Opinion piece by Harry Godfrey
Harry is a GCSE and A-level tutoring specialist. He co-founded The Degree Gap, a company that matches hundreds of students with GCSE and A-level tutors across the UK. He is also an avid public speaker at schools across the UK on topics such as beating procrastination, mastering GCSE and A-level subjects, and navigating university admissions.
How I Became a GCSE English Tutoring Wizard: An Introduction
Back in Year 10, I was exactly where you are now. I was handing in essays that I thought were great, only to score in the low 20s. Every time, I was told my analysis “wasn’t deep enough,” but I was never given practical advice on how to improve my GCSE English Literature essays or what examiners were actually looking for.
That’s why I’ve written this post. My aim is to give you this advice from the perspective of a GCSE English Literature tutor who’s been through it. This is the guide I wish I had in Year 10.
Things changed in Year 11. I finally understood how to approach GCSE English Literature the right way — how to structure high-scoring essays, analyse texts effectively, and think like an examiner. I went on to achieve 19 grades above my targets across all my GCSE subjects — the best my school had ever seen. I was even featured in the local newspaper. Predicted Cs and Bs turned into straight As and A*s. I ultimately went on to study Economics at the London School of Economics, one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
That transformation started with cracking the code for GCSE English Literature — and as a tutor, I’m here to show you how to do the same.
Understanding and Mastering Literary Devices
I guess at this point you understand the basic literary devices like similes, metaphors, and alliteration. You will be blown away by how few students mention them in their essays. If you are mentioning a quote, drop the literary device in with it to show the examiner that you are a high-level candidate.
Now that you’ve mastered the basic devices, learn some more advanced ones to include:
- Pathetic fallacy → This is where nature is used to describe a mood change. If you’ve ever read a book where a storm is coming, it generally indicates a bad change or a ‘volta’ in the story. This is intentional — the weather reflects how the story is changing. This is a key point in many books.
- Foreboding → Very similar to pathetic fallacy. Do you ever hear something a key character says that gives you an unpleasant feeling in your stomach as the reader? An example is “The door creaked silently.” See how this increases tension?
- Anadiplosis → A slightly different one for the nerds out there. This is when a phrase is repeated at the start and end of a sentence. It is often used to emphasise a specific word or key theme.
It is good to build a memory bank of these key sophisticated terms to use in your essay. They impress the examiner and show that you are working at a higher level.
Context Matters for GCSE English Literature Essays!
A key thing that top students do is learn the context behind each book. Some write it in their own paragraph, but the best of the best weave it into their analysis. This is usually done in the last few lines of analysis after you’ve broken down the quote.
This is best seen in an example from A Christmas Carol: “Many thousands are in want of common necessities.” A key theme in A Christmas Carol is absolute poverty. The book was written in a post-Industrial Revolution society. During this period, many people were becoming rich, but many others were being left behind. A huge class divide was forming in society. An underlying tone in the book is that society should do more to solve poverty before it spirals out of control. Tiny Tim is the perfect character to show this.
My advice is: when forming analytical points, think about how context matters and how you can weave it into your analysis. This is a top tip to get a grade 7, 8, or 9 in English Literature. You can find the context easily with a quick Google search.
Building a Solid Analysis Structure for GCSE English Literature
I know the standard PEEL structure works for most students, but I’m here to suggest a more extended version:
- Point – Make a clear, direct statement answering the question. Too often, students overcomplicate this. They make a statement that’s too broad or vague and struggle to link it back to the question. For example, I like: “A central theme in Macbeth is deceit, present in multiple characters.” This is open and allows you to build layers of analysis.
- Reference – My favourite approach is to collate three quotes into one theme. Instead of breaking down just one quote, link multiple quotes together and relate them. It also helps with a major exam issue — running out of analysis for a key theme. The drawback is that you’ll need to remember more quotes. This is where learning quotes that link to multiple themes is key!
- Technique – I mentioned this in the literary devices section, but here’s more detail. A major issue for students is not explaining their points clearly. Use insights with words like “as” or “because.” All quotes have a meaning and a why behind them. Dig this out in your analysis.
- Zoom out (world-level analysis) → Use terms like microcosm. For example, Mr Scrooge is not just a grumpy old man — he is a microcosm of the upper class in society. Every character can represent a wider meaning, and mentioning this is top-level analysis.
- Effect – How does this affect you as a reader? My GCSE English tutor used to make me draw a tension graph. This can be a useful exercise to find out where the volta or turning points are and to understand the book’s structure.
- Link back to the argument – Finish with a clear link back to the question. There’s nothing worse than an amazing argument that goes off-topic. Keep yourself in check by always linking back to the question.
Building a Solid Structure for your GCSE English Literature Exams
Too often, students get tripped up on how to analyse quotes for their GCSE English Literature exams. I have some key advice here to follow:
Start by making a mind map for every character, especially the key ones. A good exercise is to write down the role the character plays in the story/why they are in it, then the traits of the character. These traits form your P or point in your paragraph and are opening sentences. Then focus on quotes that link to those traits—maybe get three or four quotes for each theme.
There are lots of quotes to remember! The best way to remember them is by applying them. Do as many essays as possible to practise applying the quotes. Learning the analysis behind the quote helps you remember it better.
As you get closer to the exam period, create a model PEEL structure for each key character and theme. Who knows—you might get lucky and get that exact exam question. Even if you do not, you can easily adapt these model structures to the real question. Preparation is KEY!
HOT TIP: Pick quotes that apply to multiple themes. This saves you time and is generally easier to remember. Stick to smaller quotes as they are easier to remember in the exam. The examiner is also not testing your ability to quote a long sentence but your analysis of that sentence.
How The Degree Gap Could Help You with GCSE English Literature Essay Tutoring
If you want more awesome tips, get in touch! We are GCSE and A-level tutoring specialists who tour the UK giving presentations and talks on university applications and key revision skills. We have built a team of dedicated tutors who have excelled in their English Literature and Language GCSE exams. We want to work with students who are ready to get to that next level — and we have a proven history of getting you there.
A key value of ours is flexibility. We offer a pay-as-you-go system that allows you to book GCSE and A-level tutoring lessons whenever it suits you. We generally recommend calls once a week to build up momentum and see significant results.
Fortunately, it’s not just English that we specialise in. We have over 50 tutors covering all GCSE and A-level subjects — including GCSE Maths, GCSE Sciences, and A-level Maths. Visit The Degree Gap to find out more or reach out to us at +44 7859 965776.
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