GCSE English RevisionPod

This week, we use the same extract to look at how the writer has structured the text to interest us as a reader. Remember that magic question: when do things change and why?Here is the handout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10NfhujHJ-9H6U2f_Xiq67vgDCBtIPsgC/view?usp=sharingAnd here is the revision pack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb/view?usp=sharingFollow us on Twitter @GrevisionpodEmail us englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

In this episode, we take you through how to analyse the writer's use of language for AQA Language Paper 1, question 2.Here is a link to the handout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxXHR--EtLV6wzh-GaylEhijPm9E2lt0/view?usp=sharing And here is a link to the revision pack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb/view?usp=sharingFollow us on Twitter @GrevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, revision podders! We hope you enjoy this episode on one of Shakespeare's most interesting characters: Juliet.As ever, you can download the spectacularly helpful handout right here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8QuEjMrPD3vs21AXfSQNlzifZpP7fWl/view?usp=sharingFollow us on Twitter email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

9 episodes! 9 whole episodes--you lucky, lucky revisers! This week we look at Eric, his terrible deeds and Priestley's perhaps uncomfortable presentation of him at the play's end. Can a modern audience still relate to this message in the same way? We explore all this and more. Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QrwApBkInOKM4WGgw7KNHnSAGMM957-5Email us englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter Visit our website

This episode we look at the role of pride in the older Birling's failure to learn Priestley's message. To what extent does their belief that they are simply better than Eva Smith play into their eventual downfall?Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I4fZP777l36PfgXRvlK_LOVHTjlemESu/view?usp=sharingEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter And find all our materials on our website

We look at how through the depiction of Eva Smith and, to a lesser extent, Sheila, Priestley's play argues that the treatment of women is one of the many things that much change if we want to make a better world.Download the all important hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i4ZexcizI-ySIVWPkwC07Tww45B5PTj7Follow us on Twitter Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd access all our other podcasts at our website here

We explore how Gerald, in spite of having some fragments of good within him, ultimately is unable to learn the lessons he needs to learn. Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1z29wWoIZEoXlIFb_y0AQN0lu4PjGBV9NFollow us on Twitter Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd access all our resources and podcasts on our website

We explore the way Dickens presents the disastrous consequences, both for ourselves and others, of not taking social responsibility but also the chance for redemption if we do take it. Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodDownload the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tWhJSMQT1RZ8EaTNZ4LsJpNIL8bFyPHX/view?usp=drivesdkEmail us englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

What does it mean to be brave? Neither Mr Forster nor Mr Gallie have much of an idea, but thankfully Shakespeare does!Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tEDN-LstVhctUSOQHwH6Vorr4Zw-Pgn_/view?usp=drivesdkFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodemail us englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Two men of science, and yet so different... but also very similar. A man who sees himself as greater than God but also akin to Satan: Jekyll and Hyde is nothing if not full of delicious paradoxes. So sit back, download the hand out, and allow us to explore them for you. Get the hand out here: https://tinyurl.com/sddv7ku Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We hope you have all had a fantastic festive period and are super excited to get back to some hardcore revision. And what better way to start than with a look at Shakespeare's seemingly obvious portrayal of morality in 'Macbeth'? As with all RevisionPod topics, however, things are perhaps not as simple as they first seem...Download the all important hand out here: https://tinyurl.com/u6nsr4oFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Two poems today that explore the changing nature of parent child relationships, featuring one of Mr Forster’s top ten favourite words ever - you have been warned. Download the hand out here: https://tinyurl.com/y2qsrszkEmail: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter @Grevisionpod Englishrevisionpod.co.uk

Welcome back podders! After a beautiful summer break, we hope you are all ready to get your teeth into some serious revision. This week, we embark on the other AQA poetry cluster: Love and Relationships. Specifically, we have a look at this summer's exam question and talk about how doomed (or perhaps not) romantic feelings are reflected in the bleak landscape of the two poems.As ever, you can download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r0bUu4KL3Jczxm3LshbWnR_oEQ-kHeSzEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter @grevisionpod

In the absence of his dear friend Mr Forster, Mr Gallie takes you through everything you need for Language Paper 2, Question 5. Download the all-important pack right here: https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9Click here for examples of opinion based writing: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/commentisfreeAnd click here for some great speeches:https://americanrhetoric.com/Follow us @GRevisionpod Email us englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Almost there! Keep on revising, revisers. Here’s a podcast to help you where we tackle AQA Language Paper 2, Question 4. Download the essential pack here: https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Welcome back, revisers! Today we take on AQA Language Paper 2, Question 2. You will need the revision pack which you will find here: https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Our second pod of the day looks at question 3 in AQA’s Language Paper 2 and gives you an opportunity to practise those analytical skills. You will need the revision pack which can be downloaded here: https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: Englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

