GCSE English Language & English Literature/ GCSE English

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1 GCSE English Language & English Literature/ GCSE English Course overview Year 11 Most pupils will be studying the GCSE English Language and English Literature course in Year 10 and Year 11. Students in Set 5 will be studying the GCSE English course. GCSE English Language GCSE English Language is assessed by internal controlled assessment and 1 external examination. Pupils will be required to demonstrate reading and writing skills in both of these types of assessment. The controlled assessment tasks involve studying written language in the form of reading an extended literary text, analysing spoken language, and two creative writing pieces most of these will have been completed in Year 10. They also involve a range of speaking and listening activities. The examination tests pupils reading skills when studying written language in non-fiction texts and their writing skills in using language to produce their ow n nonfiction texts. During the course students develop a wide range of skills: writing for different audiences and purposes with emphasis placed on spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting; reading of literary and non-fiction texts. In Year 11, pupils will be focusing on: The Spoken Language Study, exploring the way people communicate digitally with one another and public attitudes towards the way language is adapted for texting, instant messaging etc, and producing their controlled assessment before October half term (worth 10% of the final GCSE) Examination practice including reading and writing skills, to be tested by a mock examination after October half term, before the final GCSE examination in the summer (worth 60% of the GCSE). GCSE English Literature GCSE English Literature is assessed by internal controlled assessment and 2 external examinations. Pupils will be required to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of literature and the ability to write critical essays in both of these types of assessment. The controlled assessment task involves studying a Shakespeare play and another text/s from the Literary Heritage and was completed in Year 10. The first examination tests pupils understanding and analysis of two modern texts Of Mice & Men and An Inspector Calls, whilst the second tests their ability to analytically compare poems from a pre-studied collection the Character and Voice cluster from the AQA Moon on the Tides Anthology as well as their ability to interpret and analyse an unseen poem. Marks are given for accurate written expression. During the course students develop the ability to explore literary texts in depth, honing their analytical and comparative skills, as well as their essay writing skills. In Year 11, pupils will be focusing on: Of Mice and Men, analysing characters, themes and writer s techniques and exploring the context of the novella. An Inspector Calls, analysing characters, themes and writer s techniques within the play. Poetry revision, working with the above named anthology which has already been studied in Year 10, as well as practising analysing unseen poems. Please note the first examination, featuring Of Mice and men and An Inspector Calls is worth 40% of the

2 final GCSE grade; the poetry examination is worth 35%. GCSE English GCSE English combines elements of both language and literature and is assessed by internal controlled assessment and 1 external examination. Pupils will be required to demonstrate reading and writing skills in both of these types of assessment. The controlled assessment tasks involve studying written language in the form of reading a range of extended literary texts, and two creative writing pieces. Most of these will have been completed in Year 10, although students will be given opportunities to attempt different tasks to improve their controlled assessment scores. They also involve a range of speaking and listening activities. The examination tests pupils reading skills when studying written language in non-fiction texts and their writing skills in using language to produce their own non-fiction texts. During the course students develop a wide range of skills: writing for different audiences and purposes with emphasis placed on spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting; reading of literary and non-fiction texts. In Year 10, pupils will be focusing on: Examination practice including reading and writing skills, to be tested by a practice examination in the summer term. Improving controlled assessment marks by attempting new creative writing tasks and new reading tasks on Of Mice and Men and Macbeth. Controlled Assessment Pupils will complete all their coursework in the form of internal controlled assessments which will make up a final portfolio of work that is 40% of their final GCSE English Language or English grade. Speaking and Listening tasks will be assessed separately and students will receive a separate mark (from 1-5) indicating their level for this component of the course, alongside their GCSE grade. For English Literature the controlled assessment task is worth 25% of the final grade. The tasks will be supervised at all times and will be produced and completed in the classroom. The controlled written assessment makes up 40% of their final grade. It is therefore extremely important that these are completed to the highest standards. Useful Links Information on the GCSE English course provides access to the course specification, past paper questions and mark schemes. Helpful revision aids for a range of aspects of all the courses including revision materials for the English/ English Language exam and set texts for English/ English Literature Helpful revision aids for all the courses including revision materials for the set texts for controlled assessments and examinations, including the English Literature poetry anthology There are a range of revision guides available for the set texts (York Notes and CGP guides are tried and tested) and these may be worth investing in. In addition, encouraging students to read a wide range of material in particular non-fiction texts such as newspaper articles, brochures and biographical works will be invaluable to their progress.

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