GCSE 2012 specifications

AQA English Literature

Route A = Unit 1 + Unit 2 + Unit 3 Route B = Unit 1 + Unit 4 + Unit 5 Unit 1: Exploring modern texts

Section A: Modern prose or drama. Students answer one question from a choice of two on each set text.

Exam 1 hr 30 mins

Section B: Exploring cultures. Students answer one, two-part question on the set text they have studied. Part a will ask candidates to respond to a passage from the text. Part b will ask candidates to link this passage to the whole text.

(40%)

Either Units 2 and 3 Unit 3: The significance of Shakespeare and the English Literary Heritage

Unit 2: Poetry across time Exam 1 hr 15 mins (35%) Section A: Poetry cluster from the Anthology Students answer one question, from a choice of two, on the poetry cluster they have studied. The question will ask candidates to compare a named poem with another poem, chosen by the candidate, from the cluster.

Controlled Assessment (25%) Students complete one Controlled Assessment task which asks them to make links between a play from Shakespeare and any other text, of any genre, from the English (or Welsh or Irish) Literary Heritage

Section B: Responding to an unseen poem Students are given one compulsory unseen poem. There will be a different poem on each tier. Or Units 4 and 5 Unit 4: Approaching Shakespeare and the English Literary Heritage Exam 1 hr 30 mins (35%)

Unit 5: Exploring poetry Controlled Assessment (25%)

Students complete one Controlled Assessment task which asks them to make links between a range of poems which must cover contemporary poetry and poetry from the English (or Welsh or Irish) Literary Heritage. Poems from the AQA Anthology Section B: Prose from the English Literary Moon on the Tides may be used for this Heritage unit. Students answer one essay question from a choice of two on the set text they have studied Section A: Shakespeare Students answer one question from a choice of two on the Shakespeare set text they have studied. The question will be in two parts.

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GCSE 2012 specifications

AQA English Literature

Set texts

Unit 1: Exploring modern texts

Section B: Exploring cultures

Section A:

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Short Stories from the AQA Anthology

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Sunlight on the Grass:

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi

‘My Polish Teacher’s Tie’- Helen Dunmore

Adichie

‘When the Wasps Drowned’- Claire Wigfall

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

‘Compass and Torch’ - Elizabeth Baines

Rabbit-proof Fence by Doris Pilkington

‘On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl’- Haruki Murakami ‘The Darkness Out There’- Penelope Lively

Unit 4: Approaching Shakespeare and the

‘Anil’ - Ridjal Noor

English Literary Heritage

‘Something Old, Something New’ - Leila Aboulela

Section A: Shakespeare

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Macbeth

Martyn Pig - Kevin Brooks

Romeo and Juliet

Touching the Void - Joe Simpson

Much Ado About Nothing

The Woman in Black - Susan Hill

Twelfth Night

Under Milk Wood - Dylan Thomas

Julius Caesar

The Crucible Arthur - Miller Kindertransport - Diane Samuels

Section B: Prose from the English

An Inspector Calls - J.B. Priestley

Literary Heritage

Deoxyribonucleic Acid - Dennis Kelly

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë Great Expectations - Charles Dickens The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales - Thomas Hardy Animal Farm - George Orwell

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: Understanding Prose Exam 1hr 45mins 50% Open book exam Unit 2: Understanding Poetry Exam 1hr 45mins 25% Unit 3: Shakespeare and Contemporary Drama Controlled assessment 25%

Edexcel English Literature

There are two sections to the exam. Students answer one question on each of the set texts they have studied. Students will study one text from Literary Heritage and one from Different Cultures and Traditions. There are two sections to the exam. Students answer one question on an unseen poem in Section A and one question on their poetry collection studied in Section B.

Students study two drama texts on page, and stage or screen. Must include one Shakespeare text and one contemporary text. Students complete one task for each text.

