Don Valley Academy

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE

Lessons per week – 5 lessons
Award
Single English GCSE
Single English Literature GCSE
Assessment
Controlled Assessment
Terminal Exam

All pupils follow National Curriculum English Key Stage 3. Most pupils will study both English Language and English Literature at GCSE. The course breaks down as follows:-

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1. Writing

a) EXAM – 20% of the final grade
This involves writing for a purpose (such as to argue, persuade, advise or inform)
You will study and create written texts such as leaflets, articles and letters.
b) CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT – 15% of the final grade.
There are two pieces, each worth 7.5% of the final grade. Both pieces are creative writing. One will require you to create a piece of description, the other will be to create a piece of narrative.

2. Reading

a) EXAM – 20% of the final grade. This involves reading a variety of non-fiction texts, analysising the techniques used to convey information to their audiences.
b) CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT – 15% of the final grade. For this piece you will study John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’, you will then be asked to write an essay based on a theme or character from the novel.

3. Speaking and Listening

a) USING LANGUAGE – worth 20% of the final grade. This involves working in various situations, discussing in groups, talking to the class and role play. You will have three tasks to do.
b) SPOKEN LANGUAGE STUDY – worth 10% of the final grade. You will study how speech is used in everyday situations, plus how language can vary for different audiences and purposes.

GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE

1. CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT – worth 25% of the final grade.
a) You will study poetry and drama from the English Literary heritage. The task will ask you to compare how a particular theme is presented within a Shakespeare play and poems from the WJEC anthology.

2. EXAMS – worth 75% of the final grade
a) Different Cultures Prose and Contemporary Poetry – worth 35% of the final grade. This exam will involve studying “Of Mice and Men” (21% of the overall grade) which is also covered in English as well as comparing two modern poems (14% of the overall grade)
b) Literary Heritage Drama and Contemporary Prose – worth 40% of the final grade. This will involve studying the play ‘An Inspector Call (worth 20% of the overall grade) as well as the modern short novel Heroes (20% of the overall grade)

C. Ashley – Head of English