English & English Literature

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English & English Literature

Students are entered for both English Language and English Literature and are awarded two separate grades at the end. The new AQA courses that began in September 2015 did herald significant change from previous years’ specifications, with Controlled Assessment a thing of the past and the new GCSE grading of 1-9 replacing the conventional letter grades. Moreover, although Speaking and Listening will still be assessed, it will not contribute to the overall English Language grade, while all examinations for English Literature will be ‘closed book’ , meaning copies are not allowed into the exam room. Both courses build on skills and knowledge of English developed during Years 7, 8 and 9, and will provide a firm foundation for further study of English Language and Literature at Advanced Level.

English Language

There will be TWO examination papers – both featuring unseen texts. Each will demand responses assessed for Reading Comprehension and for Original Writing.

Paper 1 - Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing will feature literary-style texts, while Paper 2 - Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives will assess responses based on non-fiction texts

English Literature

This will also feature TWO examination papers – both featuring a range of literary texts. Paper 1 will feature a Shakespeare play from the prescribed list – perhaps ‘Macbeth’ or ‘The Tempest’ - and a further question on a pre-1900 work of fiction, again from the list of set texts including ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ , ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘The Sign of Four’ . This paper is worth 40% of the total award.

Paper 2 completes the remaining 60% of the award and will feature four questions - one on a modern piece of prescribed drama, a second on a post 1914 set prose text (options include ‘Lord of the Flies’ , ‘Pigeon English’ or ‘An Inspector Calls’), the third on set poems from the AQA Poetry Anthology and the fourth on ‘unseen’ poetry.

Mrs C.Lewis Head of English c.lewis@merchanttaylors.com