English Assessments
Students are assessed as follows:
English
Key Stage 3
Year 7
Autumn 1 – Refugee Boy: writing a letter in persona
Autumn 2 – Refugee Boy: close analysis of an extract
Spring 1 – An Introduction to Poetry: analytical response to a poem
Spring 2 – The News and Opinion Pieces: writing an opinion piece
Summer 1 – The History of the English Language: writing and presenting an academic poster
Summer 2 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream: writing Hermia’s monologue
Year 8
Autumn 1 – The Hunger Games: dystopian writing in response to an image
Autumn 2 – Unseen poetry: close analysis of an extract
Spring 1 – Approaching Unseen Poetry: responding to an unseen poem
Spring 2 – The Gothic: creating a gothic monster or villain
Summer 1 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream: close analysis of extract
Summer 2 – Speeches that changed the world: speech writing
English Language
Key Stage 4
Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing
One fiction extract
Four reading questions and one writing question
(exam, 1 hour and 45 mins, 80 marks, 50% of the exam)
Paper 2: Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives
Two non-fiction extracts
Four reading questions and one writing question
(exam, 1 hour and 45 mins, 80 marks, 50% of the exam)
Non-exam assessment: Spoken Language endorsement – students complete a presentation on a topic of their choice. They will be awarded either a pass, merit or distinction.
Key Stage 5
The following topics are studied:
An investigation into an area of each learner’s particular individual interest
Analysis of how children acquire language
How language changes over time
Language in the media
Linguistic analysis of authentic texts
Original writing for a real-world purpose on a topical language issue
Exploring language (80 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes, 40% of A level)
Dimensions of linguistic variation (80 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes, 40% of A level)
Independent language research (40 marks, non-exam assessment, 20% of A level)
English Literature
Key Stage 4
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century Novel (written exam, 1 hour and 45 mins, 64 marks, 40% of GCSE)
Section A – Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Students will answer one question on the play. They are required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then to write about the play as a whole.
Section B – The 19th Century Novel: Jekyll and Hyde
Students will answer one question. They are required to write in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole.
Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry (written exam, 2 hours and 15 mins, 96 marks, 60% of GCSE)
Section A – Modern Texts: An Inspector Calls
Section B – Power and Conflict: A comparative question with one named poem printed on the exam paper and one other poem.
Section C – Poem: Students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.
Key Stage 5
Love Through the Ages (40% of A level)
Othello
The Great Gatsby and pre-1900 poetry
Unseen Poetry
Texts in Shared Contexts: Modern Times (40% of A level)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Revolutionary Road
Skirrid Hill
Unseen Prose
NEA Coursework (20% of A level)
One pre-1900 text
One other text
2,500 word essay
EPQ
Key Stage 5
Students are required, with appropriate supervision, to:
Choose an area of interest.
Draft a title and aims of the project for formal approval by the centre.
Plan, research and carry out the project.
Deliver a presentation to a non specialist audience.
Provide evidence of all stages of project development and production for assessment.
Students are assessed on the following assessment objectives:
AO1 – Planning
AO2 – Research
AO3 – Develop and Realise
AO4 – Evaluation
There is no examination for this subject, it is 100% coursework.
