Course title and type of qualification: English Language and English Literature GCSE

What will I learn?

In English Language and Literature you will build on the skills you've already learned in Key Stage 3 by reading a wide range of prose and poetry and improving your ability to understand and compare the ways that different writers use language. You will use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve your own writing and learn how to adapt language to suit different purposes and audiences, with a focus on using Standard English appropriately. You will acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology. You will greatly benefit from the transferable skills learnt across the two subjects.

How will I be assessed?

English Language

This will be assessed by two exams at the end of the course. Students’ speaking skills will be assessed but, as with current GCSEs, will not contribute to the overall grade. The assessment will be marked by teachers and reported separately, alongside the qualification grade on the certificate. Twenty per cent of the marks for the written exams will be allocated to accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. The GCSE will continue to explore fiction and non-fiction texts and you will show your ability to write for different purposes.

English Literature

This will be assessed by two exams at the end of the course. Five per cent of the marks will be allocated to accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar. You will study a Shakespearean play, a 19th Century British Novel, a modern play and an anthology of poems centred on the theme of love or power.

What could I move onto?

The English Language GCSE is a core GCSE and is essential when applying for a whole range of Post-16 options, from A Levels to apprenticeships and further education courses and employment. Regardless of what the specialist area may be, English is regarded as a vital qualification. English Literature is increasingly important, with it now being counted as a ‘headline subject’ across all schools in England. English Literature is still held in high esteem by those in both further and higher education and the GCSE opens the door to further study of classic and contemporary literature. There is a prestige to an English Literature degree that is recognised worldwide and the GCSE can be the start of the journey towards this qualification.

Examination Board: AQA

Links & Resources

Links & Resources

Links & Resources

Links & Resources