Topical revision checklist for AQA UK GCSE (9–1) English Language — specification 8700. Track confidence for each topic and sub-topic; aligned to 2026 specification headings. Rate your confidence (1–5) for each specification topic.
Start from the official AQA GCSE resource page (notes, videos, practice questions, AI quizzes), or open this subject’s topic dashboard and past papers. Below are portal links for each AQA GCSE course we host (also listed in our Past Paper Finder).
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Reading 20th- or 21st-century fiction extract | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Identifying information and ideas (Q1) | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Analysing language: vocabulary, sentence forms, devices (Q2) | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Analysing structure: openings, shifts, focus (Q3) | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Evaluating writers' methods and impact (Q4) | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Descriptive or narrative writing (Q5) | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Vocabulary, sentence variety and figurative language | ||||
| 1. Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing | Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Comparing two non-fiction texts (19th-century + 20th/21st-century) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Identifying true / false statements (Q1) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Summarising differences between texts (Q2) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Analysing language for effect (Q3) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Comparing writers' viewpoints and methods (Q4) | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Transactional writing: letter, article, speech, leaflet | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Adapting register, audience and form | ||||
| 2. Paper 2: Writers' viewpoints and perspectives | Crafting introductions, paragraphs and conclusions | ||||
| 3. Spoken Language Endorsement | Preparing a presentation on a chosen topic | ||||
| 3. Spoken Language Endorsement | Responding to questions and feedback | ||||
| 3. Spoken Language Endorsement | Using Standard English appropriately | ||||
| 3. Spoken Language Endorsement | Pass / Merit / Distinction criteria | ||||
| 4. Reading skills (across both papers) | Inference and implied meaning | ||||
| 4. Reading skills (across both papers) | Identifying writer's intent and tone | ||||
| 4. Reading skills (across both papers) | Recognising language techniques (metaphor, simile, juxtaposition, etc.) | ||||
| 4. Reading skills (across both papers) | Structural features: foregrounding, time shifts, focal points | ||||
| 5. Writing technique | Planning a response under timed conditions | ||||
| 5. Writing technique | Sophisticated vocabulary and figurative language | ||||
| 5. Writing technique | Sentence variety (simple, compound, complex) | ||||
| 5. Writing technique | Paragraphing and discourse markers | ||||
| 5. Writing technique | Proofreading for accuracy |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for exam practice. Always cross-check topic coverage with your school’s route and the official board specification.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official AQA UK GCSE (9–1) English Language 8700 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
8–12 weeks of focused revision, covering 1–2 topic groups per week with weekly past-paper practice, is realistic for most GCSE / IGCSE students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 AQA UK GCSE (9–1) English Language 8700 specification published by AQA. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.