english - whatdotheyknow

GCSESpecification

EnglishFor exams January 2011 onwards and For certification June 2012 onwards

GCSESpecification

English4700

Our specification is published on our website (http://www.aqa.org.uk). We will let centres know in writing aboutany changes to the specification. We will also publish changes on our website. The definitive version of ourspecification will always be the one on our website, this may differ from printed versions.

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GCSE English for teaching from September 2010 onwards (version 1.4)

Contents

1 Introduction 21a Why choose AQA? 21b Why choose GCSE English? 31c How do I start using this specification? 41d How can I find out more? 4

2 Specification at a Glance 5

3 Subject Content 8 3a Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fiction texts 8 3b Unit 2: Speaking and Listening 9 3c Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts 11

4 Scheme of Assessment 15 4a Aims and learning outcomes 154b Assessment Objectives 154c National Criteria 164d Overlap between GCSE English and GCSE English Language 164e Centres in Wales 16 4f Previous learning requirements 164g Access to assessment: diversity and inclusion 17

5 Administration 185a Availability of assessment units and certification 185b Entries 185c Private candidates 185d Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special

consideration 195e Examination language 195f Qualification titles 195g Awarding grades and reporting results 205h Re-sits and how long unit results remain available to count towards

certification 20

6 Controlled Assessment administration 216a Authenticating that Controlled Assessment work is genuine 216b Malpractice 216c Teacher standardisation 226d Internal standardisation of marking 226e Annotation of Controlled Assessment work 226f Submitting marks and sample work for moderation 226g Factors affecting individual candidates 236h Keeping candidates’ work 23

7 Moderation 247a Moderation procedures 247b Consortium arrangements 247c Procedures after moderation 24

Appendices 25A Grade descriptions 25B Spiritual, moral, ethical, social, legislative, sustainable development,

economic and cultural issues, and health and safety considerations 27C Overlaps with other qualifications 28D Wider Key Skills –Teaching, developing and providing opportunities

for generating evidence 29E List of authors from the National Curriculum KS4 programme of study 30F Assessment Criteria for Controlled Assessment 31

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1 Introduction

1a Why choose AQA?We, AQA, are the United Kingdom’s favouriteawarding body and more students get their academicqualifications from us than from any other board. Butwhy are we so popular?

We understand the different requirements ofeach subject by working with teachers.Our GCSEs:

help students achieve their full potential

are relevant for today’s challenges

are manageable for schools and colleges

are easy to understand by students of all levelsof ability

lead to accurate results, delivered on time; and

are affordable and value for money.

We provide a wide range of support services forteachers, including:

access to subject departments

training for teachers, including practicalteaching strategies and methods that work,presented by senior examiners

individual support for Controlled Assessment

24-hour support through our website andonline with Ask AQA

past question papers and mark schemes

a wide range of printed and electronicresources for teachers and students

free online results analysis, with EnhancedResults Analysis.

We are an educational charity focused on the needsof the learner. All our income is spent on improvingthe quality of our specifications, examinations andsupport services. We don’t aim to profit fromeducation, we want you to.

If you are already a customer we thank you for yoursupport. If you are thinking of joining us we lookforward to welcoming you.

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Subject Content

8 Summary of Subject Content

1b Why choose GCSE English?This specification allows candidates todemonstrate their ability in functional English;to investigate and analyse language and, toexperiment and use language creatively.

The specification offers a skills-basedapproach to the study of English. This enablescandidates to make ‘fresh’ and individualresponses to each element of assessment.

The specification is most suitable for thosewho wish to explore a range of literary andlanguage topics and skills but who do not wishto take two separate GCSEs in EnglishLanguage and English Literature.

The scheme of assessment is unitised, offeringflexibility. This enables centres to take variedroutes in preparing candidates for assessment.Candidates can be entered when they areready to be assessed and may re-sit eachindividual unit.

The examination paper and ControlledAssessments will be available twice a year.Exam papers will be available at Higher andFoundation Tiers, giving access to the coursefor candidates of all abilities.

The externally examined unit is common toGCSE English Language. This gives teachersthe flexibility to make late entry decisionswhere they may choose to enter candidatesfor either GCSE English (1 GCSE) or GCSEEnglish Language plus GCSE EnglishLiterature (2 GCSEs).

The specification covers the functionalelements of English. This is done mainlythrough the externally examined unit. The term‘functional’ should be considered in the broadsense of providing learners with the skills andabilities they need to take an active andresponsible role in their communities, in theireveryday lives, workplaces and educationalsettings.

Speaking and Listening is internally assessedand is common to GCSE English Language.This unit draws on the good practice observedduring the previous specification and allowsteachers to set tasks that are relevant to theirstudents. Candidates need to exhibit theirability to speak and listen in functional contextswhich require them to discuss and present.They also need to demonstrate their ability torole play in either functional or dramaticsituations. This unit is an excellent preparationfor life beyond the classroom.

Creative writing is also assessed throughControlled Assessment. Drawing on the‘creative’ agenda in the National CurriculumProgramme of Study, candidates will beencouraged to be imaginative and toexperiment with language to create writing thatgoes beyond the ‘real life’ contexts of thewriting in the external unit. They may chooseto write narrative, script, poetry or indeed anygenre that enables an imaginative or evenexperimental use of English. Tasks will beselected from a bank of questions thatencourage invention.

The study of Literature in this specification isassessed through Controlled Assessment.Tasks will be selected from a bank ofquestions that encourage the candidate tochoose their own aspect of study and developa personal response. The AQA AnthologiesMoon on the Tides and Sunlight on the Grasscan be used for this unit.

This specification offers excellent preparationfor GCE specifications in English Language,English Literature or combined Language andLiterature courses.

The specification has been developed inconsultation with practising teachers andsubject associations.

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1c How do I start using this specification?To ensure you receive all the teaching andexamination material, it is important that the personresponsible for making the decision to teach AQAinforms both AQA and their Exam Officer.

Step one:

To confirm you will be teaching this specification gotowww.aqa.org.uk/signup and complete the onlineform. You will then receive your free GCSE Englishwelcome pack(s) that contain teaching and supportmaterial.

Step two:

Inform your Exam Officer of your choiceto ensure you receive all your examination material.Your Exam Officer will make sure that your centre isregistered with AQA and will complete the Intention toEnter and Estimated Entries when requiredto do so.

If your centre has not used AQA for any examinationsin the past, please contact our centre approval teamat [email protected].

1d How can I find out more?You can choose to find out more about thisspecification or the services that AQA offersin a number of ways.

Ask AQAYou have 24-hour access to useful information andanswers to the most commonly asked questions atwww.aqa.org.uk/askaqa

If the answer to your question is not available, youcan submit a query through Ask AQA for our team.We will respond within two working days.

Speak to your subject teamYou can talk directly to the GCSE English subject teamabout this specification either by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling 0161 953 1180.

Teacher Support meetingsDetails of the full range of our Teacher Supportmeetings are available on our website atwww.aqa.org.uk/support/teachers

There is also a link to our fast and convenient onlinebooking system for Teacher Support meetings atevents.aqa.org.uk/ebooking

If you need to contact the Teacher Support team, youcan call us on 01483 477860 or e-mail us [email protected]

Latest information onlineYou can find out more including the latest news, howto register to use Enhanced Results Analysis, supportand downloadable resources on our website atwww.aqa.org.uk

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2 Specification at a Glance

GCSE English

Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fi ction texts

External examination40% of the total GCSE marks

2 hours15 minutes

80 marks

Section A: Reading20% of the total GCSE marks

40 marks

Section B: Writing20% of the total GCSE marks

40 marks

Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts

Controlled Assessment40% of the total GCSE marks

6–8 hours 90 marks

Part a: Understanding creative texts (literary reading)20% of the total GCSE marks


Part b: Producing creative texts20% of the total GCSE marks


Note that times indicates the production of fi nal written outcomes.

Unit 2: Speaking and Listening

Controlled Assessment20% of the total GCSE marks

45 marks

PLUS

PLUS

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Summary of assessment

Structure of units and examination papers

Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fi ction texts

Section A: ReadingTier H candidates answer four compulsory questions based on three reading sources.Tier F candidates answer fi ve compulsory questions, including those requiring short responses, based onthree shorter reading sources.

