Ysgol Stanwell School

English

Head of Department

Mrs M Williams

Teachers

Miss M Andrew

Mrs K Chellingworth

Miss R Davies

Mrs R Fulton

Miss C Jones

Mrs L Jones

Miss E Knight

Mr J Laidlaw

Mr L Morgan

Miss S Owen

Miss K Phillips

Mrs S Rogers

Mrs J Sheldon

Miss I Smith

Mrs H Thomas

All pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 study English as a compulsory subject. The English Department consists of highly qualified full-time and part-time members of staff. Pupils follow the National Curriculum and sit two separate GCSEs (English Literature in Year 10 and English Language in Year 11).

The Department has an excellent record of examination success at GCSE and A Level which is a testament to the high quality teaching and learning that takes place throughout the key stages.

In Year 7, pupils will study one of the following novels in class:

Point Blanc – Anthony Horowitz
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J K Rowling
Boy – Roald Dahl
Abomination – Robert Swindells
Skellig – David Almond

In Year 8, pupils will study one of the following novels in class:

Darkside – Tom Becker
Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
Holes – Louis Sachar

Key Stage 3 English

Year 7

Term 1
‘Positivity’

Term 2
‘Caring for the Planet’

Term 3
‘Supernatural’

Reading:

Verbal Reasoning
Summary
Multiple Choice
December Exam

Reading:

Synthesis
Inference (PEE)
‘Reflections’ poem found

Reading:

Comparison
Explain
Sequencing
Summer Exam

Writing:

Description
T: ‘Description of setting based on novel’

Writing:

Essay writing
T: ‘Should animals be kept in captivity?’
Persuasive charity leaflet

Writing:

Review writing
T: ‘Write a review of ‘Wallace and Gromit the Curse of the Were Rabbit’

Oracy:

T: ‘All About Me’

Oracy:

Group discussion on the following:
P: Should exotic animals be kept as pets

Oracy:

N/A

Skills covered:

Figurative language
Speech writing/rhetorical devices
Full stops
Capital letters
Sentence structures
Paragraphs

Skills covered:

Apostrophes
Commas
Paragraph structure for essays e.g. topic sentence.
Text purpose

Skills covered:

Formal/informal language
Connectives

Key Stage 3 English

Year 8

Term 1
‘Overcoming Challenges’

Term 2
‘Teenagers Today’

Term 3
‘Travels’

Reading:

Inference questions
Sequence
December Exam

Reading:

Synthesis
Evaluate and reflect

Reading:

Comparison
Explain
Summer Exam

Writing:

Account Writing
T: ‘Write about a time you overcame a challenge.’

Writing:

S: Write a review of the episode ‘____________’ (Junior Apprentice Series 1).

Writing:

Travel Writing
T: ‘Write about an interesting trip/holiday you have been on’

Oracy:

N/A

Oracy:

Group discussion on the following:
P: ‘Bring back work experience for teenagers’

Oracy:

T: ‘Greatest place on earth’

Skills covered:

Narrative devices:

Pathetic fallacy
Hyperbole
Dialogue
Personification

Skills covered:

Article writing
Lively engaging writing/tone for audience
Parenthesis

Skills covered:

Humour
Sophisticated vocab
Imagery

Key Stage 4

GCSE English Language

This course consists of two exams, worth a total of 80% of the overall mark, and a Non Examination Unit (Unit 1 Oracy) worth 20%. The course is assessed as follows:

Unit 1 20% Oracy

Individual Researched Presentation (based on WJEC set themes)
Responding and Interacting (Group discussion on stimuli provided by WJEC)

Unit 2: (2 hour examination worth 40% of GCSE)

Section A 20% Reading Understanding of at least one description, one narrative and one exposition text, including continuous and non-continuous texts, assessed through structured questions. This section will also include an editing task worth 5 marks.
Section B 20% Writing One writing task selected from a choice of two that could be description, narration or exposition. This section will also include a proof reading task worth 5 marks. Half of the marks for will be awarded for communication and organisation and the other half for writing accurately.

Unit 3: (2 hour examination worth 40% of GCSE)

Section A Reading (20%) Understanding of at least one argumentation, one persuasion and one instructional text, including continuous and non-continuous texts, assessed through structured questions.
Section B Writing (20%) One compulsory argumentation writing task and one compulsory persuasion writing task. Half of the marks for will be awarded for communication and organisation and the other half for writing accurately.

Useful Link: English Language GCSE in Wales.

GCSE English Literature

This course consists of two exams, worth a total of 75% of the overall mark, and one controlled assessment. The course is assessed as follows:

Unit 1: 35% (2hrs)
- Unit 1: Prose (different cultures) and poetry (contemporary)
- Section A 21% (INDIVIDUAL TEXTS IN CONTEXT)
  - Different Cultures Prose: Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck) OR To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)
- Section B 14% (COMPARATIVE STUDY) Contemporary:
  - Contemporary: Unseen poetry comparison
Unit 2a: 40% (2hours)
- Unit 2a: Literary heritage drama and contemporary prose
- English/Welsh/Irish Literary Heritage Drama: An Inspector Calls (Priestley)
- Contemporary Prose: Heroes (Cormier) OR About a Boy (Hornby)
Unit 3 25% Controlled Assessment (LINKED TEXTS)
- Unit 3:
- Section A: Shakespeare Assessment will be based on a thematic essay question on a Shakespeare play. Candidates will be required to study a Shakespeare play) in its entirety. The stipulated theme for study will be published on the WJEC secure website. Candidates may have up to 2 hours to complete this non-examination assessment.
- Section B: Welsh Writing in English Assessment will be based on a group of 15 thematically linked poems taken from the Library of Wales anthology, Poetry 1900-2000: One Hundred Poets from Wales (edited by Meic Stephens). Candidates will be required to study all the poems listed for the chosen theme. The stipulated theme for study will be published on the WJEC secure website. Candidates may have up to 2 hours to complete this non-examination assessment.

