/audience
- context always add it u simply won't get a high grade without it
I'm not really good in poetry so can't say anything about it

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 2

Zahra_2001

also English language I've always got a 6 but these mocks I got a 7 which I'm so surprised about! basically what I did this time was we did more practice in class for them so I'd say practice for it and always aim to get the highest marks in the writing section (question 5)
watch Mr bruff on youtube he's really good at teaching English

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 3

NukaCola

Hi, I got a 9 in English lit last year and I would say that understanding the quotes is most important, because for me I find it easy to write about them if I know what they're about.
- Using a particular structure like the one mentioned above might also help, because it's pretty clear what to start with, if you're finding that difficult. For example, PEE paragraphs.
- Link your answer to the question where you can.
- Try planning what to write. It's not necessary to actually write an answer (it's obviously time consuming), but it would be just so you know the typical points
- Think about what points to write about before? I've never actually planned an essay before writing one but it's helpful to have a brief think about the major parts of your answer.
- Using one quote then analysing it is generally a good idea; there are many things to write about - context, connotations, the actual language used, true meaning, motivations of the character to say/do whatever the quote is about and so on. This also works with writing about themes (e.g love, social class etc.).
- If the question is about two texts, remember to compare! Look for similarities/differences, and also things like how the character/situation has changed between these two texts.
- Reading the mark scheme may also help with what the examiners are looking for. As mentioned in the above post, judicious quotes are a major part.

It's been a while since I've done english, so I apologise for any mistakes or forgetting anything important!