How to revise for English literature and language

Abi Ludlow, English teacher and KS3 Lead at Richard Lander School in Truro, gives her top tips on how to revise for the English GCSEs.

Every year without fail students come to me and say that they ‘don’t know how to revise for English’, but after teaching in many different schools I can confirm that English revision should be treated just like any other subject. So here are some tried and tested ideas that I use with my students and encourage them to do at home with their parents to get them ready for their English literature and language exams. I hope they help your students too:

• Make a list of all the topics and skills you need for each subject

Identify the ones you find most tricky and prioritise those, just like in any other subject. This could be themes, vocabulary, context etc. 

• Complete past papers in timed conditions 

And hand them in to teachers for feedback! This is a great way to prepare for the exam while also learning something new every time by having conversations about the outcomes.

Abi Ludlow is a contributor to Tassomai’s GCSE Survival Guide, a free 28-page handbook, full of practical tips and expert advice to help families navigate their way through GCSEs. Download your copy of the GCSE Survival Guide here.

• Read everything!

Stay up to date with current affairs and find a newspaper or magazine you love to read - this will help with lots of your other subjects too. Try to get a good spread of fiction and nonfiction because exposing yourself to lots of content is a great way to get a feel for language.

• Practicing language and reading skills 

Take a paragraph from a text, article, advert, cereal packaging (anything really!) and practice identifying and talking about the techniques that are being used by the writer.

• Revisit the texts you’re studying and know them inside out

Reread them, make your own summaries of key plot points, get your parents to read them too so you can talk about them, and become an expert in what happens in those books.

• Use post-it notes

Right out characters, themes, quotes and plot points onto post-it notes and then rearrange them based on different questions. For example, if I had a selection of quotes from Romeo, I could then ask myself “which of these quotes is relevant to the theme of love?” and group them together. This is great for tracking key characters’ events throughout the text and linking them to key themes.

• Make posters and flashcards

This is a tried and tested method for a reason and works for any subject, including English. Make posters about each character if you’re artistic or use cards to test yourself on the links between characters and their significance to the plot, theme and other characters.

• Explode quotes!

This basically means say a lot about a little and really expand on what devices are being used, what the writer’s intentions are, how the historical context could impact the understanding of that quote etc.

• Fill in the blanks on quotes

Just like Tassomai quiz questions, write out the key quotes you’re trying to remember for each text and then ask a friend or family member to remove one or a few of the words so that you have to fill in the blanks. This gets you really well acquainted with the quotes and you’ll remember them off by heart in no time.

• Create quizzes

Quiz your friends and family on aspects of the text and get them to quiz you too! It’s a great way to get other people involved and invested in your revision.

• Go to revision sessions!

  If your teachers are offering after school revision sessions supported by staff then make sure you’re there and making the most of their time. 

• Discuss your texts

I always like it when parents are reading the texts their children are studying so that they can all talk about them together. Watching film versions isn’t always the best way to learn about a text but they do still allow for conversation and discussion. Try watching a film adaptation as a family and explain the differences between the adaptation and the real thing to your family. 

• Teach someone else

One of the best ways to have knowledge sink in is to discuss it with other people and explain topics to them. Try teaching a family member about the texts you’re studying or about a new word you learnt today.

• 30 minute writing challenge

One of the most effective things you can do is to set the ‘30 min’ writing challenge – give yourself a Unit 2 task and start the timer. Aim for a detailed plan and at least one side of writing! Get your teacher or a parent to check over your work.

Try your best and approach your English revision like you would any other subject or topic - with a methodical action plan and activities to make knowledge stick!

- Abi Ludlow