HOW TO GET A GRADE 9 IN GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE (Top Tricks They Don't Tell You)

Summary

This video offers comprehensive tips for achieving high grades in English Language and Literature. It's divided into four segments: improving analysis and mastering paragraphs for English language, and memorizing content and acing structure for English literature. The presenter emphasizes the importance of revising English language, understanding question requirements, and not relying on fixed methods like PEE. For literature, the focus is on memorizing quotes and content effectively, using blurting and summarizing on flashcards. The video also recommends watching specific YouTubers for in-depth analysis and advises on how to use exemplar essays and examiner reports to enhance writing skills.

Takeaways

• 📝 Writing sophisticatedly is key to achieving high grades in English.
• 🎓 To excel in English Language, focus on improving analysis and mastering paragraph structure.
• 🕒 Time management is crucial; allocate time wisely for each question to ensure completion.
• 🔍 Understand the requirements of each question type to prepare effectively.
• 🚫 Avoid relying on fixed methods like PE as they may not secure high marks.
• 🌟 Highlight language devices in your analysis to ensure you gain marks.
• 👀 Watch recommended YouTubers like Stacy Ray, Mr. Bruff, and Mr. Sally for in-depth analysis tips.
• 📖 Read the question paper first to know what to look for in the exam text.
• 🖊️ Use highlighting and annotation to save time when revisiting the text for answers.
• 📈 Track your progress by compiling your essays and seeking critical feedback from teachers.
• 📚 For English Literature, memorize quotes that can be applied to multiple themes and characters.
• 📑 Use blurting and summarizing on flashcards to aid in memorization and essay writing.

Q & A

What is the most important thing for getting a high grade in English language?

The transcript emphasizes that the most important thing is mastering the skill of sophisticated writing, which includes understanding lexical fields, symbolic meaning, literal meaning, and highlighting language devices in each paragraph.

How does the speaker recommend improving analysis in English language?

The speaker suggests improving analysis by focusing on deeper meanings beyond what is obvious, looking at words and their connotations, and always highlighting language devices in the text analysis.

What is the speaker's stance on the use of fixed methods like PE in English language exams?

The speaker advises against using fixed methods like PE because they are not effective for achieving high grades. Examiners can recognize these structures and they do not demonstrate creative thinking.

What YouTubers does the speaker recommend for improving English language skills?

The speaker recommends watching Stacy Ray, Mr. Bruff, and Mr. Sally for English language and literature.

How should one approach reading the exam insert and question paper according to the transcript?

The speaker advises to first look at the question paper to understand what is being asked, then read the insert with those questions in mind, highlighting language devices and making annotations to save time.

What is the significance of mastering paragraphs in English language exams?

Mastering paragraphs is crucial as it helps in writing coherent and structured essays. It involves drawing from exemplar essays, comparing one's writing to them, and implementing improvements.

How does the speaker suggest memorizing content for English literature exams?

The speaker suggests memorizing content by creating quotes that can be used for multiple characters and themes, using blurting techniques, and summarizing each poem on flashcards.

What is 'blurting' as mentioned in the transcript?

'Blurting' is a revision technique where you write down everything you know about a topic, compare it with a textbook or mind map, and add what you missed to reinforce learning.

How can one prepare for the unpredictability of English literature exams as described in the script?

One can prepare by ensuring they have quotes that are versatile for different characters and themes, doing blurting sessions, and summarizing poems on flashcards to cover a wide range of potential exam questions.

What is the advice given for writing a structured essay in English literature?

The advice is to write a point, explanation, and refer to a language device in every paragraph. It's also important to maintain a consistent quality throughout the essay and to plan or jot down points to remember during the exam.

How should quotes be incorporated into essay writing according to the transcript?

Quotes should be embedded within sentences to make the writing flow smoothly, rather than being presented as separate blocks of text. This sophisticated approach can help achieve higher grades.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Mastering English Language and Literature

The speaker emphasizes the importance of sophisticated writing for achieving high grades in English Language and Literature. They share personal experience and strategies for improving essay quality and exam performance. The video is divided into four parts, focusing on improving analysis and mastering paragraph writing for English Language, and memorizing content and acing essay structure for English Literature. The speaker advises against relying on luck or fixed methods like PEE for English Language, and stresses the need for deep analysis and understanding of language devices to impress examiners.