Section B: WritingBoth Tiers candidates do two compulsory writing tasks – one shorter task worth 16 marks and one longer task worth 24 marks.


Candidates must be assessed on three equally weighted activities: • presenting• discussing and listening• role playing.

Each activity will be marked separately out of 15 and the marks added together to give a fi nal mark out of 45.


Part a: Understanding creative texts (literary reading) – candidates choose up to three tasks from the bank of published titles for the year in which they are entering this unit. They must write about their study of literary texts, drawing on a play by Shakespeare, a text from the English Literary Heritage and a text from a different culture. Each task will be marked separately out of 15 and the marks added together to give a fi nal mark out of 45.

Part b: Producing creative texts – candidates choose two tasks from the bank of published titles for the year in which they are entering this unit. The two tasks do not have to be equal in length as this will be determined by the type of creative writing the candidates choose to do. Each task will be marked out of15 and a further 15 marks are available for accuracy. The marks will be added together to give a fi nal mark out of 45.

Please refer to the Specimen Assessment Materials on aqa.org.uk for examples ofexamination papers and Controlled Assessment tasks for this specification.

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Controlled Assessment

There are three elements to Controlled Assessment:

Task Setting: Who sets the task

Task Taking: How the students perform the tasks

Task Marking: Who does the marking.

Each stage has a level of control (high, medium or low) to ensure reliability and authenticity and to makeassessments more manageable for teachers and students.

AQA’s Controlled Assessment tasks have been designed to offer you maximum flexibility to:

choose texts for reading units

contextualise tasks to meet the needs of your students

timetable the assessment to meet your needs

offer assessment in January and June.

In addition to the specification, please refer to the Controlled Assessment Task Bank(www.aqa.org.uk/englishzone) which gives an indication of Controlled Assessment tasks.

Unit 1: Summary of assessment

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3 Subject Content

This section covers the subject content of the three units:

Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fiction texts



Each section provides a summary of what candidates have to do, the assessment process and answer toquestions.

3a Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fiction texts

Unit 1: Summary of what candidates have to do

Requirements: Candidates are required to read andunderstand a range of non-fiction texts, identifying thewriters’ crafts and transferring these skills into theirown writing for a range of genres, audiences andpurposes.

The functional elements of English reading andwriting are embedded within this unit allowingcandidates to demonstrate that they are competentreaders and writers in their daily lives.

Reading texts will be drawn from a range of non-fiction genres. Some texts will be clearly functional incontext (such as information leaflets) and others willbe those which candidates can clearly expect to readin their daily lives including media sources (includingtexts with images, and/or other presentationaldevices) and literary non-fiction (such as travelogues

and biographies). In preparing for this unit, candidatesshould draw on a variety of text types and transfertheir reading skills.

There will be two writing tasks, one shorter and onelonger. The shorter task will ask candidates to writeto inform, explain or describe; the longer task willrequire more developed and sustained ideas whichargue or persuade. Candidates will be required toadapt their style to fit audience and purpose.

This externally examined unit is common to GCSEEnglish Language.

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Subject Content

3b Unit 2: Speaking and Listening

Unit 2: Summary of what candidates have to do:

Candidates will be assessed on three Speaking andListening tasks although they may well do more thanone performance of each activity during the unit. Theywill be assessed on one activity in each of thefollowing categories:

Presenting

Discussing and Listening

Role playing.

In Speaking and Listening activities, candidatesshould:

present and listen to information and ideas

respond to the questions and views of others,adapting talk appropriately to context andaudience

make a range of effective contributions, usingcreative approaches to exploring questions,solving problems and developing ideas

participate in a range of contexts, includingreal life uses of talk and audiences beyond theclassroom.

Unit 2: Summary of assessment

This unit will be assessed by means of ControlledAssessment.

Task Setting (limited control)AQA will provide guidance on the nature oftasks to be undertaken and you will then settasks. The tasks should be contextualised tomeet the needs of the candidates and enablea variety of approaches.

Some examples of possible tasks are listed below:

Within the Presenting strand typically candidatesmight:

individually talk to the class about a topic ofinterest and then answer questions

talk to the class about an argument/cause, etcas part of a paired presentation (which mayinclude ICT support such as PowerPoint,visual media clips, etc) and then answerquestions

interview (or be interviewed by) an adult,perhaps focusing on an aspect of occupation,local current affairs, etc

listen to a speech extract on television and re-present its main points and biases or listen toa school assembly and re-present its mainpoints and explain its methods of presentation

deliver a speech to a wider audience (such asschool assembly or another teaching group)either as an individual or as part of a team.

Within the Discussing and Listening strandtypically candidates might:

in a pair, work together to plan a presentationto the class

in a group of three or four, undertake aproblem-solving exercise which is relevant tothe local community such as congestioncharging, public spending priorities, etc

in a group of three or four, discuss an issue ofinterpretation which arises from reading beingundertaken elsewhere on the course

in a group of three or four, discuss the possibleschedules for a television station from a rangeof given possibilities

listen to a speech extract on television anddiscuss its main points and biases or listen toa school assembly and discuss its main pointsand its methods of presentation.

Within the Role playing strand typically candidatesmight:

perform as a pair a media interview on arelevant issue, such as child welfare

perform as a pair an interview betweendetective and suspect based upon a narrativefrom literature that has been studied elsewhere

as an individual perform a 5-minute input forbreakfast television called ‘what the paperssay today’

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perform an improvisation based on literarytexts being studied

in a group of three or four, undertake aproblem-solving exercise which is relevant tothe local community such as congestioncharging, public spending priorities andimprovise a public debate on the topic.

Note here that within the role playing category, theperformance of a written script, even if that script hasbeen learned, is not allowed.

Task Taking (medium control)Assessment can take place at any point duringthe course of study. Candidates will need tobe informed that assessment is taking place,but clearly all members of a class will not beassessed at the same time.

Unit 2: Your Controlled Assessment questions answered

Task Marking (medium control)You must mark all Controlled Assessmentsusing the criteria published on pages 32–33 ofthis specification.

The criteria descriptors are banded underthree headings:

Communicating and adapting language

Interacting and responding

Creating and sustaining roles.

These headings represent different skills thatare part of Speaking and Listening, and howthese skills can be assessed. It is important tostress that all these descriptors can be used inany single assessment – it is perfectlypossible, for example, to identify aspects ofcreating a role, when the assessment is beingsubmitted under the Presenting category.

Controlled Assessment will be moderated byAQA according to the procedures outlined inSection 7.

How do I approach preparation and planning?

Having introduced relevant material and studiedrelevant speech genres:

you should give candidates the relevant task(s)

you may wish to provide stimulus materials forgroup discussions and role play or access tousers of language beyond the classroom.

you are advised to give the candidates chanceto practise speaking or listening in similarcontexts to that in which they will be assessedand to prepare ideas after you have giventhem the task(s).

How do I prepare candidates for this unit?

Speaking and Listening underpins much of the workdone for this subject at GCSE. With 20% of the overallmark going to Speaking and Listening it is importantthat you prepare candidates for the ControlledAssessment task by teaching approaches to thechosen context/task and by considering variousspeech genres before giving the task to candidates.You should ensure that candidates are familiar with theassessment criteria for the Controlled Assessmenttasks that make up Speaking and Listening.

Can I give candidates feedback?

Yes. You may give feedback to individual candidatesduring the planning phase.

How are candidates assessed?

Candidates must be assessed by a teacher eitherdirectly at the time of the response or by viewing anelectronic visual recording of a candidate’s response.

Can candidates use prompts?

Prompts or visual slides may be used in addition toany resources you provide. The Unit 2 record formallows teachers to record brief notes and details ofactivities undertaken.

Do you have Controlled Assessment Advisers?

Yes. Speaking and Listening Controlled AssessmentAdvisers will be available to give advice on all aspectsof the Controlled Assessment. A rota of advisory visitswill include advice on marking of candidates’performance, task setting and record keeping.

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3c Unit 3 Understanding and producing creative texts

There are two parts to this Unit:

Part a Understanding creative texts (literary reading)

Part b Producing creative texts (creative writing).

