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English

English curriculum overview

The English curriculum combines the reading and study of texts with writing for a variety of purposes. Alongside these activities, we develop learners to become confident orators in a variety of different settings.

From Years 7 to 11, learners are exposed to challenging texts across all genres and time periods.  Each unit of the curriculum will have links to others, which enables students to see clear connections and patterns in texts.  We aim to foster a love of literature and to develop resilience in approaching more complex texts.

Year 7

Term 1: Diversity - Nonfiction reading and writing and Myths and Legends

Term 2: Dystopia - Reading and responding to dystopian fiction

Term 3: Murder Mystery - The reading of Hound of the Baskervilles

Term 4: Songbird - Analysing and comparing poetry.  Learning and performing poetry

Term 5: Wonder - Close Reading of the whole text

Term 6: Magical Shakespeare - Study of a wide variety of Shakespeare texts.

Year 8

Term 1: Disasters and Diseases - Reading and writing non-fiction

Term 2: Gender - The presentation of men and women in Shakespeare

Term 3: Lord of the Flies - Whole text study

Term 4: Icarus - Whose fault was it? Writing from different perspectives. Conflict poetry

Term 5: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Play study

Term 6: Freedom and Civil Rights - The study of literature and speeches.

Year 9

Term 1: Heroes and Villains across Shakespeare’s texts

Term 2: A voyage across Africa - Reading and writing non-fiction

Term 3: From Hoover to Trump - The study of Of Mice and Men.

Term 4: Your Voice - The Art of Rhetoric

Term 5: Too Spooky for you - Reading and writing gothic texts

Term 6: The study of the Crucible.

In Years 10 and 11, students begin to study for the AQA English Language and English Literature GCSEs.  For English Literature, students will study An Inspector Calls, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Macbeth and the Power and Conflict cluster of poetry from the anthology.  Students will study units focused on the skills required for the English Language papers as outlined below.

What's assessed?

Section A: Reading

  • one literature fiction text.

Section B: Writing

  • descriptive or narrative writing.

Assessed

  • written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • 80 marks (50% of GCSE).

Questions

Reading (40 marks) (25%) – one single text

  • 1 short form question (1 x 4 marks)
  • 2 longer form questions (2 x 8 marks)
  • 1 extended question (1 x 20 marks).

Writing (40 marks) (25%)

  • 1 extended writing question (24 marks for content, 16 marks for technical accuracy).

 

What's assessed?

Section A: Reading

  • one non-fiction text and one literary non-fiction text.

Section B: Writing

  • writing to present a viewpoint.

Assessed

  • written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • 80 marks (50% of GCSE).

Questions

Reading (40 marks) (25%) – two linked texts

  • 1 short form question (1 x 4 marks)
  • 2 longer form questions (1 x 8, 1 x 12 marks)
  • 1 extended question (1 x 16 marks).

Writing (40 marks) (25%)

  • 1 extended writing question (24 marks for content, 16 marks for technical accuracy).

 

What's assessed?

(AO7–AO9)

  • presenting
  • responding to questions and feedback
  • use of Standard English.

Assessed

  • teacher set throughout course
  • marked by teacher
  • separate endorsement (0% weighting of GCSE).

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