Teaching and learning is centred around the development of reading, writing and speaking and listening skills.
Within English lessons, students will read and engage with a wide range of high quality, challenging fiction and non-fiction texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Students will develop their use of reading strategies to comprehend, critically evaluate, summarise and compare texts.
This knowledge of text types and writers’ techniques will be used to inform and improve their own writing. Students will develop their ability to write effectively and accurately for different purposes and audiences, including narrative writing and a range of transactional text types.
Students will learn to present information and ideas, using Standard English relevant to the formality of the task. They will improve their ability to listen effectively and respond to spoken language.
Our aim is for all students to achieve a qualification in English, which is suited to their ability and help them progress in their next steps. The majority of students will work towards achieving a GCSE in English language, although some will follow the Entry level pathway.
Entry Level English course is designed as an alternative for learners, when the GSCE English Language and Literature course isn’t appropriate. The qualification teaches and assesses the reading, writing and communication skills that learners will need in their everyday lives, in the world of work, and in other curriculum areas. It provides a broad, coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study.
Grading is awarded on a three‐point scale, from Entry Level 1 English to Entry Level 3 English, which is the highest grade. Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 achievements are broadly comparable with levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum.
GCSE English Language
This GCSE in English Language develops the skills required for critical reading and comprehension, summary and synthesis, evaluation of a writer’s choice of vocabulary, comparing texts, producing clear and coherent texts, writing for impact, presenting information and ideas, responding to spoken language and using spoken Standard English.
The qualification is made up of two externally-assessed examination components, assessing both reading and writing, and one internally assessed non-examination component, assessing speaking and listening skills. The component 1 paper is based on fiction. The reading section is an analysis of a narrative extract and in the writing section students produce a short story. In component 2, students analyse and compare two non-fiction texts in the reading section. In the writing section, students produce two non-fiction text types (letter, review, article etc). For the assessment of speaking and listening, students plan and deliver a presentation to an audience.