Unit 3 Part a – Understanding creative texts (literary reading)

Unit 3 Part a: Summary of what candidates have to do:

For this part of Unit 3, candidates will submit forassessment three written responses based on taskschosen from the task bank for this unit. This flexibilityallows you to choose texts and tasks which bestmeet the needs of your candidates and allow them todevelop their own personal interest in texts.

Tasks will draw on candidates’ study of the followingtexts:

a play by Shakespeare

a text from the English Literary Heritage

a text from a different culture or tradition.

There should be equal coverage of the three texts intheir response and the work submitted must coverprose, poetry and drama.

Candidates must make reference to the whole text. Ifusing a collection of short texts they must refer tomore than one text although comparison is notrequired.

You may contextualise tasks by choosing texts thatmeet the needs of your candidates. You may draw onthe AQA Anthologies for GCSE English Literature ifyou wish.

Unit 3 Part a: Summary of assessment

This unit will be assessed by means of ControlledAssessment.

Task Setting (high control)Tasks will be set by AQA. Each year we willprovide a bank of tasks for each of the topicscovered in this unit:

Themes and ideas

Characterisation and voice

Task Taking (high control)Candidates must produce work totalling about1600 words in a period of up to four hours.

Task Marking (medium control)You must mark all Controlled Assessmentsusing the criteria published on pages 34–35 ofthis specification.

The criteria descriptors are banded underthree headings:

Prose

Poetry

Drama

These headings represent the genres thatmust be covered. Each task must be markedout of 15 and the marks added together togive a final mark out of 45.

Controlled Assessment will be moderated byAQA according to the procedures outlined inSection 7.

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Can the assessment be based on parts of texts?

Candidates’ responses must be informed byknowledge of whole texts but the main focus of theassessment can be based on part of a text (eg ascene from a play, a chapter from a novel, a smallnumber of poems or short story from a collection).Where candidates use a collection of short texts,there is no requirement to make comparisons.

Will exemplars be available?

Exemplars will be provided to indicate howcandidates can approach the tasks.

Do candidates have to do all reading tasks in thesame time period?

Candidates do not have to address all texts/tasks inthe same consecutive time period. For example, theymay write about a Shakespeare text in response tothe task during one half term and then write about atext from a Different Culture based on the same taskduring a different half term followed by a responsebased on a Literary Heritage text in yet another halfterm, providing the total time for the formalassessment does not exceed four hours.

Can candidates use texts during the ControlledAssessment?

Candidates must use clean, unannotated copies oftexts during the assessment period.

How much time should I spend teaching this part ofthe unit?

As the Controlled Assessment is worth 20% of theoverall mark, you are advised to spend 20% of theteaching time available to you on the texts and topicyou have chosen for this part of Unit 3. You shouldprepare candidates for the Controlled Assessmenttask by teaching approaches to the chosen texts andtopics and by studying style models before giving thetask to candidates. You should also ensure thatcandidates are familiar with the assessment criteriafor the Controlled Assessment task and are aware ofthe weighting given to each assessment objective.

What approaches will the tasks offer?

The tasks will offer a variety of approaches. Tasks willconsist of a single generic title that you cancontextualise. There will always be a number ofexemplar tasks showing how you can adapt the taskto meet the needs of your students. You may, forexample, make the title more specific or add bulletpoints.

Which Assessment Objectives will the tasksaddress?

Each task will address all four bullet points ofassessment objective AO2 except the requirement tocollate, compare or cross-reference from differentsources.

Unit 3 Part a: Your Controlled Assessment Questions Answered

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Candidates will submit two pieces of writing prepared under controlled conditions chosen from two of thetopics in this unit.

Unit 3 Part b – Producing creative texts (creative writing)

Unit 3 Part b: Summary of what candidates have to do:

Unit 3 Part b: Summary of assessment:

This part of Unit 3 will be assessed by means ofControlled Assessment.

Task Setting (high control)Tasks will be set by AQA. Each year we willprovide a bank of six tasks; two for each of thetopics covered in this unit:

Moving Images (writing for or aboutmoving images)

Prompts and Re-creations (using a textor prompt to develop writing)

Me, Myself, I (writing from personalexperience)

Candidates will complete two of these tasks.Each task must be taken from a differenttopic.

Task Taking (high control)Preparation and Planning

You may choose to allow your candidates todo two tasks in the same period or to dividethe total time available for this unit so yourcandidates do their two pieces at differentstages of the course that are mostappropriate.

Production

Candidates must produce two pieces of worktotalling about 1600 words in a period of up tofour hours.

Candidates do not have to complete bothpieces of writing in the same time period or atthe same part of the course as long as thetotal time taken does not exceed four hours.

This word limit is for guidance only as it willvary with the nature of the task. The pieces donot have to be of equal length.

Task Marking (medium control)You must mark all Controlled Assessmentsusing the criteria published on pages 36 –37 ofthis specification. You will mark each writingtask out of 15 marks and give an overall markout of 15 for accuracy. The marks will beadded together to give a final mark out of 45.Controlled Assessment will be moderated byAQA according to the procedures outlined inSection 7.

How much time should I spend teaching this part ofthe unit?

As the Controlled Assessment is worth 20% of theoverall mark, you are advised to spend a total of 20%of the teaching time available to you on the topics youhave chosen for this part of Unit 3. You shouldprepare candidates for the Controlled Assessmenttasks by teaching approaches to the chosen topicsbefore giving the tasks to candidates.

You should also ensure that candidates are familiarwith the assessment criteria for the Controlled

Assessment task and are aware of the weightinggiven to each assessment objective.

What approaches will the tasks offer?

The tasks will offer a variety of approaches. Tasks willconsist of a single title and may have a number ofbullet points which will help candidates to plan thestructure of their writing.

Which Assessment Objectives will the tasksaddress?

The tasks will address all three bullet points ofassessment objective AO3.

Part b: Your Controlled Assessment questions answered

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Unit 3: Your Controlled Assessment questions answered

Task SettingHow often do tasks change?

Tasks will be replaced each year and the same taskswill be available for assessment in January and June.

When are tasks published?

Tasks for the following two years’ assessment serieswill be made available to centres from 1st April. Theywill be published on e-AQA.

Task Taking: Preparation and PlanningHow do I approach preparation and planning

Having taught the topic(s) and studied relevant stylemodels you should give candidates the relevant task(s).

if you wish, you may give candidates a choiceof tasks on the topic(s) you have taught

you are advised to give candidates the chanceto practise writing in this form and to prepareideas after you have given them the task(s)

during this time candidates may make use ofany further resources available in the school orcollege, including the Internet, to inform theirpreparation

candidates must keep a record of all theprimary and secondary sources (includingwebsites) they use

candidates must keep a record of any stylemodels they use to assist you in authenticatingwork

records should be kept in the form of abibliography

all this work should be completed underinformal supervision.

Can I give candidates feedback?

Yes. You may give feedback to individual candidatesduring the planning phase. Where this goes beyondgeneral advice, this should be recorded on theCandidate Record Form.

Can candidates work together?

Candidates may work with others during the planningphase. So, for example, they may discuss their ideasin small groups or share resources found on theInternet, but each candidate must produce anindividual response to the task.

Task Taking: ProductionDoes the Controlled Assessment have to take placein one session?

No. The time allowed for the Controlled Assessmentmay be divided to meet the timetabling requirementsof the centre.

Where there is more than one task, you may chooseto allow your candidates to do the tasks in the sameperiod or to divide the total time available for this unitso your candidates do their two pieces at differentstages of the course that are most appropriate.

Can candidates take drafts or notes into theassessment?

Drafts may not be taken into the assessment. Briefnotes made in the preparation stage may be takeninto the assessment. These must be checked by theteacher to ensure that they are not plagiarised textand do not include a detailed planning grid or pre-prepared final draft. The notes should be submittedwith the final piece for moderation.

Can candidates work together during theassessment?

No. While writing up their response, candidates mustwork independently and complete all work underformal supervision by a teacher or invigilator. Youmust record any feedback given to candidates duringthis phase on the Candidate Record Form.

What do we do if the assessment period is brokendown into smaller sessions?

