ENGLISH LITERATURE AT A LEVEL ADVICE | Tips & Tricks

[@lucypeake759]

Those are great tips! I've just finished my a level and got an a*, and will be doing English at uni. I also have a few tips to share... For studying and revising plays and novels: - record your voice or someone else's voice saying key quotes and listen to them back when you can - to get a feel of how a play is performed and constructed, pretend to be a director and make decisions of the setting of the play, the type of actors you would want for each role, what lines or sections you would want to cut out or edit, and what the actors would be doing on the stage - plus, specifically for plays, watch the biggest variety of productions you can as I find this helps highlight or bring out something I hadn't noticed yet (plus, actually referring to specific productions will really impress the examiner) It's also important to read widely, across different time periods. This will really help get a grip of unseen texts in the exam. I would recommend reading extracts and plot summaries of certain texts to get a feel of how authors constructed their texts (don't worry about reading everything from every time period). Familiarising yourself with certain literary periods and movements will take sometime but as long as you do a little research here and there a lot, this will be much easier. I agree the most important advice is to know the texts inside out, so if the examiner throws a curve ball in the exam, you are ready for it. It's hard to know how to revise for English exams, but rereading the texts is a starting point. It was really helpful to me to do as many practice exam questions on the texts, so when it came to the exam, it felt like second nature. You will find that certain quotes and ideas keep coming in the essays. When I started to do lots of essays, I re-used sentences/phrases/ideas that my teacher thought were impressive - this helped me emulate my essays that I wrote in exam conditions to ones I took my time on. One of the main pieces of my advice is to know the mark scheme really well and to know what all the AOs mean. To remember to include the all the assessment objectives is an essay way to receive top marks (my teacher kept drumming the mark scheme inside our head, but I really appreciate it now). Hope this may help others as well as the video :)

[@lucypeake759]

I'll also be interested to hear about your coursework :) I did mine on Orlando by Virginia Woolf and As You Like It by Shakespeare, looking at gender identity and gender as a fluid construct. I would recommend adding lots of critical responses and commentary to the coursework as well as adding on literary theory if relevant to make the coursework a high level academic piece of writing

[@Princess_Casey_]

Thank you!🔥

[@BooksFriends]

u are an angel

[@fatemaabedin5334]

What did you get at GCSE. Because when I walked in on enrollment with an A because it a new system it's the 3rd best. So I had a 7 (A) and then there's 8=A* and 9=A** but basically the English teacher told me I would be predicted to get a D. So I would like to know what you walked in with and if that effected the fact that you walked out with and amazing A*! I'm looking for some hope!!

[@snottylottie]

The two people in my class who haven't read the texts are the ones who always come out with A*s lol

[@brumelngoma-nguimbi8720]

Thanks a lot 🙌🏾. As an English literature passionate, I've enjoyed

[@youngwolf6896]

I agree it depends on the question

[@islandgalD]

Just want to say that I'm not an Eng lit major. Heck I don't even live in the UK lol but I love you vids for book recommendations. I'm so happy I came across it. Just wanted to say great job and your vids are helpful for non literature majors like myself 😊❤

[@أمأسماء-ه9م]

That was incredibly helpful! Could you please do a video on coursework; what books you did and what themes were involved etc xxx

[@Marie11Miss]

Thank you for this video! I will definitely try using audiobooks & podcasts to see if they help this year since I'm studying King Lear. I'm also doing Dorian Gray for my coursework but I really enjoyed that book :) also well done on getting an A! That's amazing! And good luck with a levels this year. No doubt your videos will motivate me throughout the year though haha xx

[@niallr8041]

I'm doing 'Wuthering Heights' with eco-criticism and 'Love is a Dog From Hell' with feminism for the NEA.

[@issy0613]

Loved this so much, it was so helpful! Thanks! Would you be able to make a video like this for Sociology? :)

[@sharnayzeyfumpernickle8752]

So helpful I had no idea Othello was on Spotify!!!

[@racheldemain1940]

I used the large Post it Notes when I did my English Language and Literature Degree with the Open University. I hate writing in books with a passion!!😨😨

[@gatosandwichera]

Oh how much I share the feeling!! I've had to come to terms with some light underlining though, for efficiency

[@willynelsn5874]

Can you choose a prose text ? Like "a clockwork orange "?

[@wyaakk]

Willy Nelsn depends on your course and teacher. There is a chance a clockwork orange may be a no go due to that subject matter, which is seen as inappropriate. I’d recommend not choosing anything you wouldn’t be given the by the school librarians!

[@sumanawathisumanawathi4016]

Thanks ! What should be memorized ?

[@ant7936]

3:00 Yes, if you underline everything, nothing ! Be very selective.

[@sadeekachandimal221]

Please let we know about some tips in order to memorize quotations of a specific literary work.

