Content 

In Years 7, 8 and 9, students are taught in their Learning Community groups. Five topics are studied across each year, covering a range of literature, non-fiction and speaking and listening tasks. The varied and challenging texts form the basis for exploration of other elements of Literature and Language intended to nurture the skills required for GCSE in Year 11.  These progress thematically from ‘Origins and Emergence’ in Year 7, to ‘Change and Journeys’ in Year 8, finishing with ‘Experience and Maturity’ in Year 9.

In Year 7, the topics are:

• Myths and Fairytales
• An introduction to poetry, epic poems and history of language
• ‘The Other Side of Truth’ by Beverly Naidoo
• Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’
• Advertising Campaign Project

 In Year 8, the topics are:

• Travel Writing and Introduction to Chaucer
• ‘Where the World Ends’ by Geraldine McCaughrean
• Women Who Changed the World (Non-Fiction)
• Female Gothic Writers
• Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

In Year 9, the topics are:

• Poetry of War and Revolution
• Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’
• Non-Fiction and Transactional Writing
• ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier
• In Term 6, students are moved into their GCSE classes and begin studying GCSE poetry from the Relationships cluster of the Edexcel Anthology.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

All schemes of work in English at Key Stage 3 are designed to develop students’ abilities in the three disciplines:  Reading, Writing and Speaking & Listening.

The Progress Record

At the start of each academic year, students will receive a Progress Record, informing them of the skills they will be expected to develop across the year and how these relate to our ‘Working Towards’, ‘Meeting’ or ‘Exceeding’ assessment criteria.  The contents of this sheet will be referred to regularly by teachers.  Students are expected to use it to help them keep a regular check on their own progress. They will: record results and targets from assessments; review targets; and build up a picture of how they are progressing in English.

Assessments

In each scheme of work, students in Year 7, 8 and 9 will have at least one main assessment covering one of the three main English disciplines.  Across the year, progress in each discipline should be evident.

Prior to each assessment, students will be taught the necessary skills which will enable them to ‘Meet’ or ‘Exceed’ the expected standard.  They will be given clear criteria.  Teachers will make every effort to help students to understand the language of the assessment criteria and what it means in practice.

Assessments will usually take place in the classroom under exam conditions but, on rare occasions, students may be asked to produce assessed work as homework.  Some assessments will require preparation at home whilst others can be planned within lesson time.  The English Department will make every effort to show consistency so that students across the year group receive the same or similar conditions for their assessments.

Assessments will be given a mark out of 30, linked to the criteria on the Progress Record, where marks around the mid-way point indicate that pupils should be in line with what we would expect for that particular piece. Students will not receive a ‘Working Towards’, ‘Meeting’ or ‘Exceeding’ grade for separate assessments.  However, their assessment marks will be combined periodically in order to generate a grade at each IR or IR+ reporting point.

Commonly, assessments will be marked and returned to students following the school’s two-week turn-around policy; however, in isolated cases where this may not be possible, teachers will ensure students are informed.

The Assessment Feedback Lesson

The assessment feedback lesson is paramount to students’ progress and is therefore specifically incorporated in schemes of work, ensuring time is available.  During this lesson, students will receive their marked assessment back, along with a completed Assessment Sheet.  They will be given time: to reflect on their teacher’s comments and targets; to ask questions; to consider how they can address targets set; and to correct and amend their work accordingly.  Typically, in writing-based assessments, students will be asked to redraft or add to their work, with the targets they have been set in mind. 

Individual conversations between teacher and student are extremely beneficial.  Teachers may select particular individuals to have learning conversations with or may create time to have dialogue with most or every student.  It is vital that students are proactive though and, if they need further clarification or support from their teacher, they must ask.

Students are required to fill out Assessment Sheets thoughtfully and in detail.  They are expected to glue assessed work and Assessment Sheets neatly into their exercise books.  As such, they are responsible for ensuring that the exercise book is a clear, well-presented record of their learning and progress over time.

