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GCSE 2019

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 LANGUAGE Paper 1- 1 hr 45mins (40%) Paper 2- 2 hrs (60%) Section A (15%) Unseen 19th Century Fiction 1 extract approx 650 words. 4 Questions 1, 2, 6, 15 marks respectively. Section A (35%) Comparison of two unseen texts from the 20th and 21st century One non-fiction; one literary non-fiction Extracts will be approximately 1000 words in total Section B (25%) Creative Writing Choice of 2 tasks linked to the theme of the 19th century fiction One task will include images to help students address the task. Section B (25%) Transactional Writing Choice of two tasks linked to the theme of the texts Newspaper articles, letters etc. ENGLISH LITERATURE

Paper 1- 1 hr 45 mins (50%) Paper 2- 2 hrs 15 mins (50%) Section A (25%) Shakespeare Two questions One based on a 30 line extract and one on the whole play Section A (25%) 19th Century Fiction Two questions One based on a 400 word extract and one on the whole novel Section B (25%) Post-1914 British Drama

• r Prose

Either DRAMA or PROSE Choice of essay questions SPaG is assessed Section B (25%) Poetry

One question comparing

• ne named poem from the

chosen anthology collection with another of the student’s choice from the collection One question comparing the two unseen contemporary poems

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

• f 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’

Section A

3 (a) Explore how Shakespeare presents Juliet’s relationship with her mother in this extract. Refer closely to the extract in your answer. (20) (b) In this extract, Juliet talks about taking revenge on Tybalt’s murderer. Explain the importance of revenge elsewhere in the play. In your answer you must consider:

• where revenge is shown
• how revenge affects those involved.

You should refer to the context of the play in your answer. (20) (Total for Question 3 = 40 marks)

This section is two distinct questions Question A is around the extract – this is where close language analysis is required. Students will need to use PETER paragraphs to analyse the text in detail. Question B is about the wider play – it requires knowledge of the plot, characters themes and how they appear in the play – it also means the students need to reference the context of the play too.

Section B

The Woman in Black: Susan Hill Your response will be marked for the range of appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures, and accurate use of spelling and punctuation. EITHER 21 But no-one had been there. The room had been empty. Anyone who had left it must have come out into the corridor and confronted me, I would have had to move aside to let them pass. 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))

Essay writing style and accuracy is marked in this question Again context is featured in the question A single short quotation is the

• nly source from the text.

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 19th Century fiction text the relationship cluster from the Edexcel poetry anthology (all students have been issued with this).

Section A

4 (a) Explore how Dickens presents Scrooge’s character in this extract. Give examples from the extract to support your ideas. (20) (b) In this extract, poverty is discussed. Explain how Dickens portrays poverty elsewhere in the novel. In your answer you must consider:

• what poverty is shown
• how poverty affects those involved.

(20) (Total for Question 4 = 40 marks)

Extract focused with a need for language analysis – PETER paragraphs. Broader response taking in the whole novel is required here.

Students must talk about the rest of the novel – the mark scheme limits responses that only refer to the extract to less than half the marks

Section B

8 Re-read La Belle Dame sans

• Merci. Choose one other poem

from the Relationships anthology. Compare how the effect of love is presented in the two poems. In your answer you should consider the:

• poets’ use of language, form and

structure

• the influence of the contexts in

which the poems were written. (Total for Question 8 = 20 marks)

Students are given a copy

• f one poem – they must

compare it to another from their knowledge of the anthology

A very specific focus will be given in the questions The close language analysis will come from the poem that is printed – much broader points will be drawn from the second text.

A 20 mark question needs to be timed accordingly

Unseen Poetry Comparison

11 Compare the ways the writers present an old person in Great-grandfather and On the Verge. In your answer you should compare:

• the ideas in the poems
• the poets’ use of language
• the poets’ use of form and

structure. Use evidence from the poems to support your comparison. (Total for Question 11 = 20 marks)

Students are given two short poems to compare. Again the focus is

• n the language,

form and structure – poetic techniques The question is a short and comparative response and timing is 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.

What will the students have to do?

