English Department

ENGLISH AT GREAT MARLOW SCHOOL

Great Marlow offers students the opportunity to extend and enhance their understanding of English. There is an emphasis on reading a wide range of genres, to that end the reading of fiction and non-fiction texts is encouraged. Novels, plays, poetry, biographies, autobiographies, newspapers and magazines are all explored. Students study Shakespeare and texts from our literary heritage in each key stage. Writing is encouraged in all its forms. Students are taught how to plan so that written assignments are effectively executed in a variety of styles. Speaking and listening is an important feature of the course, so the skills required are taught and practised in every key stage. We offer learning through a variety of practical methods and ICT. We have a purpose built English block with ICT facilities and laptops for use in the classroom when needed. The department boasts a wide range of texts for study. In addition, it has embraced the new technology of podcasts and mini-films. Our philosophy is that students will engage if they enjoy their learning. The aim of the English Department is to facilitate a lifetime love of exploring literature and language.

The learning support assistants are also an invaluable resource as they work closely with those who need extra help.

KEY STAGE 3

Year 7

In Year 7 students develop their reading and writing skills through a series of units uniquely developed to expand their knowledge and understanding of English language and literature.

Reading and writing assessments are embedded in each topic.

Reading List for Key Stage 3

AUTUMN TERM: COURAGE AND HEROISM. Themes of courage, heroism and power, as well as character analysis and interpretation are explored. Beowolf, William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and poetry by Colin McNaughton are the main focus of the term’s work.

SPRING TERM: GOOD AND EVIL. The significance of good and evil is explored through a variety of texts: religious stories; Shakespeare’s Hamlet; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and tales by The Brothers Grimm.

SUMMER TERM: LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP. Themes of love and friendship are explored through the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio, poetry by Simon and Armitage and Shakespeare’s As You Like It. There is a focus on characterisation. There is an introduction to comparing and contrasting texts.

Year 8 

Throughout Year 8, students explore culturally significant literature from the Victorian era and both World Wars, plus the dystopian genre. Through this, students will learn how to express their viewpoints and gain an understanding of how writers use language and structure to shape meaning.

In Year 8 students develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through a series of units.

There are reading, writing, speaking and listening assessments embedded into each topic.

AUTUMN TERM: KINDNESS AND REDEMPTION. Themes of kindness and redemption are explored through poetry by Simon Armitage and RW Service; William Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens; and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

SPRING TERM: CONFLICT AND WAR. The impact of conflict and war is explored through poetry by Rupert Brooke and Jessie Pope; The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne; as well as the works of William Shakespeare.

SUMMER TERM: INDIVIDUAL VS SOCIETY. The importance of the individual and society are explored through William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichiehe and Jesus Colon, as well as through contrasting character presentation.

Year 9 

Year 9 students are challenged to read, understand and write about texts close to the way that a GCSE student does. The units are designed to widen the horizons of the students. This year requires students to read widely and independently.

AUTUMN TERM: DISCRIMINATION AND TOLERANCE. The contrast between discrimination and tolerance are explored through William Shakespeare’s Othello, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and works by Charles Dickens.

SPRING TERM: POWER AND CORRUPTION. Themes of power and corruption are explored through Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, poetry by Robert Browning, The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, as well as poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Roger McGough.

SUMMER TERM: A CHRISTMAS CAROL and MACBETH. A combination of themes, including love, kindness, obsession, pride, redemption, forgiveness, war and peace are explored as the pupils reach the end of Key Stage 3. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens are studied in depth, with emphasis on a range of techniques that create great works of literature.

KEY STAGE 4

GCSE English Language and Literature

Key pieces of information:

• All students sit the same exams regardless of pathway (there are no tiers).

• GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature are graded 1-9,with 9 being the highest grade.
• There are no non-examination assessments in GCSE English Language or GCSE English Literature
• A speaking and listening assignment has to be undertaken, in order to gain a grade at GCSE

Reading List for Key Stage 4

English Language: AQA syllabus 8700

For the English Language examination students must be able to understand and interpret non-fiction texts. These skills will be tested on unseen material from the 19th, 20th and 21st century.

