As lots of you are probably thinking about revision guides at this point, I thought I would give you some suggestions about what might be useful. It would be a good idea to show this post to your parents as well. There is no one revision guide that covers the whole course, so it is important to think carefully about what is going to be most useful to you.
If you choose to buy a study guide to help you revise for the language exams there are a few options. I have linked to the Amazon page for each so you can get an idea of content and price.
For literature there are guides to the poetry anthology and individual guides for each novel or play. Some of them are better than others so I have linked below to the ones I recommend. One way of cutting costs could be to get together with a group of friends and buy a different study guide each. Otherwise, you need to think carefully about which texts you feel least confident about and choose one for those.
Remember you don’t have to buy revision guides to get a good GCSE grade. Developing your own techniques and revising regularly over the course of the year is the best way to make sure you do well in the long run. For example:
- Memorise your quotations regularly over the year rather than waiting until just before the exams. Make quotation fans or write them out and stick them on a wall at home.
- Use this website: there are links to lots of good – and free! – online resources here.
- Take detailed notes in class and title them carefully using chapter headings and page numbers where necessary – these are your best revision resource.
Recommended revision guides
Remember before buying any guide to check that it is the correct one for our exam board (AQA) and the new specification (grades 9-1)
Language
CGP Guide
This is a really clear guide to what you need to know for the exams and is reasonably priced.
Hodder
An excellent and very detailed book, but it is expensive. Good if you want to do a lot of extra work at home though.
Poetry
CGP Power and Conflict Poetry Guide
This is the one I would recommend as it is clear and well structured and covers all the basics. It doesn’t cover the unseen section of the paper though.
CGP Unseen Poetry Guide
Useful if you want lots of extra practice on unseen poetry. Don’t forget though – there is a page of revision help on this website too.
York Notes
Also a very reliable guide to the conflict cluster
Hodder Conflict anthology and unseens guide
This covers both the conflict cluster and the unseens in one book.
Literature texts
Merchant of Venice
So far the only guide to come out for the new specification is the Oxford Literature Companions one that I have linked to below. However, there are plenty of secondhand copies of the old Alevel York Notes Advanced guide available very cheaply on Amazon and, although the exam advice isn’t relevant, the information about the play is excellent and, as it is written for Alevel students, ideal for accessing the higher GCSE grades.
Oxford Literature Companions
York Notes Advanced
The Sign of Four
There are a couple of study guides available for The Sign of Four. Both are good, but the York notes one is cheaper.
York Notes
Oxford Literature Companions
The History Boys
This is the only GCSE study guide currently available for this text, but it is comprehensive and includes detailed exam advice.
And remember… whichever guides you choose won’t do you any good if you leave them sitting on the shelf. You need to use them regularly to revise the texts over the course of the year.
mrs odriscoll 10W/E 