FALMOUTH SCHOOL

ENGLISH
Head of Faculty: Miss E Owen
Contact Information: Miss E Owen, eowen@falmouthschool.net
Course Outline
Most students will be entered for the double award of English Language and English
Literature. For their English Language qualification, they will sit 2 terminal
examinations and complete a non-examined assessment for Spoken Language. The
course prepares students for post-16 study and work by developing their abilities to
communicate clearly; use a wide range of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and
grammar; and develop a personal style and awareness of the audience being
addressed. Both exams assess reading and writing. In the reading sections of the
exams, students will be assessed on their ability to read fluently and with good
understanding a wide range of texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, including
literature and literary non-fiction as well as other writing such as reviews and
journalism. Students will demonstrate an ability to read and evaluate texts critically
and make comparisons between texts. Students will also use the knowledge gained
from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing, displaying their ability to
write effectively and coherently and use Standard English appropriately. Students will
also complete a non-examined unit on Spoken language. Students must demonstrate
the ability to deliver an oral presentation, respond to questions and feedback and use
Standard English when speaking. The work is set and marked by the teacher but is a
separate endorsement and therefore carries 0% weighting towards the GCSE.
For their English Literature qualification, students will read a wide range of classic
literature fluently and with good understanding and make connections across their
reading. They will also learn to read in-depth, critically and evaluatively, so that they
are able to discuss and explain their understanding and ideas. The course is designed
to encourage students to develop the habit of reading widely and often and the
judgment to appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage. More
specifically, they will study one modern prose or drama text, one 19th century prose
text, a Shakespeare play and a thematically linked cluster of poems.
Examination Details
All of the above exams will take place at the end of Year 11. For English Language,
each examination is 1 hour and 45 minutes in duration and is worth 50% of the GCSE
grade. All examinations are closed book, meaning students will need to have an
intimate knowledge of the texts they’ve studied to allow them to provide quotations
as evidence for their arguments. For English Literature, students will sit 2 closed book
exams. Paper 1 will test their understanding of the 19th century prose text and
Shakespeare play, this is worth 40% of their final grade. Paper 2 will test their
understanding of a the modern drama text, the cluster of poetry and comparison of
two unseen poems.
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