GCSE English Literature (Edexcel)

215 free revision lessons in 29 units. Open the course or go straight to a lesson.

Macbeth

Shakespeare: ambition, guilt and the supernatural

1. Context & the Jacobean World
2. Ambition & the Prophecies
3. The Murder of Duncan & Guilt
4. Banquo's Ghost & Paranoia
5. Madness, Revenge & Downfall
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

The Tempest

Shakespeare: power, magic and colonialism

1. Context & Colonialism
2. The Storm, Prospero & Ariel
3. Power Struggles & Rebellion
4. Love, Punishment & the Supernatural
5. The Masque, Forgiveness & Endings
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare: love, conflict and fate

1. Context & Elizabethan Verona
2. The Prologue, the Brawl & the Ball
3. The Balcony Scene & Secret Marriage
4. Mercutio, Tybalt & the Turning Point
5. The Potion, the Tomb & the Ending
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare: love, honour and deception

1. Context & Elizabethan Messina
2. The Soldiers Return & First Deceptions
3. The Gulling Scenes & Don John's Plot
4. Hero's Shaming & the Church Scene
5. Truth Restored & Resolution
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Twelfth Night

Shakespeare: disguise, love and identity

1. Context & Elizabethan Comedy
2. Shipwreck, Disguise & Deception
3. Love, Identity & the Triangle
4. Malvolio's Humiliation
5. Madness, Cruelty & the Dark Side
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare: justice, mercy and prejudice

1. Context & Elizabethan Venice
2. The Bond & the Bargain
3. Shylock: Villain or Victim?
4. The Casket Test & Portia
5. The Trial Scene
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

An Inspector Calls

Post-1914: responsibility, class and morality

1. Context: Priestley's Socialist Message
2. Act 1: The Birlings' World Shattered
3. Act 2: Gerald and Mrs Birling Exposed
4. Act 3: Eric, the Inspector's Speech & the Twist
5. Character Analysis: The Birlings
6. Character Analysis: Inspector Goole & Gerald
7. Key Themes
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

Hobson’s Choice

Post-1914: class, gender and independence

1. Context: Victorian Salford & Social Change
2. Act 1: Hobson's World & Maggie's Plan
3. Act 2: Willie's Transformation
4. Acts 3-4: The Power Shift
5. Character Analysis
6. Comedy, Structure & Stagecraft
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Blood Brothers

Post-1914: class divide, fate and nature vs nurture

1. Context: Class Divide in 1980s Liverpool
2. Mrs Johnstone & the Pact
3. Childhood: Mickey and Eddie Meet
4. Adolescence & Growing Apart
5. The Tragic Ending
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

Journey’s End

Post-1914: war, duty and the human cost of conflict

1. Context: WWI & the Western Front
2. Act 1: Arrival in the Trenches
3. Act 2: Tensions & the Raid
4. Act 3: The Raid, Death & the Ending
5. Character Analysis
6. Setting, Staging & Dramatic Techniques
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Animal Farm

Post-1914: power, corruption and propaganda

1. Context: The Russian Revolution & Orwell's Purpose
2. Chapters 1-3: The Rebellion
3. Chapters 4-6: Napoleon's Rise
4. Chapters 7-8: Terror & Purges
5. Chapters 9-10: The Betrayal Complete
6. Character Analysis
7. Allegory & Symbolism
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Lord of the Flies

Post-1914: civilisation, savagery and human nature

1. Context: Post-War Anxieties
2. Chapters 1-3: Arrival & Order
3. Chapters 4-6: The Beast & the Breakdown
4. Chapters 7-9: Savagery & Simon's Death
5. Chapters 10-12: The Final Descent
6. Character Analysis
7. Symbolism & Setting
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Anita and Me

Post-1914: identity, belonging and cultural conflict

1. Context: 1960s/70s Britain & Immigration
2. Part 1: Meena's World
3. Part 2: Anita Rutter
4. Part 3: Growing Apart
5. Part 4: The Ending
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

The Woman in Black

Post-1914: Gothic horror, suspense and the supernatural

1. Context: The Gothic Tradition
2. Chapters 1-4: Arthur's Journey
3. Chapters 5-8: Eel Marsh House
4. Chapters 9-12: The Truth & the Ending
5. Character Analysis
6. Atmosphere, Setting & Narrative Technique
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

The Empress

Post-1914: empire, migration and hidden histories

1. Context: British Empire & Indian Immigration
2. Arrival & Hope
3. Exploitation & Resistance
4. The Empress & Resolution
5. Character Analysis
6. Staging, Structure & Historical Drama
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Refugee Boy

