A key skill to have when doing A-level English Literature is to listen; listen to feedback your teachers give you so you know how to improve, listen to other opinions to widen your knowledge, but most importantly, listen to your own opinion – this greatly shapes your academic style which is unique to you. 

As well as this, listen to helpful tips and guidance on how to thrive in your A-levels. Here are 10 tips that I have put together which helped me survive Year 12 and regardless of the exam board you’re studying, I hope this will help you.

1. Understand the Assessment Objectives

Understanding this means knowing where you get your marks from. From experience, I have found it to be a balancing act, constantly making sure I have all of them in my essay. 

Learn through Assessment Objectives (AOs) – you will always have one of the pesky things which you can’t seem to grasp onto. Therefore by breaking down what is expected of you, you can improve specific skills early on which can then be brought together to produce a successful essay.

Highlight the AO you need to improve on next time and when writing your next essay, have that in mind and focus particularly on bringing that more prominently into your work.  

2. Understand the Weightings

I wish that it was as simple as point 1, but those big important people (I can think of a couple…) don’t want to make it easy for us.

When starting a new module, ask your teacher which AO is double weighted. This will indicate which one you will have to work hard at getting included.  Call it the captain, it leads the AO team – it is dominant and crucial so don’t underestimate its importance. It would be a bit like leaving Owen Farrell on the bench – catastrophic.

3. Don’t bolt on context – weave it in

Bringing the analogy of the team forward, when using context it is absolutely key to not just have it in clumps and then not use any of the information to further your argument. It’s like having the majority of the team up one end of the field and leaving one person in defence on their own. They’re just there, on their own, not bringing anything to the game. That’s why it’s important to treat it like the other AOs – they weave into each other making the essay flow. 

4. Use context as a springboard into an argument

The important point to make about coursework is that if you feel as though you are bolting it on, you are probably adding something to your piece that shouldn’t be there. Rather, it should propel you forward into an argument and into the next section of your writing. 

My teacher impressed on me to consider this idea of a springboard: if you’re not bouncing into your argument or putting a critic in and furthering a debate, it shouldn’t be there. Please don’t use it for the sake of it, think ‘will this help me?’ and ‘can I properly use this?’ to bring quality and structure to the work. 

This shouldn’t frighten you, I think it’s a positive move and an important way to be self-critical about your work to push you ahead into getting better marks. I like to think you are merely killing two birds with one stone.

5. Wider reading

Wider reading doesn’t mean grab as many books as you can and read, read, read! I wanted to cautiously dip into this point as there is a fine line between doing it because you want to assist your studies and reading for the sake of it. 

I had to put rules in place for myself so I didn’t overwork at the start of the year – I said to myself for each topic or interesting point, to read no more than 5 scholarly articles (and even then it is essential to read point 6). ONLY choose educational books or articles that will benefit your course or writing, you want to remain passionate and interested in your field of work.  By reading too many books that may not apply to your studies, it will make the process a chore and can result in that passion dissolving and you being less enthusiastic about your work. 

6. Pick and choose – you can’t use it all

Leading straight on from point 5 is this. I would say this is the most important point (although you’ll soon find out that point 10 is just as critical to success). You can’t be expected to read everything in a book or article and write every point down, you’d be there for years! 

I’ve had my fair share of experiences with chunky texts and even a chunky article might give you only 5 points. Don’t panic if this happens, only use the very best points which you can develop and use in an argument or point – you don’t see a priest quoting the whole Bible in a sermon, they just pick and choose what’s necessary to back up their point.

7. Get ahead

As tempting as it is to say ‘that’s next year’s problem’, your future you will hate you and it’s worth, where possible, to get that little bit ahead. Getting ahead means the workload is that little bit less in the final year which is an incentive. 

Doing the WJEC course meant that I’m expected to do coursework and have an unseen section which requires research. This means that, like with any other A-level, I will be expected to do a lot of research over the summer going into Year 13. However, my teacher urged us at the start of the year, while the workload hadn’t skyrocketed, to start reading and planning the coursework. Now looking back I’m thankful I did that as there’s just that little bit less pressure on me and I can relax more.

8. Practice, practice, practice!!

Time to discuss essays – yay! You love them really even though they are tedious and cause your handwriting to change into something you never knew it could. My top tip is to do an essay each week as it is key to get comfortable with doing this as soon as possible because it’s how you will ultimately be assessed in the end. Yes you might not feel your hand for the next hour but it is worth it. 

However, when starting to do essays for a new topic, don’t do it under timed conditions to start with. Each type of essay is different (see point 2) so it’s crucial you’re comfortable and understand what’s required before you start timing it. ONLY after this should you start timing – don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it takes time leading into point 9.

9. Gradual improvement

This is something I have battled with and have had to accept over the last year, just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, your academic style doesn’t come overnight. It’s important to keep getting back on the horse and maintain resilience; don’t get disheartened if the essays don’t go right again and again, you will improve eventually. 

It’s a two year course for a reason, it allows for your writing to develop and grow. Just keep doing point 8, this point can only be directed at those who constantly do essays each week. 

10. Cup of tea

Last but certainly not least, tea. A cuppa, every lesson, does miracles – perhaps also a couple of biscuits for energy is also good. It’s so important to treat and reward yourself as it is a bumpy road. 

That is my justification for eating… energy and maybe also to bribe the teacher 😉