Choose your next step
Personalised GCSE English tutoring
Live lessons with a teacher, planned around the topics your child finds difficult. Tutoring is arranged separately; no app membership is needed.
Enquire about GCSE English tutoringExplore GCSE English tutoring · Meet our educators · Published case studies
Parent and student membership
Explore Learning Loft’s apps for independent practice and learning at home. Membership does not include live tutoring lessons.
Compare parent and student memberships7-day free trial · Card details required · Cancel anytime before day 7.
What's on the GCSE English exam?
English Language
- Paper 1: Fiction extract — comprehension, language analysis, structure, evaluation, plus descriptive or narrative writing.
- Paper 2: Two non-fiction texts — comprehension, summary, language analysis, comparison, plus transactional writing (article, letter, speech).
- Spoken Language Endorsement: A presentation with Q&A, graded Pass / Merit / Distinction. Reported separately on the certificate.
English Literature
- A Shakespeare play (typically Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or An Inspector Calls' alternatives).
- A 19th century novel (A Christmas Carol, Jekyll and Hyde, Great Expectations).
- Modern drama or prose (An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Flies, DNA).
- A poetry anthology cluster plus unseen poetry comparison.
The four assessment objectives explained
GCSE English marks come down to four assessment objectives. Knowing which AO each question targets is the single fastest way to gain marks.
- AO1: Identify and interpret information.
- AO2: Analyse language, form and structure (including subject terminology).
- AO3: Compare writers' ideas and perspectives across texts.
- AO4: Evaluate texts critically with textual references.
How to revise GCSE English (a 6-week plan)
- Weeks 1–2: Re-read every set text. Note 10 key quotes per text linked to themes.
- Week 3: Practise comprehension and language analysis under timed conditions.
- Week 4: Drill comparison (AO3) using paired non-fiction texts.
- Week 5: Write one full creative piece + one transactional piece per day. Mark against AOs.
- Week 6: Past papers in full exam conditions. Use LoftTick to identify which AO is costing you marks.
Smart marking for English revision
LoftTick is built for English teachers. Upload your mark scheme, snap a photo of a pupil's response, and receive AO-tagged feedback in seconds. It never assigns a final grade — that judgement stays with you — but it shows exactly which sentence achieved which descriptor and what the next-band response would look like.
Free English revision resources
Browse our LoftLibrary for curated 19th-century extracts with comprehension questions, or use LoftTest for retrieval quizzes on every set text.