Faculty: English
Subject: GCSE English
Subject Leader: Miss J Wilkinson, Head of Faculty & Mr S Joy, Deputy Head of Faculty
Staff and Responsibility: Miss M Allan, Mrs A Barr, Miss E Bourne, Miss Z Campbell, Mrs A Challendar, Miss M Rowley, Miss H Schofield, Interventions Co-ordinator, & Miss J Staley
Subject Overview
English is a core subject and will be studied by all students. Students follow the Edexcel GCSE courses in English Language and English Literature from the beginning of Year 10 and resulting in two separate GCSE grades at the end of the course. The course tests students’ skills in the three areas of reading, writing and speaking and listening. Both English Language and English Literature are now 100% examination; there will be no coursework or controlled assessment component.
Reading
Students read a wide variety of texts, fiction and non-fiction, both printed on paper and presented as film or electronic texts. The range of texts studied includes Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Romeo & Juliet, Boys Don’t Cry, and a short collection of poetry. For all of the texts, students will be taught how to respond to them in detail, by producing assessments and essays in preparation for exams.
Writing
Students will practise writing accurately in many styles and formats such as letters, articles, web pages and creative responses. They will also be taught how to experiment with a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to help them to develop an individual and effective style.
Spoken Language
Spoken activities will be a regular part of English lessons as students will work with a partner, in a group or take part in whole class discussions. Exploring ideas in talk is a good preparation for producing thoughtful written work and they will be given credit for their skills in assessed activities. These will include drama activities, such as role play, and individual and group performances.
In addition to this, students will present, and be assessed for, an individual spoken language contribution – a requirement of the GCSE Language qualification.
Support
It is vital that all students receive the support that they need as individuals to perform to the best of their ability. Therefore, we have support in place for students who require additional intervention for GCSES, as well as for wider literacy needs. Beyond this, resources for independent skills development, as well as revision, are available.
For more information please speak to your English teacher.