Peer and Self-Assessment

Most lessons will contain peer or self-assessment activities.  Students will be expected to assess their own or others’ work, using structures such as WWW (what went well) and EBI (even better if) or pre-set criteria and checklists.  This forms a vital element of students’ learning both in exploring others’ work but also in being able to make accurate evaluations.  In carrying out peer assessment especially, students should show due care and attention, respecting the work of their peers and recording neat, thoughtful and accurately-written comments.

How Else Will Teachers Assess?

Aside from formal assessments, during lessons and across schemes of work, teachers will monitor and assess students in a range of explicit and implicit ways thus enabling them to adapt future lessons in the light of students’ needs as they arise. These will include:

• Leading whole class discussions
• Taking feedback from group or pair discussion
• Circulating
• Having conversations with individuals or groups
• Giving verbal feedback (sometimes using a verbal feedback stamper) on work in progress
• Q&A
• Starters and plenaries
• Feedback from peer or self-assessment
• Marking selected homework and classwork

Homework Marking

Homework will be marked in an appropriate way as applicable to each task set.  Students should expect to self-assess or peer assess some homework tasks, whilst others, especially more extensive work, will be marked by teachers.  Some tasks may be submitted via Google Classroom; in such circumstances teachers usually provide comments/feedback via this platform. Teachers will monitor students’ homework, rewarding accordingly with Positive Events and using the Neutral/Negative eventing system to address concerns regarding completion of or quality of homework.

Exercise Book Expectations

The exercise book is a working document and record of students’ learning.  It will typically contain a whole array of content, ranging from starter-style games right through to revision notes and substantial pieces of written work.  Teachers are not required to mark exercise books from cover-to-cover in any way (outside of assessments) but may write short comments surrounding some written activities or to signify where individual conversations take place.  These pieces may have been produced in class or at home.  Teachers will also monitor exercise books and ensure that the high expectations that we have of Highworth students, in taking pride in their work, are upheld. 

Periodically, the English Department will meet to examine a sample of exercise books as a means of reviewing student work, sharing best practice and striving for consistency.  Specific students will be asked to submit their exercise books in advance of this process.

Work which is marked in-depth by teachers (assessments, homework or other tasks in class) will be marked in the following way (as applicable to the task):

Reinforcing the pride that we expect students to take in their work

• Selected corrections identified so that students can take the lead in addressing inaccuracies
• Use of questions to encourage further reflection from students
• Comments which are written clearly and which recognise specific positives about the work
• Targets which are skills-based set and clearly recorded
• Positive events awarded as applicable (including stickers and recording on SIMS)

Marking Codes

The following codes may be used by teachers to annotate students’ work:

• Sp – Spelling error
• P – Punctuation error / CL –capital letter
• // - Paragraphing needed
• V – Vocabulary could be improved
• SS – Sentence structure needs attention
• G – Grammar error
• Exp – Expression/phrasing needs looking at
• T – Tenses need looking at
• ? – Unclear meaning
• ^ – Missed word/phrase

Content 

Students prepare for two qualifications: English Language and English Literature. These are examined through the Edexcel Examination Board.

In Years 10 and 11, students will develop their skills in line with the GCSE assessment objectives. They will use and build on all the skills they have covered in Key Stage 3, whilst attaining new skills that will lead them through the rest of their English academic careers. 

During their GCSE course, students will study the following elements of the GCSE qualifications:

English Language

• 19th Century Fiction
• Imaginative Writing
• 20th and 21st Century Non-Fiction
• Transactional Writing

English Literature

• ‘Romeo & Juliet’ – William Shakespeare
• ‘An Inspector Calls’ – J.B. Priestley
• ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde’ –  Robert Louise Stevenson

Poetry

• Poetry from the Edexcel Poetry Anthology ‘Relationships’ cluster
• Unseen Poetry

Assessment, Marking and Feedback

Across the GCSE course, students will be expected to undertake frequent assessments in order to prepare for the demands of the fully examined qualification. 

