All A*s at GCSE, ask me anything!
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Reply 80
11
I think quite a few of the questions are about english lit, so i'll do a generic post. don't worry, i understand you guys. I HATED english lit so much. I very much procrastinated it too, to the point where I knew barely anything the week before.
What I would say is, use quizlet. It’s literally brilliant for things like Macbeth or Inspector calls. It gives you a quote and an interpretation, don’t of rooting for your own, it just wastes time. That being said, I was told (and I don’t know if this is a marking point or what but it got me a nine so can’t complain lol) was to always find minimum two interpretations of a quote. Here’s an example:
In act three, Shakespeare underlines Macbeths fascination with death as he quotes him saying, ‘O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife!’
Interpretation 1: Use of adj ‘full’ Macbeth’s mind is consumed by death, symbolised by the scorpions, which represent suffering. He has transformed from a naive man to a death-obsessed monster, with his entire mind fixated on this thought.
Interpretation 2: The contrast between “dear” (adj) and “scorpions” (noun) reflects Macbeth’s moral confusion. Initially moral, he becomes desensitised to evil, while Lady Macbeth begins callous and later succumbs to guilt.
Interpretation 3: The exclamation mark after “wife” shows Macbeth’s desperate plea for Lady Macbeth’s help. Though she is partly to blame for his downfall, he is weak without her, illustrating a reversal of gender roles in Jacobean society and explicitly demonstrating Macbeths lack of sound mind and inability to distinguish between good and evil
Use voice memos on your phone, say your quotes, your analysis, your AO3 (DON’T FORGET THIS AND TRY NOT TO MAKE IT TOO GENERIC) . Listen to these over again.
Also, mind maps. Put a theme/character in the middle, quotes around and write your analysis, you could also do this on flashcards. Get people to test you. Understand the quote, don’t just memorise it, that way you know what you actually mean, not just what you think sounds good. This is the same for all of your English lit. I really hope this helps and please let me know if there’s any more stuff you’re a bit stuck on. I have Macbeth/inspector calls voice memos still on my phone so am more than happy to share quotes or analysis!
What I would say is, use quizlet. It’s literally brilliant for things like Macbeth or Inspector calls. It gives you a quote and an interpretation, don’t of rooting for your own, it just wastes time. That being said, I was told (and I don’t know if this is a marking point or what but it got me a nine so can’t complain lol) was to always find minimum two interpretations of a quote. Here’s an example:
In act three, Shakespeare underlines Macbeths fascination with death as he quotes him saying, ‘O full of scorpions is my mind dear wife!’
Interpretation 1: Use of adj ‘full’ Macbeth’s mind is consumed by death, symbolised by the scorpions, which represent suffering. He has transformed from a naive man to a death-obsessed monster, with his entire mind fixated on this thought.
Interpretation 2: The contrast between “dear” (adj) and “scorpions” (noun) reflects Macbeth’s moral confusion. Initially moral, he becomes desensitised to evil, while Lady Macbeth begins callous and later succumbs to guilt.
Interpretation 3: The exclamation mark after “wife” shows Macbeth’s desperate plea for Lady Macbeth’s help. Though she is partly to blame for his downfall, he is weak without her, illustrating a reversal of gender roles in Jacobean society and explicitly demonstrating Macbeths lack of sound mind and inability to distinguish between good and evil
Use voice memos on your phone, say your quotes, your analysis, your AO3 (DON’T FORGET THIS AND TRY NOT TO MAKE IT TOO GENERIC) . Listen to these over again.
Also, mind maps. Put a theme/character in the middle, quotes around and write your analysis, you could also do this on flashcards. Get people to test you. Understand the quote, don’t just memorise it, that way you know what you actually mean, not just what you think sounds good. This is the same for all of your English lit. I really hope this helps and please let me know if there’s any more stuff you’re a bit stuck on. I have Macbeth/inspector calls voice memos still on my phone so am more than happy to share quotes or analysis!
