What's New, News and Resources

Hamlet quiz: the readiness is all

By Reverie Black

Variety is the spice of…revision?

Five top tips for spicing up your revision sessions

By Mike Gould

You call the shots: Teaching ideas for the world’s ‘most popular’ British poem

The Great Gatsby and contemporary politics

By Dr Deborah Madden

Ian McEwan, Atonement

By Professor Betty Jay

Wuthering Heights and the history of Gothic fiction

By Professor Joseph Crawford

The power of writing and the danger of thinking in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four

By Professor Claire Allen

Frailty thy name is woman

By Professor Carole Maddern

Wuthering Heights: Nature vs nurture

By Edwin Gilson

Mary Shelley and ‘monstrous’ science

By Dr Keith Williams

On Hamlet and war

By Lyn Lockwood

The Handmaid’s Tale: Print and TV

By Professor Coral Howells

King Lear – why does Cordelia not say more?

By Professor Lucinda Becker

The Bible in The Handmaid's Tale

By Professor Kevin Killeen

Tess of the D’Urbervilles: Poverty, class and identity

By John Attridge

Tennessee Williams, dark America: Inequality and ruination in A Streetcar Named Desire, 1947

By Professor Jonathan Brockbank

Dracula: Narrative techniques and vampire hunting technologies

By Alicia Barnes

Witchcraft in renaissance plays

By Dr Dorka Tamás

Atonement’s postscript: Paratexts and metafiction

By Beth Roberts

Doctor Faustus: Books, words and form

By Professor Lisa Hopkins

In the frame: Using paintings to boost GCSE creative writing responses

By Mike Gould

'Othello': Contemporary performances

By Aisling Lally

'A Doll’s House': 21st-century adaptations

By Aisling Lally

'A Streetcar Named Desire': 21st-century adaptations

By Aisling Lally

'Be brave, never be boring': Emma Rice and Lucy McCormick on Wuthering Heights

Interview by Laura Biggs

‘Writing to present a viewpoint': Practical approaches to help prepare students for the exam

By Clare Mellor

Top 10 An Inspector Calls teacher resources

Top 10 Macbeth teacher resources

by Helen McKinder

An interview with Rebecca Wood, Jane Austen's House

Interview by Marian Olney

Reading non-fiction texts for GCSE English Language

By Clare Mellor

‘Poetry travels without a passport’: An interview with Imtiaz Dharker

Interview by Marian Olney

GCSE English Literature: Approaching poetry

By Clare Mellor 

Back to school: Five top tips for the new school year

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

An interview with Kayleigh Edun of the Charles Dickens Museum

Interview by Meghan Sullivan

English for Year 9 – how to energise the ‘transition’ year

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

What can we learn from George Saunders about teaching the skill of reading?

By Steve Willshaw

Top 10 mental health resources for you and your students

By Helen McKinder

Making the text do the work

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

Top 10 English resources for you and your students

By Helen McKinder

Three key ways to explore power and status in An Inspector Calls

By Renée Stanton 

Happy families? How exploring family relationships can unlock new ideas about GCSE texts

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

Exploring Macbeth: Three key techniques to help students delve deeper

By Lucy Toop

‘Poetry is genuinely for everyone’

An interview with Kate Clanchy

Enriching the classroom in Black History Month

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

Writing our way back to confidence

Using creative writing to inspire, restore and evaluate in the English classroom.

By Jo Heathcote 

Help your students keep their English skills fresh

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

‘Every poem is a conversation’

An interview with Daljit Nagra by Meghan Sullivan

Meet Helen – answering all your York Notes customer service needs!

