GCSE 2020
Aims of this evening • To know the format of the exams that students will be sitting in June • To understand the requirements of each of the questions on the exam papers • To go over some of the issues from the mock exams. • To provide some revision strategies for the run up to the exam
Format for the session • An introduction to the exam • A question by question guide to exam with revision tips for key sections • A review of the issues from the mock exam an guided revision advice. • Q&A
Why this session? • Since last year there have been huge changes to the GCSE 1. We have moved to 100% terminal examination for both Literature and Language 2. The grading system has changed from A*-G to the 1- 9 system 3. The curriculum has been significantly expanded 4. There are no tiers of entry for English 5. All GCSE Literature exams are closed book. • Meaning..? – There is more need than ever for students to be exam ready and parents to be in a position to help them.
The Generalities ENGLISH LITERATURE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Paper 1- 1 hr 45 mins Paper 2- 2 hrs 15 mins Paper 1- 1 hr 45mins Paper 2- 2 hrs 5 (50%) (50%) (40%) minutes hrs (60%) Section A (25%) Section A (25%) Section A (15%) Section A (35%) 19 th Century Fiction Shakespeare Unseen 19 th Century Comparison of two Two questions Two questions Fiction unseen texts from the One based on a 30 line One based on a 400 20 th and 21 st century 1 extract approx 650 extract and one on the word extract and one on words. One non-fiction; one whole play the whole novel 4 Questions literary non-fiction 1, 2, 6, 15 marks Extracts will be respectively. approximately 1000 Section B (25%) Section B (25%) words in total Post-1914 British Drama Poetry or Prose One question comparing Section B (25%) Section B (25%) one named poem from the Either DRAMA or PROSE Creative Writing Transactional Writing chosen anthology collection Choice of essay Choice of 2 tasks Choice of two tasks with another of the questions student’s choice from the linked to the theme of linked to the theme of SPaG is assessed collection the 19 th century fiction the texts One question comparing the One task will include Newspaper articles, two unseen contemporary images to help letters etc. poems students address the task.
So? • That’s a lot of exams… (7 ½ hours) • That’s a lot of texts… (3 full texts, plus 15 poems) • However every student, regardless of their examination board is facing the same thing.
Literature… • This will be a whistle-stop tour of the literature papers. • These papers have changed the least – students are being asked to write about the ideas and techniques in pieces of writing. • This is pretty much the same as it has always been. • The main change is the fact that the exams are closed book.
Paper 1 Our students have studied ‘ Romeo and Juliet ’ for their Shakespeare text and either ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill or ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J B Priestly
Students will need to navigate to the appropriate section of the exam booklet – there will be a contents page to guide them Our students all do ‘ Romeo and Juliet ’ and they will have done either ‘An Inspector Calls’ or ‘The Woman in Black’
This section is two Section A distinct questions Question A is around the 3 (a) Explore how Shakespeare presents extract – this is where close Juliet’s relationship with her mother in this language analysis is extract. required. Refer closely to the extract in your answer. Students will need to use (20) PETER paragraphs to analyse the text in detail. (b) In this extract, Juliet talks about taking revenge on Tybalt’s murderer. Explain the importance of revenge elsewhere in the play. Question B is about the In your answer you must consider: wider play – it requires • where revenge is shown knowledge of the plot, • how revenge affects those involved. characters themes and how You should refer to the context of the play in they appear in the play – it your answer. also means the students (20) need to reference the context of the play too. (Total for Question 3 = 40 marks)
Section B Essay writing style and accuracy is marked in this question The Woman in Black : Susan Hill Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of A single short quotation is the spelling and punctuation. EITHER only source from the text. 21 But no-one had been there. The room had been empty. Anyone who had left it must have come out into the corridor Again context is featured in the and confronted me, I would have had to move aside to let them pass. question Explore the importance of settings in The Woman in Black . You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer. (Total for Question 21 = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation)) OR 22 She would have been branded as a witch and local legends and tales were still abroad and some extravagant folklore still half-believed in . In what ways is belief in the supernatural significant in the novel? You must refer to the context of the novel in your answer. (Total for Question 22 = 40 marks (includes 8 marks for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation))
General points • 1 hour and 45 minutes means that with reading time built in there is about 45 minutes of answering the questions per section. • Students will need to work fast and keep an eye on the clock. • The questions with an extract also mean that students need a good understanding of the play – this can only come through revision. • They also need to understand and remember the mechanics of the paper – – Section A Shakespeare has two components and they do both. – Section B ‘An Inspector Calls’ or ‘The Woman in Black’ is a choice of two questions – they only do one.
Paper 2 Our students have studied either ‘ A Christmas Carol ’ by Charles Dickens or ‘ Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ’ by Robert Louis Stephenson for their 19 th Century fiction text the relationship cluster from the Edexcel poetry anthology (all students have been issued with this).
Section A Extract focused with a need for 4 (a) Explore how Dickens presents language analysis – PETER paragraphs. Scrooge’s character in this extract. Give examples from the extract to support your ideas. (20) Broader response taking in the whole novel is required here. (b) In this extract, poverty is discussed. Explain how Dickens portrays poverty elsewhere in the novel. Students must talk about the rest of the In your answer you must consider: novel – the mark • what poverty is shown scheme limits • how poverty affects those involved. responses that only refer to the extract to (20) less than half the (Total for Question 4 = 40 marks) marks
Section B Students are given a copy of one poem – they must compare it to another from their knowledge of the anthology 8 Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci . Choose one other poem from the Relationships anthology. A very specific Compare how the effect of love focus will be given is presented in the two poems. in the questions In your answer you should consider the: • poets’ use of language, form and structure The close language • the influence of the contexts in analysis will come from which the poems were written. the poem that is printed – much broader points (Total for Question 8 = 20 will be drawn from the marks) second text. A 20 mark question needs to be timed accordingly
Unseen Poetry Comparison Students are given 11 Compare the ways the two short poems to compare. writers present an old person in Great-grandfather and On the Verge . In your answer you should Again the focus is on the language, compare: form and • the ideas in the poems structure – poetic techniques • the poets’ use of language • the poets’ use of form and structure. Use evidence from the poems to support your comparison . The question is a short (Total for Question 11 = 20 and comparative response and timing is marks) again crucial
Key messages for the literature papers • Reading and revising the set texts is vital – the questions with an extract or printed text always also require additional knowledge from the students, either of the broader text or of the poetry in general. • But so is practising the questions – especially where timing is a factor – namely in paper 2. • Any form of revision notes and guides can be a useful supplement, but the first port of call should be the notes from class and the exam booklets.
What can parents do to help? 1. Make sure your children have access to a copy of the text – do they know where it is? 2. Ask them about the exam booklets – question them about what they are expected to do in the exam. 3. Make sure that they have access to good revision material and are using it.
The Language Exams…
This is where exam technique is vital… • Unlike the literature exams there no set texts that can be revised… • …however there is a large body of knowledge that students can return to in their note books. • The second component to their preparation needs to be practise and exam technique.
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