Catford High School

Key Stage 3 English

The English course aims to develop your skills in reading, writing and speaking / listening.

The work is organised in units and in each unit you will study:

• a pre-20th Century short story
• poetry (some modern, some pre-20th Century)
• a modern novel
• a Shakespeare play
• a 20th Century play
• an aspect of the media such as television or film
• non-fiction writing.

When you study the texts you will need to read them carefully so you can write about how ideas and characters are presented, as well as the techniques the writer uses. You will learn to use different styles of writing. You will also do oral work, taking part in pair, group and class discussions as well as role-play. To do this well, you will need to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Sometimes, you will use IT to develop your ideas.

When your work is marked, the teacher will identify spelling and punctuation errors so you can correct these and learn from you mistakes. The teacher’s comments will help you to understand what has been successful in a piece of writing and what you need to target in order to improve.Various tasks within each unit will be used by your teacher to assess you, using the National Curriculum levels.

In Year 7 you will have four English lessons and one Drama lesson each week. In Year 8 you will have four English lessons, some of which will incorporate Drama. In Year 9 you will have four English lessons.

The pattern of lessons is the same in each year but you will be re-grouped in Year 8. Groupings will depend on your progress and results in Year 7.

Key Stage 4 English

At Key Stage 4 you will study for the AQA GCSE in English. You will be examined on a combination of coursework and final examinations.

In Year 10 you will focus on coursework which is taught in modular units. Each unit is based on a text that you will study in order to be able to write an assignment at the end of the unit. These units are:

• Shakespeare
• Prose Study
• Media and Wide Reading
• Original Writing

You will also be given a range of oral tasks that provide an opportunity for us to assess your oral skills.

In Year 11 you will focus on the set texts that you will be tested on in the final examinations, on preparing for the unseen non-fiction part of the examination, on writing in a variety of styles according to your audience, and on developing examination techniques. You will study a selection of poems from other cultures and work on developing your writing skills. There will be further opportunities for ongoing assessment of your oral skills.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of the following.

Coursework

• Four written assignments count for 20%
• a selection of oral marks count for 20%
• Examinations two separate examinations count for 60%

The course aims to develop and test your skills in the key areas of reading and understanding, writing in a variety of styles and speaking / listening.

Pupils who do well in this subject are those who can:

• read carefully and respond thoughtfully
• use what a text tells them in order to judge what is suggested
• write in a clear and organised way with a good level of accuracy
• adjust their style of writing to suit the purpose and audience
• contribute to discussions, expressing a viewpoint clearly; and yet also...
• listen to what others say and consider a different viewpoint.

English GCSE is important as whatever career you choose, it is an indication of your general level of literacy and your ability to communicate.

English Literature

You will study for the AQA GCSE in English Literature. You will be examined on a combination of coursework and a final examination.

In Year 10 you will focus on coursework which is taught in modular units. Two of the written assignments that you will do for your English coursework will be used as “cross-over” pieces for the Literature coursework. In addition, you will study a 20th Century drama text in order to produce a third assignment.

In Year 11 you will focus on the set texts that you will be tested on in the final examination. You will study either a modern novel or a collection of short stories, as well as a selection of poems by two modern poets and some pre-1914 poems.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of the following.

• Coursework three written assignments count for 30%
• Examination one examination counts for 70%

The coursework aims to develop and test your skills in reading, understanding and responding to texts. You will learn to appreciate how authors achieve their effects. You will become aware of the social, historical and cultural contexts and influences in the study of literature.

Pupils who do well in this subject are those who can:

• read a text carefully and respond thoughtfully
• analyse the ideas, themes and characterisation in a text
• appreciate how an author uses language to create an effect
• understand how a text is structured
• appreciate that a text can tell us something about a particular time and place, about people’s values and behaviour, and invites us to consider why and how.

English Literature GCSE is a valuable qualification as it is an indication of your competence as a reader and your ability to analyse and reflect. Whatever career you choose, employers will respond positively if you offer this qualification, as well as one in English.