How do you do well in an AQA GCSE English Literature exam?

First thing’s first, let’s take a look at the AQA mark scheme, because that is what your marker will be following when they get your completed paper. The first thing they talk about in their mark scheme is what they are looking for from an English Literature student. 
They say, “GCSE English Literature is the study of how writers communicate their ideas about the world, and how readers might respond to these ideas”. They go on to say that they are looking for an “understanding of human nature”. 
So really, in your exam, they are looking for you to show what you have learned about the world and about human beings, through studying the literature. 

The mark scheme is broken down into Assessment Objectives (AOs). There are 4 AOs, each of which focus on a certain skill which you must demonstrate in order to get high marks. These skills are: 
AO1 is about being “critical”, questioning things. It is also about using “textual references”, like quotes, as evidence for your opinions.
AO2 is about “analysing language, form and structure”, using “terminology” where you can. It’s about answering questions like “what message does this short sentence convey?”, “what effect does that have on the reader?”.
AO3 is all about context. They want to know that you understand the context in which the literature was written, for example, they want to see that you have some knowledge about what life was like in the Elizabethan era when you’re analysing Shakespeare’s texts. 
AO4 is about writing well. Its about being the clear and using a range of vocabulary. It’s also about spelling and punctuation!

Learning these AOs can help you in the exam because you can keep coming back to them to remind yourself to slide in some terminology here and check a spelling there. In my experience they are a great way of helping ground you when you’re feeling nervous in an exam! Ultimately though, remember that what they are really looking for is evidence of your understanding of the world and of human nature through your responses to the literature.