• Paper 1 and Paper 2 - similar format – reading

unseen sources and answering increasingly demanding questions

• Then a choice of two writing tasks.

Q1 and Q2

1 From lines 1 to 5, identify the phrase which explains why there is no blood on the floor.

(Total for Question 1 = 1 mark) 2 From lines 13–19, give two ways the narrator’s behaviour shows that he is confident he will not be caught. You may use your own words or quotation from the text. 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. (Total for Question 2 = 2 marks) There will be only one acceptable answer to this question – it is simple information retrieval – in this instance a quotation will be needed. Again a limited number of acceptable answers will be available for this question – it is information retrieval, but can involve some interpretation as students can use their own words as well as quotations.

3 In lines 20–25, how does the writer use language and structure to show the change in the narrator’s mood? Support your views with reference to the text. (Total for Question 3 = 6 marks)

Specific lines are focused

• n – the answer must

come from these Quotations and direct references are required

Both language and structure must be written about to get more than 2/6 marks.

This is a fairly substantial question that should produce a1-2 sided response from students and cover at least 3 – if not 4 – points.

Q3

Question 4

• This is the big question for this section of

the paper.

• It is worth 15 marks of the 24 for the entire

section.

• If there is a place to focus attention in this

paper this would be it.

Evaluate is the key

• perational

verb in this question

• The final question in section A of the

paper is a focus on ‘evaluation’.

• This is a difficult skill, but in essence it is

about looking at taking analysis a step further and looking at the overall impact.

• Analysis is taking the text and looking at

how individual bits work.

• Evaluation is looking at how the whole

text works together.

I’m going to evaluate…

• My car is a Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2016 variant).
• The car is a practical super-mini for suburban driving.
• The car is a 5 door, 1.5 litre petrol electric hybrid with a decent size
• boot. My version is the T4.
• The car comes with electric windows front and back, dual zone

climate control, height adjustable driver’s seat, a 7 inch touchscreen for the entertainment system, satellite navigation, reversing camera, Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control. Basically it is fairly well equipped for such a small car.

• The interior is comfortable and well put together with good

adjustability for the driver, but the rear passengers suffer a little from a lack of headroom.

• The driving experiences is pleasant, with the engine generating little
• r no noise and the smooth automatic transmission and nicely

weighted steering.

• Overall the car provides a relaxing drive around town and the

suburbs, but lacks power on the open road. It is an ideal second car, especially for shorter runs around the houses and performs adequately elsewhere if you happen to be in the front seats.

Focus on the

• verall impact

Analysis

• f

individual aspects Focus on the overall impact

This question should…

• Take 30 minutes or thereabouts
• Be planned before being written
• Use evidence in the form of quotations
• Analyse language and evaluate the overall impact on the

reader.

• Some useful key words –

– Powerfully – Effectively – Completely – Successfully

A Hint from the exam board – Good responses seem to identify the aspect of the text that is most effective.

SECTION B – Imaginative Writing

Answer ONE question. You should spend about 45 minutes on this section. Write your answer in the space provided.

EITHER 5 Write about a time when you, or someone you know, tried to hide something. Your response could be real or imagined. Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. (Total for Question 5 = 40 marks)

OR

6 Look at the images provided. Write about a frightening experience. Your response could be real or imagined. You may wish to base your response on one

• f the images.

Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. (Total for Question 6 = 40 marks) TOTAL FOR SECTION B = 40 MARKS

It’s an either

• r question –
• nly one task

is to be completed

Key words from the exam board

• shapes audience response with subtlety, with

sophisticated and sustained use of tone, style and register

• manipulates complex ideas, utilising a range of

structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion.

• uses an extensive vocabulary strategically; rare

spelling errors do not detract from overall meaning

• punctuates writing with accuracy to aid emphasis and

precision, using a range of sentence structures accurately and selectively to achieve particular effects.

