Easter Revision Advice

Easter Revision Advice English

1)     Know the three exam papers and audit your knowledge – if there’s a poem or a part of the exam you’re not sure about, it’s up to you to sort it out. There’s loads of help out there. And you can still email me if you’re desperate for help.

2)    Read the news – any article could be the basis for Section A of the English Language paper. Think about how your article gets across its key points using  language and presentational devices. This will help you get used to noticing a writer’s techniques in a previously unseen text.

3)    Re-read Of Mice and Men. This is vital – you’ll pick up much more the second time around. It’ll take around three hours.

4)    Read 2/3 poems a night. Knowing the poems inside out is much more valuable than revising your notes. The more you’ve thought about the poems, the more you’ll be able to respond to the question rather than awkwardly trotting out ideas and techniques you jotted down in your anthology. We can tell! Try using the ‘comparing poems’ sheet. You could also test out your ‘unseen poetry’ skills by reading poems from sections outside of Character and Voice.

5)    Revise the Lit poems in thematic clusters. Eg: power, identity, male and female relationships, outsiders  etc. These themes allow you to predict questions. Use the comparing poems sheet to show how you’d compare them. Try a practice question!

6)    Sign up to the GCSE English Revision page on Moodle. (Enrolment key: ilovepoetry)

This page is being updated from the old spec, but there’s already some useful stuff on writing and Of Mice and Men. Look out for the resources under the highlighted areas – they’re particularly helpful.

7)    Use your exercise books – you have your own revision guide!

8)    Don’t forget about writing – plenty of advice on Moodle. Revise persuasive techniques and practice. If you have a particular weakness (eg. paragraphing/ apostrophes), work on it.

Useful sites:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
• http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/drama/inspectorcalls.htm
• http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/ofmiceandmen.htm
• http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/
• http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Of-Mice-and-Men.id-101.html
• http://poetrystation.org.uk/search/topics/category/aqa-gcse-voice-and-relationships/
• http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/newgcses/english/index.php
• http://wildernenglish.wordpress.com/category/gcse-english-literature/unit-2-poetry-across-time/character-and-voice-poetry/

Have fun (but not too much!)

Mr M