I've seen a lot of people ask this, and English is quite tough in the sense that you never know what's needed.
Having gotten a H1 in English, thought I'll share some tips:
Paper 1
QA:
- Make sure to use plenty quotes
- EXPLAIN each quote in relation to question
- Show personal opinion
QB:
- Answer all parts of the Q (tougher than it sounds - cause you may miss key parts of Q)
- DO NOT write more than ~500 words.
- No waffle, get the point across, and QUICK.
Paper 2
Play:
- Clear structure
- Good quotation, and explain the purpose
- Appropriate language - i.e. use words like climax, eponymous hero, villain etc.
Comparative:
- Structure is the most important part of whole Q
- Compare and contrast as often as you can
Poetry:
- GIVE YOUR OPINION
- Show the examiner you are personally engaging with the poems
- Keep coming to the Q in your answer
Hopefully this was a helpful starting point.
I cover all the above, and much more, in-depth in my article which you can read HERE.
I always found English extremely difficult to study, because I never knew what needs to be done for the H1. In the article, I share my experiences and what I did to get the H1. Hopefully it helps!
If you have any questions about English, or any other subject (I did 3 sciences, accounting and computer science) feel free to ask.
All the best!