Last Minute Revision!
Literature GCSE
Do not focus on what you
know!
Focus on what you
don’t!
What are you REALLY hoping
isn’t on the exam paper?
This is what you REALLY
need to revise!
‘Of Mice and Men’
Assessment Objectives
C
•Write about attitudes/themes/ideas
•Write about how language is used
•Write about how structure is used
•Social and historical context
•PEE
B
•All of the above
•PEEE
A
•All of the above
•Include close text analysis (language)
A*
•All of the above
•Include alternative interpretation
‘Of Mice and Men’ Questions
• These could be based on …
Attitudes, themes and ideas
Characters, their motivation, role or
relationships
Steinbeck’s use of language
How the structure of the novel is used
Social and historical context and how it is
relevant to the novel
Types of ‘Of Mice and Men’
Questions’
• You could be given a question that asks
you to focus on a section of the novel.
The question could ask you to read a
particular section, or it may be printed in
the paper.
• You could be given a question with bullet
points.
• You could be given a question without
bullet points.
What don’t you know about ‘Of
Mice and Men’?
Write everything you
know about the social
and historical context
and how it effects the
story here.
Write everything you
know about the
language used by the
characters, and
Steinbeck’s use of
language here.
Write everything you
Write everything you
know about the structure know about attitudes,
of the novel and how it
ideas, themes and
helps the reader’s
characters here.
response to the novel
here.
My Revision Focus
Social and Historical
•Read your notes on the
Depression.
•Use the PowerPoint to revise the
American dream.
•How is each character treated
differently from today because of
the time the novel is set?
•What prejudice is present in the
novel?
•How is the story different because
of the time the novel is set?
•What was Steinbeck trying to
show us about the era?
Language
•Pick three characters. How does
the way they speak tell the reader
what they are like?
•Find the description of each
character’s appearance. What
clues does it give us about them?
•Find the description of each
setting. What clues does it give us
about what will happen next/ the
kind of place it is?
My Revision Focus
Structure
•Explain how the opening and
ending of each chapter is
important.
•Explain how the narrative is
like a circle.
•Explain why Steinbeck did
this.
•List all the clues you can think
of to the ending of the novel.
•How is Candy’s relationship
with the dog like George’s
relationship with Lennie?
•How is this linked to structure.
Attitudes, ideas, themes and
characters
•What are the main themes?
•How do the main themes
relate to the story?
•List all the characters. Which
themes link to them?
•Why is each character
important in the novel?
•Use the power point in the
shared area to revise Curley’s
Wife, Slim, Crooks and Candy.
•Why do you think Steinbeck
wrote the novel?
Poetry Assessment Objectives
C
•Write about attitudes/themes/ideas
•Write about how language is used
•Write about how structure is used
•Compare
•PEE
B
•All of the above
•PEEE
A
•All of the above
•Include close text analysis (language)
A*
•All of the above
•Include alternative interpretation
The rules for pre and post 1914 poetry…
• Use an A* introduction – name the poems, the poets and
the key part of the question.
• Refer to writers and poets by their surname and never by
their first name.
• Write about every bullet point.
• Use clear topic sentences to introduce each section of
your essay:
‘Each of the poets uses language devices to …. Firstly….
Similarly…In contrast … Alternatively …’
• Write about two pre 1914 poems, one Duffy and one
Armitage poem.
• Always write about the named poem first for each
section.
• Write about every poem for each section of your
response.
• PEE for every poem for each section of your response.
• Compare throughout your essay, using comparison
words to start sentences.
Questions for pre and post 1914 poetry
• These could be based on …
• Comparing how poets approach similar
attitudes, themes or ideas.
• The voice, character or persona in four poems.
• The actions, emotions or other aspects of the
people in the poems.
• How language is used.
• How structure is used.
• Your opinion of why the poems are successful.
Question types for pre
and post 1914 poetry
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Your question could be …
Split in to two sections a) and b).
Ask you to compare four poems.
Offer you a list of poems to choose from.
Have no bullet points.
Have ‘unhelpful’ bullet points.
Stick to the rules and the assessment
objectives and you will be fine.
Pre and post 1914 poetry revision
• Focus on the poems for your tier. For each one, write the
title in the centre of a piece of paper and brainstorm the 4
assessment areas – attitudes, themes and ideas/
language/ structure/ comparisons.
• Complete extended brainstorms using a theme at the
centre, then 4 poems, then ideas for each poem relating
to attitudes, themes and ideas/ language/ structure/
comparisons.
• How is language used in each poem? How does the
structure of each poem support the way language is
used?
• How is structure used in each poem? How does the
language of each poem support the way structure is
used?
• Annotate questions.
• Invent some questions – then practise planning them.
• Timed planning.
This weekend …
• Reread the novel and the poems.
• Learn the ‘rules’ for each paper and the
assessment objectives.
• Work through the Literature PowerPoints
on the shared area.
• Read your sample questions – practise
annotating and planning questions in
timed conditions.
GOOD LUCK Y11 – YOU CAN DO IT!