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GCSE from 2010
English

Overview

Unit 1: English Today - 20% of the overall award  

Controlled assessment: available in January and June

• Selection of pre-released non-fiction texts to be read on screen or on paper
• Choice of two themes, both meaningful to students
• Assessment based on two texts from the selection provided
• Two tasks:

– reading to analyse key points such as the writer’s choice of presentation, image and language
– writing for an identified purpose and audience

• Common assessment with GCSE English Language unit 1.
 


Unit 2: The Writer's Craft - 40% of the overall award  

Examination: 1 hour and 45 minutes, available in January and June

• Foundation and Higher tier
• Three questions:

– one reading response to a Different Cultures prose text
– one reading response to a Shakespeare text (based on a section of the text identified prior to the examination)
– one writing task for a specified audience expressing opinions and analysing ideas on a topic relevant to students’ experience.
• Literature questions: three-part structured questions

• Similar writing task as set for assessment in GCSE English Language unit 2.


Unit 3: Creative Responses - 40% of the overall award  

Controlled assessment: available in January and June

• Three Speaking and Listening tasks
• One reading response to poetry: either written, oral or multimodal
• One writing task: a personal and imaginative written response based on a stimulus provided by Edexcel.