Set texts Literary Heritage      

Animal Farm – George Orwell Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson Felicia’s Journey – William Trevor Great Expectations – Charles Dickens Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Different cultures and traditions       

Anita and Me – Meera Syal Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress – Dai Sijie Heroes – Robert Cormier Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck Rani and Sukh – Bali Rai Riding the Black Cockatoo – John Danalis To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Edexcel English Literature

Anthology selection (these are poems which can be used to practise unseen response in exam conditions)               

Sonnet 116 – William Shakespeare Nettles – Vernon Scannell 04/01/07 – Ian McMillan Exposure – Wilfred Owen Your Dad Did What? – Sophie Hannah The Class Game – Mary Casey The Drum – John Scott City Jungle – Pie Corbett Our Town with the Whole of India! – Daljit Nagra London – William Blake The Stone Hare – Gillian Clarke I Shall Paint My Nails Red – Carole Satyamurti The Penelopes of my homeland – Choman Hardi Do not go gentle into that good night – Dylan Thomas Remember – Christina Rossetti

Anthology collections    

Collection A: Relationships Collection B: Clashes and Collisions Collection C: Somewhere, Anywhere Collection D: Taking a Stand.

Suitable examples of contemporary dramas include:       

Whose Life is it Anyway? - Brian Clark A View from the Bridge - Arthur Miller Blue Remembered Hills - Dennis Potter An Inspector Calls – J.B.Priestley Educating Rita - Willy Russell Pygmalion – G.B.Shaw Journey’s End – R.C.Sherriff

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: Prose (different cultures) and poetry (contemporary) Exam 2hrs 35% Closed book exam

Unit 2a: Literary heritage drama and contemporary prose Exam 2hrs

WJEC English Literature

Section A: Individual texts in context Section A requires study of a prose text from a different culture. It will require students to answer two questions on the chosen prose text. Section B: Comparative study Section B will consist of a question offering some structure for students to explore, respond to, and compare two contemporary unseen poems. This paper requires study of a drama text from the English/Irish/Welsh literary heritage and a contemporary prose text. It will require candidates to answer two questions on each text.

20% or Unit 2b: Contemporary drama and literary heritage prose Exam 2hrs

This paper requires study of a contemporary drama text and a prose text from the English/Irish/Welsh literary heritage. It will require students to answer two questions on each text.

20% Closed book exam Unit 3: Poetry and drama (literary heritage) Controlled assessment

Assessment will be based on a single assignment linking a play by Shakespeare (not Othello or Much Ado About Nothing) and literary heritage poetry.

25%

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GCSE 2012 specifications

WJEC English Literature

Set texts Unit 1 Section A Different Cultures prose Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck Anita and Me - Meera Syall To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou Chanda’s Secrets – Allan Stratton Unit 2a English/Irish/Welsh Literary Heritage drama Othello – William Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare An Inspector Calls - J.B.Priestley Hobson’s Choice - Harold Brighouse A Taste of Honey - Shelagh Delaney Contemporary prose Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle Heroes - Robert Cormier Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro About a Boy - Nick Hornby Resistance - Owen Sheers Unit 2b Contemporary Drama: The History Boys - Alan Bennett Blood Brothers - Willy Russell (not Stanley Thorne edition) A View from the Bridge - Arthur Miller Be My Baby - Amanda Whittington My Mother Said I Never Should - Charlotte Keatley English/Iris/Welsh Literary Heritage prose Silas Marner - George Eliot Pride and Prejudice –Jane Austen A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens Lord of the Flies - William Golding Ash on a Young Man’s Sleeve - Dannie Abse

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit A661: Literary Heritage Linked texts Controlled assessment 25%

Unit A662: Modern Drama Exam (45 mins)

OCR English Literature

Shakespeare and film/audio/live performance. Candidates respond to one task on one of the set plays and a film, audio version or live performance of the same play Poetry Candidates respond to one task on one of the set poets. They will have a choice of two tasks which require comparison between two of the poems set for study. Candidates respond to one question on one of the set plays.

25% Unit A663: Prose from different cultures Exam (45mins)

Candidates respond to one question on one of the set texts.

25% Unit A664: Literary heritage Prose and Contemporary Poetry Exam (1hr 30mins) 25%

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Literary Heritage Prose Candidates respond to one question on one of the set texts. Contemporary Poetry Either Candidates respond to one question on one poem by their chosen poet. Or Candidates respond to one question on a previously unseen poem.