Useful Link: English Literature GCSE.

GCSE Overview

	Year 9	Year 10 Lang and Lit Students	Year 10 Language students	Year 11
September/October	English Language Thematic Units Rebellion Dystopia	Unit 3 Shakespeare Non Examination Unit	Unit 1 Individual Presentation Skills Unit 1 Group Interaction Skills	English Language Thematic Unit Life Unit 1 Group Interaction(assessed)
November/December	English Language Thematic Units Rebellion Dystopia	Unit 3 Poetry Non Examination Unit Revision Unit 1	English Language Thematic Unit	English Language Thematic Units Gothic Charity Celebrations
External Exam		January Unit 1 Literature
January/February	Unseen Poetry	Unit 2 Literature Texts Heroes or About a Boy An Inspector Calls	English Language Thematic Units: Space Gothic Danger of Death Pupils will also read a class text selected by the individual teacher	English Language Thematic Units: New Beginnings Relationships Wales Weather and Environment
March	Unit 1 Literature Text Of Mice and Men or To Kill a Mocking bird
April / May
External Exam		English Literature Unit 2a Exam		Units 2 and 3 GCSE English Language
June / July	English Language Improving Writing	Unit 1 Individual Presentation (assessed)	Unit 1 Individual Presentation (assessed)

Key Stage 5

A Level Language and Literature

AS Level
Unit 1	20%	Comparative analysis and creative writing (closed book) 2 hour examination	Pre 1914 Poetry Anthology	Section A: Comparative analysis of poetry and unseen text One question requiring a comparative analysis of one poem from the WJEC English Language and Literature Pre-1914 Poetry Anthology and an unseen text from a choice of two, one of which will be a spoken text. Section B: Creative writing and commentary One question presented in three parts comprising two writing tasks, one of which will require a text written to be spoken, and a commentary
Unit 2	20%	Drama and Non-literary Text Study (open book) 2 hour examination	In Cold Blood Capote A Street Named Desire Williams	Section A: Post-1900 drama One two-part question based on the reading of one play from a prescribed list Section B: Non-literary text study One question based on the reading of one non-literary text from a prescribed list
A2 Level
Unit 3	20%	Shakespeare (closed book) 2 hour examination	King Lear	Section A: Shakespeare extract One extract-based question based on the reading of one Shakespeare play from the prescribed list for thisunit Section B: Shakespeare essay One essay question based on the reading of one Shakespeare play from the prescribed list for this unit
Unit 4	20%	Unseen Texts and Prose Study (open book) 2 hour examination	The Color Purple Walker	Section A: Unseen texts One question requiring comparative analysis of three unseen texts, one of which will be spoken language Section B: Prose study One question based on the reading of one prose text from a prescribed list
Unit 5	20%	Critical and Creative Genre Study Non Examination Unit	Theme: Dystopia	Section A: Genre study A critical and sustained study of a prose genre Section B: Related creative writing One original writing assignment linked to the genre studied for Section A 2,500-3,500 word folder

Useful Link: English Language and Literature.

A Level Literature

AS Level
Unit 1	20%	Prose and Drama (closed book) 2 hour examination	Mayor of Casterbridge Hardy Hardy A Streetcar Named Desire Williams	Section A: Prose fiction pre-1900 One question in two parts, based on the reading of one prose text from a prescribed list Section B: Drama One question based on the reading of one play from a prescribed list
Unit 2	20%	Poetry Post 1900 (open book) 2 hour examination	Ted Hughes: Poems selected by Simon Armitage (Faber) Sylvia Plath: Poems selected by Ted Hughes (Faber)	Section A: Critical analysis One question requiring critical analysis of one poem from the prescribed list of poetry texts for this unit Section B: Poetry comparison One question requiring comparison of two poetry texts from the prescribed list for this unit
A2 Level
Unit 3	20%	Pre-1900 and Unseen Poetry (open book) 2 hour examination	Christina Rossetti: Selected Poems (Penguin Classics)	Section A: Poetry pre-1900 One question in two parts, based on the reading of one poetry text from a prescribed list Section B: Unseen poetry One question requiring comparative analysis of two unseen poems
Unit 4	20%	Shakespeare (closed book) 2 hour examination	King Lear	Section A: Shakespeare extract One question based on an extract from one Shakespeare play. Section B: Shakespeare essay One essay question based on the reading of one Shakespeare play.
Unit 5	20%	Prose Study Non Examination Unit	One pre 2000 novel One post 2000 novel	One 2500-3500 word assignment based on the reading of two prose texts from different periods, one pre-2000 and one post-2000, nominated by the centre.

Useful Link: English Literature.

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