Are you or your children or students struggling to remember the Love and Relationship poems?

Is it feeling overwhelming trying to revise all 15 poems?

Perhaps this is because many are visual learners who find it easier to watch and listen rather than read endless notes?

If so, this blog is for you.

I’ve created a TikTok series that breaks down each poem in under three minutes. It’s designed for students who need clear, fast, and visual content to help things stick.

Let’s explore how TikTok can be used for effective GCSE English revision…

Many of the students I teach are visual learners. They find it easier to remember a colour-coded image, a voiceover, or a quick video explanation than a dense paragraph in a textbook.

Each TikTok covers:

• 2 or 3 key quotes
• A quick overview of the poem’s message
• Visual cues to help with memory
• A focus on key techniques or structure
• Post-It-Notes with clear, short text to watch on mute or to music.

Many GCSE students are visual learners. A 2019 study by Durham University found that learners who watched short educational videos with visual prompts performed significantly better in conceptual tasks than those using text-based materials alone. (Fiorella & Mayer, 2019; Durham University co-authored study via arXiv:1701.04497).

This supports why platforms like TikTok – when used strategically – can become powerful revision tools. My TikToks and YouTube videos are designed with this in mind: short, clear, visual, and focused on key quotes and techniques.

But watching a video alone won’t get you a Grade 9. You still need to practise writing clearly and analytically. Let’s build on two example videos with paragraph models you can use for revision.

🎥 Watch the  Mother, Any Distance Tik Tok here

This video focuses on the tension between independence and attachment.
Key quotes featured:

• “Anchor. Kite.”

   

• “endless sky / to fall or fly.”

Analysis:
Armitage’s poem explores the moment a child begins to break away from their mother. The image “Anchor. Kite.” uses a metaphor to show their relationship – the mother holds him down, but also helps him fly. Later, the line “endless sky / to fall or fly” reflects both the freedom and risk that independence poses. Armitage presents growing up as an emotional and uncertain process.

🎥 Watch the When We Two Parted Tik Tok here

This video highlights secrecy, betrayal and the lasting pain of lost love.

Key quotes included:

• “In silence and tears”

• “Thy vows are all broken”

Analysis:
Byron opens with “In silence and tears”, a phrase repeated at the end. This cyclical structure shows that his grief hasn’t faded. The broken vows highlight betrayal, and the line “Thy vows are all broken” makes the relationship feel like a failed contract. Byron presents heartbreak as something deeply painful and private – especially when it can’t be discussed openly.

1. Sonnet 29 – I think of thee!
2. When We Two Parted
3. Porphyria’s Lover
4. Love’s Philosophy
5. Letters from Yorkshire
6. Neutral Tones
7. Winter Swans
8. The Farmer’s Bride
9. Singh Song!
10. Follower 
11. Walking Away
12. Mother, Any Distance
13. Climbing My Grandfather
14. Eden Rock
15. Before You Were Mine

I’m currently putting together a free PDF to go alongside my TikTok series. It includes:

• Direct links to all 15 poem TikToks 
• Key quotes and techniques for each poem
• Context notes
• Space to practise PETER+C-style paragraphs

You can download it here soon – but in the meantime visit my YouTube channel or sign up to my newsletter and I’ll email it to you when it’s ready.

“If you’re studying Power and Conflict, read the matching TikTok blog here.”