GCSE English 8700 | Assessment Resources | AQA
GCSE English Language exam papers and examiner reports. For English Language students don’t need to know as much as the emphasis is on reading and writing and skills. This can lead them to (incorrectly) thinking they don’t need to revise. Students will mainly revise by completing practise papers. Encourage students to bring their papers in for teacher feedback and to use the markschemes to self-assess.
Latest news, sport and opinion from the Guardian
In Paper 2 GCSE English Language students write a non-fiction opinion piece and so regularly reading this style of text and being exposed to wider news is really beneficial. Please do talk with your young person about things that are happening in the world, asking their opinion and sharing yours.
GCSE English 8702 | Assessment Resources | AQA
GCSE English Literature exam papers and examiner reports. In Literature there is a lot of content but students need to be able to use this content and must complete practise papers. The mark schemes here are harder for students to apply so do encourage them to share completed work with teachers to receive specific feedback.
Literature Set Texts
- ‘Romeo & Juliet’ by William Shakespeare
- ‘Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
- ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley
- Power & Conflict Poetry
All students should have their own copy of each of these texts that they annotate in class and use at home for revision. Encourage students to re-read texts.
Mr Bruff - YouTube
This Youtube channel has been put together by an English teacher who knows the AQA syllabus well and gives good advice on both Language and Literature. Please ask students to be wary of the advice they find online as some of it is very poor. AQA have warned about this in this year’s exam report.
Mr Bruff offers videos giving exam technique guidance on English Language exam technique as well as lots of information on all the GCSE English Literature set texts.
Read Modern Romeo And Juliet Translation, Scene By Scene
A modern retelling of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ by William Shakespeare
SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides
An online free study guide with detailed analysis of the key themes and characters in all Literature set texts. For Literature it is important that students revise the following areas in preparation for their exams:
- Plot – Know the story in detail. Learn key quotations off by heart as exams are closed book.
- Character & Theme – Be able to write about the main characters and themes in detail. Exam questions tend to focus on these two main areas.
- Context – Learn about the historical, political, and personal factors that influenced the author of each text.
