Transcript Key Stage 4 English - Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School

Key Stage 4 English
Introduction for parents
Key Stage 4 English
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Two GCSEs taught as part of an
integrated course
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ENGLISH LITERATURE
It is our policy to enter ALL students for
both GCSEs unless exceptional
circumstances apply
GCSE results 2013
English Language
A* – C: 81%
A* – G: 100%
31 % achieved A* - A
English Literature
A* – C: 92%
A* – G: 100%
51 % achieved A* - A
GCSE English Language /
English Literature
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All classes taught in mixed ability groups
Two tiers of entry: Higher (A* - D) and
Foundation (C – G)
Decisions about entry taken in discussion with
students
All classes follow the same course though
texts may differ depending on teacher choice
Controlled Assessments
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Some done in the Sports Hall, some in lessons
They will be given the question in advance
Preparation and planning done in class / homework
One side of A4 notes allowed and clean copies of
texts
Plenty of time allowed
Girls who qualify for extra time in exams also get
extra time in CAs
It is vital that all girls attend. If she is unwell or there
is another exceptional circumstance meaning that she
cannot attend, please let us know asap
GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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UNIT 1 (60% OF TOTAL MARKS)
2 hour exam: Section A: Reading –
questions on articles and Section B: Writing
– two writing tasks
End of year practice exam – end of Yr 10
Mock exam: early December Year 11
Further practice exams in lessons after
Christmas Year 11
Final exam: Summer of Year 11
GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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UNIT 3 (40% OF TOTAL MARKS)
Written Controlled Assessment
There are 3 pieces to complete (mainly done
in Year 10)
Part a: (15%) – Controlled Assessment on
the Shakespeare play (Jan 2013)
Part b: (15%) – Creative Writing (two
assignments) (three done – use best two –
one done in Year 9)
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Part c: (10%) – Spoken Language Study
Significant changes..
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On 30th August 2013, Ofqual announced that
Unit 2 (20%) would no longer be included in
the overall assessment of GCSE English
Language
Their grade for Speaking & Listening will be
recorded separately (at present)
We have no more information at present
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
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UNIT 1 (40% OF TOTAL MARKS)1 ½ hour
exam
Section A: The Woman in Black (or An
Inspector Calls) 20%
Section B: Of Mice & Men 20%
Texts studied in Year 10
Internal exam at end of Year 10
Texts re-visited in Year 11
Final exam: Summer 2013
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
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UNIT 2 (35% OF TOTAL MARKS)
1 ½ hour exam taken at the end of Year 11
Section A: Shakespeare (30 marks) ‘Romeo
and Juliet’ (studied in Year 10 – re-visited in
Year 11)
Section B: Prose text’ ‘The Withered Arm &
other Wessex Tales’ (studied in Year 11 after
Christmas)
Mock exam: Easter of Year 11
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
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UNIT 3 (25% OF TOTAL MARKS)
Controlled Assessment – Poetry
In Year 11 students will study a range of poems on
two themes – Conflict & Relationships
They must be a mixture of Literary Heritage (pre
1914) and Contemporary poems. We will select most
of the poems from the AQA Anthology.
Controlled Assessment: Autumn term of Year 11
ASSESSMENT
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All final tasks / exams / controlled assessments
are awarded a BAND 1 – 5 (or 1 – 4)
It is important to note that we are not told by
the exam board how these correspond with
grades
Grade boundaries shifted significantly this
summer
Teachers will use their knowledge and discretion
to inform the students about which grade A* U they are working towards
For example
Unit 3 Controlled
Assessment
Marked out of…
Spoken Language essay
20
Shakespeare essay
30
Creative Writing (2
pieces)
TOTAL MARK:
30
80
ASSESSMENT
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All exams at the end of Year 11
Mock exams through the course
Controlled Assessments marked and
submitted through the course.
Externally moderated – results
published at the end of the course
OUTLINE OF COURSE: Year 10
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Autumn term:
Spoken Language Controlled
Assessment
Study Shakespeare play
Unit 1 (Language) work through the
term
OUTLINE OF COURSE: Year 10
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Spring term:
Shakespeare Controlled Assessment – mid
January
Study ‘culture’ novel for English Literature
Unit 1
Begin study of second text for English
Literature Unit 1
Work on English Language Unit 1 throughout
OUTLINE OF COURSE: Year 10
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Summer term:
Complete study of second text for
English Literature Unit 1
Internal exam for Literature Unit 1
Internal exam for Language Unit 1
English Language Controlled
Assessment Unit 3(b) – creative writing
Homework
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English on homework timetable virtually
every lesson
Unlikely to be set a different task to do
each time
Homeworks likely to be extended tasks
with deadlines
Recorded in planner
How you can help your
daughter…
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Monitor her reading. It is important that she reads
the novels (preferably more than once). Audio books
available
Get hold of appropriate study guides if possible
(amazon / ebay..)
Encourage her to read a range of articles / texts e.g.
non-fiction books, articles from newspapers like The
Guardian, The Times and periodicals e.g. National
Geographic. Discuss these. Encourage her to look up
or find out the meanings of words / phrases.
Encourage her to read widely (fiction / non fiction).
This will also help her spelling / vocabulary
How you can help your
daughter…
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Support her in the build up to a Controlled
Assessment – she will know the question
and needs to plan and prepare
independently. She can practise the task (but
should avoid the temptation to learn it off by
heart!)
Help her to keep organised notes
Take her to the theatre if possible
Help her talk through the poems (Year 11)
Learn key spellings
How you can help your
daughter…
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Encourage her to make use of the material on Fronter and
other relevant websites
Powerpoints and study notes available on Fronter for students
to work through (e.g. The Withered Arm, Shakespeare)
Encourage her to avoid last minute revision – be prepared – do
the reading well in advance and do regular exam practice
Homework will be set regularly and may be an ‘on-going’ task
– she will be asked to write this in her planner
Language Unit 1 may have a strong homework focus – she
should practise writing in different styles for different audiences
e.g. writing letters!?
Contact her English teacher with any query / concern
Monitoring and tracking
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All teachers are aware of individual FFT target grades and
previous KS3 attainment
Target grades are aspirational end of key stage targets NOT
predictions
We measure levels of progress regularly
Data drops by teachers done regularly – we then compare
current attainment with target grades and intervene if
necessary
Books and lessons scrutinised regularly
We may run intervention sessions for targeted groups