I got all 9s at GCSE. Ask me anything

i really struggle with aqa english literature, like i feel like there is not a lot of exemplar essays, i get consistent 23-25/30s, but i just dont know how to elevate myself into the level 5 band (26-30/30) and i keep trying to act on my teacher's advice but im not seeing the results, not to mention the grade boundaries for english literature are pretty high for a 9

Reply 62

Hi I’m in Year 11 and I have my mocks in January how should i structure my revision over the next two months to get all 8s and 9s?
btw congrats on ur grades 😁

Reply 63

subbhy

18

Original post by JianGuan

i really struggle with aqa english literature, like i feel like there is not a lot of exemplar essays, i get consistent 23-25/30s, but i just dont know how to elevate myself into the level 5 band (26-30/30) and i keep trying to act on my teacher's advice but im not seeing the results, not to mention the grade boundaries for english literature are pretty high for a 9

Level 6 is 26+ from my understanding: here’s my advice! https://open.substack.com/pub/thelamenewsletter/p/how-i-achieved-full-marks-160160?r=1tmrcj&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

Reply 64

lau321

10

Original post by JianGuan

i really struggle with aqa english literature, like i feel like there is not a lot of exemplar essays, i get consistent 23-25/30s, but i just dont know how to elevate myself into the level 5 band (26-30/30) and i keep trying to act on my teacher's advice but im not seeing the results, not to mention the grade boundaries for english literature are pretty high for a 9

Just make sure to add in bits of info that are genuinely unique because it's all about the 'critical, exploratory' language so if you have an interesting, relevant interpretation backed up by context the teacher will probably be impressed. I would say it's a good idea to think of points to make that can fit multiple essays. Also, definitely use words like 'alternatively' etc because I honestly think it helps so much to spell out that you have considered multiple perspectives! Good luck :smile:

Reply 65

JianGuan

Original post by lau321

Just make sure to add in bits of info that are genuinely unique because it's all about the 'critical, exploratory' language so if you have an interesting, relevant interpretation backed up by context the teacher will probably be impressed. I would say it's a good idea to think of points to make that can fit multiple essays. Also, definitely use words like 'alternatively' etc because I honestly think it helps so much to spell out that you have considered multiple perspectives! Good luck :smile:

so perhaps i shouldnt just copy off the pre-made essay plans and maybe add some of my own opinion into it?

Reply 66

Rayteks

Original post by CatalinaIK

IMPORTANT EDIT: This post is not intended to be boastful in any way. I am just trying to help people get these grades because I think that if you’re reading this you absolutely can. I read a lot of these posts when I was in year 10 and 11 and I found them really helpful and inspiring which was my intention when creating this post.

Hi, I'm currently a year 12 student studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and CS and I got all 9s at GCSE. The subjects I took this year were:
Further Maths (AQA)
English Lang (Edexcel IGCSE)
English Lit (Edexcel IGCSE)
Bio (Edexcel IGCSE)
Chem (Edexcel IGCSE)
Physics (Edexcel IGCSE)
Geography (Cambridge IGCSE)
DT (AQA)
Economics (Edexcel IGCSE)
CS (AQA)

I also had three more GCSEs from previous years:
Maths (Edexcel IGCSE)
Spanish (Edexcel IGCSE)
French (Edexcel IGCSE)

Disclaimers:
Technically Geography was an A* because I did the old spec which is graded using A*-G. For the languages I will say that I am fluent in both so I think that rlly helped me especially as I did them early. This post is not meant to brag by any means, I'm here to answer all the questions that you have about GCSEs, my study process, etc. and I will say that my grades were the product of years of intense hard work and effort.

If anyone is wondering what my best exam was in terms of percentage, it was Further Maths in which I got 98% and lost 3 marks total. I got the exact same percentage in Maths too so I think that that is my strongest subject.

A subject that I could probably give a lot of advice on is English as it did not come naturally to me and I had to work super hard in order to get the grade that I got. Unfortunately, English Lit in particular wasn't as high as I had hoped but I still managed to scrape a 9.