In order to encourage students to take ownership of their progress and understand fully what they need to do to improve, a range of marking and feedback methods are used:

• Peer and self-assessment in lessons against specific criteria and/or using model answers
• Teacher-led whole class feedback targeting common strengths and weaknesses, followed by students completing rigorous self-reflection and setting appropriate targets
• Individual learning conversations with students regarding assessment and exam performance
• Detailed teacher marking including comments, questions and targets

Specification 

Please click here for the Edexcel GCSE English Language specification

Please click here for the Edexcel GCSE English Literature specification

Content 

GCE Edexcel English Literature is a two year linear qualification. The A Level specification covers six set texts and is made up of three main components and coursework:

Component 1- Drama: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Year 13), Shakespeare’s Othello; including the Edexcel Critical Anthology (Year 12 and 13) (30%)

Component 2 – Prose: Science and Society; The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Year 12) (20%)

Component 3 – Poetry: 20 poems from Poems of the Decade an anthology of the Forward Books of Poetry 2002-2011 (Year 12) and a selection of poems from English Romantic Verse (Penguin Classics) (Year 13) (30%)

Coursework (non-examination assessment) a 2,500 - 3,000 word essay comparing two literary texts of students’ choice (Year 13) (20%)

The course is taught by two teachers:

The department uses a ‘flipped learning’ policy where students are required to prepare thoroughly prior to lessons by responding to guided questions and reading critically: for every hour taught, students are expected to do one hour of preparation. This leads to more effective exploration in lessons and deeper learning; extending students’ thinking but also giving them a sense of ownership and security around the subject.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

All three components and the coursework are assessed in terminal examinations at the end of the two year course. The board assesses the student responses against 5 assessment objectives:

In preparation for these examinations, students will be expected to write examination style essays regularly (sometimes timed in class). Teachers will mark these against the exam board’s marking criteria grids. Discussion and oral feedback in class is very important in encouraging pupil progress and is used by staff to formatively assess progress in every lesson.

At the start of the course, essays will be marked fully by annotating in the margins, giving constructive comment, targets and a grade. Once students are secure, teachers will read the student response, tick elements which address the assessment objectives, write a comment, targets and a grade in their markbook. The student will then have a list of actions and questions requiring them to reflect on their response, which will have to be read aloud (either by the student themselves or by a peer). The student will need to comment on what they perceive they have done well and set two targets for further improvement next time. There will then be a brief interview with the teacher to see if there is parity. The next essay for this will be forward targeted i.e. their previous target will be written at the top of the essay.

Students will sit an internal examination covering the Prose, The Importance of Being Earnest and the Poems of the Decade elements of the course at the end of Year 12. They will also sit a PPE (pre-public exam) half way through Year 13.

Specification 

Please click here for the Edexcel A Level English Literature specification

Language and Literature A-level Virtual Open Evening video 2020.

Content 

GCE English Language and Literature is a two year linear qualification. The A Level specification covers six set texts and is made up of three components:

Component 1 – Voices in Speech and Writing – examination (40%)

Component 2 – Varieties in Language & Literature – examination (40%)

Component 3 – Non-examination assessment - Investigating and Creating texts (20%).

English Language and Literature students explore the richness of language and literature and cultivate their own critical responses. This A Level English Language and Literature enables depth and breadth of study, with flexible content that supports independence, wide reading and creativity.  GCE English Language and Literature presents clear continuity from GCSE English and GCSE English Literature with the study of literary and non-fiction written and spoken texts. The course also enables students to develop their creativity and expertise by producing their own original writing. Students explore texts of greater variety and challenge than those encountered at GCSE and learn to apply linguistic and literary concepts and methods to their analysis of texts.

Studying English Language and Literature will allow students to develop their own understanding of the writer’s craft while developing sophisticated analytical and writing skills.  The course will enable students to make comparisons of writers’ approaches and methods while evaluating and discussing the features of genre, language and style, context, including changes in language and style over time.

Assessment, Marking and Feedback 

The assessment of Edexcel A Level in English Language and Literature is split into three components: two examined components which take place at the end of the two-year course and one non-examined component.  The board assesses students against five assessment objectives:

Students will be required to not only complete sample examination-style essays but also to participate in class, group and paired discussions as an integral component of the course requirements.  Written work is marked in accordance with the exam board, giving students constructive comments to ensure progression.   Students will be required to resubmit entire pieces or aspects of an assessed piece ensuring that they have addressed their agreed targets, thus securing understanding of course requirements and meeting areas for individual development.