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GCSE 2012 specifications

OCR English Literature

Set texts Unit A661: Literary Heritage linked texts Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare Macbeth – William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice – William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare Literary Heritage Poetry: OCR poetry anthology Robert Browning Geoffrey Chaucer Thomas Hardy Wilfred Owen Christina Rossetti Shakespeare’s Sonnets Unit A662: Modern Drama The History Boys - Alan Bennett Hobson’s Choice - Harold Brighouse A View from the Bridge - Arthur Miller An Inspector Calls by – J.B.Priestley Educating Rita - Willy Russell Journey’s End - R.C. Sherriff Unit A663: Prose from Different Cultures Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Anita and Me - Meera Syal The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle Tsotsi - Athol Fugard Unit A664 : Literary Heritage Prose Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Silas Marner - George Eliot Lord of the Flies - William Golding The Withered Arm and Other Wessex Tales - Thomas Hardy Animal Farm - George Orwell The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - R.L.Stevenson Contemporary Poetry: OCR Poetry Anthology Simon Armitage Gillian Clarke Carol-Ann Duffy Seamus Heaney Benjamin Zephaniah Wendy Cope

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: Understanding and producing nonfiction texts Exam 2hrs 15 mins 40%

Unit 2: Speaking and Listening Controlled assessment 20% Unit 3: Understanding spoken and written texts and writing creatively Controlled assessment 40%

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AQA English Language

Section A: Reading At Tier H students answer four compulsory questions based on three reading sources. At Tier F students answer five compulsory questions, based on three shorter reading sources. Section B: Writing At both Tiers students do two compulsory writing tasks Students must be assessed on three equally weighted activities: • presenting; • discussing and listening; • role playing. Part a: Extended reading Students choose one task from the bank of published titles. They must consider one extended text which may be a text that they are also using for GCSE English Literature. Part b: Creative writing Students choose two tasks from the bank of published titles Part c: Spoken Language Study Students choose one task from the bank of published titles

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: English Today Controlled assessment 20% Unit 2: The Writer’s Voice Exam 1hr 45mins

Edexcel English Language

Students complete one reading and one writing task based on a choice of two themes set by Edexcel. There will be six texts provided by Edexcel on each theme. Students answer one question on the text they have studied in Section A and one writing question from a choice of two in Section B.

40% Unit 3: Spoken Language Controlled assessment

Students complete three speaking and listening tasks, one spoken language study task and one writing spoken language task.

40% Set Texts Unit 2: The Writer’s Voice Non-fiction Touching the Void - Joe Simpson Different Cultures and Traditions Anita and Me – Meera Syal Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress – Dai Sijie Heroes – Robert Cormier Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck Rani and Sukh – Bali Rai Riding the Black Cockatoo – John Danalis To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: Studying written language Exam 1hr 20%

Unit 2: Using written language Exam

WJEC English Language

This unit will test through structured questions the reading of two non-fiction texts. Non-fiction texts may include: factsheets, leaflets, articles and digital and multi-modal texts of various kinds from newspapers and magazines, brochures and the internet. This unit will test transactional and discursive writing through two equally weighted tasks.

1hr 20% Unit 3: Literary reading and creative writing Controlled assessment 30%

Unit 4: Spoken language Controlled assessment 30%

Studying written language: Students need to present one assignment which is a sustained response to an extended text. The text must either be a Shakespeare play or one chosen from the GCSE English Literature external assessment set text lists excluding poetry. Using language: Students will be required to complete one piece of descriptive writing and one piece of narrative/expressive writing drawn from tasks supplied by WJEC. Using Language: Candidates will be required to complete at least three Speaking and Listening tasks. The three tasks will cover the following areas:  Communicating and adapting language  Interacting and responding  Creating and sustaining roles Studying spoken language: Candidates will be required to study an aspect of spoken language.

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit A651: Extended literary text and imaginative writing Controlled assessment

OCR English Language

Section A: Extended literary text Response to one text (prose, drama, poetry or literary non-fiction)

30%

Section B: Imaginative writing Two linked continuous writing responses from a choice of Personal and Imaginative Writing and Prose Fiction

Unit A652:

Section A: Speaking and listening

Speaking, listening and spoken language

Three activities:  a drama-focussed activity  a group activity  an individual extended contribution.

Controlled assessment 30%

Section B: Spoken language One activity (written assessment) Unit A680: Information and ideas Exam 40%

Section A : Non-fiction and media Students answer questions on an unseen passage. Section B: Writing One continuous writing response: students choose one task from a choice of two tasks.

