GCSE English

Welcome! You will be following the AQA English in one year syllabus which is used by many adult education providers to help learners achieve a GCSE English qualication in one year. There are three parts to achieving the qualication: external examination

controlled assessment
controlled assessment
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reading and writing

speaking and listening

reading and writing

40% of total mark 20% of total mark 40% of total mark

External Examination - 2 hours - 80 Marks There is one exam paper that will test your ability to understand and produce non-ction texts. Section A requires you to answer questions on non-ction texts which may include media texts, autobiographical and travel writing. At the higher level you must answer four compulsory questions based on three reading sources. At foundation level you must answer ve compulsory questions, including those requiring short responses, based on three shorter reading sources. Section B of the paper requires you to complete two compulsory non-ction writing tasks, including a shorter one worth sixteen marks and one worth twenty-four marks Higher or Foundation Tier? There are two tiers of entry Foundation and Higher. The controlled assessment requirements are the same for both tiers. The exam questions are different. The Higher tier allows you to gain a grade from A* to D The Foundation tier allows you to gain from C to G

Your tutor will advise you which tier you should be entered for. Controlled Assessment - Speaking and Listening - 45 Marks During the course you will take part in a range of oral activities. You will be assessed on your ability to present, discuss and listen and role-play. This may include activities such as personal presentation, a group discussion or a role-play based on the novel or the play. Time is very limited on the course so it is important that you do not miss any sessions as you risk missing the opportunity to complete the speaking and listening controlled assessment. Controlled Assessment - Reading and Writing - 90 Marks You will be required to write three essays demonstrating your ability to understand and analyse text. In addition to studying poetry from different cultures, the texts we will be using are:

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

Each essay will be completed under exam conditions in the classroom that include a time limit of approximately eighty minutes. You will be allowed to take one page of notes into the assessment. Each of the three pieces will be marked out of fteen. You will also complete two pieces of creative writing, one in response to a given topic and another in response to a line of dialogue from the novel. These will be completed under exam conditions in the classroom and you will have a time limit of approximately two hours per piece. As before, each piece is marked out of fteen but there are an addition fteen marks given for accuracy. These assessments will take place on a Saturday afternoon with the dates to be conrmed. These sessions are compulsory. Plagiarism

To use another persons idea or a part of their work and pretend that it is your own1

Plagiarism is a very serious offence and will be treated as such. All the work in your folder must be your own original work. If you copy work, or rely too heavily on source material it will not be included and you could be disqualied. Homework I intend to set three hours of homework each week. This will be a combination of reading and writing tasks. It is essential that you complete this when it is set to enable us to complete the syllabus. I prefer to accept homework through the weebly website. If you have any problems with the homework tasks or submitting work electronically, do get in touch and we will arrange an alternative method. Weekly Reading/ Discussion Task Each week for the rst four weeks you will be expected to read a newspaper/ website article of your choice and analyse the methods the author has used. Your analysis can be in note form. In class you will be asked to share your analysis with a partner or the group. You should bring a copy of your article to class so it can be photocopied. If you would prefer to email it for me to print out, it must reach me by 3pm. The article should be from a broadsheet e.g. The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Financial Times. I will also accept article from The i. This is a part of the weekly three hours of homework you have committed to in joining the course and may contribute to part of your overall mark. What you need In addition to pen, paper and an A4 folder you will also need your own copies of:

Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary 2

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, ISBN 978-0-141-38947-9, 2012, published by Penguin (needed by beginning of March 2013) Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, ISBN 978-0198328728, 2010, published by Oxford University Press (needed by beginning of May 2013)

These texts can be purchased online and in most book shops. Second-hand copies are also available online. You will require your own copy as we may use them over a period of months. I have recommended these particular versions as they have useful additional information and will also enable us to refer to the same pages in class! Extra Help In addition to dyslexia and other specic learning support we run support sessions where you can just turn up (no need to book) and get help with any of the tasks. The tutors here offer help with spelling, grammar, punctuation, organising and understanding different kinds of text and you do not have to stay for the whole session. Attendance To keep your place on the course you must maintain an attendance level of eighty percent or higher. This is also true if you would like me to write a reference for you at any point You will be expected to complete work at home and regular attendance and punctuality is essential. You are very unlikely to be successful if you have missed preparation and practice. If you have to be away it is important that you notify your tutor and to make sure that you catch up on work you have missed. Where possible, handouts from the sessions and copies of any slides can be found on my GCSE English website www.wfalgcseenglish.weebly.com which you can access using the password ojaih or you can ask someone in the class to collect them for you. Progression GCSE English is an established qualication often required for entry onto Further Education courses and into employment. You will be advised at the end of the course about possible opportunities. Questions Please let me know if you have any questions. You can speak to me in class or email me brief questions [ojaih.willow-edwards@walthamforest.gov.uk] & I will try to reply within seven days during term time. I very much look forward to working with you.

Ojaih Willow-Edwards GCSE English Tutor CLaSS

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