ENGLISH LITERATURE

Year 9 Course Outline

English Literature is taught in conjunction with English Language in Year 9. Pupils follow a curriculum designed to equip them with the higher order skills required at Key Stage 4. The programme of study includes a Shakespeare play. Pupils will also study a modern drama, such as An Inspector Calls, which is one of their GCSE English Literature texts. All pupils will study either a novel or a collection of short stories. The development of technical accuracy and speaking and listening skills is embedded into lessons. The end of year examination focuses on An Inspector Calls. Following the end of year exams, pupils study a range of non-fiction texts, developing their ability to argue and persuade.

Years 10 and 11 Course Outline

Pupils work towards the Edexcel GCSE in English Literature (which is taught alongside IGCSE English Language). In Year 10, we focus on a collection of 15 poems and a novel written before 1900. Examples of prose texts pupils might study include A Christmas Carol, Silas Marner and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In Year 11, pupils study a play or prose text written after 1914 (An Inspector Calls) and a Shakespeare play (such as Macbeth or The Merchant of Venice).

Skills Required and Developed

Pupils develop the ability to analyse and appreciate a wide range of texts, such as short stories, poetry, prose and drama. Skills include the ability to discern the effects of a writer’s choice of language, form and structure. By the end of the course, pupils are able to respond critically to a range of different writing styles, offering personal interpretations and exploring layers of meaning.

External Assessment

Pupils take Edexcel GCSE in English Literature. The course is terminally examined and pupils sit two papers: one on Poetry and a Pre-1900 Novel (we set a mock examination for this in Year 10) and one on Shakespeare and a Post-1914 Novel or Play (we set a full mock examination for this in Year 11). Both examinations are “closed book” and so pupils will have to know their four set texts very well.

Pupils do not produce NEA (“coursework”) for GCSE English Literature.

Beyond the Classroom

As with English Language, pupils may attend appropriate theatre visits to enhance their study of drama texts. Pupils should spend time reading and re-reading their set texts outside of the classroom but should also be aware that reading for pleasure will enhance everything they experience and achieve in this subject.

Further Information

Ms Laura Burden, Head of English Tel 023 9268 1374, Email l.burden@pgs.org.uk

Mrs Stephanie Burkinshaw, KS4 Coordinator for English, Email s.burkinshaw@pgs.org.uk

Exam Board Website: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/english-literature-2015.html