English Language

Exam Board: AQA

The GCSE English Language course encourages students to read a great range of high quality, challenging literature and non-fiction texts from a range of genres and types (from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries) as well as to write clearly, coherently and accurately using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures.

Each examination paper has a distinct identity on the course:

Each paper is split into two sections:

Reading

Writing

The GCSE English Language course also emphasises the importance of the wider benefits that speaking and listening skills have for students. Students will undertake a formal speaking and listening assessment to complete their qualification.

There are no set texts for this part of the course although students should read a variety of non-fiction and literary texts to prepare them for the demands of the course. English qualifications open doors to sixth form courses, college courses and are highly regarded by UCAS and employers. Some careers involving English skills include journalism, publishing, law and marketing.

Assessment

100% examination. Each examination is equally weighted.

The specification offers a skills-based approach to the study of English Language in a non-tiered context. Questions are designed to take students on an assessment journey through lower tariff tasks to more extended responses.

Non- examination Assessment on Spoken Language: Formal presentation set by the class teacher

Throughout the course students will complete assessments linked to exam questions and criteria.