English

At Key Stage 4, students begin to diversify and study the two GCSE examined English subjects: Language and Literature.

In Literature, students are required to work comfortably with a range of fiction, including Shakespeare, modern drama, prose and poetry. Students are encouraged to make connections across literary texts in terms of themes, and to consider the context of when the text was written and received.

As well as this, they examine these texts critically and consider how meaning has been shaped by language, structure and form.

In Language, students write both non-fiction and fiction, and are encouraged to craft their writing with a view to achieving the desired effect on their audience. To achieve this, they must have a sound knowledge of language devices and their potential impact on readers.

We start the two-year course with a focus on the 19th Century novel – A Christmas Carol. Alongside this, students will study for English Language Paper 1. After Christmas, students will begin the Conflict cluster of poetry and move on to English Language Paper 2 alongside. During this time, students will also complete their Speaking and Listening assessment. After Easter, students will revise Language Paper 1 ahead of their mock exams, and study An Inspector Calls.

In Year 11 students will build on their knowledge and experience of both English literature and English language skills. They will start the year with their Shakespeare play – Macbeth – alongside revising Language Paper 2 and independently revising A Christmas Carol. These components will form their first mock exam. After Christmas, students will study the 2nd half of the Conflict cluster, alongside revising Language Paper 1 and independently revising A Christmas Carol. This will form their 2nd set of mock exams. After this, the rest of the year will be tailored around each class’s revision needs ahead of the exams.

Technical accuracy underpins all work and students aren’t just explicitly taught the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation but how these can be used to clarify meaning for a reader. Students’ own writing is often borne out of and inspired by their close reading of a range of extracts from fiction and high quality non-fiction. The requirement to student 19th century non-fiction helps us learn about the evolution of language into how we now use it in the 21st century, as well as learning about the Victorian Era.