A-Level English Lit Revision Tips

hii, we do/did 3 of the same texts! i did ocr too and got an a* after struggling sooo long w the grade boundaries like u. i have lots of advice to give so sorry if its long !!

timing was also my worst enemy so dont worry about that, it is something that can be overcome!! the best thing for timing for me was practicing written essays. i did this in the months leading up to actual exams. i wrote out maybe 3/4 essays w timers. i started off w a structure breakdown next to me so that i included everything i needed in the time, then by the 3rd essay i finished in time without this. this could help you maybe? practice paragraphs are also sooo helpful. just planning an essay, setting a like 10 min timer and writing one paragraph with all the AOs u need can really help u. it made me realise just how much u can get down in that time, and how easily it can be wasted by writing filler nonsense that nets u no marks lol. so for timing i definitely recommend practice, whether regular or just for a little while until u see inprovement.

context: what worked best for me is learning a range of different contextual points about the time period, the text, the authors and maybe even the genre/literary period and using it to support every point. for easy context points add something contextual in the intro and conclusion, and each time you compare and contrast the two texts try to consider how different contexts influence the differences and similarities between the text. e.g. dystopian concerns over bodily autonomy differ between 1984 and hmt because atwood was a feminist and concerned w womens bodies, whereas orwell — a socialist — was focused more on the control of workers and their body/labour as currency. try to maintain a constant stream of context because it really can make or break your grade. i know the other person said context isnt needed but ofc for paper 2 ocr its 50% of the comparison essay lol. and its still important for the last q of paper 1.

interpretations: for paper 1 interpretations will tend to be stage adaptations as well as critics. its definitely best to learn 1 or 2 stage adaptations well — actors, specific moments, lighting, expressions, interpretations of relationships — rather than vaguely referencing multiple u havent seen, which is something i did before and didn’t serve me well. for critics im not even gonna lie u can make stuff up lol. as long as it sounds realistic if u forget stuff in the exams u can attribute anything to any well-known (or even more niche) critic. but for critical quotes themselves u can’t go wrong with quizlets lol. for integrating them, make sure you put your argument first. use them to supplement and reinforce your own ideas. e.g. you make a point that bodies are controlled in dystopias, give an example from hmt, analyse it, then give like a critic quote which approaches it from a new angle and then link it back to your point while also taking it in a new (but still your own!!) direction.

quotes: quotes aren’t 100% important in either paper, let me tell u. i remembered maybe 15 for both texts, and a lot of this was just 1 or 2 word phrases, which is preferred by examiners anyway. as long as u know like motifs/themes/symbols/events and can talk about them with adequate analysis, u should be fine! i can dm u my quizlet with the quotes i have, context and interpretations too if this helps.

i can also send u some example essays too. best of luck with ur a levels, ocr is truly awful but it can be conquered!!!

Oh my God, thank you so much for this answer!! This has been really helpful 🫶🫶 I'd really appreciate if I could have a look at your Quizlet and some example answers. Thank you sm!!!

hii, we do/did 3 of the same texts! i did ocr too and got an a* after struggling sooo long w the grade boundaries like u. i have lots of advice to give so sorry if its long !!

timing was also my worst enemy so dont worry about that, it is something that can be overcome!! the best thing for timing for me was practicing written essays. i did this in the months leading up to actual exams. i wrote out maybe 3/4 essays w timers. i started off w a structure breakdown next to me so that i included everything i needed in the time, then by the 3rd essay i finished in time without this. this could help you maybe? practice paragraphs are also sooo helpful. just planning an essay, setting a like 10 min timer and writing one paragraph with all the AOs u need can really help u. it made me realise just how much u can get down in that time, and how easily it can be wasted by writing filler nonsense that nets u no marks lol. so for timing i definitely recommend practice, whether regular or just for a little while until u see inprovement.

context: what worked best for me is learning a range of different contextual points about the time period, the text, the authors and maybe even the genre/literary period and using it to support every point. for easy context points add something contextual in the intro and conclusion, and each time you compare and contrast the two texts try to consider how different contexts influence the differences and similarities between the text. e.g. dystopian concerns over bodily autonomy differ between 1984 and hmt because atwood was a feminist and concerned w womens bodies, whereas orwell — a socialist — was focused more on the control of workers and their body/labour as currency. try to maintain a constant stream of context because it really can make or break your grade. i know the other person said context isnt needed but ofc for paper 2 ocr its 50% of the comparison essay lol. and its still important for the last q of paper 1.

