Monday 06 February 2012
GCSE English and English Literature

 
Overview: This is a two year course which all GCSE students at Westbourne School will study and be entered for. At the end of S11, students will achieve two separate GCSE grade; one for English Language and one for English Literature.
 
Mode of assessment:
  • 3 written exams at the end of S11
  • 5 written pieces of coursework over the two years
  • 3 formal speaking and listening assessments
 
The course in more detail:
Over the two years, students will be expected to complete five pieces of coursework which contribute to the final grade. These are:
  • Original writing
  • Media
  • Shakespeare
  • Prose Study
  • Post 1914 Drama
 
Students will study a variety of texts in order to complete the above. Overall, the coursework folder is worth 20% of the final grade.
 
At the end of S11, students will sit three external examinations, which are worth 60% of the final grade.
 
  • Paper 1 which tests the students ability to respond to non-fiction texts and skills of writing to argue/persuade/advise
  • Paper 2 which assesses students’ response to Poems from Other Cultures and Traditions and skills of writing to inform/explain/describe
  • Literature paper which tests the students’ ability to respond to the themes within the class novel and also to a range of pre and post 1914 poetry.
 
In addition to the coursework folder and the external exams, over the period of the two years, students will participate in three speaking and listening assignments assessed by the class teacher. This is worth 20% of the final grade.
 
Texts for study: The English department’s aim is to ensure that students gain an experience of varied and challenging texts to stimulate and enhance learning. These texts include:
 
  • Blood Brothers by Willy Russell or An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley for post 1914 drama.
  • Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for the Prose Study.