Where the total time is divided, the teacher orinvigilator must collect all materials in at the end ofeach session and return them to candidates at thebeginning of the next session. No feedback shouldbe given on drafts prepared during the assessmentperiod. Candidates may not bring any new materialsinto the room once this phase has started.

Can candidates use a dictionary or a thesaurus?

During the writing up of the Controlled Assessment,candidates are not allowed access to a dictionary orthesaurus, or to grammar and spell checkprogrammes.

Can PCs be used?

The Controlled Assessment may be eitherhandwritten or produced electronically.

Candidates using laptops/PCs to write theirControlled Assessment cannot have access to theInternet,e-mail, floppy disks, memory sticks, or grammar andspell check programmes as this could breach thecontrolled conditions. If the assessment period isdivided into a number of shorter sessions, centresshould ensure that work is saved securely to ensurethat candidates cannot amend or add to the savedmaterial between sessions.

Do you have Controlled Assessment Advisers?

Controlled Assessment Advisers will be available togive advice on all aspects of the ControlledAssessment including the marking.

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4 Scheme of Assessment

4a Aims and learning outcomesGCSE courses based on this specification shouldencourage candidates to be inspired, moved andchanged by following a broad, coherent, satisfyingand worthwhile course of study. They should preparelearners to make informed decisions about furtherlearning opportunities and career choices, to uselanguage to participate effectively in society andemployment and to develop their enthusiasm forreading.

GCSE courses based on specifications inEnglish must enable candidates to:

demonstrate skills in speaking, listening,reading and writing necessary to communicatewith others confidently, effectively, preciselyand appropriately

express themselves creatively andimaginatively

understand the patterns, structures andconventions of written and spoken English

select and adapt speech and writing todifferent situations and audiences

understand how variations in spoken andwritten language relate to identity and culturaldiversity

become critical readers of a range of texts,including multi-modal texts

use reading to gain access to knowledge andto develop their own skills as writers

understand that texts from the English, Welshand Irish Literary Heritage have been influentialand significant over time and explore themeaning of these today

understand how literature from other culturesis influential

connect ideas, themes and issues, drawing ona range of texts.

4b Assessment Objectives (AOs)The assessment units will assess the followingassessment objectives in the context of the contentand skills set out in Section 3 (Subject Content).

AO1 Speaking and Listening

Speak to communicate clearly andpurposefully; structure and sustain talk,adapting it to different situations andaudiences; use standard English and a varietyof techniques as appropriate.

Listen and respond to speakers’ ideas,perspectives and how they construct andexpress their meanings.

Interact with others, shaping meaningsthrough suggestions, comments andquestions and drawing ideas together.

Create and sustain different roles.

AO2 Reading

Read and understand texts, selecting materialappropriate to purpose, collating from differentsources and making comparisons and cross-references as appropriate.

Develop and sustain interpretations of writers’ideas and perspectives.

Explain and evaluate how writers use linguistic,grammatical, structural and presentationalfeatures to achieve effects and engage andinfluence the reader.

Understand texts in their social, cultural andhistorical contexts.

AO3 Writing

Write clearly, effectively and imaginatively,using and adapting forms and selectingvocabulary appropriate to task and purpose inways that engage the reader.

Organise information and ideas into structuredand sequenced sentences, paragraphs andwhole texts, using a variety of linguistic andstructural features to support cohesion andoverall coherence.

Use a range of sentence structures for clarity,purpose and effect, with accurate punctuationand spelling.

At least one-third of the available credit should be allocated to this last part of AO3.

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Weighting of Assessment Objectives for GCSE EnglishThe table below shows the approximate weighting of each of the Assessment Objectives in the GCSE units.

Assessment Objectives Unit weightings (%) Overall weighting of AOs (%)

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3

AO1 20 20

AO2 20 20 40

AO3 20 20 40

Overall weighting of units (%) 40 20 40 100

4c National criteriaThis specification complies with:

The Subject Criteria for GCSE Englishincluding the rules for Controlled Assessment

The Code of Practice

The GCSE Qualification Criteria

The Arrangements for the Statutory Regulationof External Qualifications in England, Walesand Northern Ireland: Common Criteria

The requirements for qualifications to provideaccess to Levels 1 and 2 of the NationalQualification Framework.

4d Overlap between GCSE English and GCSE English Language

Entries are not allowed in the same series for bothEnglish and English Language.

4e Centres in WalesIn Wales, GCSE English is not approved pre-16.Centres can meet statutory requirements fully throughentering candidates for both GCSE English Languageand GCSE English Literature. For a minority of

candidates entered only for GCSE English Language,centres should ensure their taught curriculum inEnglish fulfils statutory requirements in Wales.

4f Previous learning requirementsThere are no previous learning requirements.However, any requirements set for entry to a coursebased on this specification are at your centre’sdiscretion.

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4

4g Access to assessment: diversity and inclusion GCSEs often need to assess a wide range ofcompetences. This is because they are generalqualifications designed to prepare candidates for awide range of occupations and further study.

The revised GCSE qualification and subject criteriawere reviewed to see whether any of the skills orknowledge needed by the subject presented apossible difficulty to any candidates, whatever theirethnic background, religion, sex, age, disability orsexuality. If there were difficulties, the situation wasreviewed again to make sure that such tests of

specific competences were only included if they wereimportant to the subject. The findings werediscussed with groups who represented the interestsof a diverse range of candidates.

Arrangements are made for candidates with specialneeds to help them access the assessments as longas the competences being tested are not changed.Because of this, most candidates will be able toaccess any part of the assessment. More details aregiven in Section 5d.

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5

5 Administration

5a Availability of assessment units and certification

Examinations and certification for this specification are available as follows.

Availability of units Availability of certification

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 GCSE

January 2011 ✓ ✓

June 2011 ✓ ✓ ✓

January 2012 ✓ ✓ ✓

June 2012 and after ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

January 2013 and after ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

5b EntriesPlease check the current version of EntryProcedures and Codes for up-to-date entryprocedures. You should use the following entrycodes for the units and for certification:

Unit 1 – ENG1F; ENG1H

Unit 2 – ENG02

Unit 3 – ENG03

GCSE certification – 4702

The 40% terminal rule for GCSE means that 40% ofthe assessment must be taken in the examinationseries in which the qualification is awarded.Therefore, in this specification candidates must takethe following units or combination of units in theseries in which the qualification is awarded:

Unit 1 or Unit 3

The results from 40% terminal assessment mustcontribute to the candidates’ final grade, even if acandidate has a better result from a previous series.

Please note that certification entries are not allowed inthe same examination series for both English andEnglish Language.

5c Private candidatesThis specification is available to private candidatesunder certain conditions. Because of the ControlledAssessment, candidates must attend an AQA centre,which will supervise and mark the Controlled

Assessment. Private candidates should write to usfor a copy of Supplementary Guidance for PrivateCandidates (for Controlled Assessment specificationwith practical activities).

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5

Subject Content

5d Access arrangements, reasonable adjustmentsand special consideration

We have taken note of the equality and discriminationlegislation and the interests of minority groups indeveloping and administering this specification.

We follow the guidelines in the Joint Council forQualifications (JCQ) document: Access Arrangements,Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration:General and Vocational Qualifications. This is publishedon the JCQ website www.jcq.org.uk or you canfollow the link from our website www.aqa.org.uk

Access arrangementsWe can arrange for candidates with special needs toaccess an assessment. These arrangements mustbe made before the examination. For example, wecan produce a Braille paper for a candidate with sightproblems.

Reasonable adjustmentsAn access arrangement which meets the needs of aparticular disabled candidate would be a reasonable

adjustment for that candidate. For example a Braillepaper would be a reasonable adjustment for a Braillereader but not for a candidate who did not readBraille. The Disability Discrimination Act requires us tomake reasonable adjustments to remove or lessenany disadvantage affecting a disabled candidate.

Special considerationWe can give special consideration to candidates whohave had a temporary illness, injury or seriousproblem such as death of a relative, at the time of theexamination. We can only do this after theexamination.

The Examinations Officer at the centre should applyonline for access arrangements and specialconsideration by following the e-AQA link from ourwebsite www.aqa.org.uk

5e Examination languageWe will only provide units for this specification in English.

5f Qualification titlesThe qualification based on this specification is:

AQA GCSE in English.