05:00

🖋️ Enhancing Paragraph Writing and Essay Skills

This paragraph delves into strategies for mastering paragraph writing in English Language exams. The speaker suggests learning from exemplar essays, comparing one's own writing to them, and seeking critical feedback from teachers. They recommend writing an essay every week and using examiner reports to understand common mistakes and what examiners look for. For English Literature, the focus shifts to memorizing quotes and content effectively by using 'blurting' techniques and creating summary flashcards for poems. The speaker also advises on how to handle unseen poetry and the importance of taking teacher feedback to heart for improvement.

10:00

📚 Structuring Essays for English Literature

The final paragraph focuses on structuring essays in English Literature to achieve high grades. The speaker outlines a method for writing paragraphs that include a point, explanation, reference to a language device, and discussion of connotations and context. They stress the importance of maintaining quality throughout the essay to create a positive impression on examiners. The speaker also recommends reading exemplar essays to understand how high-scoring students structure their essays and to note down effective words and devices. They provide an example of how to embed quotes smoothly within sentences to enhance the sophistication of writing, which is crucial for achieving top marks in English exams.

Keywords

💡Sophisticated writing

Sophisticated writing refers to a style of writing that is complex and nuanced, often characterized by advanced vocabulary and intricate sentence structures. In the context of the video, sophisticated writing is emphasized as a key component for achieving high grades in English exams. The script suggests that students should not rely on simple or obvious interpretations but should strive to provide deeper, more nuanced analyses in their essays.

💡Analysis

Analysis in the video refers to the process of breaking down text to understand its meaning, structure, and impact. It is a critical skill for English language exams, where students are expected to analyze unseen texts. The video suggests improving analysis skills by focusing on lexical fields, symbolic meaning, and literal meaning, and by identifying language devices within the text.

💡Paragraphs

Paragraphs are discussed in the video as the building blocks of an essay, with a focus on mastering their structure and content. The video advises on how to write effective paragraphs in English language exams, emphasizing the importance of including a point, explanation, and reference to a language device in each paragraph to ensure clarity and coherence.

💡Lexical fields

Lexical fields are groups of words that are related in meaning. The video script mentions analyzing lexical fields as part of the process of understanding the connotations and deeper meanings of words within a text. This concept is used to advise students on how to delve deeper into the text's language to achieve a higher grade.

💡Language devices

Language devices are literary techniques used by authors to convey meaning or create certain effects. The video script stresses the importance of identifying and explaining language devices in essays as a way to secure marks, as it demonstrates a deeper understanding of the text and the author's intentions.

💡Exemplar essays

Exemplar essays are high-quality essays that serve as models for students. The video encourages students to study exemplar essays to understand what constitutes excellent writing and to identify areas for improvement in their own work. By comparing their essays to exemplars, students can learn how to enhance their writing to achieve higher grades.

💡Blurting

Blurting, as mentioned in the script, is a revision technique where students write down everything they know about a topic without looking at their notes. It is used to reinforce memory and identify gaps in knowledge. The video suggests using blurting as a method for memorizing quotes and content for English literature exams.

💡Character progression

Character progression refers to the development or change a character undergoes throughout a story. The video uses the example of Sheila's transition from using 'Mommy' to 'mother' in 'Look Back in Anger' to illustrate how a single-word quote can indicate character progression and maturity, which is a key aspect to discuss in English literature essays.

💡Unseen poetry

Unseen poetry is a component of English literature exams where students are presented with a poem they have not previously studied and are required to analyze it. The video suggests practicing the skill of analyzing unseen poetry and seeking feedback from teachers to improve, as it is a skill-based component rather than one based on memorization.

💡Embedding quotations

Embedding quotations is the practice of incorporating quotes from the text seamlessly into the essay's sentences. The video provides an example of how a student essay on 'Romeo and Juliet' integrated a quote into a sentence to illustrate aggressive male behavior. This technique is praised as sophisticated and effective for achieving high grades, as it demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the text.

Highlights

Sophisticated writing is key to achieving a high grade in English.

Begin by improving your analysis skills for English language.

Mastering paragraphs is crucial for English language success.

Memorizing content is essential for English literature.

Ace your essay structure to excel in English literature.

English language requires strategic revision, not just memorization.

Time management is critical in English language exams.

Understanding the requirements of each question type is vital.

Avoid fixed methods like PE as they limit creativity.

Focus on lexical fields, symbolic meaning, and literal meaning in analysis.

Highlighting language devices in your text can secure marks.

Explaining the writer's choice of language devices is important.

Don't focus on the obvious; think deeper for better analysis.

Be unique in your responses to stand out to examiners.

Watch specific YouTubers like Stacy Ray for in-depth English tips.

Start the exam by reviewing the question paper first.

