English Language
Qualification: GCSE
- Awarding Body:
- AQA
- Length of Course:
- Up to 2 years (results dependent)
Students in Years 12 and 13 who have not achieved a Grade 4 in GCSE English Language will study this qualification. This GCSE qualification is 100% examination and re-sit examinations take place in November and June. Students are required to attend lessons until it has been confirmed they have achieved a Grade 4 in either the November or June examination series.
The GCSE English Language qualification requires students to explore creative reading and writing and engage with writers’ viewpoints and perspectives.
Topics covered
Explorations in creative reading and writing
Reading
The content will be literary fiction texts from the 20th century or 21st century.
The genre will be prose fiction and will include extracts from novels and short stories.
The focus will be on openings, endings, narrative perspectives and points of view, narrative or descriptive passages, character, atmospheric descriptions and other appropriate narrative and descriptive approaches.
Writing
The focus will be writing for a specific audience, purpose and form.
A scenario, written prompt or visual image will provide the stimulus for the writing.
Resources available
A range of stimulus materials will be provided by teachers for the ‘Explorations in creative reading and writing’ examination.
Literature texts studied will be 20th and 21st century novels.
Students may also wish to use the materials available on the AQA exam board website:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/ english-language-8700/supporting-resources
# Classroom copies of all literary texts studied will be provided by the school but students may wish to purchase their own copies for further study outside of lessons.
Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives
Reading
The content will be non-fiction texts from range of different 20th century and 21st century genres.
Genres will include high quality journalism, articles, reports, essays, travel writing, accounts, sketches, letters, diaries, autobiography and biographical passages or other appropriate non- fiction and literary non-fiction forms.
The focus will be reading a literature fiction text to consider how writers use narrative and descriptive techniques to capture the interest of readers.
Writing
The focus will be writing a creative text to demonstrate narrative and descriptive skills.
The writing will inspired by the topic responded to in the reading tasks.
A written prompt, scenario or visual image will provide the stimulus for the writing.
Resources available
A range of stimulus materials will be provided by teachers for the ‘Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives’ examination.
Non-fiction texts studied will be from the 20th and 21st century.
Students may also wish to use the materials available on the AQA exam board website:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse/ english-language-8700/supporting-resources
# Classroom copies of all literary texts studied will be provided by the school but students may wish to purchase their own copies for further study outside of lessons.
Entry Requirements
This course is for those students who have yet to achieve a Grade 4 in GCSE EnglishFurther Information
This is a compulsory course for students who have not achieved the required grade in GCSE English Language.