It’s about…

• Control and shaping the work
• Range and variety or words, sentences and

paragraphs

• Accuracy in spelling, punctuation and

grammar

1hr 20 mins on Section A 45 mins on Section B 96 marks 60% GCSE Paper 2 is the larger of the papers and worth 60% of the entire GCSE

Section A- Reading Non-Fiction Texts

• 2 texts to read which will be linked by theme
• Q1-3 about Text 1
• 2 easy questions- 2 marks each

(go to given line numbers)

• Analyse language and structure- 15 marks
• Q4-6 about Text 2
• 2 easy questions- 1 mark each

(go to given line numbers)

• Evaluate how successful the text is- 15 marks
• Q7 about both texts
• a) Find similarities between the texts’ content- 6 marks
• b) Compare how the writers present their ideas about

a similar issue- 14 marks (Total 56marks)

Section B- Transactional Writing

• A Choice of 2 tasks
• 40 marks
• Form: Letter/article/speech/
• Audience: adults/ young people/ general
• Purpose: argue/persuade/advise/inform/

describe

• You must structure your writing effectively,

use a range of language features, SPAG

Easy Questions 1-2 & 4-5

Q3- Getting tougher!

Language Adjectives to describe the service Adjectives to describe the agents Negative connotations of words Sibilance Humour (look at anecdotes and colloquial language) Questions Statistics Direct Speech Structure Short sentences Long complex sentences with use of brackets, dash, semi-colon Listing Repetition

NOTE – No matter

how good the response is and no matter how detailed it gets, without analysis of structure it cannot get above 6/15 marks!

The language analysis and structure analysis is vague and non-specific in most places. The idea is to get specific detail about the impact of a technique on the reader.

Q6- Evaluation

• What does it mean to evaluate something?
• This is the same as Q4 of the first paper – a student

needs to be able to explore the effectiveness of a writer’s ability to influence a reader.

• Approach the text chronologically – pick out bits from the beginning, middle and then the

end – identify success – pick out most successful section.

• Use SITE acronym –Setting, Ideas, Themes, Events – again pick out the most successful

part.

Evaluation…

• Evaluation is an extension of analysis.
• It takes analysis further and relates the individual

parts back to the overall aims of the writer.

• It requires students to keep in mind what the

writer is trying to achieve and how the devices that the writer employs assist that aim.

– Powerfully – Effectively – Completely – Successfully

Question 7a

Straightforward finding of similarities in terms of topic between the two texts –

• 1. Point – Example T1 + Example T2
• 2. Point – Example T1 + Example T2
• 3. Point – Example T1 + Example T2

Question 7b

• 1. Start with text 1 and skim read it to find the main idea of each paragraph
• 2. Find language and structure points you can use to explain how the main ideas are

presented

• 3. Identify the perspective of the writer- how does he/she feel about the issue?
• 4. Do the same for text 2

So…

• The reading section of this paper is worth a lot more

marks than any of the other sections of the two papers.

• It’s also complicated and relies on understanding

what each section of the paper is asking.

• It is weighted at 35% of the overall GCSE.
• It is important!

Section B- Transactional Writing

• A Choice of 2 tasks
• 40 marks
• Form: Letter/article/speech/
• Audience: adults/ young people/ general
• Purpose: argue/persuade/advise/inform/

describe

• Writing needs to be structured and crafted.

Some interesting things to note…

Purpose: to write an article for a newspaper – informative and persuasive Audience: newspaper readers. Candidates can choose which newspaper they are writing

• for. Some candidates may adapt their writing to suit the conventions of tabloid or

broadsheet newspapers. The focus is on communicating ideas about technology. This may involve a range of approaches and should be compelling. Form: the response should be set out effectively as an article; however, candidates may make some use of side-headings and bullet points. Credit should given to those answers that use any stylistic conventions of a newspaper article – this may have various forms but must include a heading, an introduction to the subject, a summary of the issues or ideas being considered, and a conclusion. Responses may: ฀ comment on the ways technology can track people, e.g. through use of social networking updates, using loyalty cards means businesses can see what you buy and send you offers ฀ say that technology invades our lives and offer examples of how it does this, e.g. social networking, keeping in touch with friends, text messages, applications on smart phones meaning phone can be used for many different functions ฀ ฀comment on who can use information shared through technology, e.g. the police can use CCTV in city centres to see what people do and where they go, tracking applications can be used by anyone to see where you are, social networking posts can be used by criminals to see when people are on holiday and burgle them ฀ comment on benefits, e.g. a tracking application can help if someone is lost or stranded, using technology means that supermarkets send you offers on things they know you buy or other personal anecdotes ฀ ฀some candidates may give points on both benefits and problems but other candidates may take one side only.