GCSE Language Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing

• Candidates read one literary extract and answer 4 questions on it.
• Candidates write a descriptive or narrative piece on a particular theme or picture

1 hour 45 min- 50% of English Language grade

GCSE Language Paper 2: Writer’s viewpoints and perspectives

• Candidates read two linked non-fiction texts and answer 4 questions.
• Candidates write a piece to express their viewpoint on a particular theme/ idea

1 hour 45min- 50% of English Language grade

English Literature: AQA syllabus 8702

For the English Literature examination students will be asked to analyse key themes and characters from a range of different texts. Examinations are all closed book, which means students will NOT be allowed the texts in examinations with them.

GCSE Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th Century novel

• Candidates answer one question on a key theme or character from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
• Candidates answer one question on a key theme or character from Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four

1hour 45 min- 40% of English Literature grade

GCSE Literature Paper 2: Modern text and poetry

• Candidates answer one question on a key theme or character from J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls
• Candidates answer one question comparing two poems from the Relationship poetry cluster.
• Candidates answer one question on an unseen poem
• Candidates answer one question comparing the theme of the unseen poem to a second unseen poem

2 hours 15 min- 60% of English Literature grade

Dates for diaries and helpful hints to help your child succeed:

• The English Language examination is scheduled for June.
• There are many unseen elements to both the language and literature examinations, it is therefore vital that students continue to read to build on their literary skills.
• GCSE Literature requires students to own personal copies of Romeo and Juliet, The Sign of Four and An Inspector Calls so that they can make their own notes on the texts and use them for revision.

KEY STAGE 5

English Literature A-level

In Year 12 and 13 students who opt to study English Literature A-level will follow AQA Specification A, (7712), which is a full two year A-level course,  therefore students opting for this subject are examined at the end of Year 13. The course demands that candidates read widely, critically and independently, across centuries, genre and gender. Central to the topics is an understanding of how readers’ responses are shaped by the context, by writers’ choices and by other readers’ interpretations. Candidates are challenged to form opinions after reading critical reviews. The criteria for enrolment on the course is a Grade 7 in English Language and English Literature. However, students who do not achieve the required grades may be allowed on the course after an interview with the Head of Department, who will make a decision based on evidence from subject teachers.

Reading List for Key Stage 5

Overview

The course demands that candidates read widely, critically and independently, across centuries and genre. Central to the topics is an understanding of how readers’ responses are shaped by the context, the writers’ choices and by other readers’ interpretations. Candidates are challenged to form opinions after reading critical reviews.

Theme of Unit 1- Love through the Ages For Paper 1, six core texts are studied, which include poetry, prose and drama: one must be written prior to 1900 and one Shakespeare play. The examinations also include unseen poetry and prose. As well as careers in journalism, advertising and teaching, the skills gained from English Literature can lead to students moving onto a wide range of other professions.

Students study three texts: one poetry, one prose text, (one of which must be written pre-1900), and one Shakespeare play. The examination will include two unseen poems.

SECTION A: Othello by William Shakespeare (25 marks)

Students in Year 12 will study the Shakespeare play Othello. The theme of love and how Shakespeare portrays it in this important play is studied in detail. An historicist approach is required, meaning there has to be an appreciation that the literature texts are a product of their time and context. This examination is closed book, this means that students cannot take a clean copy of the text into the examination hall. One essay on a passage based question.

SECTION B:Unseen poetry comparison (25 marks)

One essay comparing two unseen poems

SECTION C Atonement by Ian McEwan and AQA Love Poetry Through the Ages Pre-1900 (25 marks)

One essay comparing Atonement with at least two poems from the pre-1990 Anthology Collection.

The paper for this component is open book: students may take into the examination a clean copy of Atonement. The text must not be annotated and must not contain any additional notes or material. GMS provide this copy, students are expected to pay for a copy of the book for use in lessons and at home.

AQA Love Poetry Anthology (provided by AQA) The section studied is pre-1900.

Theme of Unit 2- Texts in Shared Contexts: Option B Modern Times

Section A: Feminine Gospels by Carol Ann Duffy (25 marks)

One essay based question.

Section Bi: Unseen prose. (25 marks)

One essay based question analysing an unseen extract.

Section Bii: Spies by Michael Frayn and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams 

One essay question comparing common themes in the two core texts.

In Year 12 students study the play ‘Cat On a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams, which is set in the southern states of America. The concepts of morality, rivalries, tensions, and avarice in a dysfunctional family are studied.