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5

5g Awarding grades and reporting resultsThe GCSE qualification will be graded on an eight-grade scale: A*, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Candidateswho fail to reach the minimum standard for grade G willbe recorded ‘U’ (unclassified) and will not receive aqualification certificate.

We will publish the minimum raw mark for eachgrade, for each unit, when we issue candidates’results. We will report a candidate’s unit results tocentres in terms of uniform marks and qualificationresults in terms of uniform marks and grades.

For each unit the uniform mark corresponds to agrade as follows.

Unit 1 (maximum uniform mark = 120)

Grade Uniform Mark Range

A* 108–120

A 96–107

B 84–95

C 72–83

D 60–71

E 48–59

F 36–47

G 24–35

U 0–23



A* 54–60

A 48–53

B 42–47

C 36–41

D 30–35

E 24–29

F 18–23

G 12–17

U 0–11



A* 108–120

A 96–107

B 84–95

C 72–83

D 60–71

E 48–59

F 36–47

G 24–35

U 0–23

We calculate a candidate’s total uniform mark byadding together the uniform marks for the units. Weconvert this total uniform mark to a grade as follows.

GCSE English (maximum uniform mark = 300)


A* 270–300

A 240–269

B 210–239

C 180–209

D 150–179

E 120–149

F 90–119

G 60–89

U 0–59

5h Re-sits and how long unit results remain available to counttowards certification

Unit results remain available to count towardscertification within the shelf life of the specification,whether or not they have already been used.

Candidates may re-sit a unit once only.

The better result for each unit will count towards thefinal qualification provided that the 40% rule issatisfied.

Candidates may re-sit the qualification an unlimitednumber of times.

Candidates will be graded on the basis of the worksubmitted for assessment.

Candidates must take units comprising at least 40%of the total assessment in the series in which theyenter for certification.

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6

6 Controlled Assessment administrationThe Head of Centre is responsible for making sure that Controlled Assessment work is conducted in line withour instructions and JCQ instructions.

6a Authenticating that Controlled Assessment work is genuineTo meet the requirements of Code of Practice, weneed the following:

Candidates must sign the Candidate RecordForm to confirm that the work they havehanded in is their own.

Teachers and assessors must confirm onthe Candidate Record Form that the workmarked is only that done by that candidateand was conducted in line with the conditionsin the specification document (authenticationdeclaration).

Centres must give a mark of zero ifcandidates cannot confirm the work handed infor assessment is their own.

You should attach the completed Candidate RecordForm for each candidate to his or her work. Allteachers who have marked the work of any candidateentered for each component must sign thedeclaration that the work is genuine.

If you have doubts about signing the authenticationdeclaration, you should follow these guidance points.

If you believe that a candidate had additionalassistance and this is acceptable within theguidelines for the relevant specification, youshould award a mark which covers only thecandidate’s achievement without any help.(You should sign the authentication declarationand give information on the relevant form).

If you cannot sign the authenticationdeclaration, the candidate’s work cannot beaccepted for assessment.

If, during the external moderation process, there is noevidence that the work has been authenticated, wewill award a mark of zero.

6b MalpracticeYou should let candidates know about ourmalpractice regulations.

Candidates must not:

submit work that is not their own

lend work to other candidates

give other candidates access to, or the use of,their own independently-sourced researchmaterial (this does not mean that candidatescannot lend their books to another candidate,but that candidates should be stopped fromcopying other candidates’ research)

include work copied directly from books, theInternet or other sources withoutacknowledgement of the source

hand in work typed or word processed bysomeone else without acknowledgement.

These actions are considered malpractice, for whicha penalty (for example being disqualified from theexam) will be applied.

If malpractice is suspected, the Examinations Officershould be consulted about the procedure to befollowed.

Where you suspect malpractice in ControlledAssessments after the candidate has signed thedeclaration of authentication, your Head of Centremust submit full details of the case to us at theearliest opportunity. The form JCQ/M1 should beused. Copies of the form can be found on the JCQwebsite www.jcq.org.uk

Malpractice in Controlled Assessments discoveredprior to the candidate signing the declaration ofauthentication need not be reported to us, but shouldbe dealt with in accordance with the centre’s internalprocedures. We would expect you to treat suchcases very seriously. Details of any work which is notthe candidate’s own must be recorded on theCandidate Record Form or other appropriate place.

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6

6c Teacher standardisationWe will hold standardising meetings for teachers eachyear, usually in the autumn term, for ControlledAssessment. At these meetings we will providesupport in explaining tasks in context and using themarking criteria. The standardising materials used atthe meetings will also be available online.

All centres must send a representative to one of themeetings each year. If you have told us you are anew centre, either by signing up to teach AQA, bysending us an intention to enter or an estimate ofentry, or by contacting the subject team, we willcontact you to invite you to a meeting. It is likely thatduring the lifetime of this specification online teacherstandardising meetings will be made available as analternative to face-to-face meetings.

6d Internal standardisation of markingCentres must have consistent marking standards forall candidates. One person must be responsible forensuring that work has been marked to the samestandard, and they need to sign the CentreDeclaration Sheet to confirm that internalstandardisation has taken place.

Internal standardisation may involve:

all teachers marking some sample pieces ofwork and identifying differences in markingstandards

discussing any differences in marking at atraining meeting for all teachers involved in theassessment

referring to reference and archive material,such as previous work or examples from ourteacher standardising meetings.

6e Annotation of Controlled Assessment workThe Code of Practice states that the awarding bodymust make sure that teachers marking ControlledAssessments clearly show how the marks have beenawarded in line with the marking criteria shown in thespecification. The awarding body must provideguidance on how this is to be done.

Annotation helps our moderators to see as preciselyas possible where the teacher has identified thatcandidates have met the criteria in the specification.

Annotation could be used in either of thefollowing ways:

important pieces of evidence commented onin either the margin or in the text

comments on the work that refer to theassessment criteria.

When assessing oral responses, summativecomments must be provided on the CandidateRecord Form.

6f Submitting marks and sample work for moderationThe total mark for each candidate must be sent to usand the moderator on the mark forms provided, byElectronic Data Interchange (EDI) or electronically by thedate given (see www.aqa.org.uk/deadlines/coursework_deadlines.php). Our moderator will

contact you to let you know which pieces of work mustbe sent to them as part of the sample (please see toSection 7a for more guidance on sending in samples).

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6

6g Factors affecting individual candidatesYou should be able to accept the occasional absenceof candidates by making sure they have the chanceto make up missed Controlled Assessments. Youmay organise an alternative supervised time sessionfor candidates who are absent at the time the centreoriginally arranged.

If work is lost, you must tell us immediately the date itwas lost, how it was lost, and who was responsible.Inform our Centre and Candidate Support Servicesusing the JCQ form Notification of Lost CourseworkJCQ/LCW form 15.

Where special help which goes beyond normallearning support is given, use the Candidate RecordForm to inform us so that this help can be taken intoaccount during moderation.

Candidates who move from one centre to anotherduring the course sometimes need additional help tomeet the requirements of a scheme of ControlledAssessment work. How this can be dealt withdepends when the move takes place. If it happensearly in the course the new centre should beresponsible for Controlled Assessment work. If ithappens late in the course it may be possible toarrange for the moderator to assess the work as acandidate who was ‘Educated Elsewhere’. Centresshould contact us as early as possible for adviceabout appropriate arrangements in individual cases [email protected]

6h Keeping candidates’ workFrom the time the work is marked, centres must keepthe work of all candidates, with Candidate RecordForms attached, under secure conditions, to allowthe work to be available during the moderation period

or should there be an Enquiry about Results. Youmay return the work to candidates after the deadlinefor Enquiries about Results, or once any enquiry isresolved.

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7

7 Moderation

7a Moderation proceduresWritten Controlled AssessmentControlled Assessment work is moderated byinspecting a sample of candidates’ work sent (bypost or electronically) from the centre to a moderatorappointed by us. The centre marks must be sent tous and the moderator by the deadline given (seewww.aqa.org.uk/deadlines/coursework_deadlines.php). Centres entering fewer candidates than theminimum sample size (and centres submitting workelectronically) should send the work of all of theircandidates. Centres entering larger numbers ofcandidates will be told which candidates’ work mustbe sent as part of the sample sent in for moderation.