This is taken from the mark scheme supplied by the exam board

The candidates are asked to write something that looks and feel like a real world text. The content is even included in the mark scheme

So?

• Here the students need to be aware of –

– What they are being asked to create – Who they are aiming it at – What they are trying to achieve with it

• This means being aware of the conventions of letter

writing, formal applications, newspaper and other print based forms of non-fiction writing.

Key words to be aware of…

• Range – the exam board want to see different types and

lengths of sentences

• Variety – the exam board are looking for paragraphing of

different lengths used for specific effects

• Sophisticated – impressive vocabulary choices and a

good sense of control of the genre are what examiners are looking for

Revision tips for the writing sections

Our students tend to do well on the writing section – this is where their natural flair for language and communication ability can come through. However there are some things to focus on.

• Spelling, grammar and punctuation : accuracy counts –

ask if there are any common errors that keep cropping up and work on them

• Practise planning – regardless of what they say,

students who plan do better; do they have planning strategies to avoid ‘writer’s block’?

• Practise timed writing – the best way to get good in

timed situations is to work in timed situations

• READING – A guaranteed way to improve English skills.

The mock exams…

• LANGUAGE
• The timings of questions was frequently an issue

where students struggled – the marks schemes need to lead the timings.

• Practise ‘short’ burst of extended writing.
• Planning – the best bits of writing we saw in the

mocks were planned.

• Be interesting and unusual – the best bits of

writing were more original and didn’t ‘plod’. They started well and had a structure and theme.

• On the whole… the mock results were roughly in

line with last year’s actual GCSE marks.

The mock exams…

• LITERATURE
• The timings of questions was also an issue –

some sections were done in more depth than

• thers.
• Knowledge of the texts – students did better on

the texts they had covered most recently.

• Response style – questions where students listed

examples of the things from the question were less successful that when they explored.

• E.g. – Explore how Susan Hill uses mystery in ‘The

Woman in Black’ – many students simply listed bits of the novel that were mysterious.

Sources of help…

• Some useful websites -
• GCSE bitesize – accessible resources of reasonable

quality

• Mr Bruff and Cherwell school’s youtube videos

https://www.youtube.com/user/CherwellOnline https://www.youtube.com/user/mrbruff

• Also a new channel (to me at any rate!) - Educated

Minds with Miss Cole

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1GMMSgFf

pL9D5P1448mPVQ

What Can I Do To Help?

• 1. Get a copy of the texts so

your child can annotate, reread and revise.

1) ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (ISBN: 9781107615403) 2) Either ‘A Christmas Carol’ (ISBN: 9781407143644) Or ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ (ISBN: 9780141439730) 3) Either ‘The Woman in Black’ (ISBN: 9780099288473) Or ‘An Inspector Calls’ (ISBN: 9780435232825)

What Can I Do To Help?

• 2. Encourage your

child to start revising now!

The ‘Edexcel endorsed’ TARGET GRADE 5 and TARGET GRADE 9 workbooks are available from the English department for £6.00 (Reading and Writing Workbook)

BUT…

• Every student will have a booklet

with sample questions and responses for every section of every exam – 8 in total.

• These should be the first port of call.
• Each booklet has two full practise

papers available.

• The revision workbook have further

practise material as well.

Google Classroom

All students now have a Google account through their school email address – this is their 4 digit logon followed by @ponthigh.org.uk 4567@ponthigh.org.uk

Their password is their school password. Most students have set this up and many classes now have regular material posted for them on the Google Classroom – I in particular use this method to set assignments, provide revision material and give students feedback. The advantage is that this resource requires nothing more than an internet connection – there is no clunky interface to navigate and teachers can provide specific revision material appropriate to their classes. I would advise making use of this and the accompanying Google drive resource to assist with revising where appropriate.

Thank you for listening – please feel free to ask questions