People often say you can’t revise for English. I know that isn’t true, but it seems really hard – you can’t just learn loads of vocab, or long lists of equations. What’s a good way to revise English efficiently?

In an English exam you can’t just rattle off everything you know and expect to get marks. You need to be able put your knowledge to work on the question at hand if you want to get the best possible grade. So the best way to do your revision is with that in mind.

For an A level exam, that means separating your notes on each text into the areas that the exam assesses (known as ‘assessment objectives’ or ‘AOs’). These are usually textual knowledge and quotations that you’ll need to learn by heart (AO2), knowledge of the historical and cultural context in which the text resides (AO4), and things that relate to the debate surrounding the text (AO3). It’s often really helpful to have separate notes for each of these, so you can feel really confident that you know the right things for the particular exam you’re doing. I can help you out with each of these AOs individually if you like – careful engagement with them can really take your essays to the next level (and increase your chances of an A*).

Once you’ve got all your points well organised, you can begin to memorise them. It might seem artificial, but as you go over them you’ll be able to make connections between the points in your head, and you’ll end up with a really clear body of knowledge about all the relevant aspects of each text. Remember, it’s not just what you know, it’s how you use it – this should stand you in great stead for your exam!