Please ask me any question you want. It could be related to a certain subject or just general exam advice. I hope I can help!

Hi, I am also doing English language and lit for edexcel igcse and English is my only subject that I am not able to achieve the top grades (8-9) in as I do for the rest of my subjects. Can you please give me as much help as possible you have on this. Tips or anything that could be useful to me please. Thank you so much.

Reply 67

Original post by Rayteks

Hi, I am also doing English language and lit for edexcel igcse and English is my only subject that I am not able to achieve the top grades (8-9) in as I do for the rest of my subjects. Can you please give me as much help as possible you have on this. Tips or anything that could be useful to me please. Thank you so much.

I dont know if this is much help but I can help a bit since I am at 9s in both.
I would say for literature to summarise all of the key quotes and recap them using spaced repetition and immediately after do an essay to recall the information learnt.
For context and themes etc maybe use flashcards I would recommend online ones was they are less time consuming to make an more effective. If not flashcards then maybe a mind-map or summary sheet.
But the main thing is to PRACTISE and always follow the structure for an essay.

Thesis Statement - the deeper implicit writer’s intention in the passage/ novel
A point - not as broad as the thesis and more centred around a particular theme
IN BOTH DO NOT NAME LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES; PURELY ANALYSIS.
Then a master quote - longer quote
Analyse the entire meaning of the quote - explicit and implicit
Then zoom in on a word
Identify a language technique
Analyse the symbolic meaning and then do alternate interpretations
Weave in context as you go and mention reader effect.

This is the general paragraph for a lit essay.

For language, i would search up the requirements and structure for each question type and then do as many papers possible.

Hope this helps x

Reply 68

Rayteks

Original post by revvvv

I dont know if this is much help but I can help a bit since I am at 9s in both.
I would say for literature to summarise all of the key quotes and recap them using spaced repetition and immediately after do an essay to recall the information learnt.
For context and themes etc maybe use flashcards I would recommend online ones was they are less time consuming to make an more effective. If not flashcards then maybe a mind-map or summary sheet.
But the main thing is to PRACTISE and always follow the structure for an essay.

Thesis Statement - the deeper implicit writer’s intention in the passage/ novel
A point - not as broad as the thesis and more centred around a particular theme
IN BOTH DO NOT NAME LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES; PURELY ANALYSIS.
Then a master quote - longer quote
Analyse the entire meaning of the quote - explicit and implicit
Then zoom in on a word
Identify a language technique
Analyse the symbolic meaning and then do alternate interpretations
Weave in context as you go and mention reader effect.

This is the general paragraph for a lit essay.

For language, i would search up the requirements and structure for each question type and then do as many papers possible.

Hope this helps x

Tysm, does that structure of the essay apply in the language paper too(Ofc without context) or would it be different?

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 69

Original post by Rayteks

Tysm, does that structure of the essay apply in the language paper too(Ofc without context) or would it be different?

Depends on the question and your board.
Maybe ask your teacher and also look at online mark schemes of exam papers to see.

Reply 70

Gyemang

Original post by CatalinaIK

IMPORTANT EDIT: This post is not intended to be boastful in any way. I am just trying to help people get these grades because I think that if you’re reading this you absolutely can. I read a lot of these posts when I was in year 10 and 11 and I found them really helpful and inspiring which was my intention when creating this post.

Hi, I'm currently a year 12 student studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and CS and I got all 9s at GCSE. The subjects I took this year were:
Further Maths (AQA)
English Lang (Edexcel IGCSE)
English Lit (Edexcel IGCSE)
Bio (Edexcel IGCSE)
Chem (Edexcel IGCSE)
Physics (Edexcel IGCSE)
Geography (Cambridge IGCSE)
DT (AQA)
Economics (Edexcel IGCSE)
CS (AQA)

I also had three more GCSEs from previous years:
Maths (Edexcel IGCSE)
Spanish (Edexcel IGCSE)
French (Edexcel IGCSE)

Disclaimers:
Technically Geography was an A* because I did the old spec which is graded using A*-G. For the languages I will say that I am fluent in both so I think that rlly helped me especially as I did them early. This post is not meant to brag by any means, I'm here to answer all the questions that you have about GCSEs, my study process, etc. and I will say that my grades were the product of years of intense hard work and effort.