The prose text Spies, by Michael Frayn, is investigated. Set in war time Britain it has themes on the legacy of war; personal and social identity of gender and class; changing morality and social structures; resistance and rebellion. Students have to engage with the social, political, personal and literary issues that Frayn addresses in his novel.

Summary – Examination Unit 1 – Love through the Ages.

Shakespeare in Section A Compulsory essay on a passage-based question (25 marks) Unseen Poetry in Section B Compulsory essay on two unseen poems (25 marks) Comparison of Texts in Section C One essay question linking two texts (25 marks)

Assessment is a 3 hour written exam paper in June, after two years of study.

Only Section C is an open book component. Maximum marks for the examination paper is 75. This equates to 40% of the total A-level mark.

Summary – Examination Unit 2 – Texts in Shared Contexts: Option 2B, Modern Times Literature from 1945 to the Present Day

For this examination, students study three texts: one prose, one poetry, and one drama, of which one must be written post-2000. The examination will include an unseen extract.

The type of questions set are as follows: Section A: Set Texts- Contextual Linking One compulsory question on set text Feminine Gospels (25 marks)

Section B: Contextual Linking One compulsory question on an unseen extract according to a set theme set by AQA (25 marks) One essay question linking Feminine Gospels and Spies using the same theme as stated in the unseen extract (25 marks)

The duration of the examination is 2 hours 30 minutes. It is taken in June of the final year of study. The examination is open book.

Maximum marks for the examination paper is 75. This equates to 40% of the total A-level mark.

Year 12 students study for:

Paper 1- Love through the Ages – Shakespeare

Students in Year 12 will study the Shakespeare play Othello in detail. The theme of love and how Shakespeare portrays it in this important play is studied in detail. An historicist approach is required, meaning there has to be an appreciation that a literature text is a product of its time and context.

Paper 1 – Love through the Ages – Prose

Year 12 students will also study a prose text, either Wuthering Heights or Atonement.

The paper for this component is open book. Students may take a clean copy of their set text into the exam. The text must not be annotated and must not contain any additional notes or material. GMS provide this copy, students are expected to pay for a copy of the book for use in lessons and at home.

Paper 2 – Texts in Shared Contexts: Option B, Modern Times

In Year 12 students read and study the prose text, Spies by Michael Frayn. Set in war time Britain it has themes on the legacy of war; personal and social identity; changing morality; the social structures of gender and class; resistance and rebellion. Students have to engage with the social, political, personal and literary issues that Frayn addresses in his novel.

Paper 2 – Texts in Shared Contexts: Option B, Modern Times

Year 12s begin to read the second component of Paper 2, the poetry anthology by Carol Ann Duffy called Feminine Gospels.

Non-Exam Assessment

Independent Critical Study: Texts across Time

Candidates write a comparative critical study of two texts, at least one of which must have been written pre-1900.

One extended essay (2500 words) and a bibliography

Internally assessed – externally moderated. Worth 50 marks – 20% of A-level mark.

In the final term of Year 12, students begin work on their independent comparative critical study of 2,500 words. Texts chosen for study must maximise opportunities for writing about comparative similarity and difference and must allow access to a range of critical views and interpretations including over time. It is expected that students devise their own task.

Year 13 students

There is a focus on unseen poetry for Section B of Paper 1: Love Through the Ages Students must become confident and competent at reading and understanding poetry of all the important figures in the literary canon, so that the techniques poets use to convey love can be analysed in detail.

Unseen Comparison of Poetry for Section C of Paper 1, Love Through the Ages For this component candidates have to compare two unseen poems about love in the different literary ages. As above the unseen prose/drama extract is in paper two and the theme is used to then link Spies and Cat on a Hot tin Roof. Candidates will study a range of poems for the unseen element in Paper 1 and a range of prose and drama extracts to prepare for the unseen element in paper 2.

Texts in Shared Contexts Section B: Contextual Linking Students will read a wide range of extracts that portray aspects of identity. Themes include discrimination, race, class, gender, resistance, rebellion, culture and changing morals. Students have to engage with the social, political, economic and literary issues.

Non-Exam Assessment – Independent Critical Study: Texts across Time In the autumn term of Year 13, students write their comparative critical study of two texts, at least one of which must have been written pre-1900.

• worth 20% of the course
• approximately 2,500 words
• worth 50 marks

Revision

An overview of the two year course will be made. Further links will be forged in Love Through the Ages and identity in modern times. Answering essay questions will be the main focus, especially addressing the question set.