English
All students will study English Language and Literature in Key Stage 4.Students at Newbridge will study both English Language and English Literature at GCSE.
Students will, after studying English Language and Literature, be able to analyse fiction and write creatively themselves; whilst also developing transactional writing skills and an ability to close-read 19th Century and modern texts.
GCSE English Literature encourages students to develop a love for reading classical literature and helps to build the foundations that will allow a child to become a reader for life.
HOW IS THE COURSE ASSESSED?
| PAPER | UNIT TITLE | ASSESSMENT METHOD | GCSE WEIGHTING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel | Examination | 40% |
| 02 | Modern texts and poetry | Examination | 60% |
WHAT WILL YOU STUDY?
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel
- Macbeth - William Shakespeare
- A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry
- An Inspector Calls – J. B. Priestley
- Power and Conflict poetry from a selection chosen by AQA
- Unseen poetry
GCSE English Language allows students to develop their reading and writing skills by encouraging them to study a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts.
HOW IS THE COURSE ASSESSED?
| PAPER | UNIT TITLE | ASSESSMENT METHOD | GCSE WEIGHTING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing | Examination | 50% |
| 02 | Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives | Examination | 50% |
WHAT WILL YOU STUDY?
Students will draw upon a range of texts as reading stimulus and engage with creative as well as real and relevant contexts. Students will have opportunities to develop higher-order reading and critical thinking skills that encourage genuine enquiry into different topics and themes.
This will ensure that students can read fluently and write effectively. Students will be able to demonstrate a confident control of Standard English and write grammatically correct sentences, deploying figurative language and analysing texts.
For GCSE English Language students should:
- read fluently, and with good understanding, a wide range of texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, including literature and literary non-fiction as well as other writing such as reviews and journalism
- read and evaluate texts critically and make comparisons between texts
- summarise and synthesise information or ideas from texts
- use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing
- write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately
- use grammar correctly and punctuate and spell accurately
- acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken Standard English effectively.
GCSE English Language is designed on the basis that students should read and be assessed on high-quality, challenging texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
MORE INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please speak to Miss Daniels.
You can also find more detailed information on the AQA website.
CAREERS IN ENGLISH
English is helpful for any job that involves communication, writing and/ or literary knowledge. These include: advertising, marketing, writing and journalism, law, consultancy, business, teaching, performing arts, academia, government, linguistics, foreign languages, media and design. Careers in the sciences, engineering, technology and maths also need more English than you think. Writing proposals, academic papers & articles and communicating with others is key to getting funding for projects and reaching people with your work.
Take a look at some of the jobs we've identified below that make use of English:
Journalist
Barrister
Interpreter
Secretary