How am I supposed to remember quotations for unseen texts?

Trying to remember quotations for the exam can be one of the trickiest aspects to English Literature at A-level. For my studies, I displayed bunting around my room with key quotations from all of the texts alongside contextual/critical quotations that would also be benficial for the exam. Despite this, it is really important to not feel as though you must insert any of the quotations in the answer, just because you remember them; when answering the question, only select relevant quotations - and keep them approximately three words long. From here, you can analyse the specific words, rather than remembering long quotations to then only pick up upon a verb.

Also, it is crucial to re-read the texts as many times as you can before the exam. This ensures that the themes, characters and quotations are fresh in your mind, so that when you read a question ideas will start popping into your head immediately.

EW
Answered by Eleanor W. English Literature tutor

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