When Fancy Terms Stop Impressing Examiners
It’s easy to think that using lots of subject terminology automatically makes your answer sound smarter. After all, you’ve learned the terms, you recognise them in the text, and you’re doing what you’ve been taught - right?
But there’s a very common habit that causes otherwise solid answers to lose impact the moment an examiner starts reading.
This mistake doesn’t come from a lack of knowledge. In fact, it usually happens when students know too much and rely on labels instead of explanation. The result is writing that looks confident on the surface, but doesn’t quite land the marks it should.
The short video below breaks down what’s really happening when this mistake shows up, why examiners notice it instantly, and how a small shift in approach can make your analysis sound far more intentional and high-level. Watch it before you write your next paragraph; it’s a quick fix with a big payoff.
Stop Using Techniques Mechanically: Show the Impact, Not Just the Term
Using literary techniques can strengthen your GCSE English analysis, but only if you explain what they actually do.
One of the most common mistakes is dropping in impressive-sounding terminology without unpacking its effect. When techniques are listed but not explored, your analysis can feel automatic and empty.
The mistake: naming literary devices without explaining how or why they create meaning.
Example: "Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in Macbeth."
That statement is accurate, but it stops too soon. An examiner will immediately think: so what? What impact does the dramatic irony have? How does it shape the audience's response? Why has Shakespeare chosen to use it at that moment?
Grade 9 answers treat techniques as tools, not trophies. They take one device and push it further by explaining the effect it creates, the emotion it triggers, or the idea it helps communicate.
Why This Loses Marks
GCSE examiners do not reward a shopping list of techniques. They reward insight. When terminology is used mechanically, it shows surface-level understanding rather than real analysis.
Marks are earned by explaining the impact of a technique, not by naming it. Showing how and why a writer uses a device is what signals control and higher-level thinking.
Quick Recap
- Naming a technique alone is not analysis.
- Always explain the effect and purpose behind the device.
- Grade 9 answers focus on impact, not just terminology.
