English

We view Year 9 as an opportunity to foster a love of literature and writing and to simultaneously prepare our pupils for the skills required at GCSE level. All Year 9 pupils begin by studying our conflict unit, which immerses pupils in the poetry of conflict and protest from a global perspective, and which encourages them to become involved in performing and writing poetry. The course has also been designed to make cross-curricular links with the History department in preparation for the Year 9 battlefields trip in the Michaelmas term. We are keen to stretch our pupils by exploring the experience of war and global conflict from multiple perspectives, in settings beyond Europe and in a variety of literary forms. Year 9 pupils then follow a programme of study that includes a close exploration of a nineteenth-century prose text, a modern drama text, the skills of imaginative writing and transactional writing, concluding the year with their Shakespeare play in the summer term. We support and encourage pupils to read for pleasure by providing parents and pupils with a termly reading list of recommended texts which complement each term’s unit of work.  There are plenty of events for pupils to immerse themselves in such as: theatre trips, the Gresham’s Poetry Recital Competition and performance and workshops with visiting poets and authors.

IGCSE English Language (4EA1)

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

The language course is assessed through one examination (60%) and two pieces of coursework (40%).

Examination: Non-fiction texts and transactional writing.
Section A: a mixture of short and long-answer questions on one of the ten non-fiction anthology pieces and a previous unseen extract.
Section B: one writing task from a choice of two involving a given audience and style.

Coursework: Imaginative Writing, and Poetry and Prose essays. Both are worth 30 marks.

IGCSE English Literature (4ET1)

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

The literature course is assessed through one examination (60%) and two pieces of coursework (40%).

Examination: Poetry and Modern Prose.
There are three sections in this exam covering unseen poetry, poetry from Part 3 of the anthology and the chosen Modern Prose text.

Coursework: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts. Both are worth 30 marks.

Exam Board: Pearson Edexcel

Entry requirements: Grade 6 in IGCSE English Literature or equivalent.

The skills learnt through advanced level English are central to the skills required for life: the ability to scrutinise and debate, write comprehensively, argue a point, analyse levels of meaning and communicate ideas clearly – all make pupils highly employable in all sectors.

The course consists of three linear examinations sat at the end of two years and a coursework element for Component 4.

Component 1: Drama
This component is worth 30% of the qualification.
Section A is based on your study of one Shakespeare play (either Tragedy or Comedy).
Section B is based on your study of one other drama text (either Tragedy or Comedy). You may take a clean copy of your drama texts into the exam with you.

Component 2: Prose
This component is worth 20% of the qualification.
Your exam is based on the study of two prose texts from a chosen theme. You will answer one comparative essay question on your two texts.
You may take a clean copy of your prose texts into the exam with you.

Component 3: Poetry
This component is worth 30% of the qualification.
You will study a post-2000 anthology of poetry as well as a selection of poetry by a named poet or movement.
Section A of the exam will ask you to compare one unseen poem written post-2000 with one of the named poems from your studied post-2000 poetry anthology.
Section B of the exam requires you to answer one essay question based on your named poet or movement.
You may take a clean copy of your poetry texts into the exam with you.

Component 4: NEA (Coursework)
This component is worth 20% of the qualification.
You have a free choice of texts to study from poetry, prose fiction, prose non-fiction and drama that may be linked by theme, author, movement or period.
Pupils will produce a comparative essay of 2500-3500 words.

Entry requirements: Grade 6 in IGCSE English Language and IGCSE English Literature or equivalent.

Universities offer a range of English Language and English Literature courses as well as combined Language and Literature courses. As the degree is non-vocational it can be transferred to a range of careers, most typically media, journalism, publishing, advertising, marketing, law, public sector, human resources, business and finance, public relations, social work, teaching, academia, tourism and events management.

This course allows pupils to experience a wide range of literary and non-literary texts, covering at least six different text types, from around the world, including some not originally written in English. You will be given opportunities to consider a wide range of different reading perspectives in relation to a diverse range of international texts.

