GCSE English Language Week 1 Exam Preparation Tips

How to know which quotes to pick in an unseen extract

Hi guys! Welcome to this series of blog posts where, as someone who has been in your shoes just a few years ago, I'll be helping you tackle your GCSE English Language revision.

I don't know about you, but I always found English Language harder than English Literature. How are you meant to revise for something when there isn't any content to learn? How, when you've just got the hang of analysing books you are familiar with, are you supposed to approach an extract you've never seen before?

The first thing I would say, which will hopefully put your minds at ease, is that examiners choose these extracts for a reason. With hindsight, when I read the passages that appeared in my GCSE papers back now, I notice how rich they are with language devices and other techniques. Much more so than texts you would come across normally, especially in the non-fiction paper. The exam board aren't trying to catch you out, they're giving you an extract that has as much to talk about in it as they possibly can.

Having said that, I know this might seem easy for me to say given that I never have to sit a GCSE English Language exam again (thankfully). So here are some tips on how to read these extracts carefully in order to find quotes to talk about in your exam.

My first piece of advice is to look for language devices. This can be a bit controversial, because teachers often warn us against feature spotting when we're reading. After all, if you simply write 'this quote is a simile' in your exam and move on, you're not going to get very many marks. However, feature spotting can be a good way to find your footing in an exam that can otherwise seem quite daunting. Language techniques like similes, metaphors and personification are always a good place to start when looking for quotes. Firstly, because they are relatively easy to spot. Much easier than spotting the use of cyclical structure or a complex sentence, for example. And after you've spotted them, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll find something to say about them. Why? Because a piece of imagery such as a simile is always a deliberate choice. People very rarely use this kind of language when writing colloquially or talking to friends. How often does your friend Dave talk about someone he’s crushing on and go ‘their hair is like a spool of golden thread, their skin a luminescent as the moon on a star-lit night and their eyes deep blue pools full of mystery”? (If you have a mate called Dave that speaks like this - apologies.) By using imagery a writer is always trying to evoke a particular emotion or create a particular effect. We, as readers, benefit from this in our exams. Finding a piece of imagery in an extract is a good place to start analysing, because you know there are likely to be a few layers of meaning there, and the possibility of multiple interpretations.

Another advantage to choosing quotes like this is that if a word or phrase has multiple interpretations, you're far less likely to be wrong. A bit of personification that describes something in an abstract way isn't going to evoke the same reaction from everyone, so the examiner will struggle to argue with your own personal response to it (as long as you argue it well). It can also be good to explore the different ways in which the same quote could be interpreted, as this demonstrates a good level of understanding.

Another thing I look for in a quote is how much there is to talk about. How long of a paragraph, how deep of an analysis could you get from this quote? As a rule, the imagery I've just spoken about tends to lend itself well to this because, as I mentioned, it can have multiple interpretations. But many other techniques used by the writer can be good for this. The more you can talk about the quote the better, because this is how you show the examiner that you have a strong understanding of the writes use of language and structure. Having the patience to give a deep and detailed response to one quote is more favourable than skimming over a few quotes, and we can see this from the examiner's reports.

My final tip is to pick short and snappy quotes. No one wants to be copying out sentences and sentences when they're working under timed conditions. Worst of all, the person marking your paper does not want to read this. They have already read the extract; they want to see your work! Remember that the exam is an opportunity to showcase everything you can do, so don't allow long quotes to take away from the language analysis you've been working so hard to perfect.

Good luck, and remember that practice makes perfect. The more you consciously look for language techniques and think about the writer's intentions as you read any text at all (for those of you that read for pleasure), the more naturally this skill will come to you.

Have any questions about how to prepare for your GCSE exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Addie. Addie will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Addie will answer them in these sessions.