Notes on GCSE English
For students sitting the exam and the parents trying to help. What the marks are actually given for, what the data says, and what to do about it.
-
AQA Paper 2 Question 5: How to Plan a 40-Mark Answer
Read the article: AQA Paper 2 Question 5: How to Plan a 40-Mark AnswerLearn how to plan AQA Paper 2 Question 5, balance AO5 and AO6, adapt to audience and form, and write a focused 40-mark response.
-
Your five-week GCSE English resit revision plan
Read the article: Your five-week GCSE English resit revision planFive weeks is enough time to make a difference if you practise the right things. Follow this realistic AQA revision plan with short weekday sessions and one timed weekend task.
-
Ambitious Vocabulary Examples for GCSE English
Read the article: Ambitious Vocabulary Examples for GCSE EnglishSee 15 ambitious vocabulary examples for GCSE English, with precise meanings, exam-style sentences and simple ways to practise them accurately.
-
AO6 unpacked: what “a wide range of punctuation” actually means
Read the article: AO6 unpacked: what “a wide range of punctuation” actually meansWritten by a practising AQA examiner and Senior Curriculum Manager for English Most students hear “a wide range of punctuation” and translate it as: use as many different punctuation marks…
-
AQA Paper 2 Mark Scheme Explained: 2026 Format
Read the article: AQA Paper 2 Mark Scheme Explained: 2026 FormatPaper 2 moves from information and inference to language, comparison and viewpoint writing. This free guide shows what the mark scheme rewards at each stage.
-
AQA Paper 1 Mark Scheme Explained: 2026 Format
Read the article: AQA Paper 1 Mark Scheme Explained: 2026 FormatQuestions 1–5 in AQA Paper 1 reward different skills. This free student-friendly guide translates the 2026 mark scheme into clear steps, level examples and practical self-checks.
-
AO6 unpacked: what sentence demarcation actually means
Read the article: AO6 unpacked: what sentence demarcation actually meansWritten by a practising AQA examiner and Senior Curriculum Manager for English Ask a student what “sentence demarcation” means and most will guess it is a grammar term they were…
-
AQA English Language Paper 2 Question 5: Getting Form, Audience and Register Right
Read the article: AQA English Language Paper 2 Question 5: Getting Form, Audience and Register RightYou wrote for the full forty-five minutes. You had plenty to say and you said it clearly. The mark came back in the middle. What usually happened is that the…
-
AQA English Language Paper 1 Question 5: How to Write a Description
Read the article: AQA English Language Paper 1 Question 5: How to Write a DescriptionYou had forty-five minutes and you used all of them. The sky was described. There were similes. You reached for every impressive word you own — and the mark came…
-
What October half term is actually for, if your child is resitting GCSE English
Read the article: What October half term is actually for, if your child is resitting GCSE EnglishBefore half term there is an entry deadline, and most families do not know it is coming. What six days can realistically change, who an intensive week suits, who it…
-
AQA Paper 1 Question 3 (2026): How to Analyse Structure
Read the article: AQA Paper 1 Question 3 (2026): How to Analyse StructureAQA Paper 1 Question 3 changed for 2026. Learn how to analyse structure for a named effect, with weak and strong answers compared.
-
AQA Paper 1 Question 2: How to Answer It
Read the article: AQA Paper 1 Question 2: How to Answer ItLearn how to answer AQA Paper 1 Question 2, with a worked example, weak and strong answers compared, practice questions and common mistakes.