Following the re-marking of the sample work, themoderator’s marks are compared with the centremarks to check whether any changes are needed tobring the centre’s assessments in line with our agreedstandards. In some cases the moderator may needto ask for the work of other candidates in the centre.To meet this request, centres must keep theControlled Assessment work and Candidate RecordForms of every candidate entered for the examinationunder secure conditions, and they must be preparedto send it to us or the moderator when it is requested.

Any changes to marks will normally keep the centre’srank order, but where major differences are found, wereserve the right to change the rank order.

Moderation will take place in January and June.

Spoken Controlled AssessmentCentres will normally receive routine advisory visitsfrom a moderator on a rolling programme. Themoderator will advise on Speaking and Listening. The moderator will ask to see a range of candidateperformances. Centres must keep the CandidateRecord Forms of every candidate entered for theexamination under secure conditions and beprepared to show this to the visiting moderator orpost to a moderator if required.

Additional visits may be triggered if there is any doubtabout a centre’s accuracy in oral assessment. Wherethere is evidence that the centre’s mark differssignificantly from the AQA standard, taking otherevidence into account where applicable (eg patternof marks, centre history, reports on previous visits), anadjustment will be applied to the centre to bring itsmarking into line with the AQA standard.

7b Consortium arrangementsIf you are a consortium of centres with joint teachingarrangements (where candidates from differentcentres have been taught together but where they areentered through the centre at which they are on roll),you must tell us by filling in the JCQ/CCA formApplication for Centre Consortium Arrangements forcentre-assessed work.

You must choose a consortium co-ordinator who canspeak to us on behalf of all centres in the consortium.

If there are different co-ordinators for differentspecifications, a copy of the JCQ/CCA form must besent in for each specification.

We will allocate the same moderator to each centre inthe consortium and the candidates will be treated asa single group for moderation.

7c Procedures after moderationWhen the results are published, we will give centresdetails of the final marks for the ControlledAssessment work.

We will return candidates’ work to you after the exam.You will receive a report, at the time results are

issued, giving feedback on any adjustments that weremade to your marks.

We may keep some candidates’ work for awarding,archive or standardising purposes and will inform youif this is the case.

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A

Appendices

A Grade descriptionsGrade descriptions are provided to give a generalindication of the standards of achievement likely tohave been shown by candidates who were awardedparticular grades. The descriptions should beconsidered in relation to the content outlined in thespecification – they are not designed to define thatcontent.

The grade awarded will depend on how well thecandidate has met the assessment objectives (seeSection 4). If a candidate has performed less well insome areas this may be balanced by betterperformances in others.

Grade Description

A Candidates select suitable styles and registers of spoken English for a range of situations andcontexts, showing assured use of standard English where appropriate. They confidently varysentence structures and choose from a broad repertoire of vocabulary to express information,ideas and feelings in an engaging manner. They initiate conversations and demonstrate sensitivelistening through contributions that sustain and develop discussion. They recognise and fulfil thedemands of different roles, whether in formal settings or creative activities.

Candidates respond personally and persuasively to a variety of texts, developing interpretationsand evaluating how details of language, grammar, structure and presentation engage and affectthe reader. They identify and discuss writers’ perspectives in narrative, argument, explanation oranalysis. They choose apt quotations and make telling comparisons and cross-references thatilluminate the purpose and meanings of texts, explaining the impact of their social, cultural andhistorical contexts where appropriate.

Candidates’ writing shows confident, assured control of a range of forms and styles appropriateto task and purpose. Texts engage and hold the reader’s interest through logical argument,persuasive force or creative delight. Linguistic and structural features are used skilfully tosequence texts and achieve coherence. A wide range of accurate sentence structures ensuresclarity; choices of vocabulary, punctuation and spelling are ambitious, imaginative and correct.

C Candidates adapt their talk to the demands of different situations and contexts. They recognisewhen standard English is required and use it confidently. They use different sentence structuresand select vocabulary so that information, ideas and feelings are communicated clearly and thelistener’s interest is engaged. Through careful listening and by developing their own and others’ideas, they make significant contributions to discussion and participate effectively in creativeactivities.

Candidates understand and demonstrate how meaning and information are conveyed in a rangeof texts. They make personal and critical responses, referring to specific aspects of language,grammar, structure and presentational devices to justify their views. They successfully compareand cross-reference aspects of texts and explain convincingly how they may vary in purpose andhow they achieve different effects. They comment on how social, cultural and historical contextsaffect readers’ responses to texts.

Candidates’ writing shows successful adaptation of form and style to different tasks and forvarious purposes. They use a range of sentence structures and varied vocabulary to createdifferent effects and engage the reader’s interest. Paragraphing is used effectively to make thesequence of events or development of ideas coherent and clear to the reader. Sentencestructures are varied and sometimes bold; punctuation and spelling are accurate.

26


A

Grade Description

F Candidates talk confidently in familiar situations, showing some awareness of purpose and oflisteners’ needs. They convey information, develop ideas and describe feelings clearly, using themain features of standard English as appropriate. They listen with concentration and makerelevant responses to others’ ideas and opinions. In formal and creative activities, they attempt tomeet the demands of different roles.

Candidates describe the main ideas, themes or argument in a range of texts and refer to specificaspects or details when justifying their views. They make simple comparisons and cross-references that show some awareness of how texts achieve their effects through writers’ use oflinguistic, grammatical, structural and presentational devices. They are aware that some featuresof texts relate to their specific social, cultural and historical contexts.

Candidates’ writing shows some adaptation of form and style for different tasks and purposes. Itcommunicates simply and clearly with the reader. Sentences sequence events or ideas logically;vocabulary is sometimes chosen for variety and interest. Paragraphing is straightforward buteffective; the structure of sentences, including some that are complex, is usually correct. Spellingand basic punctuation are mostly accurate.

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B

B Spiritual, moral, ethical, social, legislative, sustainable development, economic and cultural issues, and health and safety considerations

We have taken great care to make sure that anywider issues (for example, spiritual, moral, ethical,social, legal, sustainable development, economic andcultural issues), including those relevant to theeducation of students at Key Stage 4, have beentaken into account when preparing this specification.They will only form part of the assessmentrequirements where they are relevant to the specificcontent of the specification and have been identifiedin Section 3: Subject Content.

European DimensionWe have taken the 1988 Resolution of the Council ofthe European Community into account whenpreparing this specification and associatedspecimen units.

Environmental EducationWe have taken the 1988 Resolution of the Council ofthe European Community and the Report‘Environmental Responsibility: An Agenda for Furtherand Higher Education’ 1993 into account whenpreparing this specification and associated specimenunits.

Avoiding biasWe have taken great care to avoid bias of any kindwhen preparing this specification and specimen units.

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C

C Overlaps with other qualificationsFunctional EnglishThis specification embeds the level 2 functional skillsstandards. In addition, the specification covers thekey processes and range and content sections of theKS4 English programme of study which also reflectthe functional English standards at level 2 and buildon the embedding of the level 1 standards in the keystage 3 programme of study. The specification alsoreflects the curriculum opportunities section of theKS4 English programme of study which requires thatpupils speak, listen and write for contexts beyond theclassroom.

The term ‘functional’ should be considered in thebroad sense of providing learners with the skills andabilities they need to take an active and responsiblerole in their communities, in their everyday lives,workplaces and educational settings.

53.33% of this specification is Functional. Inpreparing schemes of work and delivery, theFunctional Skills Standards will be covered in thefollowing GCSE units:

Functional Skills English GCSE English

Speaking and Listening Unit 2 13.33%

Reading Unit 120%

Writing Unit 120%

Candidates preparing for this specification will coverthe Functional Skills Standards but will not beawarded a qualification for Functional English.

Functional English is available for assessment andcertification in the stand-alone qualification FunctionalEnglish.

Note that centres entering candidates for bothFunctional Skills English and GCSE English or GCSEEnglish Language can use the same assessmentopportunity to assess Speaking and Listening.Centres must assess the activities against both setsof relevant criteria.

