AQA GCSE English Study Notes
Original revision notes covering key GCSE English Language and Literature skills, essay structure, exam techniques,
and common themes.
English Language Paper 1
• Question 1: Use short direct answers and scan carefully for explicit information.
• Question 2: Analyse language features such as metaphors, similes, and adjectives.
• Question 3: Focus on structure — shifts in focus, pace, tension, and perspective.
• Question 4: Evaluate critically using quotations and explanations.
• Question 5: Use ambitious vocabulary, varied sentence lengths, and clear paragraphing.
English Language Paper 2
• Compare writers’ viewpoints and methods.
• Use connectives like 'similarly', 'however', and 'in contrast'.
• Support every point with evidence from both sources.
• Question 5 requires a balanced argument and persuasive techniques.
Creative Writing Tips
• Start with an interesting opening line.
• Use sensory description: sight, sound, smell, touch.
• Vary sentence lengths for effect.
• Use cyclical structure by linking the ending to the beginning.
• Check punctuation and spelling carefully.
Essay Structure (PETAL)
• Point — make a clear argument.
• Evidence — use a quotation.
• Technique — identify the writer’s method.
• Analysis — explain the effect on the reader.
• Link — connect back to the question.
Key Literary Devices
• Metaphor — comparing two things indirectly.
• Simile — comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
• Personification — giving human qualities to non-human things.
• Pathetic fallacy — weather reflecting mood.
Original revision notes covering key GCSE English Language and Literature skills, essay structure, exam techniques,
and common themes.
English Language Paper 1
• Question 1: Use short direct answers and scan carefully for explicit information.
• Question 2: Analyse language features such as metaphors, similes, and adjectives.
• Question 3: Focus on structure — shifts in focus, pace, tension, and perspective.
• Question 4: Evaluate critically using quotations and explanations.
• Question 5: Use ambitious vocabulary, varied sentence lengths, and clear paragraphing.
English Language Paper 2
• Compare writers’ viewpoints and methods.
• Use connectives like 'similarly', 'however', and 'in contrast'.
• Support every point with evidence from both sources.
• Question 5 requires a balanced argument and persuasive techniques.
Creative Writing Tips
• Start with an interesting opening line.
• Use sensory description: sight, sound, smell, touch.
• Vary sentence lengths for effect.
• Use cyclical structure by linking the ending to the beginning.
• Check punctuation and spelling carefully.
Essay Structure (PETAL)
• Point — make a clear argument.
• Evidence — use a quotation.
• Technique — identify the writer’s method.
• Analysis — explain the effect on the reader.
• Link — connect back to the question.
Key Literary Devices
• Metaphor — comparing two things indirectly.
• Simile — comparison using 'like' or 'as'.
• Personification — giving human qualities to non-human things.
• Pathetic fallacy — weather reflecting mood.