Set texts Drama: William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (Literary Heritage) Julius Caesar (Literary Heritage) Poetry: Selected Poems Wilfred Owen (Literary Heritage) Simon Armitage (Contemporary) Carol-Ann Duffy (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Benjamin Zephaniah (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Prose: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Literary Heritage) The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales - Thomas Hardy (Literary Heritage) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Tsotsi - Athol Fugard (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Literary non-fiction Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) The Kindness of Strangers - Kate Adie (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) © www.teachit.co.uk 2012

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: Understanding and producing non-fiction texts Exam 2hrs 15mins 40%

AQA English

Reading: Tier H students answer four compulsory questions based on three reading sources. Tier F students answer five compulsory questions, including those requiring short responses, based on three shorter reading sources. Writing: Both Tier students do two compulsory writing tasks.

Unit 2: Speaking and Listening Controlled assessment 20% Unit 3: Understanding and producing creative texts Controlled assessment 40%

Students must be assessed on three equally weighted activities: • presenting • discussing and listening • role playing. Part a: Understanding creative texts (literary reading) – students choose up to three tasks from the bank of published titles for the year. They must write about their study of literary texts, drawing on a play by Shakespeare, a text from the English Literary Heritage and a text from a different culture. Part b: Producing creative texts – students choose two tasks from the bank of published titles for the year.

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: English today Controlled assessment 20%

Edexcel English

Reading: students complete one task in which they are asked to comment on two texts from the chosen theme. Writing: students complete one task from a choice of two based on the chosen theme

Unit 2: The Writer’s Craft Exam 2hrs 40%

Unit 3: Creative English Controlled assessment 40%

There are three sections to the examination paper – students must answer one question on the Shakespeare play they have studied in Section A, one question on the prose text they have studied in Section B and one writing question from a choice of two in Section C. Three speaking and listening tasks, one poetry reading task and one creative writing task will be completed.

Set texts Reading: Shakespeare  Romeo and Juliet  Macbeth  Merchant of Venice Reading  Anita and Me – Meera Syal  Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress – Dai Sijie  Heroes – Robert Cormier  Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck  Rani and Sukh – Bali Rai  Riding the Black Cockatoo – John Danalis  To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee Poetry The collections of poetry from the Edexcel Poetry Anthology are:    

Collection A: Relationships Collection B: Clashes and Collisions Collection C: Somewhere, Anywhere Collection D: Taking a Stand

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit 1: English in the daily world (reading) Exam 1hr 20%

Unit 2: English in the daily world (writing) Exam 1hr

WJEC English

Reading: non-fiction texts This unit will test the reading of two nonfiction texts from the daily world. These may include: fact-sheets, leaflets, advertisements, and digital and multimodal texts from newspapers and magazines, brochures and the internet. Writing: information and ideas This unit will test transactional and discursive writing through two equally weighted tasks.

20% Unit 3: English in the world of the imagination Controlled assessment 40%

Reading: literary texts: literary heritage poetry and Shakespeare; different cultures prose Students will be required to submit two assignments. The first will test the student’s appreciation and understanding of a Shakespeare play linked to a range of thematically linked literary heritage poetry from the WJEC poetry collection. The second will involve the study of a Different Cultures prose text. Writing: open writing: Students will be required to complete one piece of 1st person and one piece of third person narrative writing drawn from tasks supplied by WJEC.

Unit 4: Speaking and Listening Controlled assessment 20%

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Speaking and Listening: Students will be required to complete at least three Speaking and Listening tasks through the exploration of ideas, texts and issues in scripted and improvised work. The three tasks will cover the following areas:  Communicating and adapting language  Interacting and responding  Creating and sustaining roles

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GCSE 2012 specifications

Unit A461: Reading literary texts Controlled assessment 40% Unit A642: Imaginative writing Controlled assessment

OCR English

Students respond to one task on a play by Shakespeare, one on prose or literary nonfiction and one on poetry. Two linked continuous writing responses from a choice of Text Development or Media.

40% Unit A643: Speaking and listening Controlled assessment 20% Unit A680: Information and ideas

Three activities: • a drama-focused activity • a group activity • an individual extended contribution. Section A : Non-fiction and media Responses to unseen passages. Section B: Writing One continuous writing response: students choose one task form a choice of two tasks, broadly linked to the reading material provided in Section A.

Set texts Drama: William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (Literary Heritage) Julius Caesar (Literary Heritage) Poetry Wilfred Owen (Literary Heritage) Carol-Ann Duffy (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Benjamin Zephaniah (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Prose Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Literary Heritage) The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales - Thomas Hardy (Literary Heritage) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Tsotsi - Athol Fugard (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) Literary non-fiction Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary) The Kindness of Strangers - Kate Adie (Different Culture or Tradition/Contemporary)

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