English
BackHead of Department: Miss A Steane
Teachers: Ms S Bott, Mr G Chisholm, Mr T Frith, Mrs A Gawley, Mrs C Henshall, Mr T Khanna, Ms L McCullagh, Mrs T Panou, Mrs M Wood, Mrs J Wright
The English department is staffed by highly experienced and well-qualified teachers, all of whom take pride in their enthusiasm for the subject. We view English as the academic study of Language and Literature and, as such, our ambition for all students to experience the highest quality texts, as part of their entitlement, is an important principle that underpins our curriculum. By exploring a range of diverse contemporary texts, as well as those celebrated within the canon of our literary heritage, students develop a growing maturity in thought and expression, enabling them to articulate insightful responses, communicate effectively in a range of contexts, nurture analytical skills and achieve some of the highest results at GCSE and A Level. [Updated 2023/24]
Co-curricular activities
- Annual theatre experiences for each year group.
- The opportunity for Sixth Formers to provide literacy support to lower school pupils.
- Workshops on specific texts and aspects of the exams
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. (C.S. Lewis)
Years 7, 8 and 9
Year 7
In Year 7 students begin their studies of English at TWGSB with a focus on persuasive and rhetorical writing. We start the year with the reading of Orwell’s Animal Farm, where they have the opportunity to study a whole novel and explore the allegorical nature of the story, the themes of morality and the corruption of power. Students are assessed on both their analytical reading and persuasive writing skills through this unit of work.
The year progresses with the application of their knowledge of rhetoric to the study of Julius Caesar, where they develop their understanding of logos, pathos and ethos in rhetoric.
This is followed by a poetry unit where students explore a range of poems around the theme of relationships and learn how poets use language and structure to influence a reader. The final term is spent exploring a selection of short stories from around the world from a range of diverse writers. Throughout the year they will also support their grammar and academic expression by completing a unit entitled Writing Brilliant Sentences, which they will continue year on year until they reach Key Stage 4.
Year 8
In Year 8 students continue their studies of English with a focus on the art of storytelling. This includes the study of Greek Myths and how heroes are portrayed in stories. They study various allusions and their impact on literature. Students analyse Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and discuss how the play conforms to the tragic genre. Following this, they tackle William Golding’s well-loved classic Lord of the Flies, where they develop their understanding of the narrative arc and character archetypes. Alongside the main curriculum, students continue with the development of their technical and grammatical writing and develop their own creative and narrative writing skills.
Year 9
In Year 9, English lessons are dedicated to developing a range of skills across different texts and genres in readiness for GCSE. Students begin the year with the study of another complete Shakespeare play – a comedy this time – Much Ado About Nothing. We explore the extent to which characters conform or subvert societal expectations in the Shakespearean era. Students practice their ability to write in a range of forms in response to a range of stimuli prompted by concepts and contexts studied in the Year 9 texts. This takes the form of speeches, articles and letters and is intended to support the requirement at GCSE for students to express a point of view on a given subject. They continue the year with Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird where the impact of setting is explored alongside prejudice and the conflict caused in society. An introduction to GCSE English Language Paper 1 skills is addressed through the use of extracts from Dystopian fiction, followed by a unit on an introduction to modern plays, which provides a secure base from which to study An Inspector Calls in Year 10. Alongside the main curriculum, students continue with the development of their technical and grammatical writing and start to hone their essay writing skills, with a focus on academic writing and the development of writing thesis statements for Literature responses.
GCSE: Years 10 and 11
Year 10
The GCSE requires students to read complex and culturally significant texts with skill and sophisticated understanding. They are required to analyse how a text’s context, language, structure and form are shaped and crafted for subtle and precise purposes and effects. Students begin by studying JB Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls and the AQA anthology of set poems based on ‘Power and Conflict’. Thereafter, they read and analyse Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. For the Language GCSE, students begin exploring a range of fiction and non-fiction texts and study how writer’s use language and structure to create effects and to express a point of view. In the summer term all students complete a formal speaking and listening assessment which is a presentation to an audience, followed by questions and feedback.
