ENGLISH

Department members:
Mr John Gallagher (Head of Department)
Mrs Ann-Marie O'Dea
Mrs Roz Barton
Miss Holly Killick
Mrs Karen Heming

Levels taught in the department:
Key Stage 3
GCSE
AS and A2 Level

The Course

Key Stage 3

Students are taught within form groups during Years 7, 8 and 9. In Year 9 all students sit the one tier available for English SATs, allowing them to achieve up to a level 7. These exams involve a reading paper, based on unseen material; a Shakespeare paper, based on previous study of a specified play; and a writing paper, involving two different writing tasks for different purposes and audiences. The play we have currently chosen to study is Much Ado about Nothing.

GCSE

During the GCSE course students continue to be taught in mixed ability groups rather than sets, although the groups are currently drawn from different forms. They study for two separate GCSEs, following the AQA specification A courses for English and English Literature GCSEs. In the course of Years 10 and 11, students produce coursework assignments on a Shakespeare play, a prose text from before 1914 and a modern drama written since 1914. They also produce creative writing and an analytical study of a media topic for coursework; and they are assessed on their speaking and listening skills in a variety of activities.
For their final exams, students sit two papers to complete their English GCSE and one paper to complete their English Literature GCSE. They study a range of poetry from other cultures for one of the English papers and are also assessed on their ability to read and analyse previously unseen non-fiction and media texts in the other paper. Each English paper also includes a further test of their writing skills. For the English Literature exam, students study a selection of pre-1914 and modern poetry and a modern novel.

AS and A-level

In the Sixth Form we offer AS and A-level English Literature, following the OCR specification; and AS and A-level English Language, following the AQA specification B. Students can study both if they wish, as the courses complement each other while requiring different skills and areas of study.

For information about English Language at A-level, please click here.
For information about English Literature at A-level, please click here.

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