[@HerEnglish]

You are fantastic and a great inspiration

[@noankle2601]

Thank youuu!!. In my second year of English lit as well. This was extremely helpful :)

[@jacktait8487]

I'm starting a level English lit and Lang in about 4 days time. However I'm not sure what to expect as at gcse my results were solid but not great. Also, I'm kind of hoping that lit is a breath of fresh air because the other subjects I'm studying are psychology and pe which both involve a lot studying out of books; therefore am I right in thinking that English can be studied effectively through the use of audio aswell as reading without the use of revision guides like gcse. Thanks and I wi

[@jacktait8487]

* I will defiantly use these tips

[@oliviarandall9705]

Hey! loving your videos, but just wondering what your organisation systems like? if you use binders of folders? x

[@TheEvie1995]

who dares to dislike your videos!?

[@FintyLovatt]

Please do a video on GCSEs!!

[@glynecollymore5402]

B.T.W congrats on publishing your first book, I'm a bit late but it's ok.I'm avoiding comments on KZbin.

[@menaalhussain7469]

should you take eng lit with science subjects in a levels

[@laurenx2354]

for your reading, did you buy books yourself? i know your college won't be the same as mine, obviously haha, but i was just wondering if they were provided or if i should just buy them early :)

[@chshahzadgujjar309]

Thank u ❤️❣️❣️... Really very helpful.....

[@sarah-nt4xl]

Hi do you get the other texts apart from the Shakespeare play in your exam?

[@lucythereader]

Yes! For the AQA exam, the only one you’re not allowed is a copy of the Shakespeare play. :)

[@error4o418]

You look like Bianca, from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew".😊❤

[@ellavaleyrinneemerald6256]

Hi, I loved the video, as usual, they're always amazing!! I just wanted to know what text you are going to compare 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' with as I wanted to use than novel too but I can't seem to find a text to compare it with that I like? Thank you.

[@Sophiek2221]

This was so amazing! I LOVED your tips. Honestly, Livribox is the best thing ever, and since I'm currently reading Emma by Jane Austen, I was looking for a soundtrack with some music pieces that would get me in the mood while reading it. Then suddenly on Spotify I found that they had the entire narration of the book. So now I know they have that as well. I have a question. If I'd like to study something else besides English Lit, could I choose this course as a Minor?

[@amisha25211]

If you don't mind answering what grades did you get for your GCSEs ? (just out of curiosity)🙂:))

[@hannahrockett8489]

In the exam, what is your general strategy?? I am struggling with working out how to plan, get my key quotes and arguments then have enough time to write it all in an essay! I am in my second year also, these videos are very helpful, thank you!!

[@lucythereader]

My strategy changes all the time, but I make sure that I read the texts a few times before the exam so that I know them inside and out. Then, once I'm in the exam, I spend about five to ten minutes writing down absolutely everything I know revolving around the question down so that I have *something* -- I find it less daunting that way. I aim for two main paragraphs, and an opposing argument at the end to make sure all the AO's are covered. I always include an introduction, which is usually just a quick sentence which forms the main part of my argument. And then the conclusion at the end is basically just the introduction written in a slightly different way. I'd say to use the time from now up until the exam trying out different things -- you might try to plan for a solid ten minutes beforehand, and then try not planning at all and just going with the flow. Or play around with the structure of your paragraphs, or something else. Try everything until you settle on something that you feel really works. Sorry -- this was a very long reply! Good luck!!

[@hannahrockett8489]

Thank you!! This was so helpful!! You're right, I need to trial and error with my strategy until I find the best one. I wish you the best with your studies and exams and I love the videos!

[@glynecollymore5402]

A + Congrats, read, read, read.❤️

[@AryanLit]

good advises

[@aidaofearth]

You're striking! And good advice

[@rauflast7530]

Plz suggest me a novel 4 my thesis

[@tathastunayak8226]

Can you give me the books name in writing?

[@sharnayzeyfumpernickle8752]

How do you get Othello on Spotify? 😊

[@wyaakk]

Sharnayzey fumpernickle just search othello then go to all song. The length will make it obvious which is the audio book!

[@digitaldeal7780]

what a stunning girl!

[@aaronlad7697]

😶

[@ChsonlineOrgUkinternetschool]

Great content

[@lindaharrison3240]

How funny! I was just about to tell you about Librivox when you mentioned it!

[@rauflast7530]

Is anyone there??

[@hannahwebster5606]

A_level eng lit is so easy in comparison to studying it at degree level.

[@racheldemain1940]

I studied English Language and Literature at the Open University and got a 3rd Class Degree.

[@bethbrown365]

I got an A last year in AS and didn't read most of Tess- just the start and the end haha...also Death of a Salesman was boring so I didn't bother reading that either :)

[@dubbingsync]

Wait AS? Can I just ask... how old is this lady?

[@onyinyeobudulu3662]

Rhys Causon 17-18

[@wyaakk]

To my understanding, some schools still do AS levels, especially those who have students interested in going to uni outside England.