Do you have any exam tips to help with English literature exams?

Success in exams is rooted in good preparation and well structured revision. It is important to remember that not all techniques will work well for you as we all have different ways of learning and interacting with material that suits us best. Therefore, a very important part of the process involves self-evaluation: working out which methods suits you best and being honest with yourself when something is not working! That being said there are a number of generic methods that everyone should be using in their preparations and in the exam hall:
Past Papers: becoming familiar with the format of the exam and structuring your response to make the most of your time is the best preparation you can get! simulating the exam experience will also help reduce nerves when your faced by the real thing. Reading the question: all though this sounds simple it is extremely important that you carefully read the question in order to gauge exactly what the examiner is looking for. I recommend annotating the question, underlining key words and using this to form your plan.Planning your essay: It can sometimes feel like the best thing to do is write as much as possible. However, a shorter piece of writing that is well structured with an argument that flows will always impress an examiner more than pages and pages of waffle. Before beginning to write take the time to write out you main points and make sure to refer back to the question to help inform your structure. For example, many English exams will require you to argue between two points of view, this is can then be used in your structure. A common structure in the case above would be to focus each paragraph on one point of view and then to alternate between the two positions with each paragraph. In your writing and your planning remember always to follow the SSE (State Support Explain) or PEE (Point Evidence Explain) methods. This should be fundamental to all your writing in English literature and should always be in the back of your mind.