KS4 English

In English at RGS, we will broaden our horizons by meeting new people and new cultures through texts from a range of times and places. We will understand and appreciate the value of our literary heritage, using this knowledge to make sense of the present day. We will read widely including a range of fiction and non- fiction texts and will be curious about language and vocabulary. We will use language effectively ourselves, becoming highly articulate individuals, with the vocabulary and rhetoric to be able to express our own voices and independently formed opinions, as well as challenge others where necessary. Above all we will develop empathy which will allow us to become open minded individuals who embrace and enjoy the wider world around us.

We believe stories are fundamental to our understanding of the world, and therefore our curriculum is structured using the three core strands of Voices, Literary Heritage and Empathy. Having visited Stories Through Time in Y7, Stories Across Place in Y8 and Stories of People in Y9, KS4 moves on to include Stories Which Stand the Test of Time.

As Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie said, “Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity….When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”

Exam board:

AQA English Language GCSE

AQA English Literature GCSE

How is this examined?

English Language:

Paper One (1 hour and 45 minutes): Fiction, One twentieth or twenty-first century prose extract, 4 reading questions and 1 writing question. (Descriptive and narrative writing - choice of two questions).
Paper Two (1 hour and 45 minutes): Non-fiction. One nineteenth-century non-fiction text and one twentieth or twenty-first century text. (Speech, letter, essay, article or leaflet). 4 reading questions and 1 writing question (non-fiction one of the aforementioned forms - no choice of question.)
English Literature:
- Paper One (1 hour 30 minutes): Shakespeare and 19th century novel.2 extract-based essays, no choice of question and closed book.
- Paper Two (2 hours and 15 minutes): Modern text (novel or play) choice of two questions, Poetry (Power and Conflict/Love and Relationships) anthology and Unseen Poetry. Closed book.

Our Curriculum:

At Redland Green we have a team of passionate and exceptional English teachers. Each of the team brings their own interest and experience to the role. While the core elements remain the same between each class (for example a modern novel, a 19th century and a poetry anthology), the actual texts chosen are chosen by the class teacher to allow them to bring their own passion and experience to their class. This has been shown through the last few years to deliver excellent outcomes for our students.

Year 10

Year 11

Term 1 & 2: Empathy

Literature: Modern Text (either Blood Brothers/Lord of the Flies/My Name Is Leon/History Boys/An Inspector Calls.)
Literature: 5 anthology poems (either Love and Relationships, Worlds and Lives or Power and Conflict.)
Language: Awareness of 2/3 non fiction forms
Language: Paper 1 reading questions 1, 2 and 3.

Term 3: Rhetoric and Voices

Language: Paper 2 Language
Language: Speaking and Listening

Term 4: Literary Heritage

Literature: 19C Century Novel (either Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein).
Literature: 5 anthology poems (either Love and Relationships, Worlds and Lives or Power and Conflict.)
Language: Awareness of 2/3 non fiction forms
Language: Paper 1 Language Q4

Term 5: Literary Heritage

Literature: Complete 19C Novel
Literature: 5 anthology poems (either Love and Relationships, Worlds and Lives or Power and Conflict.)

Term 6: Empathy

Language: Creative writing
Literature: Unseen poetry

Term 1: Literary Heritage

Literature: Shakespeare: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet or Much Ado About Nothing

Term 2: Literary Heritage

Literature: :Shakespeare and 19th century revision
Language: Paper 1 revision

Term 3 &4: Revision

Literature: Modern text, Poetry Anthology, Unseen poetry revision
Language: Paper 2 revision

Term 5 & 6

Revision

Wider Reading Recommendation Lists

y10 book list document a4 .pdf

a level aspiration reading list.pdf

Why is the course sequenced this way?

In Year 10, we focus on introducing students to both English Literature and English Language and intentionally cover the majority of the Literature course content. We interleave our two subjects so students are able to make progress in both Language and Literature, and also are able to identify that the skills for analysing fiction and non fiction texts for English Language (Papers 1 and 2) are inherently practised in the skills developed when approaching our Literature texts.

Having progressed through Year 10, students will apply their skills to the Shakespeare text, as well as having a more explicit focus on exam skills. Students will consolidate their knowledge and practise the application of the knowledge and skills from Year 10, improving their own learning by revisiting the targets set to allow them to demonstrate their understanding, analysis and evaluation of their Literature texts and Language skills.

Key Stage 4 - Cross Curricular Reading

One of the best ways to get high marks in your GCSE subjects is to ‘conceptualise’ your essay responses to exam questions.

This essentially means having ‘a take’ or thesis in your essay i.e. you use your essay to say something interesting or relevant in response to that essay title.

One of the best ways to do this is to make cross-curricular links across your GCSE learning.

To help you do this below are some links to online non fiction reading that will help you make connections between your different GCSE subjects.