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GCSE Overview
The qualification is made up of two externally-assessed components: Component 1 and Component 2. Both components allow learners to show their depth and breadth of knowledge through varied assessments.
This specification has been designed on the basis that learners’ reading should be of whole texts.
Learners are required to study the following content:
- at least one play by Shakespeare
- at least one 19th century novel
- a selection of poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic
- fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards
How the unit is assessed:
- 2 hours exam
- 40% of qualification
Pupils will be given one question that is divided into parts a) and b)
- Part a) focuses solely on a printed extract and what it demonstrates about character/ theme. It is worth 15 marks.
- Part b) focuses on the play as a whole. It is worth 25 marks- 5 of which are allocated to SPaG.
Skills Development
Reading Comprehension and Reading Critically
- literal and inferential comprehension: understanding a word, phrase or sentence in context; exploring aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings; distinguishing between what is stated explicitly and what is implied; explaining motivation, sequence of events, and the relationship between actions or events
- critical…
