Page 9 - GCSE Subjects September 2021

Head of Department | Miss S Hill
s.hill@warwickschool.org
English Language and English Literature Course Specification
OCR English Language – GCSE J351 OCR English Literature – GCSE J352
Overview
Study of English at GCSE gives students the opportunity to develop as critical and informed readers and imaginative, versatile writers. Lessons are enlivened by debate and discussion, enhancing students’ abilities to explain, persuade, empathise and reflect. Students learn how to analyse in depth the way writers use linguistic tools to convey their meanings, as well as how they can employ these in their own writing. They refine their literacy skills, develop their vocabulary and become more articulate in expressing their viewpoints. And they learn more about themselves and the world around them through exploration of some of the great works of literature, including study of a novel, poetry, and drama.
Course specifications
Throughout their English lessons, students will be working towards two GCSE qualifications: OCR GCSE English Language J351 and English Literature J352. Due to this, preparation for the GCSE begins in the summer term of year 9. For both of these qualifications, they will receive a grade from 9-1.
GCSE English Language J351: course content and examinations
For GCSE English Language, students will be assessed through two 2 hour external examinations: Language Paper 1 Communicating Information and Ideas and Language Paper 2 Exploring Effects and Impact. These examinations are each worth 50% of their overall grade. Both examinations require students to respond to two unseen texts, assessing the following comprehension skills:
• Inference, deduction, explanation and close analysis of language and structure
• Comparison of writers’ viewpoints and techniques and evaluation of how far texts agree with a given interpretation
They also assess their writing skills, in particular:
• Adapting writing style and structure to specific written
forms, using literary and rhetorical techniques for effect
• Employing well-chosen, sophisticated vocabulary and
writing with a high degree of grammatical accuracy, as well as accurate and purposeful use of sentence structures and punctuation marks
Language Paper 1 will present students with a 19th century and a 20th or 21st century non-fiction text and require them to write a non-fiction piece, such as a formal letter, newspaper report, magazine or blog article, an advice leaflet or persuasive speech. Language Paper 2 will present students with two 20th or 21st century fiction or literary non-fiction texts and require them to write a fiction piece, such as a short story, extended description, a journal entry or extract from an autobiography.
Throughout the two-year course, students will be exposed to a rich variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, practising the skills for these Language papers. They will be given the opportunity to develop their craft as writers of a range of
written forms, as well as enhancing their literacy skills, such as spelling, punctuation and grammar.
There is an additional Speaking and Listening endorsement, which does not form part of the GCSE English Language qualification, but is a useful addition to students’ portfolios as they prepare for future study and the world of work. Students are expected to prepare and give a formal persuasive presentation on a topic of their choice and respond in detail to questions asked. Students are assessed and receive a grade, either Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction.
GCSE English Literature J352: course content and examinations
For GCSE English Literature, students will be assessed through two 2 hour external examinations: Literature Paper 1 Exploring Modern and Literary Heritage Texts and Literature Paper 2 Exploring Poetry and Shakespeare. These examinations are each worth 50% of their overall grade and both are closed book, requiring students to learn quotations.
Literature Paper 1 will require students to write a response to essay questions focused on their study of a modern prose or drama text, including comparing an extract with an unseen passage from another text. It will also require them to show their understanding of a 19th century novel, including how it relates to its historical and literary context. Literature Paper 2 will require students to demonstrate their knowledge of one poem from a thematic cluster of poems they have studied, comparing it with an unseen poem. They will additionally need to write an essay on their studied Shakespeare play, showing awareness of how it relates to wider context.
To prepare for these assessments, throughout the course students will be studying in depth their four set texts, including rigorously exploring writers’ intentions, themes, language and structure techniques used. They will learn to refine their essay writing techniques, so they can examine a breadth of points as well as explaining in depth the impact of writers’ choices. They will benefit from a variety of exciting classroom activities to make the texts come alive, including role play, creative writing, responses using a variety of media, group presentations and debates.
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GCSE Subjects - September 2021