English Literature

Create a summary for each key theme. For example, when revising A Christmas Carol, you might create summaries on the themes of: poverty, family, change, greed, selfishness, Christmas. Include the writer’s message about that theme, key quotations and what they suggest about the theme, characters that link to the theme and key moments in the text that link to the theme. For example, when creating a summary on ‘poverty’ in A Christmas Carol, you may include: that Dickens was trying to expose the plight of the poor; Scrooge’s views on poverty and how and why they change; the children who represent ‘ignorance’ and ‘want’; the Cratchits and what they represent about poverty; Scrooge’s realisation his selfishness damages those in poverty; Scrooge’s transformation.

Dual coding: represent key ideas with images. For example, for the quotation ‘solitary as an Oyster’ you might draw a picture of an oyster. Use mind maps and visual organisers to show links and connections between characters and themes. This will help you to remember key ideas better.

Look, cover, write, check: this is a great strategy to remember key quotations. Try to do this for all the quotations you need to learn for each text.

Test yourself: test yourself on your summaries by trying to recreate them from memory and then checking and changing with your green pen. It is through retrieving and remembering information that we learn it, and are able to use it in exams. You can also create quizzes or use quizzes your teachers have given you.

Seneca: Seneca learning has key information and quizzes for every text. You need to make an account but this is free to do. You can download the app and use it on your phone if you like.

Use flashcards to test yourself: create flashcards with key quotations/ moments on one side, and what they suggest and how they link to the writer’s message on the other side. You could also write a question on one side and the answer on the other- for example, ‘What is Shakespeare’s message about ambition?’ on one side, and ‘Uncontrolled ambition can cause your downfall and be dangerous’ on the other side. You can use the website quizlet to create online flashcards to help with this and then revise them on your phone. Test yourself, or ask a friend to test you on your flashcards by getting them to say the quotation and then saying what it suggests and asking them to tell you if you are correct. Put the ones you get right in one pile, and the ones you get wrong in another. Re-test yourself on the ones you got wrong, and repeat the process, until all the flashcards are in the ‘right’ pile.

Practise planning essays: practise creating a thesis (argument) and mini-plan (3-4 ideas for your paragraphs) for a range of different essay questions. In the exam, you will only have about 5 minutes to plan, so try to do this in timed conditions.

Practise writing essays: practise writing essays in 40-45 minutes. Set your timer, challenge yourself not to use any resources and get plenty of practice in writing a full essay in a limited time. The more you do this, the easier it will be in the exam. When you have finished, look at your notes and summaries, and add anything you missed out in green pen. Check your essay against the mark scheme and see what mark you think you would get. Make a note of what you did well and how you could improve. If you find this difficult, ask a friend or your teacher to look at your essay to help you.