In an ideal world, you would improve your writing by reading many novels over a period of many years. But do listen in to get some advice on what you can do to revise for this question.The handout is crucial this week: https://tinyurl.com/y46ovdrxAnd do also download the general Language Paper 1 revision guide: https://tinyurl.com/y4uganwuFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Hope you are all feeling good and ready for literature paper 2 tomorrow. Here is a last minute podcast to help you out. Best of luck! Follow us @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Best of luck for tomorrow! Here are some last little bits and bobs to help you with your final day’s revising. Follow us on Twitter @GRevsionpod Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

All aboard the language train. In this episode we tackle question four. Lots of marks available and we tell you how to get them!Download the essential hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_0orantjC4iKTi5CFkEQ6HWy2axgS4k3And the Paper 1 revision pack here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-SbFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comHappy revising

It’s time to step back, waaaaay back. So far back that you can observe the overall shape and structure of the extract. Put down your language analysis microscope, step back and enjoy the view. Forget about the effect of individual words and phrases and think about where the writer is pointing that focus and where and why that changes. Sounds like fun... right? Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comDownload the handout below: https://tinyurl.com/yxnxk4bnAnd a revision guide for Language Paper 1: https://tinyurl.com/y4uganwu

It’s time to make the leap—the leap across borders and boundaries into a new world both beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. That’s right, we speak, of course, about the leap from literature to language. This week we tackle AQA language paper one, question two. Make sure you download the resources below as you listen along; they should really help you! Here is the handout for this episode: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fZ-iYUI_CzkxrA8O6anaSUJLZ2atrfU8Here is a pack going through the whole of Language Paper 1: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-SbEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodHappy revising!

Happy last day of term! A little treat to send you off on your holid... revision break! Here we take a look at perhaps the most important character in the whole play--even though we never actually see her onstage.Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodContact us englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd, of course, you can download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Bb3U1nuJPy-C87rLxgbK5coq-voIQf2X

We all need to take more responsibility--both for those around us and, equally as crucially, for our GCSE revision. This Podcast will help, perhaps not so much with the former but certainly with the latter.Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd, of course, download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vLoSqatyeHV0CO7YsrpO-gXhq5WjQHbE

Back we plunge into the murderous world of Scottish power games. This week, we take a look at Shakespeare’s presentation of Lady Macbeth. Is she a witchlike being, consumed completely by evil thoughts, or a victim of a cruel patriarchal society? Or perhaps a bit of both? Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd, of course, download the all important hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DZ7ZB2lpyblHzGD7MP01XaEEx1oAWo0F

A man governed by fate or an ambitious demon who makes his own choices? But enough about Mr Forster, today we are looking at an essay about choice in 'Macbeth'.You will also learn about our favourite weather systems. N.B. if you go to the school where we teach, your text is 'Romeo and Juliet' so ignore this pod!Follow us on Twitter @grevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comDownload the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wO9izQ9fUI2dPirD32R-fUlzDJonwH8p

For the third time, we plunge into murky waters aboard the good ship Unseen Poetry. This week's poem features some quite explicit material, although it is nowhere near as disgusting as Mr Forster’s onomatopoeia and for this we can only apologise. Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd download not one, but two(!) hand outs below: Here is the handout for analysing any unseen poem: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-And here is the handout for the two poems we are looking at today: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hUo1tjXDHilimAXHREOPaTMpyYduZ0-b

Unseen poetry round two! Make sure you pause the podcast and have a go at analysing the poem before you listen to us to make sure you get the full unseen experience. Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comDownload the two hand outs below: Here is the handout on how to analyse any unseen poem: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-Here is the handout looking at the unseen question we study today: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ymcuuIfduo-urgAwMCl2YKCst-WOlu0u

It's big, it's bold, it's fresh... it's unseen. New format this week to help you with the skills you need to face the unseen poetry section of your literature exams. Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodemail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd download the two... that's right! TWO handouts here:How to analyse unseen poetry: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-Today's handout on two unseen poems about love: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mauMZUXuSentMnjQm_UT-8DuqBd8H7dH

We made it! It's been a journey, one filled with endless power struggles and conflict... and that was just us arguing over who got to host the pod. Our final Power and Conflict pod looks at the representation of identity in 'Checking Out Me History' and 'The Emigree'. Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd, of course, you can download the all important hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S_0rICZVi5e_X1zU1gjHnU16qAucvKh1

