-English
Curriculum Content: English |
|||
Aims and ambitions: Our ENGLISH Curriculum is designed to expand an appreciation and enjoyment of the subject. Topics provide a varied and rich diet of our language and literary heritage. Knowledge and skills are introduced and regularly revisited, enabling confidence and accomplishment to develop. We want all our students to have a love of English and English literature. We hope to achieve this by exploring a wide variety of texts, genres and writing from different cultures. We ensure that students understand the historical context of texts when giving a contemporary analysis. Teaching will challenge students of all abilities and promote independent thinking and creativity. We encourage our students to have a pleasure of language and Literature, and hope they choose to continue with their studies at A Level in our Sixth Form.
|
|||
Year group |
Topics include |
By the end of the year, students should be able to: |
|
7 |
Assessment: Students will be assessed by both reading and writing tasks throughout the year. There will be a mock exam in June using a GCSE-style exam paper. |
Developing: Reading - Use of correct terminology; focus in on key words in quotations; make relevant comments about writers’ use of language, structure and form. Writing – checking punctuation is correct; paragraphing is accurate; using a range of sentence forms and lengths for effect; using a wider range of punctuation; using more ambitious vocabulary; including more imagery in creative writing; including a wider range of arguments in transactional writing; summarising texts clearly. Knowledge – increasing knowledge of grammar; differentiating between fiction and non-fiction; terminology relevant to language and form; understanding the difference between narrative perspectives; the effect of purpose and genre.
Accomplishing: Responses are relevant to the question throughout; relevant quotations to support points; key spellings are used correctly.
|
|
8 |
Assessment: Students will be assessed by both reading and writing tasks throughout the year. There will be a mock exam in June using a GCSE-style exam paper. |
Developing: Reading - Use of correct terminology; focus in on key words in quotations; offer different interpretations of texts; make relevant comments about writers’ use of language, structure and form; use secondary evidence; use relevant contextual details; suggest writers’ possible intentions; make connections to themes across texts; critically evaluate texts. Writing – checking punctuation is correct; using a range of sentence forms and lengths for effect; using a wider range of punctuation; using more ambitious vocabulary; including more imagery in creative writing; use a variety of sentence openers; use a variety of structural features; summarising texts clearly. Knowledge – conventions of writing styles through the last 400 years; comparing the similarities and differences of texts clearly.
Accomplishing: Focus in on key words in quotations; punctuation is correct; paragraphing is accurate; differentiating between fiction and non-fiction; terminology relevant to language; understanding the difference between narrative perspectives.
|
|
9 |
Assessment: Students will be assessed by both reading and writing tasks throughout the year. Their final assessment will be a Speaking and Listening assessment. This does not contribute towards the student’s final GCSE English grade but is an external qualification awarded at the end of Year 11. There will be a written mock exam in December using a GCSE-style exam paper. |
Developing: Reading - Use of correct terminology; offer different interpretations of texts; use secondary evidence; use relevant contextual details; suggest writers’ possible intentions; make connections to themes across texts; critically evaluate texts. Writing – checking punctuation is correct; using a wider range of punctuation; using more ambitious vocabulary; including more imagery in creative writing; including a wider range of arguments in transactional writing; use a variety of sentence openers; use a variety of structural features; summarising texts clearly. Knowledge – the effects of purpose; conventions of writing styles through the last 400 years; comparing the similarities and differences of texts clearly.
Accomplishing:
Make relevant comments about writers’ use of language, structure and form; using a range of sentence forms and lengths for effect; terminology relevant to structure and form; the effect of genre. |
|
10 |
Assessment: Students will be assessed throughout the year with diagnostic assessments from both the Language and Literature exam papers. There will be a mock exam in the Spring Term using a past GCSE paper. |
Developing: Reading - suggest writers’ possible intentions; make connections to themes across texts; critically evaluate texts. Writing – using more ambitious vocabulary; use a variety of sentence openers; including a wider range of arguments in transactional writing; summarising texts clearly. Knowledge – compare the similarities and differences of texts clearly.
Accomplishing: Use of correct terminology; use secondary evidence; use relevant contextual details; using a wider range of punctuation; including more imagery in creative writing; use a variety of sentence openers; use a variety of structural features; the rules of grammar; the effect of form and purpose; the conventions of writing styles through the last 400 years.
|
|
11 (2019-2020 only) |
Assessment: Students will be assessed throughout the year with diagnostic assessments from both the Language and Literature exam papers. There will be a Language Paper 2 mock exam in December and a Literature Paper 2 in the Spring Term using a past GCSE paper. See external exam dates below. |
Accomplishing: Suggest writers’ possible intentions; make connections to themes across texts; critically evaluate texts; use more ambitious vocabulary; use a variety of sentence openers; including a wider range of arguments in transactional writing; summarising texts clearly; compare the similarities and differences of texts clearly.
|
|
GCSE Key Information |
|||
Qualifications |
AQA English Language (8700) AQA English Literature(8702) |
||
Exam board |
AQA |
||
Website link |
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/english-language-8700 |
||
Exam structure and content |
English Language GCSE Two external examinations: Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives
|
English Literature GCSE Two external examinations: Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century Novel 1 hour 45 minutes 40% of the GCSE
Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry 2 hours 15 minutes 60% of the GCSE |
|
Recommended revision guide |
Title/Publisher: CGP GCSE AQA English Language Revision Guide |
||
Extra-curricular opportunities in English |
|||
Creative Writing Group: KS3 Homework and Study Club: KS4 Theatre trips: KS5
|
|||