English
In your exam you will be tested on:
- Reading and understanding a fiction text, often set in another culture
- Imagining yourself into that text, and then using your own words writing a letter, speech, interview, report or diary entry
- Analysing words and phrases from the text and using SPEED to explore and develop the meaning
- Summarising a second text into bullet points, then creating a summary, in your own words
You will have to answer…
Reading IGCSE paper:2 hours, 2 texts, 3 questions 40% of total IGCSE English Language mark
Assessment Objectives / QuestionR1 Understand and collate explicit meanings / Q1, Q3
R2 Understand, explain and collate implicit meanings and attitudes / Q1, Q3
R3 Select, analyse and evaluate what is relevant to specific purposes / Q1, Q3
R4 Understand how writers achieve effects / Q2
There is also a Speaking and Listening Exam which we will prepare students for and complete in April; this accounts for 20% of the final grade.
The most important things you can do to revise in English are:
Read, read and read.
All students will be provided with a booklet of revision activities to work on independently over the Easter holidays; revision tasks should take about 40 mins
The activities below are something that parents can help with at home from now onwards
1 / Read and summarise a news report about a recent event in 50 -70 words2 / Read and summarise a sports report in 50 -70 words
3 / Read and summarise the review of a film in 50-70 words
4 / Read a holiday guide and identify how it would appeal to its target audience
5 / Write a report of how the family spent the weekend, edit it
6 / Write a report of a recent sporting activity, edit it
7 / Focus on a task for one hour, without interruptions from technology
8 / Focus on a task for one hour, without interruptions from technology
9 / Focus on a task for one hour, without interruptions from technology
10 / Read a chapter of a novel and explain it to a family member
11 / Read an advertisement in a magazine and explain to a family member how it persuades you
12 / Read an advertisement in a magazine and explain to a family member how it persuades you
13 / Write a report of how the family spent the weekend, edit it
14 / Write a report of a recent sporting activity, edit it
15 / Read and summarise the review of a film in 50-70 words, edit it
16 / Read and summarise a news report about a recent event in 50 -70 words
17 / Write a letter to Mr Dennett telling him what you have enjoyed at Fitzharrys
Editing is something the whole family can help with: check for commas, full stops, semi colons and capital letters. Make sure no ‘little’ words are missing and that students stay in the same tense.
English Literature
In your exams you will be tested on:
- Analysing the linguistic, poetic and dramatic features that the writers have used
- Selecting appropriate quotations and demonstrating how language and language choices create meaning using SPEED
- Understanding how character and drama are created
- Reflecting on how the context of the time of the writing affects the meaning and our understanding today
Students will have to answer:
Unit 1 Exploring Modern Texts Exam I hour 30 mins
‘Of Mice and Men’
‘An Inspector Calls’ or ‘The Woman in Black’ 40% of the total grade
Unit 2 Poetry across Time Exam 1 hour 15 mins
Poetry from the Anthology – our theme is ‘Conflict’
Unseen poetry 35% of the total grade
Unit 3 Shakespeare
Controlled assessment 25% of the final grade
It is advisable for you to purchase a copy of ‘Of Mice and Men’ and either ‘An Inspector Calls’ or ‘The Woman in Black’ for revision purposes. Students must re read each text independently.
All students will be provided with a detailed revision guide with plenty of activities for all topics in English Literature for the Easter break. Please use the BBC Bitesize web site.