GCSE English Coursework Guide
Suggestions for GCSE English Coursework
Writing GCSE English Coursework is a process of learning to critique literature. Read other critics’ opinion by all means, but learn to form you own. Keep the tone objective, when you make an assertion you must support it with examples as illustrated bellow.
There are several approaches for writing the coursework:
- You can write it like an argumentative essay. For instance, “Despite its dismissal as a mere popular genre, science fiction can be an ideal means to study human civilisation. Anthropologists believe that by exploring a new and alien culture we learn more about our own, which a subtle tactic used by this genre. Take for example, Douglas Adam’s introduction to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where he satirises the importance given to money and technology by humans.”
- You can structure it like a critical essay. For instance, “The character of Amelia Sedley in the novel Vanity Fair is not sufficiently developed and thus fails to evoke the stirrings of pity in the reader. Her passive suffering through a range of misfortunes, such her father’s penury, husband’s death and in-laws’ indifference, seem to pale in comparison to the fascinating manipulative machinations of Becky Sharp, and thus Amelia seems but a footnote in the plot. Yet one can see that there was so much more potential to make her more intriguing, as seen with her change of heart after Dobbin confronts her, but perhaps Thackeray did not want to detract from the arresting presence of Becky Sharp.”
- Another approach is to write GCSE English Coursework like an informative essay. For instance, “Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is the epitome of the bildungsroman genre. The novel begins with a put-upon yet steadfast Jane, who is self-contained and possessed with an equanimity that is rather disturbing to others. As a Lowood student, we see how these qualities shape her experiences and marvel at her power of quiet survival. The true test of her inner strength though, is her coming to terms with her love for Edward Rochester and the journey that she takes to forgive him and herself for mistakes that tore their wedding plans asunder.”
- One can also write a comparison essay. For instance, “Both Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Thackeray’s Vanity Fair are a reflection on how marriage was the only means of achieving social mobility for women in the Victorian era. The authors spare no sarcasm in laying bare the hypocrisies inherent in so-called civilised circles. Though Austen is more forgiving of her protagonist’s faults than Thackeray, it is Thackeray who creates a character that one can neither love nor hate. ‘Judge no one’, he seems to be cautioning, ‘as we are all prisoners of our own constructs’.”
Whatever approach you take, pick a topic that interests you and do all the requisite background reading suggested by your teacher. Don’t rely on Wikipedia for scholarly information. If you need more help, you can order GCSE English Coursework and our excellent team of writers will deliver it well within your deadline.
