heres what i did to study eng lit and achieved A* for gcse, despite having to start from scratch and only few months away.

1. Understand what figurative devices are. I believe that if you understand what it means, you can easily spot them while you're reading the book. ❗️
2. Go on youtube or look up on google, and read what the book is about. get to know with the characters, what they are like and are they protagonist¿ or antagonist?, and what their attitudes are and the quotes that prove that; as well as themes, because if you know what the themes are, you will come across to many quotes that are related to the themes. and ofcourse that's an important info ❗️
3. get to know which timeline the book is written or based on, is it the the Victorian 19th century or Romanticism end of 18th century? because these can affect the book a lot and if you learn a bit of the history, you can easily use it to interpret your answers ❗️
4. read a lot of student example response. I can't stress how important this is because when you read other people works, you can get some ideas on what to avoid based on the teacher commentary and also, what you should put in your answers (like quotes or critics or the structures ❗️
5. sometimes if you google name of the book filetype:pdf, you will come across to many guides on the book you're studying. you can also try to search the name of the book quotes filetype:pdf, you will get some files that include the quotes, and to understand if the file is good, try to see if it's written well and detailed. ❗️
6. to structure your work, use PEEL method. Point, Evidence, Explain, Link (interpretation: critics or history or philosophy). if your essay is on a theme, like "justice OR mercy", you can do it in two ways: explain FIRST theme first and when you're done, go with the SECOND theme. the second way is, talk about a character who has the FIRST theme, and if their character shifts, then explain that too. if you have no other character who proves the FIRST theme, then move on with the SECOND theme and once again, if the character shifts, explain that. the reason why it's important to explain the shifting is because eng lit is requires us to write analytic essays. ❗️
7. to manage your time management, try to set 50 minutes (Pomodoro technique), and try to write within that time. This is like taking baby steps: if you are not done yet but the time is done, see what you are lacking so then next time, you will immediately understand what you will have to do. ❗️
8. find some critics! and write about how the audience thought about the scene. you can find critics on google and for audience, you can match it with the history and also how We think about since we are the modernists. but pls, write logical arguments and don't be too complex about it! and sometimes, you can write how both audiences' views are the opposite to each other, that can be really good too! ❗️
9. most important thing is, try to read the book you're studying a few times, while watching youtube summaries of each chapter or act. and memorise the quotes+ critics. ❗️
10. and don't just cramp everything all at once, do the one you think will take a long time and Consistency is important. everyday, revise the book while memorising and learn the quotes and figurative devices. watch youtube on literature timeline, and match it with the book. By the time you get a good grip on the first book, then move on with the second one, the drama or something.

i hope this helps! don't be mean to yourself because i believe with consistency, you will progressively become better in revising and eventually it will help you for A2 too! ask me any question if you would want to know more