In addition to work set by class teachers, students are expected to review their own personalised learning, making sure that they focus on skills or tasks that need to be further developed or revisited outside lesson to ensure progress. 

Students will sit an internal examination in Year 12, covering Component 1 – Voices in Speech and Writing in which students do a linguistic analysis, comparing one text from an anthology of non-literary and digital texts from 20th and 21st centuries provided by the board with an unseen text. They will also complete an extract based question on The Great Gatsby based on Component 2 – Varieties in Language and Literature. They will also sit a PPE (pre-public exam) half way through Year 13.

Specification

Please click here for the Edexcel A Level English Language and Literature specification

Advice

Students who achieve highly in this subject maintain their research and preparation for lessons, exploring ideas/themes/texts for themselves. They also are very aware of the assessment objectives and practise regularly; writing essays or responding to exam style questions provided by their teachers. The student who succeeds, reads!

Past papers

GCSE: Sample Assessment material and past papers are available on the Edexcel website 

A Level: Sample Assessment material and past papers are available on the Edexcel website

Useful external links 

KS3:

Analysis skills for KS3: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfdh8xs/articles/z4ck8hv 

Comparative skills for KS3: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zjny3j6/articles/zbmsd6f 

Shakespeare (context and links to text summaries, etc.): https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zksycdm 

Analysing non-fiction texts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfwpd6f/articles/z4d4xyc 

Creative Writing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z43dwnb 

Year 7:

Myths: http://www.timelessmyths.co.uk/

Fables: http://www.aesops-fables.org.uk/

Poetry: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zmbj382 

Identifying poetic forms: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zmbj382/articles/zn3skmn

Understanding ‘Macbeth’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zp982hv 

Year 8:

Travel Writing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-literature-ks3--ks4-what-makes-travel-writing-engaging/z6q7f4j 

Debating skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z86qsbk/articles/z79mm39 

Dickens: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml ; http://www.dickensmuseum.com/

Narrative structures: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zn8tkmn/articles/zhstrj6

Understanding the Gothic genre: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfdh8xs/articles/z9cssk7

Understanding ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxgcwmn 

Year 9:

‘Twelfth Night’: 

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zb2xsbk 
• http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/content/view/10/10/
• http://shakespeare.about.com/od/shakespeareslanguage/a/i_pentameter.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY 

‘Rebecca’:

• https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/rebecca/ 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWuSGoOf7yg 

GCSE:

‘The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z8642p3
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOQv0bsXYdc 
• https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/english-literature-gcse-level/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-robert-louis-stevenson 

‘Romeo and Juliet’:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zykncwx 
• https://www.yorknotes.com/gcse/english-literature/romeo-and-juliet-gcse-2017/revision-cards/02_contex
• https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item107724.html
• https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/2112/Shakespeare.pdf 

‘An Inspector Calls’:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zpr639q
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02z80kq
• https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/startsuffragette-/ 
• https://www.oxnotes.com/an-inspector-calls-context-and-political-views.html 

Poetry: 

• https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/english-revision/gcse-edexcel/relationships/ 

Language:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zgvg6fr
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpr49j6/revision/1
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zsf2v4j/revision/1
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9wg7hv/revision/1 

An English degree is a highly respected qualification and could lead to a broad spectrum of careers: law; media and journalism; advertising and PR; business; government; and teaching, to name a few.

Clubs

A Creative Writing Club ‘The Blurb’ is run once a week

Sixth Form Student-Run Book Club 

Sixth Form Poetry Club 

Oxbridge Candidate Support

Trips and visits

Previous trips have included theatre visits to relevant GCSE and A-level texts, such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. We have also taken students to Live Screenings of internationally renowned plays including ‘Twelfth Night’, ‘Frankenstein’, and ‘Othello’. Globe Theatre workshops and tours have also been enjoyed in previous years. 

The English department seeks to take more enriching opportunities in the coming years, something which has been challenging during the unpredictability of the Covid epidemic. This begins with a trip to see ‘An Inspector Calls’ with Year 11 in September.