The coursework you are expected to complete will depend upon the exam board your school has chosen for you. Whichever board you choose, written coursework will be worth 20% of your final mark. This is added to the 20% which you get for speaking and listening, and the 60% you get for your exam to determine your final grade.



Whatever board you do you will be doing something on Shakespeare, Pre-Twentieth Century Literature, and some Personal Writing. You may also find yourself writing on ethnic minority authors, something based on the media or doing a poetry analysis.

Find out deadlines and try to stick with them! Coming back to do the Shakespeare coursework you should have done 6 months ago is going to be a problem. How much of it will you remember? Will you have the resources that were provided for you at the time? Also, if you leave things until the last minute you won't be able to take the next piece of advice.

Take your time! Don't rush these pieces, they are important. Don't feel that one draft is sufficient even the greatest writers have to edit and redraft. A piece of coursework should evolve and there is nothing to stop you coming back to it again at anytime in the course to iron out any wrinkles and to improve it. Remember your English skills in year 11 should be considerably sharper than they were in year 10, so have another look at that piece of original writing you did last year.

Use your teacher! You teacher is your greatest ally in getting a good grade. They are on your side (honestly) and no amount of web surfing is going to improve your coursework more than 15 minutes spent with your teacher discussing your work. They know your strengths and weaknesses and they will tailor their advice to suit you. If you want to know how to improve your grades you MUST ask.