By Helen McKinder – York Notes Customer Service

Five ways you can help parents bring English Literature to life at home

By Richard Vardy, Head of English

Five key tips for teaching English Literature remotely

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

Keeping your students motivated and engaged at home

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

5 top revision tasks that will strengthen students’ exam skills and confidence

By Steve Willshaw

The Top 5 tips for teaching and revising Romeo & Juliet

By Alison Powell 

All set for success: How to help your students plan their revision in 2020

By Sue White

Revising for 'A Christmas Carol'

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

Ways to prepare your students for their GCSE English Literature mock exams

By Richard Vardy

Five Top Tips for Teaching the Power and Conflict Anthology

By Beth Kemp, author and English teacher

Using Study Guides in the Classroom

By Steve Willshaw, Senior Leader for English

Ways to Get Your Students to Read the Whole Text

By Richard Vardy, Head of English

How to race through your GCSE English Literature revision with Rapid Revision Cards

By York Notes Series Consultant, Mike Gould

All you need to know about the Key Stage 2 English SATs

By York Notes Primary Consultant, Emilie Martin

Foolproof ways to prepare your child for the Key Stage 2 English SATs!

By York Notes Primary Consultant, Janet Thompson

Ten super speedy ways Rapid Revision can help you ace your GCSEs!

New Rapid Revision Guides for GCSE (9-1)!

Get up to speed with York Notes Rapid Revision!

New Rapid Revision Cards for GCSE (9-1)!

Get up to speed with York Notes Rapid Revision!

Make sure your child hits the ground running in Year 6

Four easy ideas to help make the last year of primary school count!

New AQA Poetry Study Guides and Workbooks for GCSE 9–1!

Feel confident approaching your AQA Poetry exam with the most comprehensive study guides and workbooks on the market.

Win six York Notes Primary study guides to boost your students' English attainment!

Calling all Key Stage 2 teachers!

Expert Help: Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling video for Key Stage 2!

York Notes Primary consultant Janet Thompson explains the KS2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling paper.

Expert Help: Reading video for Key Stage 2!

In the first video in our new Expert Help series, we're looking at how to prepare for the KS2 Reading paper.

Top Test Techniques for the Key Stage 2 SATs

York Notes Primary consultant Janet Thompson shares some tips for the KS2 SATs.

Win your choice of York Notes Primary study guides to boost your child's English attainment!

Key Stage 2 parents – we need you!

More ways to make Spellings stick in time for SATs

The second part of our guide to getting your child’s spelling SATs-ready by May.

New practice tests for GCSE (9–1)!

Prepare for exam success with our new AQA Practice Tests with Answers!

New York Notes for GCSE Workbooks

We now have 16 titles in our range of York Notes Workbooks for GCSE Grades 9-1!

New study guides and workbooks for English Literature GCSE (9–1) and A Level!

We've added new titles to our English Literature range! Our new and updated study guides and workbooks have got your forthcoming GCSE (9–1) and A Level examinations covered.

How to make spellings stick in time for SATs

Use these top tips to help get your child’s spelling SATs-ready!

Five things you need to know about the Year 6 SATs Reading paper

Help your child ace the May tests with advice from the York Notes experts!

Meet our Primary consultants

Emilie Martin and Janet Thompson are both experienced Primary School teachers who now advise schools on improvement. They joined our team here at York Notes in Summer 2017 to help us devise our brand new York Notes Primary series for Key Stage 2 English.

Here you can find out a bit more about them, what they find inspiring in their work, and what insights they have into the wonderful world of Key Stage 2!

Meet our Series Consultant

Mike Gould is a former Head of English, Publisher and writer. He joined our team here at York Notes in Summer 2005 and ever since has been helping us devise and create new series styles and content, from our York Notes Companions for Undergraduates through to our bestselling GCSE Study Guides, Workbooks and Practice Tests.

Five ways to help your child prepare for the Year 6 SATs

There’s still plenty of time to give your child’s learning a boost before the May tests. Here’s how.

New study guides for Primary school children

Whether your child needs a boost to their learning or help with homework, the new range of York Notes study guides supporting the Primary curriculum can help.

A Level Further Reading

The nights are drawing in, there’s a bite in the air and half term is here – what better time to curl up with a good book?

Pride and Prejudice – A Quiz!

Think you know Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?

Then have a go at our Pride and Prejudice quiz, and put your wits to the test!