Higher Level pupils study six literary works, including two in translation, covering three major literary genres, three periods and three places.

Standard Level pupils study four literary works, including two in translation, covering two major literary genres, two periods and two places.

In addition to studying these literary texts, pupils will also study a wide range of non-literary and media texts of an amount comparable to the number of literary texts in the English A: Literature course.

The three areas of exploration are the same for the two courses. English A: Language and Literature includes the study of non-literary and media texts in addition to literary ones.

• Readers, writers and Texts looks at the nature of texts and the relationships formed between all three;
• Time and Space looks at the various contexts of literary, linguistic and media production and reception;
• Intertextuality aims to connect diverse texts, traditions, creators and ideas.

Assessment:

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT: Higher Level
Paper 1 (30%): The paper consists of two non-literary passages, from two different text types, each accompanied by a question. Pupils write an analysis of each of the passages.
Paper 2 (25%): The paper consists of four general questions. In response to one question pupils write a comparative essay based on two literary works studied in the course.
Higher Level Essay (20%): Pupils submit an essay of 1,200 to 1,500 words on one non-literary body of work, or a literary work studied during the course.

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT: Standard Level
Paper 1 (35%): The paper consists of two non-literary passages, from two different text types, each accompanied by a question. Pupils choose one passage and write an analysis of it.
Paper 2 (35%): The paper consists of four general questions. In response to one question pupils write a comparative essay based on two literary works studied in the course.

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT: Higher and Standard Level
Individual Oral: Supported by an extract from one work written originally in the language studied and one from a work studied in translation, pupils will offer a prepared response of 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of questions by the teacher, to a prompt which asks pupils to examine a text for the ways in which a global issue is presented within it.

Entry requirements: No additional English requirements above those required for entry to Gresham’s.

English B is a language acquisition course designed for pupils with some previous experience of the target language. The course enables second language speakers to develop their proficiency in the English language, providing a stable foundation for subsequent studies.

All pupils follow a Higher Level course where pupils are expected to extend the range and complexity of the language they use. Focus will be on receptive, productive and interactive skills. They continue to develop their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, as well as their conceptual understanding of how language works, in order to construct, analyse and evaluate arguments on a variety of topics relating to course content and the target language culture(s). Texts include two works of literature and a variety of non-fiction texts such as blogs, reviews, reports, essays, diaries and proposals.

Assessment:

The HL course is examined at the end of the 2-year linear course and consists of 75% External Assessment and 25% Internal Assessment.

External Assessment: Paper 1, Writing (1hr 30mins, 25%), Paper 2 (50%) Listening comprehension (1hr) and Reading comprehension (1hr).

Internal Assessment: Individual oral assessment (25%).

The pupils enjoy regular trips throughout the year connected to their syllabus, however the department also runs cultural appreciation trips to experience the arts outside of the curriculum. These trips are open to all and this year we have been to see the NT Live screening of ‘Good’, ‘Skylight’ and ‘Dear England’ at Cromer cinema, the RSC production of Julius Caesar as well as attending the Wells Literary Festival to hear Professor John Mullan speak on Dickens. Theatre trips to Norwich are common and pupils have recently enjoyed: The Woman in Black, Macbeth and will shortly see An Inspector Calls.

The Auden Society, our Sixth Form literary society, is pupil-led and very well attended, meeting every month. The society is open to all, whether studying English in the Sixth Form or not, and the breadth and variety of talks given by pupils is inspiring. In the last few years, as well as talks from staff and pupils on such subjects as Shakespeare in the time of plague, writing horror, film studies, the poetic muse and Anglo-Saxon literature, we have enjoyed the poetry and prose written by pupils as well as attending the Norfolk Cambridge Society Lectures.

The English department hosts a variety of competitions over the course of the academic year to showcase the literary talents of our pupil body, including the annual poetry recital competition.  Two particular highlights of our social calendar include our celebration of Auden’s birthday and the biannual Burns Night Supper