If anyone is wondering what my best exam was in terms of percentage, it was Further Maths in which I got 98% and lost 3 marks total. I got the exact same percentage in Maths too so I think that that is my strongest subject.

A subject that I could probably give a lot of advice on is English as it did not come naturally to me and I had to work super hard in order to get the grade that I got. Unfortunately, English Lit in particular wasn't as high as I had hoped but I still managed to scrape a 9.

Please ask me any question you want. It could be related to a certain subject or just general exam advice. I hope I can help!

can u show me ur NEA portfolio

Reply 71

living_angle

3

Original post by CatalinaIK

IMPORTANT EDIT: This post is not intended to be boastful in any way. I am just trying to help people get these grades because I think that if you’re reading this you absolutely can. I read a lot of these posts when I was in year 10 and 11 and I found them really helpful and inspiring which was my intention when creating this post.

Hi, I'm currently a year 12 student studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and CS and I got all 9s at GCSE. The subjects I took this year were:
Further Maths (AQA)
English Lang (Edexcel IGCSE)
English Lit (Edexcel IGCSE)
Bio (Edexcel IGCSE)
Chem (Edexcel IGCSE)
Physics (Edexcel IGCSE)
Geography (Cambridge IGCSE)
DT (AQA)
Economics (Edexcel IGCSE)
CS (AQA)

I also had three more GCSEs from previous years:
Maths (Edexcel IGCSE)
Spanish (Edexcel IGCSE)
French (Edexcel IGCSE)

Disclaimers:
Technically Geography was an A* because I did the old spec which is graded using A*-G. For the languages I will say that I am fluent in both so I think that rlly helped me especially as I did them early. This post is not meant to brag by any means, I'm here to answer all the questions that you have about GCSEs, my study process, etc. and I will say that my grades were the product of years of intense hard work and effort.

If anyone is wondering what my best exam was in terms of percentage, it was Further Maths in which I got 98% and lost 3 marks total. I got the exact same percentage in Maths too so I think that that is my strongest subject.

A subject that I could probably give a lot of advice on is English as it did not come naturally to me and I had to work super hard in order to get the grade that I got. Unfortunately, English Lit in particular wasn't as high as I had hoped but I still managed to scrape a 9.

Please ask me any question you want. It could be related to a certain subject or just general exam advice. I hope I can help!

I struggle with maths and french. Do you have any advice that will help me improve in them? Especially maths. btw, well done on getting all 9's :smile:

Reply 72

KingsleyArtha1

Original post by JianGuan

i really struggle with aqa english literature, like i feel like there is not a lot of exemplar essays, i get consistent 23-25/30s, but i just dont know how to elevate myself into the level 5 band (26-30/30) and i keep trying to act on my teacher's advice but im not seeing the results, not to mention the grade boundaries for english literature are pretty high for a 9

I can't believe u went on here u should have texted me first bro 😭😭😭. Brother I will give u my quizlet also u need to listen to our father Johnathan Grant a bit more bro if u do u will get a 9. also, if u focus on sound/ imagery/ punctuation coventions and u can analyse it ridiculously it will help a lot.

Reply 73

Fallen_Entity

Original post by CatalinaIK

IMPORTANT EDIT: This post is not intended to be boastful in any way. I am just trying to help people get these grades because I think that if you’re reading this you absolutely can. I read a lot of these posts when I was in year 10 and 11 and I found them really helpful and inspiring which was my intention when creating this post.

