How can i improve gettin a good grade in GCSE ENGLISH?

Question:im doin GCSE next year in 2008 everything iz alri8 but da prob iz im not dat good in english. in ma GCSE mock i got a C[:(:(:(] but i wana get an A* or an A which iz hard but will be easy if i try. but i dunno how to try, what do i have to do to improve,,, can sumone plz help me out

Answers:
I know the poor spelling in your post probably isn't representative of how you spell in real life, but if you try to spell things correctly all the time, instead of just when it's necessary, it does help spelling to improve dramatically. Spelling and grammar only count for a small amount of marks, but if that and your handwriting are good, then that's the best way to make your examiner like you before s/he has even begun properly marking the paper. If you use Firefox as your Internet browser (it's free to download) it checks your spelling on the Internet and I certainly find it very helpful!

Then, one of the main parts of GCSE English is essay writing. The most important thing here - which I'm sure your teacher will have told you about - is to include lots of quotations. I don't know what your set texts are, but it's really helpful if you get to know them well. If you have five minutes with nothing better to do, reread one of the poems in the anthology. Make sure you understand all of it and write notes on every line, if you can. That means you can talk about any part of the poem they ask you about in the exam.

On essays, try and make sure they're long enough, but well-structured as well. That's much easier than teachers make out - you can get good marks if you have paragraphs that are more like a list. For example, if you have to write about how strong emotions are presented in two poems (one of my past paper questions) start with the opening paragraph summarizing your main points. Then go into further detail - one detail from one poem, then one detail from the other, then a comparison, then another detail from the first poem... and so on and so forth. Keep that up until you've written two pages and then write a conclusion, where you basically say what you said in your introduction in different words. At first, you might run out of points too quickly, but you get marks even if you state the obvious, as long as you make more sophisticated points as well.

As far as the comprehension section goes, the best thing to do is look at past papers. These can be found on BBC bitesize or the AQA website. Look at the mark schemes in particular. The questions tend to be very formulaic, and it just becomes a case of learning the formula.

GCSE English, sadly, is pretty much a case of jumping through hoops. Examiners look for points supported by quotes, which get ticks, then at the general quality of your spelling and grammar, which gets more ticks. The difference between a B and an A is 'range and complexity of language and punctuation' - basically, use long words. Words like 'enjambement', which just means sentences in poems carrying on for more than one line, really impress examiners.

My friend learned a standard sentence so that she could get a mark for using a semi-colon - it's one mark, but out of thirty, it makes a difference. The sentence was 'Jane's work varies; it can be good'. That sentence can be adapted to almost anything - for the creative writing, my friend turned it into 'the cannibals' temperament varies; it can be good'. She got one of the top five marks in English in the country, so she must have been doing something right.

I'm sorry if I went on a bit, and also that I couldn't be more specific on some points. Please email me if you want more advice - I might be able to be more helpful if I know what books and what part of the Anthology you're studying, especially if it's 'Of Mice and Men', seeing as that's what I did.

GCSE English is dead easy if you put in a quote to support every point and impress the examiner with long words and legible handwriting. Good luck!

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