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D

D Wider Key Skills – Teaching, developing and providing opportunities for generating evidence

IntroductionThe Key Skills Qualification requires candidates todemonstrate levels of achievement in the Key Skills ofCommunication, Application of Number andInformation and Communication Technology. TheWider Key Skills of Improving own Learning andPerformance, Working with Others and ProblemSolving are also available. The acquisition anddemonstration of ability in these ‘wider’ Key Skills isdeemed highly desirable for all candidates.

The units for each key skill comprise three sections:

What you need to know

What you must do

Guidance.

Candidates following a course of study based on thisspecification for English can be offered opportunitiesto develop and generate evidence of attainment inaspects of the Key Skills of:

Communication

Application of Number

Information and Communication Technology

Working with Others

Improving own Learning and Performance

Problem Solving.

Areas of study and learning that can be used toencourage the acquisition and use of Key Skills, andto provide opportunities to generate evidence forPart B of units, are provided in the Teachers’Resource Bank for this specification.

The above information is given in the context of theknowledge that Key Skills at levels 1 and 2 will beavailable until 2010 with last certification in 2012.

Key Skills Qualifications of Communication,Application of Number and Information andCommunication Technology will be phased out andreplaced by Functional Skills qualifications in English,Mathematics and ICT from September 2010 onwards.For further information see the AQA website:http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/keyskills/com04.php.

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E

E Lists of authors from the National Curriculum KS4 programme of study

The English Literary Heritage: This includesauthors with an enduring appeal that transcends theperiod in which they were writing. For example, thenovels of Jane Austen or the plays of Shakespearecontinue to be widely read, studied and reinterpretedin print and on screen for contemporary audiences.The study of texts by these authors should be basedon whole texts and presented in ways that willengage students (eg supported by the use of filmresources and drama activities).

Texts from the English Literary Heritage shouldinclude work selected from the following pre-twentieth-century writers: Matthew Arnold, JaneAusten, William Blake, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë,Robert Browning, John Bunyan, Lord Byron, GeoffreyChaucer, William Congreve, John Clare, SamuelTaylor Coleridge, Wilkie Collins, Joseph Conrad,Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, John Donne, JohnDryden, George Eliot, Henry Fielding, ElizabethGaskell, Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Hardy, GeorgeHerbert, Robert Herrick, Gerard Manley Hopkins,Henry James, John Keats, Christopher Marlowe,Andrew Marvell, John Milton, Alexander Pope, MaryShelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, RB Sheridan, EdmundSpenser, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jonathan Swift,Alfred Lord Tennyson, Anthony Trollope, HenryVaughan, HG Wells, Oscar Wilde, WilliamWordsworth and Sir Thomas Wyatt

Twentieth-century writers from the English LiteraryHeritage include: Kingsley Amis, WH Auden, TS Eliot,EM Forster, Robert Frost, William Golding, Graham

Greene, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, AldousHuxley, Elizabeth Jennings, James Joyce, PhilipLarkin, DH Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, SeanO’Casey, George Orwell, Wilfred Owen, HaroldPinter, Sylvia Plath, JB Priestley, Siegfried Sassoon,Peter Shaffer, George Bernard Shaw, RC Sherriff,Stevie Smith, Muriel Spark, Dylan Thomas, EdwardThomas, RS Thomas, William Trevor, Evelyn Waugh,Arnold Wesker, John Wyndham and WB Yeats.

Texts from different cultures and traditions:When choosing texts from different cultures andtraditions, it is important to look for authors who areso familiar with a particular culture or country thatthey represent it sensitively and with understanding.The texts should help students learn about theliterature of another culture, as well as reflect on theirown experiences. Texts appropriate for study at KeyStage 4 include some works by the following authors:Chinua Achebe, John Agard, Monica Ali, Moniza Alvi,Maya Angelou, Isaac Bashevis Singer, James Berry,Edward Braithwaite, Anita Desai, Emily Dickinson, F Scott Fitzgerald, Athol Fugard, Jamila Gavin,Nadine Gordimer, Doris Lessing, Arthur Miller, LesMurray, Beverly Naidoo, RK Narayan, Grace Nichols,Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Bali Rai, Wole Soyinka, JohnSteinbeck, Meera Syal, Mildred D Taylor, Mark Twain,Derek Walcott, Walt Whitman, Tennessee Williams,Adeline Yen Mah and Benjamin Zephaniah. The studyof texts by these authors should be based on wholetexts and presented in ways that will engagestudents.

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F

F Assessment Criteria for Controlled Assessment

See table overleaf.

GCSE English Unit 2 Speaking and ListeningControlled Assessment Criteria

AO 1

Speak to communicate clearly and purposefully; structure and sustain talk, adapting it to different situations and audiences; use standard Englishand a variety of techniques as appropriate.

Listen and respond to speakers’ ideas, perspectives and how they construct and express their meanings.

Interact with others, shaping meanings through suggestions, comments and questions and drawing ideas together.

Create and sustain different roles.

Communicating and adapting language Interacting and responding Creating and sustaining roles

Band 5 Candidates Candidates Candidates‘Sophisticated, highlight priorities and essential detail sustain concentrated listening, showing create complex characters and fulfil theImpressive’ when communicating complex and understanding of complex ideas through demands of challenging roles through 13–15 demanding subject-matter interrogating what is said insightful choice of dramatic approaches

use a sophisticated repertoire of shape direction and content of talk, explore and respond to complex ideas strategies to meet challenging contexts responding with flexibility to develop issues and relationships in varied formal and purposes ideas and challenge assumptions and informal scenarios.show an assured choice and flexible use initiate, develop and sustain discussionof standard English vocabulary and through encouraging participation and grammar in appropriate situations. interaction, resolving differences and

achieving positive outcomes.

Band 4 Candidates Candidates Candidates‘Confident, confidently convey and interpret challenge, develop and respond to what create convincing characters and rolesAssured’ information, ideas and feelings, they hear in thoughtful and considerate using a range of carefully selected verbal10–12 emphasising significant points and issues ways, seeking clarification through apt and non-verbal techniques

adapt and shape talk and non-verbal questions respond skilfully and sensitively in different features to meet the demands of different analyse and reflect on others’ ideas to situations and scenarios, to explore ideas situations, contexts and purposes clarify issues and assumptions and and issues and relationships.make appropriate, controlled, effective develop the discussionuse of standard English vocabulary and identify useful outcomes and help structuregrammar. discussion through purposeful contributions.

32 GC

SE

English for teaching from

Septem

ber 2010 onwards (version 1.4)

F

Communicating and adapting language Interacting and responding Creating and sustaining roles

Band 3 Candidates Candidates Candidates‘Clear, Consistent’ effectively communicate information, listen closely and attentively, engaging develop and sustain roles and characters7–9 ideas and feelings, promote issues and with what is heard through perceptive through appropriate language and effective

points of view responses gesture and movement adapt talk to a variety of situations and make significant contributions that make contributions to the development ofaudiences, using non-verbal features to move discussions forward situations and ideas, showing understandingadd to impact engage with others’ ideas and feelings, and insight into relationships and use a range of well-judged vocabulary recognising obvious bias or prejudice significant issues.and sentence structures to achieve and referring to precise detail.different purposes, including competentand appropriate use of standard English.

Band 2 Candidates Candidates Candidates‘Some’ convey straightforward information and respond positively to what they hear, show understanding of characters by4–6 ideas, coherent accounts and narratives including helpful requests for explanation creating straightforward roles using

in extended turns and further detail speech, gesture and movement begin to adapt talk and non-verbal features make specific, relevant contributions engage with situations and ideas, showingto meet the needs of different audiences to discussion understanding of issues and relationships.use a variety of vocabulary and structures allow others to express ideas or pointsfor different purposes, including of view that may differ from their own andappropriate features of standard English respond appropriately.with reasonable accuracy.

Band 1 Candidates Candidates Candidates‘Limited’ briefly express points of view, ideas and respond to what they hear, showing some draw on obvious and sometimes1–3 feelings interest, including non-verbal reactions stereotypical ideas to create simple

sometimes develop detail to add interest make brief, occasional contributions characters to accounts, narratives and information, and general statements in discussion react to situations in predictable but supported by appropriate non-verbal follow central ideas and possibilities in appropriate ways, demonstrating some features what they hear and raise straightforward understanding of relationships and use straightforward vocabulary and questions. familiar ideas.grammar, showing awareness of somemain features of standard English.

