Achieving a grade 9 in GCSE English Language requires a clear strategy, consistent habits, and a strong understanding of what the exam demands. In this article, Florence has compiled some useful insights and guidance on how best to prepare for the GCSE English Language exam along with her top tips for achieving a Grade 9.
How hard is it to get a 9 in the GCSE English Language?
It is obviously not easy to get a top grade in any subject at GCSE. Where English is concerned, the likelihood of achieving the top grade tends to depend on four factors: the quality, variety, and consistency of your reading; the effort which you have put into learning English as a language, i.e. SPAG; the extent to which you have practised writing; and your exam technique.
It is often the case that students don’t really think about learning English as a language as they would, say, French, as they usually have native or near-native spoken fluency in the subject. The four major skills in language learning are speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and the latter two are chiefly tested in the English Language GCSE. To get a 9, generally speaking, you need to be adept at analysing non-fictional as well as fictional sources, and skilled at writing both creatively and with a more practical purpose in mind. You need to be able to recognise and potentially put together different types of writing. Do you know what a letter looks like (no, it is not the same as an email), for example? Read articles, blogs, speeches (you can listen to these, too), novels…
What percentage of students get a 9 in GCSE English Language?
In 2024, 782,080 people took the GCSE English Language in England. 2.3% of candidates scored a 9, while 4.8% achieved an 8. Almost a quarter of candidates were awarded a 3.
If you are interested in exploring GCSE data further, have a look at the Ofqual website.
Best techniques to revise for GCSE English Language
The key areas for revision are reading, SPAG, and writing.
If you are not already reading about subjects that interest you in English on a daily basis, start now.
Reading aids the following: reading fluency, vocabulary building, understanding of SPAG, recognition of forms and styles of writing…. These are just a few of the benefits that you can gain from reading for just five minutes per day (to start off with). It is essential to think of reading as a habit, like cleaning your teeth. Strong and reliable language fluency is built like this (consider how babies and children build their skill, with short bits of practice every day). The tricky part is that it is hard to notice the benefits of reading while you are doing it and the changes are so subtle and gradual that you may not notice them much at all, until suddenly you think… OH. I have better words at my fingertips to write this description (for example). Channel your discipline and trust in the reading process.
When preparing for the exam, you also need to think about SPAG, i.e. spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Are you confident that you can spell well generally and have a range of high-register vocabulary that you can call to mind? Do you know how to use the major punctuation marks with a good degree of accuracy? These include commas, apostrophes, speech marks, colons, and semi-colons. Does your grammar need a brush-up? Your examiner will be very pleased if your writing is clear, precise, and accurate.
To write better, it is a good idea to think carefully about how you plan your written work and practise planning as much as you can. Planning well ensures that you are answering the question and have a clear structure in mind before you start writing. It also gives you the opportunity to think through and order your ideas. For the GCSE English Language, you will need to practise different types of planning as the requirements for each question tend to vary quite a lot.
Finally, take your writing practice at school seriously (this can be in subjects other than English, as well as English itself). Every task is an opportunity to improve your skills.
Schools do not commonly teach SPAG or writing skills on a consistent basis and it may be a good idea to request support with these aspects of the GCSE.
How to plan revision for GCSE English Language
If you don’t have much time, my advice would be to go over some past papers. Make sure you are clear about how they are timed and the types of question that you will be asked. You could then practice answering the questions in sequence and following the instructions of each one very carefully. Finally, you could do some general practice question planning, to help generate ideas and get clear on how you would structure answers to the different questions.
Planning GCSE revision can be a bit of a headache, as there are so many subjects and exams to juggle. You might find it useful to download and/or print out a calendar for your revision and exam weeks/months. Once you have input all your exam dates, you can work out how many days you have for revision leading up to each exam. You can then divide the days between your subjects. Once you know how many days you have for the English Language GCSE, you can think through what you need to cover. You probably won’t have as much time to revise as you imagined. Prioritising the revision of key skills is essential.
Read more of our tips for GCSE revision
GCSE English Language exam techniques to get a grade 9
I find that the simplest mistakes in exam technique are usually what keep students from getting a top grade. Namely, not answering the question and not being clear about the terms in the question.
To be successful at exams, it is crucial to do what they ask you to do. You have to follow the instructions in the questions to the letter. Often, students will over-interpret a question, write something that sort-of relates to it, or write something irrelevant that they think is important for whatever reason. If the question asks you to write about language and structure in lines 10-20 of the excerpt, you must write about language AND structure (not just language!) and ONLY about lines 10-20. If you write about the character portrayal in line 25, you won’t get any marks at all, no matter how insightful and beautifully written your paragraph.
The other problem that frequently occurs is that students don’t fully understand the terms of the questions set. Before you sit your GCSE English Language, you need to have looked at a number of past papers and familiarised yourself with the kind of language used for questions. Do you know the difference between discussion and explanation? Are you comfortable writing about the structure of a text? What is structure? Would you know the difference in format and style between an article and a blog, for example, if you were asked to write one?
Key findings from past examiners reports for GCSE English Language
GCSE exams are fairly standardised across the different boards to ensure that the qualification carries the same weight, no matter how you have been examined. If you know your exam board (for example, AQA), it is obviously best to look at reports from AQA first. However, you can look at examiner reports from any board to get a good sense of what is required from you. You can also ask teachers and tutors to help you access, read, and interpret examiner reports.
Key findings for the GCSE English Language with OCR from recent years are as follows:
Candidates did well if they…
- Read source texts with care
- Closely followed the questions
- Were able to discuss the form of a text, not just its content
- Commented on short and relevant quotations
- Recognised and discussed literary techniques, such as metaphor, with precision
- Took care with SPAG and paragraphing
- Wrote with a clear structure
GCSE English Tutors
With tutors based in London and available online to families around the world, Keystone is one of the UK’s leading private tutoring organisations. Find out more about our GCSE English Tutors and IGCSE English Tutors.