Highlighting during the exam can help you save time.

Mastering paragraphs involves learning from exemplar essays.

Writing an essay every week and getting feedback is recommended.

Track your progress by compiling your essays.

Reviewing the examiner's report can help you avoid common mistakes.

Memorize quotes that can be used for multiple themes and characters.

Blurting is an effective method for memorizing content.

Use flashcards to summarize and memorize poetry.

Practice unseen poetry as a skill and seek teacher feedback.

In literature essays, maintain consistent quality throughout.

Plan your writing or jot down notes to remember your points.

Read exemplar essays to understand how to structure your own.

Embed quotes within your sentences for a sophisticated writing style.

Transcripts

this is the most important thing for

getting a grade n in English in general

it's just a very sophisticated way of

writing so I really recommend that you

start to do this if you haven't already

now this might seem like a lot but I

feel like this is what really got me the

grade

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[Applause]

n hey guys and welcome to another video

so in this video we're going to be

talking about English lit and English

Lang and how to get a grade line and

both of them so English you either hate

it or love it and I let's just say I

wasn't a fan of it but I did manage to

get good grades in both of them so in

this video I'm basically going to be

giving you tips and tricks on how to

improve your grade and also how to

improve the quality of your essays so

let's get into it so this video is going

to be split into four parts the first

two parts are going to be focused on

English language the first part is going

to be focused on how to improve your

analysis and the second part is going to

be how to master your paragraphs so for

the final two parts that's going to be

focused on English literature the first

part is going to be focused on how to

memorize content and the second part is

going to be on how to Ace your structure

let's get into it so let's talk about

English language and a lot of people

think that for English language you

don't need to revise it's just one of

those things you walk into the exam and

you just you know it's like it's just

analyzing text like there's not much you

can do for it but I'm here to tell you

that they are wrong if you want to be

guaranteed a good grade you have to

revise English language and the way that

you revise it is not the same as other

subject so as I said before English

language is all unseen so it's not like

you memorize content for it what you do

need to do is to master the skill of

English language so please do not ignore

your English language because if you do

it's just like it's based on luck it's

based on what they give you on the day

and how you analyze that and that's just

a very risky approach if you

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want and that's a very risky approach to