Hi, I'm currently a year 12 student studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and CS and I got all 9s at GCSE. The subjects I took this year were:
Further Maths (AQA)
English Lang (Edexcel IGCSE)
English Lit (Edexcel IGCSE)
Bio (Edexcel IGCSE)
Chem (Edexcel IGCSE)
Physics (Edexcel IGCSE)
Geography (Cambridge IGCSE)
DT (AQA)
Economics (Edexcel IGCSE)
CS (AQA)

I also had three more GCSEs from previous years:
Maths (Edexcel IGCSE)
Spanish (Edexcel IGCSE)
French (Edexcel IGCSE)

Disclaimers:
Technically Geography was an A* because I did the old spec which is graded using A*-G. For the languages I will say that I am fluent in both so I think that rlly helped me especially as I did them early. This post is not meant to brag by any means, I'm here to answer all the questions that you have about GCSEs, my study process, etc. and I will say that my grades were the product of years of intense hard work and effort.

If anyone is wondering what my best exam was in terms of percentage, it was Further Maths in which I got 98% and lost 3 marks total. I got the exact same percentage in Maths too so I think that that is my strongest subject.

A subject that I could probably give a lot of advice on is English as it did not come naturally to me and I had to work super hard in order to get the grade that I got. Unfortunately, English Lit in particular wasn't as high as I had hoped but I still managed to scrape a 9.

Please ask me any question you want. It could be related to a certain subject or just general exam advice. I hope I can help!

I am at a grade 7/8 in maths, how should I go about getting a 9 and do you think I can with the time remaining?

Reply 74

JianGuan

Original post by KingsleyArtha1

I can't believe u went on here u should have texted me first bro 😭😭😭. Brother I will give u my quizlet also u need to listen to our father Johnathan Grant a bit more bro if u do u will get a 9. also, if u focus on sound/ imagery/ punctuation coventions and u can analyse it ridiculously it will help a lot.

english language q3 4/8

Reply 75

meow_cats80

Original post by CatalinaIK

IMPORTANT EDIT: This post is not intended to be boastful in any way. I am just trying to help people get these grades because I think that if you’re reading this you absolutely can. I read a lot of these posts when I was in year 10 and 11 and I found them really helpful and inspiring which was my intention when creating this post.

Hi, I'm currently a year 12 student studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and CS and I got all 9s at GCSE. The subjects I took this year were:
Further Maths (AQA)
English Lang (Edexcel IGCSE)
English Lit (Edexcel IGCSE)
Bio (Edexcel IGCSE)
Chem (Edexcel IGCSE)
Physics (Edexcel IGCSE)
Geography (Cambridge IGCSE)
DT (AQA)
Economics (Edexcel IGCSE)
CS (AQA)

I also had three more GCSEs from previous years:
Maths (Edexcel IGCSE)
Spanish (Edexcel IGCSE)
French (Edexcel IGCSE)

Disclaimers:
Technically Geography was an A* because I did the old spec which is graded using A*-G. For the languages I will say that I am fluent in both so I think that rlly helped me especially as I did them early. This post is not meant to brag by any means, I'm here to answer all the questions that you have about GCSEs, my study process, etc. and I will say that my grades were the product of years of intense hard work and effort.

If anyone is wondering what my best exam was in terms of percentage, it was Further Maths in which I got 98% and lost 3 marks total. I got the exact same percentage in Maths too so I think that that is my strongest subject.

A subject that I could probably give a lot of advice on is English as it did not come naturally to me and I had to work super hard in order to get the grade that I got. Unfortunately, English Lit in particular wasn't as high as I had hoped but I still managed to scrape a 9.

Please ask me any question you want. It could be related to a certain subject or just general exam advice. I hope I can help!

how should i revise as a year 9?

Reply 76

Biyah

Year 10 Fieldwork: Walton on the Maze coastal fieldwork 2023 HELPPPPPPPP 😭

Reply 77

angela12!

Hi, when writing your story in Eng lang are you ment to put it in paragraphs or can you just write a short story? I’ve just done my first mock and didn’t put it in paragraphs, not stressing about it as have mocks again in January but if you could let me know thanks

Reply 78

Original post by angela12!

Hi, when writing your story in Eng lang are you ment to put it in paragraphs or can you just write a short story? I’ve just done my first mock and didn’t put it in paragraphs, not stressing about it as have mocks again in January but if you could let me know thanks

I remember losing marks in year 10 mocks due to not paragraphing.

Reply 79

Fatimaaaaaaa