AQA GCSE English Literature Revision Guide

Preparing for your GCSE English Literature exams can feel overwhelming - but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! This guide will break down the exam papers, what to expect and how best to revise so you can feel confident and ready to smash it. 🚀

• ⏰Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes 

• 🏆Marks: 64 (worth 40% of grade)

• 📌Content: 

Section A (Shakespeare): You’ll get an extract from your chosen play (e.g. Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice etc.). You’ll write about the extract and then the play as a whole. Your school will choose from:

- Macbeth
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Tempest
- The Merchant of Venice
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Julius Caesar

Section B (19th-Century Novel): You’ll get an extract from your chosen novel (e.g. A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde). Again, you’ll need to explore the extract and then link it to the rest of the novel. Your school will choose from:

- Robert Louis Stevenson - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
- Charles Dickens - Great Expectations (1867)
- Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
- Mary Shelley - Frankenstein (1831)
- Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Sign of Four

👉 Top tip: Always connect the extract to themes, characters and the wider context of the text.

❓Question Types: 

Section A - Shakespeare - Read the extract - Starting with the extract, explore how Shakespeare presents...(30 marks + 4 marks for AO4)

🌟There will be bullet points to help you to know what to write about.

Section B - 19th Century Novel - Read the extract followed by a question such as:

- Starting with the extract, explore how the author presents/creates..(30 marks)

- Statement - Explain how far you agree with this view? (30 marks)

🌟There will be bullet points to help you to know what to write about.

• ⏰Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes

• 🏆Marks: 96 marks (worth 60% of overall grade)

• 📌Content:

• Section A (Modern Prose or Drama): An essay question on your studied text (e.g. An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Flies, Blood Brothers). Your school will choose from: 

Prose:

- William Golding -  Lord of the Flies
- AQA Anthology - Telling Tales
- George Orwell - Animal Farm
- Meera Syal -  Anita and Me
- Stephen Kelman - Pigeon English
- Kit de Waal - My Name is Leon 

Drama:

- JB Priestley - An Inspector Calls
- Willy Russell - Blood Brothers (musical version)
- Dennis Kelly - DNA
- Simon Stephens - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night
- Shelagh Delaney - A Taste of Honey
- Chinonyerem Odimba - Princess & The Hustler 
- Winsome Pinnock - Leave Taking 

• Section B (Poetry Anthology): For this section, you will have a chosen cluster of poems that you have studied. Any of the 15 poems from your cluster could come up on the exam. Your school will have chosen one of the three clusters below:

- Love and Relationships
- Power and Conflict
- Worlds and Lives 

• Section C (Unseen Poetry): For this section, you should be able to analyse and compare key features in two unseen poems such as content, theme, structure and use of language. There will be two questions - one on a single unseen poem, and one comparing it to another unseen poem.

👉 Top tip: For poetry, practise linking language, form and structure to big themes (like conflict, love, power, identity).

❓Question Types: 

Section A: You will have a choice of question to answer about your chosen text (30 marks + 4 for AO4). These are essay type questions that ask things such as:

- How does the author present / explore / use a character to...

- Statement. How far do you agree with this view?

🌟There will be bullet points to help you to know what to write about.

Section B: You will be given a poem from your chosen cluster. You must compare the given poem with one other poem from your cluster on how the poets present a theme etc. (30 marks)

Section C: You will be given 2 unseen poems.

First question will focus on the first poem - How does the poet present...(24 marks)

The second question will focus on both poems - What are the similarities and/or differences between the methods the poet uses to present...(8 marks)

Here are some smart revision strategies to make your prep more effective:

• Pick 5 - 10 key quotes per character or theme

• Use flashcards or sticky notes to test yourself

• Focus on quotes that are versatile  - useful in more than one type of question

• Be ready to link texts to their historical, cultural or social background

• Example: A Christmas Carol → Victorian attitudes to poverty and charity

• Set a timer and practise answering past questions (you will find the links to past papers on this page!)

• This builds exam stamina and helps you manage your time

• When revising poems, practise spotting similarities and differences in themes, tone and techniques

• Try mind maps to link poems quickly

• Watch YouTube summaries for quick recaps

• Use revision guides for detail

• Test yourself with friends - explaining an idea to someone else is one of the best ways to learn!

GCSE English Literature isn’t about memorising every line of every text -  it’s about showing you understand the big ideas, characters, and themes and being able to write about them clearly.

With consistent revision, practice essays, and a few well-chosen quotes in your memory bank, you’ll walk into the exam feeling prepared and confident💪.