Pearson’s website for Edexcel. Look for SAM (Sample Assessment Materials) or Published Resources to find revision guides.
BBC Bitesize
Parents may find the mock marking video (publicly available) useful in helping their children to understand the requirements.
Revise Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language Revision Workbook ISBN: 1447987896, 9781447987895
Revise Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language Revision Guide: (with free online edition) ISBN-10: 1447988086 ISBN-13: 978-1447988083
They also publish intervention workbooks aimed at different grades:
E.g. Target Grade 9 Reading Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language Workbook (Intervention English) ISBN-10: 0435183273 ISBN-13: 978-0435183271
Other relevant publications would be:
· Target Grade 5 English Language Reading
· Target Grade 5 English Language Writing
· Target Grade 9 English Language Writing
For English Language revise vocabulary, all advanced sentence structures and all structural and linguistic techniques. Revise correct spelling of homophones, commonly misspelled words and technical terms.
You will have different books for each element of the Literature GCSE. These books are your best revision guides so keep them organised and up to date.
ALL SUPERQUOTATIONS MUST BE LEARNT BY HEART! (Your teacher cannot learn them for you.)
Revise the plot, themes, characters, language, structure and form of ALL texts that you study. For Macbeth, the Post-1914 play and the ‘Conflict’ poetry, there is a specific focus on context.
For Macbeth and A Christmas Carol, you need to know the texts really well but you need to be able to analyse any section of the text using the skills you will be taught.
Flash cards, post-its and A3 or A2 mind-maps are great methods of revising each specific element of the text.
You will not have as many chances to complete essays as you may think because of the amount of texts to be learnt and revised. Every revision essay must be your best work so that the feedback really helps you.
You need to keep reading and re-reading your set texts – once is not enough.
It is important to revise at least one unit every week whilst studying a new unit. For example, revising A Christmas Carol while studying Macbeth.
PAPER ONE = 40% of GCSE
1 hour 45 minutes
Reading Section: Analysing an Unseen 19th Century Extract (24 marks)
Writing Section: Imaginative Writing (40 marks)
PAPER TWO = 60% of GCSE
2 hours 5 minutes
Reading Section: 20th/21st Century Non-Fiction Unseen Text Analysis (56 marks)
Writing Section: Transactional Writing (40 marks)