Year 11
Students read and study Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and complete any remaining poems in the Power and Conflict anthology. In addition, they practice their responses to a range of poems in preparation for the Unseen poetry section of the GCSE exam. When all set texts have been taught, we begin a programme of regular revision, developing students’ essay writing skills and ability to express their ideas in a sophisticated way. We ensure students are given opportunities to practice exam style responses for both Language and Literature in order to improve their exam performance and write under timed conditions.
Exam board: AQA
English Language specificationEnglish Literature specification
A Level English Literature
Aims and outcomes
The aim of this course is to develop students’ ability to read and analyse a wide range of literary texts with perception and confidence and to discuss the significance of their social and historical contexts and how the writers’ methods are used to shape meaning.
Year 12
Students explore a range of texts based on the theme of ‘Love Through the Ages’. The texts cover a wide number of centuries and genres including Chaucer, Shakespeare, pre-1900 poetry and Victorian novelists, as well as looking at diversity and alternative views of love and relationships in the modern era. The set texts for this unit are Othello by Shakespeare and The Awakening by Kate Chopin which students compare with a selection of poetry from the AQA Anthology.
Year 13
Students study a selection of texts from modern times which engage with the social, political, personal and literary issues which have helped to shape the latter half of the 20th century and the early decades of the 21st century. Some of the key themes explored include: personal and social identity; changing morality and social structures; gender, class, race and ethnicity; political upheaval and change; resistance and rebellion; imperialism, post-imperialism and nationalism. Currently, students study The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Skirrid Hill by Owen Sheers (poetry) and the play Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker.
Additionally, all students complete non-exam assessment (coursework) worth 20% of the course. They write a 2,500 word comparative extended essay based on two texts, at least one of which must have been written pre-1900.
| Examinations | A Level |
|---|---|
|
Written Paper 1: Love Through the Ages (3 hours) Section A: Shakespeare passage-based question with linked essay Section B: Unseen poetry comparing two poems Section C: Compare the prose and poetry texts (open book in Section C only) |
40% |
|
Written Paper 2: Modern Times: Literature from 1945 to the Present Day (2 hrs 30 mins) Section A: Set text prose, one essay question Section B: Contextual Linking: one essay on unseen extract, one essay linking two texts Open book in sections A and B |
40% |
| Non-Exam Assessment | |
|---|---|
|
Independent Critical Study (coursework) 2,500 word extended essay. A comparative critical study of two texts, at least one of which must have been written pre-1900. |
20% |
Exam board: AQA
Careers Education
Given the significance of English as a core subject, a subject which encompasses the fundamental skills required for all future courses and careers, we are committed to ensuring that the impact of our curriculum is evident. In Key Stage 3, students write in a range of forms and for different audiences, using an appropriate register and level of formality. We cover how to write letters, speeches and articles as well as how to communicate ideas and opinions fluently. We discuss and engage with the ‘big ideas’ that arise from our texts: politics, economics, gender, aesthetics, class, morality, psychology, even philosophy. Students who are confident and familiar with these ideas are able to frame their own perspectives in this larger context and thereby enhance the quality of their argument and use this skill in their future study and careers.
By GCSE all students will have been assessed a number of times for speaking and listening including formal presentations. KS5 coursework is highly independent and all students are encouraged to develop high level academic study skills which will be used at university.
Successful students in English Literature A Level acquire a qualification that is a widely recognised and highly respected, given that it serves as evidence of an analytical and erudite mind; students are able to read, argue and analyse with precision and skill at the highest levels.
Successful students in English often go on to study English Literature, America Studies, Law, Journalism and History, Linguistics, Language based courses including Creative Writing and Speech Therapy, and Cultural Studies. We are able to guide and suggest appropriate courses that will suit students and help them to understand the diversity in English Language and Literature specialisms.
The Uni Guide: English Language and Literature CoursesCareers in English - Where Can English Take You?