GCSE Literature
Revision Guide
2009
CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
Introduction
The Literature Exam
Poetry – Duffy / Armitage (& Pre-1914)
Heaney / Clarke (& Pre-1914)
Prose – Of Mice and Men
Lord of the Flies
What Next?
OR
Heaney/Clark/Pre-1914 Poetry
Tuesday 19 May
ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES
For both sections of your literature exam, the
examiners will be looking for evidence that
you can:
• Respond to texts critically, picking out
and commenting on detailed examples
• Comment on the effects of language,
structure and form on the reader and
consider different possible
interpretations
• Make comparisons within and between
texts showing that you can explore
ways in which two or more texts can be
linked together / contrasted
The best way to prepare for the exam is to
make detailed notes and to test yourself by
doing some practice questions. We’ve
included some past papers and mark
schemes on the intranet site – don’t forget, if
you want more help, you can always ask
your teacher!?
POETRY: Duffy / Armitage or Heaney/Clarke
and Pre-1914 Poetry
Check out the next page for a full list of the KEY POEMS you
should have studied for Literature. The list shows which poems
the exam board are most likely to name in the questions they
set – so it’s well worth making sure you are confident about all
of them!
The exam board recommend that students study all 8 of the
poems by their chosen poets (Duffy/Armitage or Heaney/Clarke).
The list of Key Poems is intended to pinpoint the poems that
offer the most opportunities for comparison and which should
therefore be the focus of your revision.
Seamus Heaney / Gillian Clarke & Pre1914
Foundation
Mid term break
Baby Sitting
On the train
Follower
Digging
Catrin
Death of a Naturalist
The field Mouse
Tennyson
The Eagle
Yeats
Song of the Old Mother
Ben Jonson
On My First Sonne
John Clare
Sonnet
Higher
At a potato digging
Cold Knap Lake
Storm on the Island
A Difficult Birth
Digging
Catrin
Death of a Naturalist
The field Mouse
Walt Whitman
Patrolling Barnegat
Wordsworth
The Affliction of Margaret
Ben Jonson
On My First Sonne
John Clare
Sonnet
Carol Ann Duffy / Simon Armitage & Pre1914
Foundation
Stealing
My father thought it
Salome
November
Elvis’ Twin Sister
Kid
Havisham
The Hitcher
Thomas Hardy
The Man he killed
Yeats
Song of the Old Mother
Ben Jonson
On My First Sonne
Browning
The Laboratory
Higher
Anne Hathaway
Mother, any distance
Before you were mine
Homecoming
Stealing
Kid
Havisham
The Hitcher
Shakespeare
Sonnet 130
Browning
My Last Duchess
Ben Jonson
On My First Sonne
Browning
The Laboratory
Carol Ann Duffy & Simon Armitage
Seamus Heaney & Gillian Clarke
PROSE: Of Mice and Men
Lord of the Flies
Now, what was it they
said?…Ah yes,
SPEND 45 MINUTES
on this section…what
do I for the rest of the
time then?
In SECTION A you will have a choice of 2 questions about
the PROSE text that you have been studying in class…
When you open the question paper, you will have to look
for the questions based on the text you have been
studying…
This will be either Of Mice and Men, or I’m the King of the
Castle or AQA Short Stories
DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS ON BOOKS YOU HAVE
NOT STUDIED! (you’d be amazed how many people do!?)
Whichever text you have been studying, the examiners will be
asking you the same kind of questions. You will need to know your
book really well as you will be expected to have a clear
understanding of:
•
•
•
•
Characters / characterisation
Themes / ideas
Structure
Writer’s use of language
Start by writing a summary of each chapter (or story if you’re doing
the AQA short stories) and make sure for each one you have
made notes on each of the topics listed above!
You will NOT be allowed to take your own copy of the text into the
exam. A CLEAN COPY will be given to you in the exam hall!
JOHN STEINBECK
“The best laid schemes o’ mice and men
Gang aft agley
And leave us nought but grief and pain
For promised joy”
‘To a Mouse’ Robert Burns
William Golding
‘Fancy thinking the Best was something you could hunt
and kill!’ said the head. For a moment or two, the forest
and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the
parody of laughter. ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of
you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go!
Why things are what they are!’
Chapter 8, Gift for the Darkness
Sample Exam questions
Poetry (Higher)
Poetry (Foundation)
Prose (Higher)
Prose (Foundation)
Now that you have worked your way through
the activities in this booklet you should test
your progress by logging on to the BBC
Bitesize website at www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
A full copy of the current specification for
GCSE English Literature (3712) and complete
mark schemes are also available from
www.aqa.org.uk where you will also find a
student zone which is dedicated to answering
any last minute questions you might have.
Good luck!