take if you want to be guaranteed a good

grade so what you have to understand

about English language is that it's very

pressed for time so you can't be wasting

time talking about things that won't get

you marks on certain kinds of questions

you also need to allocate yourself time

to each question just enough so you can

complete all of the questions in the

given time so what you need to

understand is what is required of you

for each question so some questions are

going to be multiple choice and they

just require you to do read and

comprehension some questions do require

comparison some questions require deeper

analysis and some questions require

creative writing so you do need to know

what you're going to be getting on each

paper just so you're prepared and you're

in the right mindset for it English

language is more of a skill once you get

your structure down you probably

guaranteed a good grade but you

shouldn't focus on us these very fixed

methods such as PE because these are not

effective in getting you a good grade

The Examiner knows when you're using

these kind of structures and it just

shows that you're not thinking

creatively you're just following a fixed

structure and it's probably not going to

get you those higher marks so when you

analyze something you should be focused

on lexical Fields symbolic meaning

literal meaning you should be looking at

the words and the connotations that they

have you should also always highlight a

language device in each paragraph and if

you can't just focus on the meaning of

the words because language devices will

always guarantee marks and if you

explain why the writer has chosen to use

this device and what it shows then

you'll definitely be explaining what the

examiner wants you to explain this is

the most important thing for getting a

grade n in English in general first of

all don't focus on what is obvious to

you so don't just go to what jumps in

your head immediately try to think of

things deeper than what is in the

question even if it sounds like complete

and utter rubbish if you make it sound

nice then the examiner will think oh wow

this person's really pushing themselves

they're really thinking deeper they're

really going into this extract because

if you just do simple things everyone

else is doing it and thousands of people

are sting these exams every single year

so the examiners are just going to get

tired of people repeating the same thing

over and over so you really want to make

sure that you're unique in what you say

to improve your exam teue in English

language I really recommend that you

watch these YouTubers so I'm talking

about Stacy Ray I'm talking about Mr

Bruff and I'm talking about Mr Sally but

Stacy Ray is so underrated so definitely

be sure to check her out for English lit

and language because she goes into depth

like the things that she says like I

would have never have thought about it

that way so definitely be sure to check

her out so let's say your exam has

started they give you the insert and

they give you the question paper the

first thing that you should be opening

is the question paper you want to look

at all of the questions in the entire

paper and see what they're asking you to

do bear this in mind when you're reading

the insert when you're reading the

insert if you read the question before

beforehand you know what to look for it

will be in the back of your mind you

won't just be going in blinds you won't

just be reading this exract like you

would any other book you just need to

focus on what they are asking you so

that you can prepare yourself for that

what I used to save time is whenever I

saw a language device or something that

really stood out to me I highlighted it

a lot of examiners say that you

shouldn't use highlights in your exams

and you shouldn't use it in the actual

exam paper on the insert you can

highlight that you can do whatever you

want to that because they're not going

to take that and they're not going to

mark it and you don't even put your name

on it so if you need a highlighter to

make things stand out and bring a

highlighter into the example just don't

use it on anything else other than the

insert make sure you just do a quick

annotation so that when you actually

going back to the question you won have

to waste time looking through the insert

because as I said before you are pressed

for time in these papers let's move on

to how to master your paragraphs for

English language to master the way that

you write things you want to draw from

other people that's not to say copy them

completely because like just don't but

I'm just saying that you want to start

looking at what Exemplar essays are

doing and look at you're writing and

then see what is missing you should also

do the same questions as these people

are doing in the Exemplar essays so

before you read the exampler essay you

should try to attempt that question and

then compare your writing to their

writing and then fix what is missing

what is missing is essentially what is

stopping you from getting that grade

nine so you need to focus on that and

then you should start implementing that

in your own writing now this might seem

like a lot but I feel like this is what

really got me the grade n it's basically

write an essay questions every single

single week yep every single week and

giving them to your teacher for critical

advice you do not want them to sugarcoat

anything you want them to tell you what

is good okay but mostly focus on what is

there to improve because that's how you

improve in all of your gcss you need to

focus on your weaknesses every essay

that you do you should see a gradual

increase in the quality of your writing

and you should take it as a step towards

getting a better grade compile these

essays and don't lose them these are

very important you want to track your

progress and you don't want to forget

things that you initially missing

because that is what got you the better

grade in the first place when you do p

papers for English language you also

want to take a look at the examiner

report The Examiner report is basically

a report written by the examiners which

focuses on what everyone did that year

of the past paper it focuses on what

people did good and what people also

made mistakes on when you get to know

these mistakes you can avoid them in

your own writing and it just helps you

to see what the examiner is truly

looking for and what also gets people

good grades so whenever you do past

papers first do the paper are blinds

like don't look at any of the Exemplar

essays don't look at any of the

examiner's report just focus on doing

the exam paper blind as you would with

any other exam paper because English is

subjective it's really hard to mark your

own paper so I wouldn't recommend doing

that but this examiner's report does

help you to see where you've gone wrong

okay so now moving on to English

literature the problem with English

literature is that you have to memorize

a lot of quotes and a lot of content for

each theme and character but there's

only one topic that actually comes up in

the exam there therefore the way to

memorize content for plays and novels is

to make sure you have quotes that you

can use for multiple different

characters and multiple different themes

so try to get a quote that covers at

least one character and one theme of the

story don't forget that you can even use

quotes that are just one word only for

example one that is really easy to

memorize for unexpected course is how

Sheila goes from using the word Mommy to

using mother towards the end of the play

this shows her character progression and

how she's matured throughout the play so

the way that you can memorize quotes and

context is to do blurting and I'm sure

you've heard of blurting before is

basically when you write down everything

