The Student Room Group

How to boost grades to a 9

especially english, because i always seem to get around 7/8s but i would really love to get a few 9s.
Reply 1
practice exam questions and nothing else. do them with a textbook and class notes until you remember it. i wasted so much time copying notes from the textbook at gcse and it really didn't help at all. trust me exam practice is how those smart kids in your class get 9s. it's the only way.

as for english, for literature, always refer to context in EVERY point you make, not just at the end. say how a reader or whoever would've felt about this at the time. always use quotes. dont be shy to say how the part your making a point about made YOU feel as a reader. talk about how each word (adjective, noun, adverb etc..) changes the meaning and the tone of what you're writing about. never make a point if you cannot back it up

for poetry just try to remember quotes from two of each genre, you don't need anything else.
Reply 2
Original post by ziggy03
practice exam questions and nothing else. do them with a textbook and class notes until you remember it. i wasted so much time copying notes from the textbook at gcse and it really didn't help at all. trust me exam practice is how those smart kids in your class get 9s. it's the only way.

as for english, for literature, always refer to context in EVERY point you make, not just at the end. say how a reader or whoever would've felt about this at the time. always use quotes. dont be shy to say how the part your making a point about made YOU feel as a reader. talk about how each word (adjective, noun, adverb etc..) changes the meaning and the tone of what you're writing about. never make a point if you cannot back it up

for poetry just try to remember quotes from two of each genre, you don't need anything else.

that was really useful thank you:smile:can i ask if you have any tips for language?
Original post by dianna3007
that was really useful thank you:smile:can i ask if you have any tips for language?

Have you had your mocks yet?
Reply 4
Original post by cleveranimal56
Have you had your mocks yet?

yes i did them in december. I got a 7 for literature and an 8 for language (suprisingly) .
Reply 5
Original post by dianna3007
that was really useful thank you:smile:can i ask if you have any tips for language?

revising how to structure things like letters, articles, speeches etc etc. in a formal letter you will need to know whether its yours faithfully/sincerely and where the date goes and all that. all of those things are marks. also matching the tone of the letter to the level of formality.

again just getting used to it with practice questions is the key to success. im sure if you talked to your teachers they could mark it for you because marks in language is slightly more subjective.
1. Keep revisiting the texts to come up with new ideas to talk about in your essays, something that the examiner hasn't read 100 times already today.
2. Take alternative interpretations of quotes like some people think the author meant this... alternatively, it could mean this... If you're struggling with different interpretations watch some YouTubers like Mr. Bruff and Mr. Salles Teaches English to see what they think.
3. When talking about a particular concept it is also good to have some ambitious vocab to describe characters to really show the examiner that you understand difficult words and concepts.
4. Do lots of unseen poetry practice to form your own opinions quickly (not many people can reach the end of this paper and get to the unseen question so if you can do this, these are bonus marks!)
Hope this helps :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by Lizzie_apl
1. Keep revisiting the texts to come up with new ideas to talk about in your essays, something that the examiner hasn't read 100 times already today.
2. Take alternative interpretations of quotes like some people think the author meant this... alternatively, it could mean this... If you're struggling with different interpretations watch some YouTubers like Mr. Bruff and Mr. Salles Teaches English to see what they think.
3. When talking about a particular concept it is also good to have some ambitious vocab to describe characters to really show the examiner that you understand difficult words and concepts.
4. Do lots of unseen poetry practice to form your own opinions quickly (not many people can reach the end of this paper and get to the unseen question so if you can do this, these are bonus marks!)
Hope this helps :smile:

i'll try that thanks so much!
for english language, i spent days writing a good story and taking my time to include all the techniques that they want.
then i practiced using my story and adapting it slightly for each scenario that they might give in the exam
in the end i got a 9, and it definitely helped that i could spend a lot less time in the actual exam thinking of creative writing stuff & more time on the rest :smile:

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