A level English Literature Coursework Tips

Hello English students, :biggrin:

I'm a year 13 English Literature student and I wanted to make this post to any year 12 student who is confused, stressed or just needs a bit of advice for what to do for their independent work.

In Year 12, I was very unsure of what to do since my teachers weren't that much of a help, and I would have appreciated any sort of advice from anyone who knew what they were doing.

Anyway, here is what I have to say: :wink:

1. Picking your question/books:

Teachers would advice you to pick something that you enjoy and I think that yes you should base your essay on something that you like (obviously) however I'd also suggest that you should pick something that isn't too niche and a topic that involved a lot of contrasting opinions because it will make it easier to analyse and provide lots of A05. For example, conflict of war. If you are still struggling with this, do some research into books and pick out the ones that interest you the most and base your question on that book.

2. Read your books... read them multiple times

Knowing your chosen books inside out will really REALLY help you. You should read your books first out of pleasure, then the second time read the book to pick and analyse the important scenes, quotes, themes etc and if you can, read it a third time to really understand the book and plus you might find more things to talk about that you missed the second time. This advice also goes for the books that you are required to study as well. Even though it sounds like a lot to do, it will really help. You could read these texts in your free time when you aren't studying, and even that in itself will help you.

3. How do you start?

For my coursework, I had to compare 2 different books. When you have done point 2, you will find relevant points regarding your question or theme. If you are comparing, make sure to ask yourself how the characters are different or similar. What about the context? what about the themes? etc. Using this, think of what your main argument is and then pick your main argument for each paragraph. Then, plan your essay. Write down what quotes, scenes, themes, comparisons, and context you will use in each paragraph.

4. Writing

I'd advice to write your thesis statement and conclusion first. This will really help you make clear of what you are arguing in your essay. You need to make sure that your argument is clear and easy to understand. Establish your main arguments in your thesis statement so the marker knows what you will be explaining in the essay. When you have done this, start writing your paragraphs. I would advise you not to follow a structure as in A level essay writing is based on relevance and intertwining your points.

I hope this was helpful! if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me.

Best of luck to you all! :h:

Reply 1

cherrypicker

heyy, this is really helpful as a year 12 english student. quick question though can you pick any book you like that isn't typically studied for example, i want to do the hunger games but i'm not sure it'll be allowed

Reply 2

ImaoKat

Original post

by cherrypicker

yes you can! one of my friends did the hunger games actually :P its a really good book to use!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

gi_07x

Original post

by cherrypicker

just letting you know, if ur exam board is edexcel, they say you should avoid doing hunger games since it is a children's book. so i'd say just check with ur teacher if it is okay

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