Reply 81
11
Original post
by petal r9sewhat advice would you give on revison and actually remembering the material and any good websites for english and maths gcse?
Regarding maths, I cannot recommend past papers enough. Use these as your revision, they ask the same questions over and over again. Also, Corbettmaths is incredible, he has videos, questions, worksheets on all the topics you could need. Do these. If you’re stuck, ask a teacher (or post on here!). Maths is so repetitive. Learn your formulas, learn your circle theorems. Honestly, there’s only so much you can do for maths, but I cannot recommend past papers enough! Mathsgenie is also amazing too, have a look over there.
With regards to remembering, I used flashcards for geography and history. These are amazing. You’re actively testing yourself and when you get one wrong, you’ll always remember that you got it wrong when revising and now you know the right answer. Staring at a page (unconventionally) did work for me sometimes. I would try and maybe do flashcards and then past papers. Also, get other people, even if it’s a parent, to test you and mark your papers. Sometimes we can be a bit lenient when marking our own work (understandably) but it’s good to get accurate marks and revise where you’ve gone wrong.
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk
https://corbettmaths.com
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com
https://m.youtube.com/@MrSallesTeachesEnglish
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCM2vdqz-7e4HAuzhpFuRY8w
Reply 82
Original post
by BlueTiger55Regarding maths, I cannot recommend past papers enough. Use these as your revision, they ask the same questions over and over again. Also, Corbettmaths is incredible, he has videos, questions, worksheets on all the topics you could need. Do these. If you’re stuck, ask a teacher (or post on here!). Maths is so repetitive. Learn your formulas, learn your circle theorems. Honestly, there’s only so much you can do for maths, but I cannot recommend past papers enough! Mathsgenie is also amazing too, have a look over there.
With regards to remembering, I used flashcards for geography and history. These are amazing. You’re actively testing yourself and when you get one wrong, you’ll always remember that you got it wrong when revising and now you know the right answer. Staring at a page (unconventionally) did work for me sometimes. I would try and maybe do flashcards and then past papers. Also, get other people, even if it’s a parent, to test you and mark your papers. Sometimes we can be a bit lenient when marking our own work (understandably) but it’s good to get accurate marks and revise where you’ve gone wrong.
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk
https://corbettmaths.com
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com
https://m.youtube.com/@MrSallesTeachesEnglish
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCM2vdqz-7e4HAuzhpFuRY8w
With regards to remembering, I used flashcards for geography and history. These are amazing. You’re actively testing yourself and when you get one wrong, you’ll always remember that you got it wrong when revising and now you know the right answer. Staring at a page (unconventionally) did work for me sometimes. I would try and maybe do flashcards and then past papers. Also, get other people, even if it’s a parent, to test you and mark your papers. Sometimes we can be a bit lenient when marking our own work (understandably) but it’s good to get accurate marks and revise where you’ve gone wrong.
https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk
https://corbettmaths.com
https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com
https://m.youtube.com/@MrSallesTeachesEnglish
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCM2vdqz-7e4HAuzhpFuRY8w
this and your english post is great thank you so much!
Reply 83
11
Original post
by daisy.ch2this and your english post is great thank you so much!
no problem at all!! let me know if there’s anything else i can help with! 🫶
Reply 84
Original post
by BlueTiger55Hey, I sat my GCSEs in 2023 and got:
English lit: 9
English language: 9
Maths: 8
Religious education: 9
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 8
History: 9
Geography: 9
Feel free to ask any questions or tips or anything at all! Best of luck!
English lit: 9
English language: 9
Maths: 8
Religious education: 9
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 8
History: 9
Geography: 9
Feel free to ask any questions or tips or anything at all! Best of luck!
Hiii! Do you have any tips for the exam based stuff like Geo and English? Also do you have any tips on literature as a whole?
Reply 85
any tips for physics paper 2 stuff as I struggled a bit in the sections
Reply 86
Original post
by solitary-disputeany tips for physics paper 2 stuff as I struggled a bit in the sections
I'm taking edexcel
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