English Language
The course offers pupils the opportunity to focus primarily on the functional aspects of language, with an integrated approach to oracy, reading and writing.
This a linear qualification with un-tiered assessments.
How is it assessed?
Unit 1 Non-examination assessment – Oracy – 20%
Task 1 (10%) Individual Researched Presentation (40 marks)
One individual, researched presentation, which may include responses to questions and feedback, based on WJEC set themes.
Task 2 (10%) – Responding and Interacting (40 marks)
One group discussion to written and/or visual stimuli provided by WJEC to initiate the discussion.
For both tasks, half of the available credit will be awarded for the choice of appropriate register, grammatical accuracy and range of sentence structures with the remainder for content and organisation.
Unit 3 External Assessment - 40% - (2 hours)
Reading and Writing: Argumentation, Persuasion and Instructional*
Section A (20%) – Reading (40 marks)
Understanding of at least one argumentation, one persuasion and one instructional text including continuous and non-continuous texts, assessed through a range of structured questions.
*Instructional will be a required type of Reading but will not be required as a Writing task.
Section B (20%) – Writing (40 marks)
One compulsory argumentation writing task and one compulsory persuasion writing task.
Half the marks for this section will be awarded for communication and organisation (meaning purpose, readers and structure) and the other half for writing accurately (language, grammar, punctuation and spelling).
English Literature
In addition to the above qualification, pupils will also gain a GCSE in English Literature. The course helps pupils to develop their personal response and to critically understand a range of texts in the genres of prose, poetry, and drama. There are two tiers of entry for this qualification – Higher, A*-D, and Foundation, C-G.
How is it assessed?
Unit 1 External assessment ‐ 35% ‐ 2 hours
Section A: 21% Individual Texts in context
Different cultures prose: Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck)
Section B: 14% Comparative Study
Contemporary: unseen poetry comparison, the preparation for which will include the study of contemporary poems
Unit 2a External assessment - 40% - 2 hours
Literary heritage drama and contemporary prose.
English/Welsh/Irish Literary heritage drama: An Inspector Calls (Priestley)
Contemporary Prose: Heroes (Cormier)
Unit 3 Non-examination assessment - 25%
Shakespeare and Welsh Writing in English
Section A: Shakespeare (12.5%)
A play by Shakespeare chosen by the centre (but not Othello or Much Ado About Nothing). WJEC will set a generic task on a specific theme which centres may use or modify.
Section B: Welsh Writing in English (12.5%)
Stipulated poetry from the Library of Wales anthology Poetry 1900-2000: One Hundred Poets from Wales. Candidates study fifteen specified poems listed for the chosen theme. WJEC will set generic tasks on the theme.