English
Welcome to English at Harton Academy
English is a rich and varied subject. We are passionate about helping all of our students to become confident and powerful readers, writers and speakers. With this in mind, we aim to create engaging and challenging lessons for students of all ages and abilities.
Across the key stages, there is much that can be done at home to support your child’s English skills. The single most effective way to help your child to succeed is to encourage them to read at home. From Year 9 onwards, students should read as widely as possible: both fiction and non-fiction. For suggestions on what to read, see the links below:
- www.schoolreadinglist.co.uk/category/secondary-ks3-ks4-reading-lists/
- www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/60-great-books-for-reluctant-readers-at-ks3
- Key Stage 3 Reading List
- Key Stage 4 Reading List
- Key Stage 4 Cross-curricular Reading List
We hope that your son or daughter’s study of English at Harton is engaging, rewarding and challenging.
Key Stage 3 English
Independent reading and reading for pleasure is consistently encouraged.
Class readers are filtered throughout the year.
Spoken English (taking the form of speaking and listening activities) is integrated throughout the year as well as taught explicitly.
Year 7
Theme: Identity & Family
- Transition Unit: Autobiography
- Archetypal Characters
- Prose+ Unit: The Garbage King
- 2nd Prose Novel (teacher’s choice linked to theme)
- Archetypal Plots
- Poetry+ Unit: Poems from Different Cultures
- Travel Writing
- Drama+ Unit: Shakespeare
Year 8
Theme: Heroes & Villains
- Transition Unit: Heroes and Villains
- Prose+ Unit: The Ruby in the Smoke
- 2nd Prose Novel (teacher’s choice linked to theme)
- Language Lab: The Power of Voice
- Language Lab: Newsdesk
- Unseen Poetry
- Non-Fiction EMC Sporting Shorts
- Narrative Writing
- Drama+ Unit: Shakespeare
Year 9
Theme: Social Conscience
- Transition Unit: Shakespearean Tragedy
- Prose+ Unit: Of Mice and Men
- 2nd Prose Novel (teacher’s choice linked to theme)
- Post-16 Taster Lessons
- Language Lab: Pride and Prejudice
- Poetry: WW1 Poetry
- Diverse Shorts Unit: Justice, Change and Action
- Non-fiction: Happy News
- Contemporary Drama+ Unit, including author study: Willy Russell
Key Stage 4 English
At Key Stage 4, our students study for two separate GCSEs:
- GCSE English Language: WJEC Eduqas
- GCSE English Literature: Edexcel
The table below shows a breakdown of the two courses and the exams that students will sit. All students sit their final exams at the end of Year 11, although we carry out practice papers and mini-assessments across the two year course.
| English Language: WJEC/Eduqas | English Literature: Edexcel |
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Component 1 : 20th Century Literature Reading Study and Creative Prose Writing 40% of GCSE – Exam 1 hour 45 minutes Section A (20%) – Reading Understanding of one unseen prose extract (about 60-100 lines) of literature from the 20th century. You will answer a range of structured questions. Section B (20%) – Prose Writing One creative writing task selected from a choice of four titles. |
Component 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature 50% of GCSE – Exam 1 hour 45 minutes Section A: Shakespeare (Students will study either ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘Macbeth’) Two part question: Part 1: You will be asked to read a short extract (approx. 30 lines) and write a close language analysis of the extract. Part 2: You will be asked to explore how a theme from the extract is explored elsewhere in the play. You need to focus on maintaining a critical style and the show understanding of the relationship between the text and the context in which it was written. Section B: Post-1914 British Play or novel (All students will study ‘An Inspector Calls’) Answer one question from a choice of two. A quotation will form the stimulus for the questions (plot, setting, character and theme – one or more) SPG |
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Component 2: 19th and 21st Century Non-Fiction Reading Study and Transactional/Persuasive Writing 60% of GCSE – 2 hour exam Section A (30%) – Reading Understanding of two extracts (about 900-1200 words in total) of high-quality unseen non-fiction writing, one from the 19th century, the other from the 21st century. You will answer a range of structured questions Section B (30%) – Writing Two compulsory transactional, persuasive and/or discursive writing tasks |
Component 2: 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789 50% of GCSE – Exam 2 hours 15 minutes Section A – 19th-century Novel (Students will study either ‘A Christmas Carol’ or ‘Jekyll and Hyde’) Two part question Part 1: A close language study of an extract (approx. 400 words) Part 2: An essay question on different aspects of the text, exploring one or more areas of plot, setting, character or theme Section B – Poetry since 1789 Part 1: Poetry Anthology: Comparison (language, form, structure and context) of a named poem and a poem of your choice Part 2: Comparison (language, form and structure) of two unseen contemporary poems linked by theme. |
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Component 3: Spoken Language One presentation/speech, including responses to questions and feedback |
How to support your child to succeed at GCSE English
There are many ways in which to support your child with their English studies:
- Encourage regular reading at home – we recommend reading for 20 minutes every day. Many studies show that regular reading at home improves students’ potential across all subjects, not just English. There are links to recommended reading at the top of this page.
- Ensure your son/daughter completes all homework set, including independent work on revision guides:
- WJEC Eduqas Paper 1 Revision Booklet
- WJEC Eduqas Paper 2 Revision Booklet
- Re-read set literature texts with your son/daughter.
- Use free online revision resources, such as:
- www.gcsepod.com
- https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/examspecs/zpxh82p
- https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/examspecs/z2whg82
- Explore Mr Bruff’s free revision podcasts on YouTube.com
- Consider purchasing CGP Revision Guides – these are on sale at a discounted price through the school at key points across the course. Alternatively, they can be bought online.