Structure of English Classes in Year 10

Dear Year 10 Parents,

You have recently received a Year 10 brochure for 2016-2018 which outlines the courses your child will be studying in his/her (I)GCSE years.  This is to inform you that the information regarding the English courses has changed since publication of the brochure.

The Edexcel IGCSE courses that we have been following for a number of years in English is changing drastically and we felt this was a good time to reassess the English curriculum we follow in Years 10 and 11.  After much deliberation as a Faculty, during which we studied all of the alternative (I)GCSE English Language and English Literature courses available, we have decided to follow the AQA GCSE syllabus in both English Language and English Literature.  The rationale behind our decision is that we felt these courses were far more inclusive of the wide range of learners we have at Sha Tin College, will better prepare our students for both IB Language & Literature and IB Literature at SL and HL, as well as a number of other post-16 courses; and will better prepare those students who decide to follow an English Literature course at University.

Please find below a brief outline of both courses:

Your child will be studying the AQA GCSE syllabi for both English Language and English Literature.  Although each is a subject in its own right, leading to two separate qualifications, both subjects will be taught alongside each other and are inter-dependent.  Both courses are 100% examination and students will be sitting two papers in each course at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1: Reading (fiction) and Writing (imaginative)

Reading: Students will need to respond to an unseen fiction passage, published in either the 20th century or the 21st century.  They will show their understanding of the extract by answering a number of short questions and a longer question.

Writing: Students’ narrative and imaginative writing is assessed by responding to either a visual stimulus or a written stimulus.  Students choose one writing task out of two.

Paper 2: Reading (non-fiction) and Writing (transactional)

Reading: Students will need to respond to two non-fiction texts (one will be a pre-20th century text and one will be either a 20th century or a 21st century text).  There will be a number of questions on both texts and some questions will require students to compare both texts.

Writing: Students will be asked to write a transactional piece of writing – they will be given the genre (ie. newspaper article, leaflet, letter), the audience and the purpose and students will need to write accordingly.

In Year 10, each student will present a prepared talk and answer questions on their talk, lasting approximately 10 minutes. This will be internally assessed and will appear on their English Language certificate as Pass, Merit or Distinction.  It will not be part of the overall English Language GCSE level awarded.

Paper 1: Shakespeare and The 19th Century Novel [40%]

Shakespeare: students will study one Shakespeare play over the two year course and will be assessed on their understanding of the main ideas, the craft of the writer and context by answering one question.  An extract of the play will be reproduced in the examination and students will be expected to write in detail on the extract as well as referring to the rest of the play in their answer.

The 19th Century Novel: students will study one 19th Century novel text over the two year course and will be assessed on their understanding of the main ideas, the craft of the writer and context by answering one question. Similar to the Shakespeare part of this paper, an extract from the prose text will be reproduced in the examination and students will be expected to write in detail on the extract as well as referring to the rest of the novel in their response.

Paper 2: Modern Texts; Poetry; Unseen Poetry [60%]

Modern Texts: students will study either a Modern Drama or a Modern Prose text over the two year course and will be assessed on their understanding of the main ideas and the craft of the writer by answering one essay-type question out of a choice of two.

Poetry: students will study a cluster of 16 poems over the two year course and will be assessed on their understanding of the main ideas and the craft of the writer by answering one question, comparing two of the poems they have studied. One poem will be reproduced in the examination and students will need to compare this poem with a poem of their choice from the cluster they have studied.

Unseen Poetry: students will show their understanding of main themes and craft of the writer by answering a question on one unseen poem and then comparing this unseen poem with a second unseen poem.

Finally, I have included a link to our Recommended Reading List for Years 9-11 students :

The books on this list are books that have been recommended by the organisers of World Book Day and represent a wide selection of authors and genres. The best way to support your child’s English over the summer (and in the years to come) is to encourage him/her to read as wide a range of authors and genres as possible and to instil a love of reading in him/her which will, hopefully, continue through life.

I trust this is clear – however, if you have any questions regarding GCSE English at Sha Tin College please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks and kind regards

Lindsay Tandy

Head of English Faculty