riseandstudy:

These are just some tips I’ve learnt throughout the few years I’ve been doing Lit! Hopefully they’re somewhat helpful :) 

1. Don’t, I repeat, DO NOT depend on sparknotes/cliffnotes

When I first started doing Lit I used to rely so heavily on these websites because I was too lazy to read the book but honestly, doing this can only lead to bad outcomes so DON’T DO IT OH MY GOD

Copying/memorising from these websites is honestly way more obvious than you think and YOU WILL GET FOUND OUT and shamed for doing it, trust me. 

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t refer to these websites at all, but do so minimally and paraphrase as much as possible! NEVER copy a phrase/sentence wholesale because there’s bound to be another person in your class who’d do the same thing and you’d both get found out. 

Of course, it’s best if you just read the book and form your own thoughts. Originality is always more appreciated than bombastic words. (I’ve learnt this the hard way)

2. Always always always read model essays!

I’m not sure if all schools do this, but my teacher always gives out a stack of model essays from the top students in school. This can be extremely helpful for your revision because top students = good answers (at least for Lit). 

This is not for memorising their good vocabulary/phrases/sentences, but instead, it’s to dig out the points that are needed in a particular answer. Model essays give you the relevant points you need for a question (that’ll definitely come out for another test but phrased in a different way, this always happens omg). 

You can also compile the points that all the top students have written (for a particular question) and then rephrase and understand them all. When you see the question again, you’ll have so many points to write you probably won’t have time to include them all. 

3. READ THE BOOK 

It’s so common for people to be too lazy to read the book BUT READ THE BOOK IT’S HONESTLY A GAMECHANGER

If you really don’t have time, watch the movie if there is one. This has to do with understanding, because when you’re able to see the scenes in the book happen visually, you can sort of pick out the emotions/setting/tension etc in each scene and you can form a better answer!

This doesn’t always work though because some books are butchered by the movies eg. lord of the flies so it’s best if you read the book and use your imagination. 

When you don’t read the book, your lack of understanding really shows in your answer. You’ll then be thought of by your teacher as having a shitty answer and a shitty attitude as well so PLEASE READ THE BOOK

alright i hoped this helped! #3 is the most important so make sure u do it i can’t emphasise this enough

(via julesanimastudies)