We are almost there! Keep with us, dear listener, as we near the end of our journey into power and conflict. This week, we look at the presentation of regret in both 'Remains' and 'War Photographer'.Follow us on Twitter @GRevisionpodEmail us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd, of course, download the all important handout here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_1iFcsSjkGUA9W7lvilq4ORn9n6ox-OU

Happy half term! What better way to relax than by easing your worries about the hardest (and, arguably, the worst--at least according to Mr Forster) poem in the anthology: 'Tissue'? Will you let the 'light / shine through' your revision notes? Will the pages of your anthology be 'smoothed and stroked / and thinned to be transparent' as you stress over what these poems explore? Never fear, that is why we are here. Listen to our podcast and download the handout to jot down notes as you go.Download the handout here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eENbBZvEsYQSeZ3E5NCF3tQ0nVJ1wTKv

Happy half term! Enjoy your time off but don't slack off that all important revision. Here's a little something to help you. This episode, we look at how we would compare the chaos and confusion of war in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' and 'Bayonet Charge'. They both have 'charge' in the title for goodness sake! What more do you want?Download the hand out here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F7yp37OekgFN0fKBpKq0s08-FQEvZ5P7 Contact us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter @GRevisionpod

Welcome to your Monday dose of GCSE English RevisionPod. Today we look at how power can be abused, and we're not just talking about the fact that Mr Forster has seized control of the podcast! Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZtcIc4W1rJoXazcHZ8t-yrJdFGZ2mNyDAnd you can contact us at gcserevisionpod@gmail.com

Happy mocks day to those of you who have just got your results! Today we continue our whirlwind ride through Power and Conflict, looking at the way nature is represented as both beautiful and dangerous. How does one stand tall in the face of a storm? Why, by sticking together of course--something Wordsworth might wish he had known before setting out on that little boat! Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-irQbtl1k-L-q-4laia-irL3vmr6EZsyAnd contact us at gcserevisionpod@gmail.com

This next two episodes of GCSE Revision Pod are going to work slightly differently. Mr Forster and Mr Gallie take the same poem, 'Kamikaze', and explore two different ways of answering the same question. Hopefully this will show how important it is to think about multiple different ways that you would connect the poems in this section of the anthology together. In this episode, Mr Gallie argues that there are enough links between 'Kamikaze' and 'War Photographer' to make a fantastic essay. Mr Forster will be presenting an alternative argument in the next pod... Whose will be better? You decide.Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TrDoQJSn4uts_YHwGVjQruJWFnpEVwxY

Two podcasts in one day! You lucky, lucky people. As promised, Mr Forster now has a go at exactly the same question that Mr Gallie did earlier. It's not a competition (Of course! But we would like to know which one you preferred ;)). Instead, what we hope to show is that having multiple ideas for the same poem is the best way to approach the exam. The more slightly different comparisons you have revised, the more potential questions you will be ready for! Download the hand out here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CoLlAfRn5trqA9bakuaAk4nypct9WgNKContact us at englishrevisonpod@gmail.com

This week on GCSE Revision Pod, we delve into the world of poetry. With two texts to cover, the analysis comes thick and fast (two words sometimes used to describe Mr Gallie and Mr Forster, respectively) so make sure you have downloaded the hand out here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OUlawxj14tpeeKdEjHJkXS-Gxgxm6ugg

Welcome back to Dickensian London -- a world that Mr Forster wishes he was from. As we delve back into the miserly behaviour of Scrooge, we examine how one would write a top level essay exploring change. Find out how both oysters and flint may seem hard and lonely but offer sparks (pun definitely intended) of optimism, how light and heat ultimately must overcome the cold that seems to emanate from Scrooge's very being and how if we are to truly change, we must embrace our past, present and future. Happy studying!As ever you can download the hand out here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=13Sgcrt8rYdq-jBgTaOwY4DiT8NqH71HoAnd you can contact us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

What better way to spend Friday evening than getting deep into the heart of J.B. Priestley's didactic drama 'An Inspector Calls'? None, I hear you cry, and right you are! Find out in this episode how the Inspector functions as a mouthpiece for Priestley to the extent that it is as if the author himself has wandered into the pages, what the word 'quasi' means and how one tiny word hidden in the stage directions could be the key to you bringing home the big marks! You can download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=15rsDlF3l2eT0hJyZ3C248vms_8GGkL-y And you can contact us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

