GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

The English Language and Literature courses will run across two years with final assessment at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework element; the only ‘early’ assessed piece is the Spoken Language element. 

English Language

The GCSE English Language course involves an exciting and wide range of content, including the reading and writing of both fiction and non-fiction texts. Through discussion and detailed analysis, you will explore and compare how writers harness the power of the written word to create meaning and try to entertain, inform or persuade their readers or audience.

The course also involves a Spoken Language component. Although its assessment does not feed into the final grade a student will achieve, it is a key skill which the specification aims to develop within students, helping them in the future with their professional communication.  

English Literature

The GCSE English Literature course involves an in-depth study of both classic and modern texts. Students will study a Shakespeare text (Macbeth), a 19th Century Novel (A Christmas Carol), a 20th Century drama (An Inspector Calls), an anthology collection of poetry – focusing on Power and Conflict, and a wider range of poetry to prepare for the unseen poetry element of the exam. Students do not have copies of the texts in their exams so will develop an excellent and comprehensive knowledge of the texts to support them which will be built through meticulous and rigorous study.

Alongside their knowledge of the individual texts, students will develop an awareness and appreciation of the role literature has played throughout history in reflecting and providing commentary on society.

English Language has two exam papers which will be taken in the summer of 2027 (Year 11). English Literature also has two exams papers which will be taken in the summer of 2027 (Year 11).