Study Tips For English GCSE Students

There aren’t a bunch of facts to learn, no formulae or problem sheets, and the mark schemes often seem a little cryptic. But worry not! Our English experts have put together a cheat-sheet of study tips to help you start this term on a high.  

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Top Tips for English GCSE

1. Find out in advance which books you’ll be studying, and READ THEM

It might sound like the most obvious advice ever given, but you’d be surprised at just how many GCSE students don’t actually read their set texts from start to finish. Yes, your teacher will probably go through the key scenes or chapters with you, and you can get pretty detailed online summaries for most of the typical GCSE books and plays, but if you don’t read the whole thing then you are really making life harder for yourself. If you’re confident in the plot twists and understand the character development, then the essays will be so much easier to write. It’s bound to be difficult to find the time to read in the midst of term, so use the holidays wisely and set yourself a target of one chapter per day. And no, sorry, watching the film version is not the same!

2. Use sites such as SparkNotes

Although nothing can replace your own reading of the texts, it’s definitely a good idea to check out the sample essays and character profiles on revision sites like SparkNotes. It’s helpful to check if other people interpreted the text in the same way that you did, and you can also check out the suggestions for further reading and test yourself with the chapter quizzes. The ‘No Fear Shakespeare’ section is a complete gem if you’ve ever struggled with Shakespearean English - you’ll find whole plays and sonnets ‘translated’ into modern-day language, to help you understand the storyline and key themes.

3. Feel the pain and practice your creative writing anyway!

The average GCSE student will feel pangs of dread when the words ‘creative writing’ are uttered by their teacher. But even if you feel like you haven’t got a creative bone in your body, you can still get a top score in the exam if you put in the work (we promise). You need to start making lists of ideas (look at GCSE past paper questions), then have a go at practice writing them out in full. Keep it simple (remember, you’re trying to show-off your literary technique, not write the next Lord of the Rings), use plenty of description (think of the five senses), stick as close to real-life experiences as possible (it will help make your writing believable), and don’t forget to plan a strong ending.

 4. Annotate, annotate, annotate

As you read plays, poems, short stories and novels, jot down notes, circle key terms, and highlight relevant quotations as much as possible. If you’re not a fan of writing in books, use post-it notes!

This will help you so much when you are revising, and have completely forgotten what your teacher said three months ago. Make sure that you get your own hard copy of set texts, or risk a very angry English teacher!

5. Nail the key vocabulary

Make yourself a set of flashcards so that you can learn those technical terms which will get you the top marks. For example, make sure that you are 100% confident on the differences between a metaphor and a simile, can explain the impact of pathetic fallacy, and that you know your sonnets from your stanzas.

6. Expand your own vocabulary

If you can prove to the examiners that your vocabulary is varied and sophisticated, you’ll be well on your way to a top grade. This means learning (and using) synonyms for common words (try ‘exquisite’ instead of ‘beautiful’, or ‘grotesque’ to replace ‘ugly’). Remember that you’ll need to spell these words correctly too.

7. Write essay plans and ask your teacher to check them

The more you practice your planning, the better prepared you’ll be for the real exams. You can start by taking 20 minutes to create a very detailed plan, then gradually reduce the time until you can make a usable plan in only 5 minutes. Remember that you’ll need an introduction, multiple body paragraphs (logically ordered and connected), and a conclusion. Your teacher should be happy to check over these plans for you (if you ask nicely), and may give some helpful feedback..