Broadlands Academy, St Francis Road, Keynsham, Bristol, BS31 2DY Tel: 0117 986 4791 Email: [email protected] Website: www.broadlandsacademy.org Interim Principal: Mr S Ferguson

28 September 2016 Dear Parent/Carer I would like to take this opportunity to outline the GCSE English Language and Literature course; explain some of the key changes to the qualifications and give you an overview of the extra-curricular opportunities we plan to provide. Under the new GCSE framework, as well as being awarded a numerical value (1-9) instead of a letter grade (G-A*), your child will no longer complete any coursework. Students will now sit 4 exams in the summer term of Year 11; two exams for their GCSE in English Language and two for Literature. Your child will also complete a Speaking and Listening assessment as part of their English Language study; reported alongside their final grade as a Pass, Merit or Distinction. English Language Both of the English Language exams include a Reading and Writing section. Paper 1 focuses on fiction and is currently worth 40% of the overall GCSE. There is one 20th Century text extract to read and respond to and one narrative writing task. Paper 2 is worth the remaining 60% and this paper consists of two non-fiction texts to read and respond to, one from the 19th Century and one from the 21st Century. These texts will be linked by topic or theme and students will be expected to compare them. Students will also need to produce two non-fiction texts of their own. All of the extracts in the exam are from previously unseen texts and require students to be able to read at a good level independently. English Literature The programme of study for the English Literature GCSE includes studying Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls and an anthology of poetry. Paper 1 will assess your child’s knowledge and understanding of Macbeth and the anthology of poetry and is worth 40% of the overall grade. Paper 2 will assess the remaining two texts and unseen poetry. Students are not permitted to take any of the books into the exams; they will also be expected to recall events and key quotations for each character, the text in its entirety and for each of the fifteen poems. Assessment Criteria Students will gain a separate GCSE qualification in English Language and English Literature. Although each GCSE is separate and different they do share common assessment objectives and expectations. In both the Language and Literature exams, students are expected to show their skill in exploring how language and structure are used to create meaning and to be able to identify writers’ techniques using specific terminology. Spelling, punctuation and grammar is also assessed in exactly the same way in both GCSEs. This has enabled us to structure a blended curriculum whereby student develop the skills required for both GCSEs and study both qualifications together; ensuring that the skills are secured and embedded at the deepest level. Extra-curricular Opportunities As both qualifications are now assessed by 100% exam at the end of the course, it is imperative that students are able to learn and remember every text. In order to facilitate good learning and revision opportunities, we are striving to provide them with a variety of extra-curricular experiences. Below is an

overview of the opportunities we intend to provide over the duration of the course. Each activity will be formally advertised by letter nearer to the time with an exact cost. Below are approximate costs to enable you to budget should you wish your child to participate in these valuable experiences to enhance learning beyond the classroom:

Event / Trip

Year 10

Year 11

Macbeth performance £6

An Inspector Calls performance £6

Charles Dickens’ London £30

Poetry Live £25

All original texts studied are provided for each student, however, because of the changes to the new GCSE students are now required to have a deeper knowledge of a Shakespeare play and be prepared to respond to a question about any character or theme across the whole play. We believe the CGP publication is more accessible because it covers the whole play in key extracts (from the full original text of the play) with student-friendly notes on each page. The retail cost of this additional text is £5.95 but we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase the text at a subsidised price of £2.75. If students own their own copy of the text they will be able to annotate each extract with notes and ideas and this will assist them greatly in their revision for their final exams. Students will still be able to borrow a copy from us for free but this will preclude them from making notes on the text. We will also be offering after school and holiday revision sessions, a timetable of which will be published in the New Year. How can I support my child at home? There are a few key ways in which you can support your child with their preparation for both of their English GCSEs. Firstly, encourage them to read high quality fiction and non-fiction texts. The emphasis is on unseen extracts in the new GCSEs and the expectation is that your child can interpret and retrieve information from any given text. Reading daily broadsheet news articles, quality reviews or a novel will help them develop a range of reading skills. Internet programmes such as Quizlet are also very useful for making revisions cards and completing other activities designed to aid learning and memorising quotations. The BBC Bitesize website has useful information and activities on most of the set texts taught for English Literature and the English Language section has been completely updated for the requirements of the new GCSE. LitCharts is another useful internet based tool for consolidating understanding of the Literature texts. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information or would like to discuss any aspect of the course in more detail. Yours faithfully S Ambrose S Ambrose Curriculum Leader for English