How to Achieve an A* in A-Level English Literature

A-Level English Literature demands close textual analysis, confident argumentation, and a deep engagement with literary contexts and critical interpretations. To achieve an A*, students must demonstrate an ability to read perceptively, write analytically, and offer original insights grounded in evidence and theory.

This guide is tailored to help you meet those expectations and develop the habits and skills needed to secure the highest grade.

Understand the Specification and Assessment Objectives

Each exam board (e.g. AQA, OCR, Edexcel, Eduqas) assesses students using similar core Assessment Objectives (AOs). Understanding these is essential.

Key AOs (AQA as an example):

• AO1: Articulate informed, personal responses using appropriate literary terminology.
• AO2: Analyse writers’ methods and how they shape meanings.
• AO3: Demonstrate understanding of the significance of contexts.
• AO4: Explore connections across texts.
• AO5: Explore alternative interpretations and critical perspectives.

You should know how each AO is weighted in your exams and apply them directly in both essays and coursework.

Know Your Set Texts Inside Out

Depth of knowledge is vital. You must go beyond surface-level summaries and engage with language, structure, theme, and context.

How to Deepen Your Knowledge:

• Read each text multiple times, annotating as you go.
• Create detailed notes on:
  • Themes (e.g. love, power, identity, death)
  • Character development
  • Form and structure (e.g. soliloquies, flashbacks, narrative perspective)
  • Language features and motifs
  • Context (historical, social, political, biographical)

Suggested Revision Tools:

• Character and theme mind maps
• Timeline of plot events
• Quote banks organised by theme
• Context sheets
• Critical reading notes 

Master Essay Writing Technique

Strong essay technique is key to achieving the top grades. Your responses must be analytical, well-structured, and insightful.

Essay Structure:

Introduction:

• Briefly outline your argument.
• Refer to the question directly.
• Identify key themes and ideas you will explore.

Main Paragraphs:

• Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence.
• Embed and analyse textual evidence.
• Address at least two AOs per paragraph (especially AO2 and AO3).
• Incorporate critics or alternative interpretations (AO5) when relevant.

Conclusion:

• Return to the question and reinforce your main argument.
• Avoid repetition; offer a final thought or implication.

Style Tips:

• Avoid storytelling. Focus on analysis over narration.
• Use precise literary terminology (e.g. enjambment, assonance, anagnorisis).
• Ensure your argument is clear and consistent throughout.

Use Critical Perspectives and Literary Theory

To reach A*, you must move beyond your own opinion and engage with a range of critical interpretations.

Common Approaches:

• Feminist: Examining gender roles and representations.
• Marxist: Analysing class, power, and ideology.
• Psychoanalytic: Exploring unconscious motivations and symbolism.
• Postcolonial: Addressing race, empire, and cultural identity.
• Reader-response: Considering how meaning changes based on the reader.

How to Use Criticism Effectively:

• Quote critics sparingly and selectively.
• Use criticism to build or challenge your argument.
• Avoid long quotations; instead, summarise key views in your own words.

For coursework and higher-level essays, reference well-known scholars (e.g. Harold Bloom, Sandra Gilbert, Terry Eagleton), but don’t force them in where they don’t belong.

Engage with Context Thoughtfully

Context (AO3) must be integrated, not bolted on. Avoid general historical background and instead show how the context shapes the text’s meaning.

Example Approaches:

• Shakespeare and Jacobean beliefs about kingship (e.g. Macbeth)
• Post-war trauma in modern poetry (e.g. Larkin, Duffy, Hughes)
• Gender norms and social status in Austen or Brontë

Ask yourself: What was the writer responding to? How might contemporary audiences have reacted? How do those contexts shape the language or themes?

Compare Texts Effectively (for Comparative Questions)

If your specification includes comparison (e.g. in poetry, prose, or drama), you must draw meaningful links throughout the essay,  not just in the conclusion.

Comparison Techniques:

• Link by theme, form, or context.
• Avoid a "block" structure; instead, compare paragraph by paragraph.
• Use comparative connectives: "similarly", "in contrast", "unlike", "both texts reveal..."

Focus on comparing writers' methods as well as ideas.

Excel in the NEA (Non-Exam Assessment / Coursework)

The NEA is often 20% of your final grade. It is your opportunity to pursue an independent line of literary investigation and demonstrate sustained analysis.

Coursework Tips:

• Choose texts that you genuinely enjoy and that link well together thematically or stylistically.
• Include detailed analysis of methods, not just themes.
• Reference at least two critical perspectives.
• Show understanding of different interpretations (AO5).
• Structure your essay clearly, with a strong line of argument.

Ensure your title is focused and analytical (e.g. “The Use of Setting as a Reflection of Emotional Isolation in Jane Eyre and The Bell Jar”).

Proofread your work carefully, and adhere to word limits and referencing conventions (e.g. MLA or Harvard style).

Practise Past Papers and Act on Feedback

There is no substitute for writing under timed conditions and refining your essays based on teacher or examiner feedback. You can find all the available past exam papers on Revision World.

Practical Revision Tasks:

• Write and redraft past essay questions.
• Create essay plans for common themes (e.g. betrayal, ambition, justice).
• Use examiner reports to learn what constitutes a top-band response.
• Peer review essays and give feedback using the AOs.
• Manage your revision time by creating a revision timetable on Revision World.

Stick to your timings in practice essays, 45 minutes for most exam responses is typical.

Final Words from A* Students

• “Don’t memorise essays, understand how to adapt your knowledge to any question.”
• “Use critics to support your argument, not replace it.”
• “The more you write, the better you get so even 30-minute essay plans help.”
• “Context and methods should always link back to the question.”