The Only GCSE English Checklist You Actually Need Before the Exam

Your GCSE English Checklist - What to Actually Revise

This is your checklist. If you follow this properly, you'll know exactly what to revise and how to prepare for both English Literature and English Language.

Literature Checklist - Quotes That Do the Work

For Literature, you want to pick two to five key quotes for each key character.

These quotes must link to multiple themes, so they're adaptable in any exam question.

For example, in Macbeth, you want quotes that can link to violence, ambition, and guilt - not quotes that only work for one very specific question.

For every quote, you should know two techniques and the analysis for each one off by heart.

Literature Checklist - Adaptable Context

You also want to know five pieces of context for each text that you can adapt to almost any question.

This means that whatever comes up in the exam, you're choosing one of your five - not trying to remember everything.

For example, in Macbeth, the Divine Right of Kings could be one of your five core context ideas.

Your Core Paragraph Structure

You should be using the PETA-ETA core paragraph structure:

Point, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Context, Rights, Intentions.

You want a checklist for each part of this structure.

For example, in your Point, you should always include the text, the question, and your own argument. Your Evidence should be embedded, not dropped in.

Sentence Starters = Faster Writing

You also want sentence starters for every part of the structure.

This makes your writing far more foolproof. You walk into the exam knowing exactly how your paragraph will start and how it will develop.

This massively speeds up your writing and reduces panic.

Practice Essay Planning (Not Full Essays)

You should have practice essay plans with three clear points.

Because you already know your quotes, all you're doing is deciding how to use them for that question.

This trains your brain to adapt quickly instead of freezing.

Learning Quotes & Analysis Properly

Quotes and analysis should be learned using active recall.

This means quizzes, flashcards, fill-in-the-blanks - testing yourself, not rereading notes.

That's how information actually sticks.

Language Checklist - Know the Question Before You Write

For English Language, you want a checklist for every question.

You should know the MELT: the marks, explanation of the question, lines you can use, and techniques you should pick out.

You also want a structure that directly ticks off the mark scheme.

Language Structures That Hit the Mark Scheme

For example, for Language Paper 1 Question 2, the Lightup structure is PETA-ETA-ZA:

Point, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Evidence, Technique, Analysis, Zoom.

This structure automatically hits everything the examiner is looking for.

Practice Without Knowing the Text

You can't revise Language the same way you revise Literature, but you can still practice.

Practice picking out techniques, planning paragraphs, and applying your sentence starters.

This prepares you for whatever extract comes up.