The English GCSE at King's Explained
In a nutshell
At King's, we sit the Edexcel GCSE English Language and Literature papers.
You will sit four papers - two for English Language and two for English Literature:
At King's, we sit the Edexcel GCSE English Language and Literature papers.
You will sit four papers - two for English Language and two for English Literature:
Time management is a very big part of surviving these exams. You will need to think about how you approach the questions.
Some absolute non-negotiables:
1. Allow yourself time at the start to read the text(s) thoroughly.
2. ANNOTATE your texts thoroughly after you have read them once. This means identifying language and structure techniques, incidents, events, themes and, in literature, form. It's a good idea to use a highlighter.
3. Make notes around the text. This will help you to plan your response.
4. Allow yourself time at the end of the test to proof-read your work. TRAIN YOURSELF NOT TO GO OVER TIME!
Suggested timings:
Language Paper 1 -
- Reading: 1 hour (10 minutes' reading/annotation time; 45 minutes' writing time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
- Writing: 45 minutes (5 minutes' planning time; 35 minutes' writing time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
Language Paper 2 -
- Reading: 1hr 15 minutes (15 minutes' reading/annotation time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
- Writing: 45 minutes (as above)
Literature Paper 1
- Shakespeare: 60 minutes (10 minutes' planning time; 20 minutes - per essay)
- LotF: 45 minutes (5 minutes' planning time; 40 minutes for essay)
- Allow 5 minutes' proofing time
Literature Paper 2
- Jekyll and Hyde: 1 hour (10 minutes' planning time; 20 minutes per essay; 5 mins' proofing)
- Poetry: 1hr 15 (10 minutes' planning time; 30 minutes per essay; 5 minutes' proofing time)
Other things to remember:
- Literature paper 1, question 2 is also marked for SPaG (8 marks)
- In English Language, your creative writing is 40% of each paper's total - of that mark, 40% is SPaG. SO REVISE SPAG!
Approaching the Literature Exam
My Carey has made a really concise break-down of the English Literature GCSE, including what to expect to be asked about for each question. I think you'll find it really useful. Big thanks go to Mr Carey for taking the time to put this together - it's an absolute essential for your revision pot.
Some absolute non-negotiables:
1. Allow yourself time at the start to read the text(s) thoroughly.
2. ANNOTATE your texts thoroughly after you have read them once. This means identifying language and structure techniques, incidents, events, themes and, in literature, form. It's a good idea to use a highlighter.
3. Make notes around the text. This will help you to plan your response.
4. Allow yourself time at the end of the test to proof-read your work. TRAIN YOURSELF NOT TO GO OVER TIME!
Suggested timings:
Language Paper 1 -
- Reading: 1 hour (10 minutes' reading/annotation time; 45 minutes' writing time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
- Writing: 45 minutes (5 minutes' planning time; 35 minutes' writing time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
Language Paper 2 -
- Reading: 1hr 15 minutes (15 minutes' reading/annotation time; 5 minutes' proofing time)
- Writing: 45 minutes (as above)
Literature Paper 1
- Shakespeare: 60 minutes (10 minutes' planning time; 20 minutes - per essay)
- LotF: 45 minutes (5 minutes' planning time; 40 minutes for essay)
- Allow 5 minutes' proofing time
Literature Paper 2
- Jekyll and Hyde: 1 hour (10 minutes' planning time; 20 minutes per essay; 5 mins' proofing)
- Poetry: 1hr 15 (10 minutes' planning time; 30 minutes per essay; 5 minutes' proofing time)
Other things to remember:
- Literature paper 1, question 2 is also marked for SPaG (8 marks)
- In English Language, your creative writing is 40% of each paper's total - of that mark, 40% is SPaG. SO REVISE SPAG!
Approaching the Literature Exam
My Carey has made a really concise break-down of the English Literature GCSE, including what to expect to be asked about for each question. I think you'll find it really useful. Big thanks go to Mr Carey for taking the time to put this together - it's an absolute essential for your revision pot.