1. Year 11 English English GCSE AIM TRY ACHIEVE

2. What does English include? AIM TRY ACHIEVE

3. What does the course include? 60% Exam Non-fiction reading Writing skills exam Writing to explain and describe Writing to persuade and argue 40% in Class Controlled Assessment based on a text from another culture Controlled Assessment based on a Shakespearean play Controlled Assessment based on a text from the English Literary Heritage 2 Creative writing Controlled Assessments. In addition, students will complete 3 S&L assessments which are now not part of their GCSE but for which they will receive a numerical level alongside their GCSE result.

4. What have Year 11 already covered? Controlled Assessments: (worth 40%) Three extended pieces on: ‘Of Mice and Men’ A Shakespearean play Poems fro the literary heritage Two pieces of writing

5. Exam practice: Teaching of exam skills throughout year Mock exams June 2014

6. What’s left to cover this year? Controlled assessments Three speaking and listening tasks New controlled assessment tasks for anyone who missed or underperformed in them last year Revision and Practice for Exam paper – technique and timings.

7. How pupils can revise Please use the ‘Revise English’ booklets, which you will receive before any assessment weeks. These are full of practical advice and activities – you CAN revise for English! Learn all the techniques you should use when writing to persuade, argue, describe or explain Know the mark scheme really well. What will you get marks for in EVERY question? AIM TRY ACHIEVE

8. Getting a ‘C’ or above… Planning Writing at length Paragraphing Range of vocabulary Connectives Techniques Range of sentence openings Accuracy – Spelling, punctuation, grammar

9. How pupils can revise Re-read the targets which your teachers have written on your marked work. Re-read your work; think about how it could be improved, and spot the recurring errors. Swap notes and essays with your friends – if someone got a higher grade than you, read the work to find out why! Make sure you know exactly what EVERY question in the exam will be asking you to do so you can hit all the right assessment objectives. AIM TRY ACHIEVE

10. Talk to your teachers… Go back and improve work that you weren’t happy with. You could even ask for it to be remarked in light of your improvements. Use the ‘green pens’ provided in lessons to tell your teacher which areas you want more help with by reflecting on your own work. Tell your teachers the areas you are least confident with – ask for extra support outside of class if necessary.

11. How Parents Can Help Encourage pupils during Controlled Assessments to try their best. Make sure they revise ‘in between’ the sessions. Encourage pupils to read as many non-fiction texts as possible as well – e.g. magazines, broadsheet newspapers, adverts, information guides, autobiographies etc. Promote hard work and really detailed revision Give them a newspaper article and 5 minutes reading time. After that, they should be able to tell you the 6/7 key points/arguments that are being made in the article Help support the accuracy of their writing. Test them on their common spelling mistakes, encourage them to proof read all their work before submitting it Encourage wider reading (fiction as well as non-fiction) to improve vocabulary choices and punctuation. Get them to look up words they are unfamiliar with and tell you what they mean.

12. Suggested revision guides and websites For spelling, punctuation and grammar: – BBC skillswise website General: – BBC GCSE Bitesize website – Revise AQA: GCSE English and English Language Revision Guide Higher (REVISE AQA English) By David Grant