Post-1914: asylum, identity and belonging

1. Context: Refugees, Asylum & Modern Britain
2. Alem's Abandonment
3. The Foster Family & School
4. The Asylum Hearing & Resolution
5. Character Analysis
6. Staging & Dramatic Techniques
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Coram Boy

Post-1914: childhood, class and moral choices

1. Context: 18th-Century England & the Foundling Hospital
2. Part 1: Meshak, Otis & the Coram Men
3. Part 2: The Foundling Hospital
4. Discovery & Resolution
5. Character Analysis
6. Structure, Setting & Narrative Technique
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Boys Don’t Cry

Post-1914: masculinity, responsibility and growing up

1. Context: Modern Britain, Masculinity & Identity
2. Dante's Story: The Baby
3. Adam's Story: Coming Out
4. Fatherhood & Sacrifice
5. The Climax & Resolution
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Jane Eyre

19th Century: independence, morality and social class

1. Context: Victorian Women & the Gothic
2. Gateshead & Lowood
3. Thornfield & Rochester
4. The Proposal & the Secret
5. Moor House & St John Rivers
6. The Reunion & Resolution
7. Character Analysis
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Great Expectations

19th Century: class, ambition and moral growth

1. Context: Victorian Class & Social Mobility
2. Pip's Childhood: Magwitch & Miss Havisham
3. Pip's Great Expectations
4. Pip's Disillusionment
5. The Ending & Pip's Redemption
6. Character Analysis
7. Settings & Symbolism
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

19th Century: duality, repression and Victorian morality

1. Context: Victorian Duality
2. Chapters 1-4: Mystery and Terror
3. Chapters 5-8: The Unravelling
4. Chapters 9-10: The Revelations
5. Character Analysis
6. Setting, Structure & Narrative
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

A Christmas Carol

19th Century: redemption, poverty and social responsibility

1. Context: Victorian Poverty & Dickens' Purpose
2. Stave 1: Scrooge & Marley's Ghost
3. Stave 2: The Ghost of Christmas Past
4. Stave 3: The Ghost of Christmas Present
5. Staves 4 & 5: Redemption
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Pride and Prejudice

19th Century: love, class and social expectations

1. Context: Regency Society & Austen's World
2. The Assembly & First Impressions
3. Wickham, Collins & Darcy's Letter
4. Pemberley & Changed Perceptions
5. Resolution & Marriage
6. Character Analysis
7. Irony, Satire & Narrative Voice
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Silas Marner

19th Century: isolation, community and redemption

1. Context: Rural England & Community
2. Silas's Exile & the Gold
3. The Theft & Eppie's Arrival
4. Eppie's Childhood & Godfrey's Secret
5. The Revelation & Resolution
6. Character Analysis
7. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Frankenstein

19th Century: creation, responsibility and the dangers of ambition

1. Context: Romanticism, Science & the Gothic
2. Walton's Frame & Victor's Ambition
3. Creation & Abandonment
4. The Creature's Story
5. Murder, Revenge & the Bride
6. The Pursuit & the Ending
7. Character Analysis
8. Key Themes & Exam Technique

Poetry: Relationships

Pearson Poetry Anthology: Relationships collection

1. Introduction & Romantic Love
2. Family & Loss
3. Complicated Love
4. Power & Control
5. Modern Love & Humour
6. Form, Structure & Language
7. Comparison Skills
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

Poetry: Conflict

Pearson Poetry Anthology: Conflict collection

1. War & the Soldier's Experience
2. The Impact of War on Others
3. Inner Conflict & Anger
4. Social Conflict & Identity
5. Destruction & Violence
6. Form, Structure & Language
7. Comparison Skills
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

Poetry: Time and Place

Pearson Poetry Anthology: Time and Place collection

1. Celebrating Place
2. Dark Places
3. Displacement & Identity
4. Memory & Loss
5. Nature & the Self
6. Form, Structure & Language
7. Comparison Skills
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

Poetry: Belonging

Pearson Poetry Anthology: Belonging collection

1. Childhood & Memory
2. Nature & Spiritual Belonging
3. Cultural Identity & Displacement
4. Home & Place
5. Voice, Language & Form
6. Comparing Romantic & Contemporary Voices
7. Comparison Skills
8. Exam Technique & Key Quotations

How to revise English Literature

• Retrieval Practice
• Spaced Repetition
• Active Recall Flashcards
• Mind Maps & Diagrams
• Timed Practice Questions
• Quote Memorisation
• Essay Planning

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