Revision Tips & Tricks | English Literature ♡

It's getting to that time again; exam season is looming and along with it months of unavoidable revision. Whether you're at GCSE, A Level or in University the coming months will no doubt be filled with post-its, highlighters and endless pages of notes - half of which you probably can't remember the meaning of and are most likely covered in doodles of animals, flowers and various caricatures depicting your classmates. English Literature in particular is a subject in which I often get lost. I love it, don't get me wrong, but reading Shakespeare for a double lesson on a Monday afternoon usually sees me lost in my thoughts, staring out of the window. Case in point; last week when we reached the ghost's lines in 'Hamlet' and, as I didn't currently have a role (meaning I'd completely zoned out and everything was washing over my head), our teacher said "Maddie can read the ghost." I heard my name but had no idea what I was doing until my friend whispered instructions into my ear, haha. Here are some of my revision tips and tricks for English Literature, which may help you to revive your knowledge of your texts! While I've tailored it to A Level, it can be adapted to GCSE too.

1. Index tabs, index tabs, index tabs. 

If you haven't used these and you're taking English Literature, you're seriously missing out. I don't know if it's just me who loves to colour code all my revision but these go a long way to help. I usually draw a key at the front of my text and assign each colour to a motif or symbol - for example in Atonement I have assigned the pink coloured tab to the symbol of the vase, and placed one in every page that it's mentioned. I usually combine these with post-it notes highlighting key events (such as Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy), which allows you to easily flick through your text while revising and pick out key information without having to search. I always find marking out my texts in this way a great starting point.

2. 'York Notes' really are amazing.

Forget CGP revision guides, for English Literature York Notes are where it's at. You can usually pick them up for around £5 on Amazon and they're worth every penny. They are full to bursting with notes on the text, including commentary on authorial methods (which is what I always struggle with most in exams), motifs, key ideas and important characters. When I'm making mind maps, these really help.

3. Don't underestimate the power of Quizlet.

It may only be a little app but Quizlet is amazing for solidifying your revision. As well as creating your own material, you can download hundreds of others that people doing the same courses as you have created, which you can then open and use on public transport, while waiting for a friend, or just in a spare moment at home (on the loo if you wish). And it's completely free!

4. Writing in the margins is soul destroying, but really useful.

I am the biggest neat freak when it comes to books; spines can't be broken, pages can't be written in and dust covers must be kept on. But with my A Level texts I break the rules. They are so heavily annotated that I get pencil lead on my hands when I flick through them. The reason I, and of course many others, write so heavily on them is simply because I want to make sure I get everything down without having to scribble it all in my notebook along with page references and full explanations. Jotting down rough notes and converting them into proper notes later is so much easier - if you can remember what your shorthand means!

Obviously these are just my top tips and I do all the usual methods (revision cards, mind maps...) which you don't need telling about I'm sure.

Do you use any of these methods? How else do you revise?

Maddie x