you know on a piece of paper and then

you compare it to a textbook or your own

mind map you add in what you missed with

another pen and as you repeat this

you'll end up learning more content over

time and rememberize more quotes that

you can use in your essay the way that

I'll go about doing this is that I will

make a A4 summary of each character and

theme I personally use Stacy Ray's

videos to do this cuz her analyst is so

good and it just summarizes everything

in just like a 10-minute video so

definitely watch on each character and

each theme for the books that you're

doing and then after I did that I used

it as a template to blur when I finished

I look back on this m map and I included

things that I missed out and it

basically just helped me to know

everything over time if you do this for

every theme and every character then you

ultimately prepare yourself for anything

even if they use a theme that you

weren't expecting you should hopefully

have enough quotes and enough contents

from the other themes and characters

that you were able to answer this

question after you blur to make the

revision session extra productive why I

recommend you do do is to write a

question on the theme or character you

just blurted and this will just help you

to memorize it in the long term because

not only are you testing that you know

it you're also testing that you can

write about it so ultimately this will

help you improve your grade for the poem

Anthology I really recommend that you

Summarize each poem on a little flash

card and then you can use this to blur

you can turn it over and then write down

on a piece of paper what the poem is

about what the structure is whether it

uses a certain writing style the main

devices the main quotes and then this

will just help you to know everything by

the time it's the exam so that when you

get that random poem that you have to

compare to you already have most of the

content of the other poem already in

your head for things such as unseen

poetry this is ultimately a skill just

like English language you just have to

practice and then you should give in

papers to your teacher so that they can

mark it and make sure you take their

feedback on board even if you get like a

bad grade and you're in a bad mood just

focus on the feedback that they give you

cuz ultimately they do want the best for

you and they do want you to improve so

try not to take anything heart just use

this feedback as motivation to do better

and to get a better grade next time

let's move on to how to is your

structure in English literature when you

write a paragraph you should always

write a point explanation you should

also refer to a language device explode

this device and what it means talk about

the connotations of words and also talk

about the context that the quote is from

make sure that you do this in every

paragraph you really want to go in in

every single paragraph you don't just

want to start off of a nice paragraph

and throughout the essay start to

decrease your quality you want to have a

good all around essay because ultimately

this determines the perception that the

examiner has of you like if you start

off with a really good paragraph and

then you just start to lose all of this

analysis and quality throughout the

essay The Examiner is not going to be

that impressed and it's the same the

other way around if you start off really

bad and then your last paragraph is

really good they can only award you so

many marks so just focus on trying to

have an all round good essay so you

might want to plan what you're going to

write in your head beforehand or just do

a little bit of jotting again you don't

have that much time but something that

used to happen to me a lot is that I

would have a good point and then I would

forget it Midway through the questions

so it was just really annoying for me so

just make sure that you don't do that

and that if you know you have a habit of

forgetting things whilst you're doing

the exam then just drop things down even

if it takes that extra 2 minutes that's

better than not having anything to write

when you com to the question to a your

structure what you want to do is to read

Exemplar essays I've talked about this

so many times that you're probably

getting tired of it honestly what you

want to do is just to see where you're

missing out on marks and how people who

are getting grade NES are structuring

their essays because that's what you

want to aim for with subjects such as

science and maths what you want to aim

for is the MTH scheme but with English

there's not really any clear-cut MTH

scheme what you want to aim for is what

other people are doing that is getting

them the nines and getting them the

eights just start to note down their

structure and then apply it to the

question that you have when you reading

these essays and you see a word that's

like wow I really need to start putting

that essay make sure you write it down

you might want to make a Word document

where you just summarize all of these

really good words and devices that you

can use in your own writing because if

you're just reading all of these essays

and then you move on from it without

making any notes it's not not going to

stick and it's just going to be like a

waste of time so just make sure that you

always make notes from these essays and

always write down the keywords that you

think are really sticking out to you and

really increase the quality of their

writing so you always want to be quoting

in every paragraph when I was writing

essays I really like to implement my

quotes within a sentence so what I mean

by this is I wouldn't just say the

quotation blah blah blah states that

blah blah blah I would just try to embed

it in the sentence so that it reads

smoothly for example this is a sentence

that I found in an exampler essay about

Remy and Juliet the question was

basically asking about how Shakespeare

presents aggressive male behavior in

Remy and Juliet so the student writing

the essay basically Compares Samson to

the other male characters by Samson

joking about how his naked weapon is out

before engaging in a quarrel illustrates

the way that the men in the context of

the play display their masculinity can

you see how that sentence just flows

like if you were just listening to me

reading it without seeing it you would

think that it was just a normal sentence

without quotations but basically they

implemented the quotations within the

sentence it's just a very sophisticated

way of writing so I really recommend

that you start to do this if you haven't

already just you can use onew quotations

throughout your sentences and even like

more than one word as this student has

shown I don't know it just radiates like

grade n material grade8 material so just

start to do this this is much better

than for example if the student said

this Samson says in act one scene one my

naked weapon is out this demonstrates

how he explains his masculinity you can

see the big difference between the two

so if you are the second student and you

write like this to improve you basically

want to act like the first student and

just start embedding your quotations

throughout your text you don't need to

just have one quote and then leave it at

that you really want to start doing this

thing where you embed quotes throughout

your paragraphs and you explode those

quotes forur so that's pretty much it

guys I really hope this video helped you

and if it did be sure to like comment

and subscribe if you watch this whole

video to the end and you're still not

subscribed actually don't know what

you're doing like be sure to subscribe

and be sure to comment down below of

what video you would like next whether

it's about a levels gcscs just general

exam tip just let me know I'll see you

guys next time bye

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