English

Students will be challenged to produce and explore both fiction and non-fiction texts of varying lengths and forms from a range of historical contexts. 

English Language and English Literature are separate GCSE subjects but they are taught together because of the significant overlap in terms of the skills that are honed throughout the course.  Both are compulsory.

All work will be assessed in four external written examinations taken at the end of Year 11: two for English Language and two for English Literature.

English Language Paper 1 - 1 hour and 45 minutes
English Language Paper 2 - 1 hour and 45 minutes

These two exams will test our students’ ability to explore unseen literary fiction and literary non-fiction texts in timed conditions.  Students will also have to create their own writing based on an unknown stimulus including story or descriptive writing and a non-fiction response such as letter writing.  

English Literature Paper 1 (Closed Book) - 1 hour and 45 minutes
1. Shakespeare’s Macbeth
2. Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

English Literature Paper 2 (Closed Book) - 2 hours and 15 minutes
1. J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls
2. All 15 poems from the Power and Conflict cluster of the AQA Poetry Anthology.
3. Unseen Poetry

Access to all college and further education is dependent on high pass GCSE grades in English Language.  These grades are double weighted in the ‘Progress 8’ measure if taken with Literature.

As a general rule, a grade 5 in English Language is often a minimum requirement for students wanting to study other academic subjects at A-Level.  Some courses require grade 6, so it’s worth checking requirements carefully.  A grade 4 is required to avoid having to do retakes in Year 12.  Retakes in Year 12 mean students miss out on enrolling in the best courses at post-16.

Dr K. Watson, Head of English

kate.watson@rmays.com