How to: study for A Level English Literature

Hello, Reader!

If you're struggling with A Level English Literature... I'm sorry. I definitely struggled with it a lot- I absolutely hate writing essays so I have no idea what drove me to choose an essay based subject. I really regretted that decision. However, I'm also not the one to half-ass anything, so I gave it my all. In the end, I somehow managed to achieve a B so something must have worked. Here's how I studied for my English Literature exams; hopefully it can inspire you or give you some ideas on how you can approach the subject, if (like me) you're finding it a bit overwhelming.

The approach you take with this subject is, inevitably, based on how you studied GCSE English Lit. There had to be something in that subject that you enjoyed for you to choose it for A Level too. I had no idea how to study for my GCSE English exams. My year was the last which had open-book exams, so I didn't even really have to memorise any quotes. I just read over some annotations I had in my copy of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and the poetry anthology and mostly winged the exam, somehow getting an A. Now, I knew this wasn't going to get me through A Level English Lit as soon as I realised how many texts I'll study and how much of my writing is focused on context and... my own interpretation? This was new. Nevertheless, I figured out a pretty effective system soon enough and class discussions easily became my favourite part of each lesson.

The thing about literature, and doing a lot of discussing, is good ideas can slip away really easily. Sometimes, the teacher says something that's absolutely genius and you make a mental note to include it in your next essay but by that time- it's gone. This is where your class notes come in. It's key to write down everything your teacher says: highlight and annotate your texts with even the silliest, most obvious analyses, keep a notebook with more general information about historical comments, comparisons between texts, tips for exams etc. The other general rule is; if something is on the whiteboard, it should be in your book. Of course, use your common sense when it comes to this, (I guess, don't note down the "funny" story that happened to your teacher on the weekend) but the point is to not rely on your memory, as good as it may be. Because when it comes to making your revision notes, your class notebook will be an invaluable resource. 

On the topic of revision notes; I don’t want to repeat myself too much from my last blog post, so go have a read to see the basics of how to make effective revision notes. Anyways, I thought I’d give slightly more specific tips for English Lit. The most important feature of revision notes is that the information is bite-sized, so it’s not overwhelming, which you can achieve by separating all the info into sections and subsections to be able to easily navigate it. I had my notes separated into exam papers (we had two exams, each had different texts within it), then into texts and then into chapters, etc. A key part of English notes is making quote banks! I liked to divide mine into different themes so I’d have a quote bank with some quotes about love, some about jealousy, some about race… basically, any themes that are consistent throughout the texts. Another good idea is to make revision cards with some quotes so you can easily memorise them. Remember to also include notes about form and structure - and make them stand out! These are the points most often omitted in comparative essays. Lastly, I can’t not talk about the context and literary periods because, as I mentioned in my “how to plan a good essay” post, it’s so heavily weighted in A Level English Lit.

The most effective way to prepare for an English exam is practice, practice, practice. Past papers, practice questions; ask your teachers for resources! If you’re struggling to find essays to write, you can find statements by literary critics and write essays arguing them by using the texts from your course to illustrate both sides of the argument. This way, you’re comparing the texts, in some way focusing on a theme you’re likely to be asked about in the exam but almost indirectly. It’s really good practice because it forces you to independently think a bit more about the texts you study and analyse them in a new light. And, if (like me) you struggle writing essays- check back to my “how to plan a good essay” post!

Happy studying!

Love,
Agnes xo