In our second exploration of J. B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', Mr Gallie and Mr Forster look at how class division is presented as the root of society's problems. From the comfort of the recording studio (A.K.A. Mr Forster's car), we evaluate how Priestley shows a world in which those with privilege never look down at those they could help, and instead think only of climbing further up the twin ladders of profit and status. Titanic comes up more than it should, and Mr Forster (much like a modern day Mrs Birling) mocks Mr Gallie's 'provincial' ways. Download the hand out here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qhmIE2PTWZjyyzd2C3SBPd95AvUgaTBQContact us here: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

In our first exploration of J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', we look at how young people -- young people like your good selves -- are the only hope we have for the future. Through the character of Sheila, we see how having a capacity to change is one of the most important attributes a human can possess. Though her actions may have been horrible, she at least shows the ability to learn and take responsibility. Does this redeem her? That's for you to decide.https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VlmkD3UExJXUoQMt_Ku0vOjXcZiJyhxg

In our third delve into the duplicitous world of Jekyll and Hyde, we find out that Utterson is perhaps not all he seems. Is this man indeed the bastion of Victorian decency, willing to go to any length to help his friends or is there, as with so much in the novella, a hidden side to him? We also explore the shocking revelation that Mr Forster sympathises with the 'boring' member of the group who would much rather be reading a book than out having fun...As ever, the hand out, complete with all your revision needs is right here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zBl8OwISKIgdE80ua8cHxIivgn9Y0xY0/view

It's a new year, and what better way to celebrate than another journey into Dickensian London? Find out why even though Scrooge has seen the light by the end of the novella, his Christmas preparation would still have been disastrous - the man clearly knows nothing about cooking times - and how the Cratchits' Christmas Day glass issues have never really gone away. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18xBR3WJ_L95twFwJ_z5PhmtiVD6mvd24/view?usp=sharing

In the sixth episode of GCSE RevisionPod, recorded in the luxurious surroundings of Mr Forster's car, we delve deep into the miserly world of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Find out why money truly doesn't make you happy, how trees can sometimes represent all that is wrong with the world, while fires, by way of contrast, can depict the best sides of humanity -- thankfully no trees end up on fire or who knows what the imagery would mean!As ever, you can download the RevisionPod handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElvZs735P2ItXqkP5zhCtgpisYVATicd/view?usp=sharing

In the fifth edition of RevisionPod, Mr Gallie and Mr Forster look at the importance of place in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Find out why the end of term brings out every teacher's inner Hyde, why London was once a labyrinthine nightmare that played host to all sorts of terrible debauchery and why you should most certainly never judge a book by its cover (or a man by his house).Download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBITO6-NHnSjQTTOGvMXD-FgmrQ9sho6/view?usp=sharing

In the fourth edition of GCSE RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie celebrate that Friday feeling with a trip into the depths of Victorian London. Find out why Hyde is not actually an outsider (and why that frightens the Victorians so much!), why being ugly could be considered a criminal offence back then, and hear the brutal tale of Mr Forster channeling his inner Hyde by snapping a leg on the rugby field. Download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14g4mjdfbCHt3hWwOT-bZ5xdHn37uvXUQ/view?usp=sharing

In the third episode of GCSE English RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie get all sad as they explore broken families in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Find out why Juliet faces a decision very similar to that of Rose in Titanic, why Lord Capulet perhaps isn't quite as bad as you thought (although he is still pretty bad!) and why a deeper reading of the play shows how family is just another inevitable victim of the violence of Verona (boo!). Download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1euAMVvmRoGbp_kPoX10KRfcIV-vON9lx/view?usp=sharing

In the second episode of RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie discuss how to write an essay on the one question that fills every GCSE student with fear: Mercutio. Find out why Romeo's best friend would have failed his biology exams and how Mr Forster would write a poem about Mr Gallie, if he were a sixteenth century poet (which he basically is). Oh, and learn how you can take ownership of your most feared topic and turn it into one you are actually hoping and praying will come up. Download handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bkVl84GIjXbeKild450WSvm3ynk1g8A8/view?usp=sharing

In the first episode of RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie discuss how to write an essay on perhaps the most important theme in 'Romeo and Juliet': Love. Find out why Mr Forster thinks that Romeo is a mix of Rhianna and Adam from Love Island, and why Mr Gallie thinks he can hear heartbeats in the words. Download the handout here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JglcJ9GAyQXx4AWBrrnc5NypNPxqSfuQ/view?usp=sharing