English Language
EXAM BOARD
AQA
ASSESSMENT FORMAT
100% terminal examination
GRADE METHOD
9-1
GCSE
The subject content of the syllabus relates directly to the programme of study for Years 10 and 11 of the National Curriculum.
Students will be expected to produce a variety of fiction and non-fiction writing, demonstrating an awareness of the use of language in appropriate forms. Students will also need to acquire skills in information retrieval in response to a range of fiction and non-fiction texts, from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Examinations:
Paper 1: Responding to one literature fiction text and writing descriptively (Explorations in creative reading and writing).
Paper 2: Responding to non-fiction texts and writing to present a specific viewpoint (Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives).
Both papers will assess the skills of retrieving relevant information from a text; analysing language and structure of a text using appropriate subject terminology; comparing writers’ ideas and perspectives; evaluating texts critically; communicating and organising information effectively; writing accurately using a varied range of vocabulary.
Suggested Revision Guides and Workbooks for Year 9-11
AQA ENGLISH LANGUAGE – exams 2017 onwards:
- Collins ‘SNAP Revision- Reading’- for AQA English Language Papers 1&2
- Collins ‘SNAP Revision- Writing’- for AQA English Language Papers 1&2
Year 7 and 8
Year 7 and 8 are comprised of a variety of creative and imaginative language and literature modules. There are 6 modules in each year and the key skills for both language and literature are interwoven throughout the two years.
The study of English language in year 7 and 8 is approached through a series of exciting modules that revolve around non-literary sources. Students in Year 7 start with studying Marcus Rashford’s ‘You are a Champion’ which is a new transition unit introducing students to the key Secondary English skills. Students in Year 7 also study a module entitled ‘Inspirational People’ where a range of renowned and influential speeches by prominent figures are studied from the 19th to 21st century: from Winston Churchill to Emma Watson to name just a couple. Students learn how to critique and analyse the rhetorical devices used in these speeches, as well as learning how to craft their own emotive speech on a key issue.
Students in year 8 take part in a module called ‘Challenging Viewpoints’ where they not only explore a variety of print and television media but also create their own newspapers. Students also explore a variety of travel writing that encompasses writers from a variety of different cultures in our ‘Culture and Identity’ module.