0 marks Nothing worthy of credit

33

GC

SE


Septem


F

34 GC

SE


Septem


F

GCSE English Unit 3 Part a Understanding creative texts (literary reading)Controlled Assessment criteria AO2

Read and understand texts. Develop and sustain interpretations of writers’ ideas and perspectives.Explain and evaluate how writers use linguistic, grammatical, structural and presentational features to achieve effects and engage and influencethe reader.Understand texts in their social, cultural and historical contexts.

Prose Drama Poetry

Candidates demonstrate

sustained sophisticated interpretations oftexts

sustained and sophisticated engagementwith writers’ ideas and attitudes andsophisticated interpretations usingimaginatively selected supporting textualdetail

sophisticated analysis of aspects oflanguage and structure

perceptive and mature comment on thesignificance of the contexts.




sophisticated analysis of aspects oflanguage, structure and dramatictechnique





sophisticated analysis of aspects oflanguage and structure


Band 5‘Sophisticated,Impressive’13–15

Band 4‘Confident,Assured’10–12


sustained and developed interpretationsof texts

engagement with writers’ ideas andattitudes and provide perceptiveinterpretations using precisely selectedsupporting textual detail

analysis of aspects of language andstructure in convincing detail

convincing connections between the textsand their contexts.




analysis of aspects of language, structureand dramatic technique in convincingdetail

convincing connections between thetexts and their contexts.




analysis of aspects of language andstructure in convincing detail

convincing connections between thetexts and their contexts.

35

GC

SE


Septem


F

Prose Drama Poetry


clear evidence of understanding ofsignificant meanings of the text

ability to explain writers’ ideas clearlyoffering relevant and appropriatesupporting textual detail

ability to display understanding of featuresof language and structure supported byrelevant and appropriate quotation

ability to explore the significance ofaspects of the contexts matched totextual details.


some awareness shown of more obviousmeanings in the text

some awareness of writers’ ideassupported by relevant textual detail

some awareness of obvious features oflanguage and structure supported bysome relevant textual detail

make some relevant comments about thesignificance of the contexts.


limited understanding of the texts

limited engagement with the writers’ ideas

reference to a limited range of textualdetail

some awareness of contexts but verylimited comment on their significance.

Nothing worthy of credit




ability to display understanding of featuresof language, structure and dramatictechnique supported by relevant andappropriate quotation

ability to explore the significance of aspectsof the contexts matched to textual details.




some awareness of obvious features oflanguage, structure and dramatictechnique supported by some relevanttextual detail





reference to a limited range of textual detail





ability to display understanding of featuresof language and structure supported byrelevant and appropriate quotation

ability to explore the significance ofaspects of the contexts matched totextual details.




some awareness of obvious features oflanguage and structure supported bysome relevant textual detail





reference to a limited range of textualdetail


Band 3‘Clear,Consistent’7–9

Band 2‘Some’4–6

Band 1‘Limited’1–3

0 marks

GCSE English Unit 3 Part b Producing creative texts (creative writing)Controlled Assessment criteria

AO3Communicate clearly and imaginatively, using and adapting forms and selecting vocabulary appropriate to task and purpose in ways that engagethe reader.Organise information and ideas into structured and sequenced sentences, paragraphs and whole texts, using a variety of linguistic and structuralfeatures to support cohesion and overall coherence.Use a range of sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate punctuation and spelling.

AO3 i and ii Communicating clearly/ Organising information AO3 iii Using sentence structures/ Mark/Band using forms and ideas Mark/Band writing accurately

Band 5 sophistication and subtlety prevail; high levels of whole text coherence; Band 5 varied and sophisticated ‘Sophisticated, distinct reasons for readers wanting a strong sense of the text’s ‘Sophisticated, sentence structures used to Impressive’ to read this: ‘delightful’, ‘flair’; wholeness Impressive’ impressive effect 13–15 ‘originality’ paragraphs/other structural and 13–15 uses a range of punctuation

subject matter/ideas presented in organisational devices complement highly purposefully and completely measured and effectively and fully support the purpose and effectively; punctuation isjudged depth/detail thrust of the piece another means to heighten artful and self-conscious use of cohesive features embedded impact of writinglanguage, with consistent crafting throughout; sophisticated and spelling is almost alwaysfor impact impressively used. accurate; accurate spelling of impressive exploitation of form for specialist or less purpose and audience, with commonplace vocabulary; impressive sense of immersion in impressive control over even the chosen genre. highly irregular spellings.

Band 4 writing is shaped by an assured well-constructed and assured whole Band 4 phrase and sentence ‘Confident, Assured’ awareness of purpose and audience text shaping ‘Confident, Assured’ constructions self-10–12 throughout uses structural/organisational 10–12 consciously crafted for effect

subject matter/ideas presented in devices to clarify and support full range of punctuation appropriately sustained way; assured purpose, and to navigate readers marks used assuredly and judgements made about the impact through the writing accurately of depth/detail on readers’ wider range of discourse markers few spelling lapses; nearengagement and cohesive ties to heighten fluency. misses with some unfamiliar assured and confident control and words, but only very crafting of language, with words’ occasionally.effects deliberately worked forconfident and skilful use of form,with assured absorption of genericelements.

36 GC

SE


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F

AO3 i and ii Communicating clearly/ Organising information AO3 iii Using sentence structures/ Mark/Band using forms and ideas Mark/Band writing accurately

Band 3 clearly matches style and form to clear sense of whole text coherence Band 3 clear variety and range of ‘Clear, Consistent’ purpose and audience uses clear and distinctive ‘Clear, Consistent’ sentence structures: simple, 7–9 subject matter/ideas presented in organisational devices; paragraphs/ 7–9 compound and complex

a more sustained way; clear sense other organisational devices consistent accuracy with of depth and detail consistently deployed greater range of punctuation consistently uses vocabulary and clear links between sentences; some commonly used words are stylistic devices to achieve effects discourse markers and referencing consistently spelt correctly; clear evidence of a form being to create fluency. more complex vocabulary isknowingly used throughout; generally accurately spelt. conventions of genre consistentlyevident.

Band 2 increasing sense of clarity and some sense of whole text structure Band 2 uses greater range of ‘Some’ intent in the writing and organisation ‘Some’ sentence structures – simple 4–6 subject matter/ideas presented in shows some grasp of organising 4–6 and compound sentences;

some depth; some detail to better sentences into paragraphs/other some complex sentencesengage readers organisational and structural devices punctuation is generally some attempts to match style and used for effect accurate, with secure use of form to purpose and audience some attempts to create sentence commas, question marks, etcform and genre used more cohesion. increased accuracy when intentionally and knowingly. spelling less familiar words.

Band 1 communicates ideas with limited limited whole text structure Band 1 limited syntactical variety – ‘Limited’ clarity some organisational and structural ‘Limited’ simple and compound 1–3 subject matter/ideas skimpily devices used; paragraphed, 1–3 sentences with a limited

presented in limited depth or detail albeit randomly/possible use of range of connectivesoccasional instances of language headings and sections sentences used, even thoughchoices moving away from the limited sentence cohesion; not all are properly most basic time-focused discourse markers demarcated some rudimentary features of form may be used; eg ‘and then’, ‘then’. simple words spelt correctly; and genre used appropriately. valid

approximations when spellingmore complex words.

0 marks Nothing worthy of credit.

37

GC

SE


Septem


F

Sub

ject Co

ntent

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0921.09

GCSE English from 2010 onwards Qualification Accreditation Number: tbc

Every specification is assigned a national classification code indicating the subject area to which it belongs. The classification code for this specification is tbc.

Centres should be aware that candidates who enter for more than one GCSE qualification with the same classification code will have only one grade (the highest) counted for the purpose of the School and College Performance Tables.

Centres may wish to advise candidates that, if they take two specifications with the same classification code, schools and colleges are very likely to take the view that they have achieved only one of the two GCSEs. The same view may be taken if candidates take two GCSE specifications that have different classification codes but have significant overlap of content. Candidates who have any doubts about their subject combinations should check with the institution to which they wish to progress before embarking on their programmes.

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