English Workshop

Overview

• All pupils will follow a GCSE English course during Years 10 and 11.

• Some pupils will follow the dual award of Language and Literature (leading to the award of two separate GCSEs).

• Pupils will be informed about which course they are studying at the start of the course.

Importance of English

• During English lessons your child will develop their reading, writing and speaking and listening skills.

• These are crucial skills which are needed during all lessons and to function socially and in the world of work.

Overview of GCSE EnglishExam (2 hours)One exam at the end of the course consisting of three sections:•Shakespeare (Macbeth)•Prose (Of Mice and Men)•Writing

This is worth 60% of the overall grade with literacy as a main focus of assessment.

Controlled AssessmentFour pieces of written work worth 40% of the overall grade.Three speaking and listening assessments will be assessed separately.

Overview of English LanguageExamOne exam at the end of the course consisting of two sections:Part A: Of Mice and Men – 1 hourThere will be a specific focus on language analysis.

Part B: Writing Task - 45 mins.Writing – answer one question from a choice of two.This is worth 60% of the overall grade.

Controlled AssessmentFour pieces of written work worth 40% of the overall grade. Three speaking and listening assessments will be assessed separately.

Overview of English LiteratureExamsTwo exams at the end of the course consisting of:• Poetry (relationships cluster of poetry) worth 25% of the

overall grade• Prose – Animal Farm and Of Mice and Men worth 50% of

the overall grade

Controlled Assessment• Two pieces of written work on a Shakespeare play and a

20th century drama text worth 25% of the overall grade.

Cambridge IGCSE Literature

We are currently trialling the IGCSE Literature course with Year 11.

Pupils who study this will sit two exams (worth 75%) and complete two pieces of coursework.

Paper 1 (2 hrs 15 minutes)* Shakespeare * Poetry* Prose

Paper 2 (1 hr 15 minutes)* Unseen Poetry/Prose

Coursework (25%)* Pupils will complete two essays related to the texts studied in lesson.

Any questions?

How can you help?

• There are LOTS of things that you can do to help your child to develop their skills and increase their confidence!

How can you help?

• Give strict timings when your child is practicing answering exam style questions so they know how long they will have in the exam.

• Ask them to teach you all they know about a poem/character/theme, this will help them to consolidate their own knowledge.

• Pick out key words from a poem/text and ask your child to explain what that word suggests/emphasises/means in relation to the rest of the text, this will help when they have to explain quotes in the exam.

• Ensure your child creates their own realistic revision timetable and assist them with sticking to it.

How can you help?

• Reward/praise for how well they are doing with revision.• Ask your child to teach you all they know about a

poem/character/theme etc.• When practicing exam questions your child should be using the PEE

structure, ask them to show you in each question how they have adhered to that structure.

• Encourage your child to attend after school revision sessions. These sessions for the literature exam will be held by Miss Taylor/Miss Stock each Wednesday for the 4 weeks leading up to the exam.

When writing about a novel…

You must show that you:

• Understand the feelings, attitudes and ideas of the writer.

• Use quotations effectively – short and concise are best!

• Comment upon the techniques used by the author and the reasons he/she has used them.

Developing Writing Skills

A key element of all exams will be the ability to write clearly and accurately and under timed conditions.

Help your child by setting them timed questions.Your child’s teacher will provide a list of questions to

practise at home.

Techniques to improve writing

• Speaking to the reader in a friendly way – chatty style

• Questions that don’t require an answer – rhetorical questions

• Providing differences in viewpoint – contrasts

• Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘you’ – personal pronouns

• Making the reader surprised or horrified – shock tactics

• Being over-the-top to get a point across – hyperbole

Writing Techniques continued…

• Words that arouse emotion – emotive words

• Numbers / graphs / facts used to convince – statistics

• Repeating a phrase or adjectives three times – rule of three

• Using words like ‘I demand’ or ‘I urge’ – imperative

• Using simile, metaphor or personification – figurative language

• Using short stories to illustrate a point – anecdote

Finding it difficult to remember them? Here’s a very simple mnemonic which should help…

Let’s go through ‘a forest’:

A = AlliterationF = FactsO = OpinionsR = Rhetorical QuestionE = Emotive LanguageS = StatisticsT = Three (rule of)

Some reminders about the writing purposes...

• Remember you will have a choice of two questions and you only need to answer one.

• Read both of the questions carefully and then decide which one you think you have the most ideas for / can write the most convincing response.

• Make a plan – this will quickly help you to get an overview of the structure of your writing. Take into account Text, Audience and Purpose.

Reading• Encourage your child to read as widely and frequently as

possible• Encourage your child to read at home which will support

the school’s DEAR programme• DEAR is a whole school approach which aims to motivate

and inspire pupils to read. • At the allocated time pupils and staff drop everything

and read!• It is an initiative which aims to foster a life-long love of

reading in pupils and which will help all your child in ALL subject areas.

Useful English Revision Websites

•www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize•www.englishbiz.co.uk/•www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/english•revisionworld.co.uk/

Parkside VLE

 http://www.parkside.org.uk

•Access to GCSEPOD(A web based GCSE revision resource).

•Copies of blank and annotated poems from the Edexcel anthology

•Your child’s teacher will advise pupils about other useful resources eg. exam questions which are appropriate to the courses they are taking.

 

Any questions?