English Language and Literature

What is the nature of English at IGCSE level?

The IGCSE courses in English Language and English Literature are taught concurrently. The emphasis for Literature is on the understanding and appreciation of a variety of genres: Prose, Poetry, and Drama. In English Language the focus is on developing students’ understanding of how language works in a range of texts. Skills of analysis and evaluation are also developed alongside the ability to think independently. In order to prepare students for the rigorous demands of IB English, the Department aims to instil in students the importance of wider reading. Homework is an integral part of the course.

Cambridge programmes and qualifications are designed to support learners in becoming:

• confident in working with information and ideas – their own and those of others • responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others • reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn • innovative and equipped for new and future challenges • engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference

What is the approach to learning?

In English Language, students are taught to communicate accurately and effectively in both speech and writing. A range of skills are developed:

• Understanding and responding to what they hear, read and experience. • Communicating accurately, appropriately, confidently and effectively • Enjoying and appreciating a variety of styles of language • Working with information and ideas in other areas of study, for example, by developing skills of analysis, synthesis and the drawing of inferences • Personal development and an understanding of themselves and others.

In English Literature, students are encouraged to enjoy the experience of reading and to develop the following:

• Understanding of, and the ability to respond to, a range of literary texts from different periods in literary history. • The ability to produce an informed personal response that is appropriate and effective. • Appreciation of the ways in which writers use language to achieve specific effects. • Understanding of the contribution of Literature to areas of human concern.

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Prose - Stories of Ourselves (short stories by various writers) Poetry - Songs of Ourselves (poems by various writers) Drama - The Crucible by Arthur Miller

English Language:

Text transformation Report writing Summary writing Textual analysis Argumentative writing Narrative writing Descriptive writing

What is the nature of assessment? Assessment is by final examination. English Language: Paper 1 Reading Passages (2hrs) Paper 2 Directed Writing and Composition (2hrs)

English Literature:

Paper 1 Poetry and Prose (Closed Book) (1hr 30 mins) Paper 3 Drama (Open Book) (45 mins) Paper 4 Unseen (1hr 15 mins)

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