interpretations: for paper 1 interpretations will tend to be stage adaptations as well as critics. its definitely best to learn 1 or 2 stage adaptations well — actors, specific moments, lighting, expressions, interpretations of relationships — rather than vaguely referencing multiple u havent seen, which is something i did before and didn’t serve me well. for critics im not even gonna lie u can make stuff up lol. as long as it sounds realistic if u forget stuff in the exams u can attribute anything to any well-known (or even more niche) critic. but for critical quotes themselves u can’t go wrong with quizlets lol. for integrating them, make sure you put your argument first. use them to supplement and reinforce your own ideas. e.g. you make a point that bodies are controlled in dystopias, give an example from hmt, analyse it, then give like a critic quote which approaches it from a new angle and then link it back to your point while also taking it in a new (but still your own!!) direction.

quotes: quotes aren’t 100% important in either paper, let me tell u. i remembered maybe 15 for both texts, and a lot of this was just 1 or 2 word phrases, which is preferred by examiners anyway. as long as u know like motifs/themes/symbols/events and can talk about them with adequate analysis, u should be fine! i can dm u my quizlet with the quotes i have, context and interpretations too if this helps.

i can also send u some example essays too. best of luck with ur a levels, ocr is truly awful but it can be conquered!!!

hii, we do/did 3 of the same texts! i did ocr too and got an a* after struggling sooo long w the grade boundaries like u. i have lots of advice to give so sorry if its long !!
timing was also my worst enemy so dont worry about that, it is something that can be overcome!! the best thing for timing for me was practicing written essays. i did this in the months leading up to actual exams. i wrote out maybe 3/4 essays w timers. i started off w a structure breakdown next to me so that i included everything i needed in the time, then by the 3rd essay i finished in time without this. this could help you maybe? practice paragraphs are also sooo helpful. just planning an essay, setting a like 10 min timer and writing one paragraph with all the AOs u need can really help u. it made me realise just how much u can get down in that time, and how easily it can be wasted by writing filler nonsense that nets u no marks lol. so for timing i definitely recommend practice, whether regular or just for a little while until u see inprovement.
context: what worked best for me is learning a range of different contextual points about the time period, the text, the authors and maybe even the genre/literary period and using it to support every point. for easy context points add something contextual in the intro and conclusion, and each time you compare and contrast the two texts try to consider how different contexts influence the differences and similarities between the text. e.g. dystopian concerns over bodily autonomy differ between 1984 and hmt because atwood was a feminist and concerned w womens bodies, whereas orwell — a socialist — was focused more on the control of workers and their body/labour as currency. try to maintain a constant stream of context because it really can make or break your grade. i know the other person said context isnt needed but ofc for paper 2 ocr its 50% of the comparison essay lol. and its still important for the last q of paper 1.
interpretations: for paper 1 interpretations will tend to be stage adaptations as well as critics. its definitely best to learn 1 or 2 stage adaptations well — actors, specific moments, lighting, expressions, interpretations of relationships — rather than vaguely referencing multiple u havent seen, which is something i did before and didn’t serve me well. for critics im not even gonna lie u can make stuff up lol. as long as it sounds realistic if u forget stuff in the exams u can attribute anything to any well-known (or even more niche) critic. but for critical quotes themselves u can’t go wrong with quizlets lol. for integrating them, make sure you put your argument first. use them to supplement and reinforce your own ideas. e.g. you make a point that bodies are controlled in dystopias, give an example from hmt, analyse it, then give like a critic quote which approaches it from a new angle and then link it back to your point while also taking it in a new (but still your own!!) direction.
quotes: quotes aren’t 100% important in either paper, let me tell u. i remembered maybe 15 for both texts, and a lot of this was just 1 or 2 word phrases, which is preferred by examiners anyway. as long as u know like motifs/themes/symbols/events and can talk about them with adequate analysis, u should be fine! i can dm u my quizlet with the quotes i have, context and interpretations too if this helps.
i can also send u some example essays too. best of luck with ur a levels, ocr is truly awful but it can be conquered!!!