English KS4

The Key Stage 4 English Curriculum

At Key Stage 4 students follow the A.Q.A. English Specification A syllabus. Students in Sets 1 & 2 will follow the integrated English and Literature course which provides 2 separate G.C.S.E.s. Students in set 3 and those following alternative programmes will take English only.

There are two entry levels:

• Higher tier for A* - D Candidates
• Foundation tier for C - G Candidates

Specification at a Glance

GCSE English Specification A

There is one of three specifications in English offered by AQA. The other specifications are Specification B and Specification B (Mature). There are separate papers for Higher (Grades A*-D) and Foundation (Grades C-G).

GCSE English Specification A

Paper 1 30% of the total marks   Foundation and Higher Tier 1¾ Section A: Reading response to Non-fiction/media texts. 15%   Section B: Choice of one from three or more 15% Questions testing writing which Seeks to argue, persuade or advise.

Paper 2 30% of the total marks   1½ hours Section A: Reading response to poetry from 15% different cultures and traditions in the AQA Anthology. Section B: Choice of one from three or more questions testing writing which seeks to inform, explain or describe.

Coursework 40% of the total marks   Speaking and Listening (En1) Three assessed activities 20% Two responses to Reading (En2) and two responses to Writing (En3), comprising:

Shakespeare (En2)* (5%) ) Prose Study (En2)* (5%) ) Media (En3 analyse, review, comment) (5%) ) Original Writing (En3 imagine, explore, entertain) (5%) ) 20% *indicates a ‘cross-over' response (i.e. it can be used to meet the coursework requirements of both GCSE English specification A and GCSE English Literature specification A).

Specification at a Glance

GCSE English Literature

Specification A

This is one of two specifications in English Literature offered by AQA. The other is Specification B.

There are two tiers of assessment: Foundation (Grades G-C) and Higher (Grades D-A*).

English Literature Specification A

Separate paper for Higher (Grades A* - D) and Foundation (Grades C - G)   Minimum of six texts to be studied. Pre- 1914 Post-1914   Prose Prose Poetry Poetry Drama Drama

Written Paper 70% of total marks   1¾ hours   Section A: One question based on post - 1914 Prose. There will be a choice of questions.   Section B: One question based on pre-and post-1914 poetry from the Anthology. There will be a choice of questions.

Coursework 30% of total marks   Task 1: Pre-1914 Drama (Shakespeare*) 10% Task 2: Pre-1914 Prose* 10% Task 3: Post-1914 Drama 10%   * Indicates a ‘cross-over' piece (i.e. can be used to meet the coursework requirements of both GCSE English Literature Specification A and English Specification A).

Supporting the English Curriculum

To help students enjoy and extend their learning at this Key Stage, we offer:

Poetry Live: Plymouth (December)

 

This supports Paper 2 Reading and Literature poetry by providing an opportunity for students to see, hear and put questions to the poets they are studying in their Anthologies.

Poets such as Simon Armitage

Carol-Ann Duffy

Gillian Clarke

Imtiaz Dharker

John Agard

Are represented as are chief examiners from AQA who provide useful tips on how to approach the examination questions set - www.poetrylive.net.

 

Youth Speaks Competition

This competition, run by the Rotary Club, gives young people the chance of a public platform.

Children enter in teams of three: speaker, chairperson, proposer of the vote of thanks.

Entrants may speak an almost any subject and are given a strict time limit. Competitions take place in the first round against other schools in the same area, culminating in a final, which includes the best teams in Cornwall and Plymouth. This has sometimes included a further competition to find the best teams in the South West.

Teams from Richard Lander School can be entered at two different levels.

Theatre Visits

The department has a reputation for offering many and varied theatre trips in order to lift literature ‘off the page'. Recent trips have included:

 

‘Educating Rita' Cardiff (Post 1914 drama)

‘Of Mice and Men' Bath (Post 1914 prose)

‘Lord of the Flies' Truro (Post 1914 prose)

‘Romeo and Juliet' Stratford-Upon-Avon (Pre 1914 drama)

‘Macbeth' Stratford-Upon-Avon/London

 

Equally we encourage students to see productions which are not directly related to their examination studies to help them come to appreciate a fuller range of theatrical experience.

‘Blood Brothers' London

‘The Lion King' London

‘Stomp' Bath

‘Tap/dogs' Bath

Competitions

We encourage students to enter these at local and national level and develop original writing skills.

School Magazine

Journalistic, editorial and photographic skills may be practised at the lunch-time club run by students.

Skills mastered here will help with Paper 1 Reading and media coursework.