How Can You Quickly Get Higher Marks In English Literature?

When it comes to English GCSE marking, it is fraught with inconsistencies. Due to the subjective nature of the subject (no pun intended!) you could give ten English teachers the same exam question to assess and they could all give you back a different mark. The annoying thing is, they could all be right! English exam marking is all about how the individual deciphers the vague descri ptions of the mark scheme (if anyone could clearly explain to me the exact difference between `thoughtful consideration of ideas` and `exploration of ideas` I would be massively impressed!)

However, something I have seen consistently gain students higher marks in their Literature essays and push them into the 7,8,9 bracket of grades is the ability to contemporize the texts they are studying and the ideas it presents to the 21st Century.

Now, there is no single way to do this, or a step-by-step plan for how to achieve this skill in any question you could be asked, but something that has helped my students in the past, is to think of the text like an onion. It has layers! (yes, that is a shameless Shrek reference)

Each Literature text has three layers. ;

Layer 1 - the text itself

Layer 2 - the context of the time in which the text was written

Layer 3 - how are the lessons that we learn from this text, still relevant today?

To gain those higher marks, we really want to access that `Layer 3` form of thinking, which shows the examiner that we are applying our learning to the world in which we live.

For example: ;

Take the idea of power in Macbeth

Layer 1 - the text itself

In the play, Macbeth must present himself as a strong figure in order to take the throne of Scotland and rule, as desired by himself and his wife

Layer 2 - the context of the time in which the text was written

In Elizabethan society (1606 to be exact to when when Shakespeare wrote the play) male power was a huge aspect of society. Men were still seen as dominant over women and showing your strength and dominance was key to success, power and manliness. This idea was also true when the real Macbeth, that the play was based on, was alive in around 1030. This goes quite some way to explain why Macbeth is so easily manipulated into killing his longtime friend and king his is sworn to serve, partly because his wife questions his manhood.

Layer 3 - how are the lesson that we learn from this text, still relevant today?

Despite the need to murder kings in order to gain power and success being severely outdated in the 21st century, this doesn`t mean Shakespeare`s message is irrelevant. The idea of people doing immoral acts to gain power, only for those acts to possibly haunt them and cause the one thing they wanted to become a hell inside their own mind, is hugely relevant today and in any context. ;

If you are able to look at texts in this way, it shows the examiner a keen ability to grasp the real meaning behind the text and understand why these texts, despite some being hundreds of years old, are actually so timeless. The time period, expectations of people and ideas about how to live your life, have and will continue to drastically change as humanity develops further, but the `human experience` is unending and unchanging and the way we react to situations in 2024 can sometimes be exactly the same to how other humans would react to the same situation in 1724.

For another example, lets take Animal Farm. Clearly, the idea of animals overthrowing humanity is not relevant in any context (it is a huge metaphor, incase you haven`t read the text) and the idea of the dangers of communism itself are also quite outdated (although some may disagree with this statement!) The real message behind the text, being that with too much unchecked power, groups or individuals can do horrific things to those around them was relevant in 1945, when the novel was published (just think about what was happening in the world in the 40s!) and is still hugely relevant today with governments around the world still needing checks and balances to their power to keep democracy running smoothly. ;

Despite this potentially being a big concept to get your head around, using it in your work just takes a bit of practice. In order to use this concept well, the big question for you to keep in mind when writing your Literature essays is...

`Why is this still relevant today?` ;

When doing this, be wary of one pitfall, which is to re-contextualize the text too specifically to 2024. Your response should be general enough that your idea can be applied to any context throughout time, rather than making it specific to the time and place where you live, as this will become irrelevant to our lives as time goes on. For example, referencing the world`s struggles with COVID and how many people did as was asked, with little resistance, may help to show your thinking about the theme of conformity, which is relevant to many of your Literature texts (A Christmas Carol, Animal Farm, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet etc.) but actually a reference to COVID will be hugely outdated itself in ten years time, rendering your analysis of the text just as irrelevant in time, as the Industrial Revolution is to us, today. Rather, think about the message the author is teaching you, through the text and how that can apply to humans in any time or place.

These GCSE texts are not about animals, or Scottish kings or rich teenagers thinking with their private parts. They are about the allure of power, the ability to be manipulated and the inexperience of youth, which are concepts that are just as important, relevant and powerful today as they ever have been before.

If you have any quesitons or would like to explore this further in your GCSEs, please do get in contact and we can discuss how I can help you further.