English Language

Exam Board: Eduqas

Grading System: 9-1

What does my son or daughter need to know for English Language?

Your son or daughter will be assessed on the following skills:

Reading

Identifying and combining information/ideas from different texts
Analysing how writers use language and structure to achieve effect.
Comparing writers' ideas and perspectives across two or more texts.
Critically evaluating texts and supporting this with appropriate textual references.

Writing

Communicating clearly, effectively, and imaginatively
Selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences
organising information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features.
Using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect
Accurate spelling and punctuation.

Here is a link to the English Language Framework, which details features of writing that students need to be able to identify, with examples of how to discuss them in context.

What does revision for English Language look like?

The following strategies are useful for revising for English Language:

Reading lots, every day!
- Student need to practise 'tracking' every text as they read to pull out the meaning. They can do this by asking themselves WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY, HOW questions as they read and making notes:
  - WHAT is the text about? WHAT is it telling me?
  - WHEN/WHERE is it set?
  - WHO is the text about? WHO is involved? WHO is it aimed at? WHY has it been written?
  - HOW is the writer getting their message across?

Reading non‐fiction texts and highlighting and annotating features of the text especially around language, structure and form:
- The best things to look for when thinking about structure are:

-how the text starts and initially presents the point of view?

-how does the text develop to progress the points of view or idea- does the argument change?

-how does the text close/finish?

The best things to look for when thinking about tone are:

- to establish what the tone of the text is explicitly i.e. sarcastic, defensive etc.

-to highlight and discuss examples of where this is present

-to try notice any changes in tone, where it is particularly heightened for example?

Skimming a text and summarising what it’s about

Creating revision cards with the features of each form of non‐fiction writing

Reading a page of a book and writing their own exam‐style questions
Reading an article and writing their own exam‐ style questions

Practising and learning to ‘master’ lively writing (i.e. review, article etc.) and formal writing (i.e. a formal letter). This will set students up well for the exam.

Brainstorming ideas for creative writing titles
Mapping out a story and coming up with the opening and closing lines.

How much English Language revision should my son or daughter be doing?

Students should read for at least 30 minutes every day.

Student should spend around 90 additional minutes per week working on the strategies listed above.

What does my son or daughter need to be able to revise for English Language effectively?

The following things will be useful when revising for English Language:

A quiet space to work. (This could be during extended study in school)
Lined and plain paper
A set of blank cards for making flashcards such as these or these.
Practice papers and questions from their teacher
Access to a variety of non‐fiction texts, such as magazines, newspapers and reviews (there’s a list of text types in the box on the right)

How will my son or daughter know their strengths and areas for development?

Students complete a number of assessments in sessions and in any personalised additional support sessions where they will receive bespoke/personalised feedback regularly. Students are then also given opportunity in their sessions to respond to this critique.

Students should also look back over past assessments, alongside the models, to further their understanding of examination strategies. These are available in students' portfolios and exercise.

So how exactly can I help?

Help your son or daughter to get organised and give them a quiet space to work

Help your son or daughter to come up with a revision timetable and plan that is manageable. Remember spaced practice is better than cramming.
Check that your son or daughter is sticking to their revision timetable, or when they are not able to, that they make up the time.
Read and discuss the same non‐fiction texts as your son or daughter, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, political speeches and reviews. Ask them to discuss what they have read by asking:
Give your so or daughter a creative writing title (e.g. The Storm, Write about a time when you felt happy, Write a story that starts with the line, “I gasped. He...”) and get them to plan their story.
Read fiction with your son or daughter and discuss the impact it has on you both.
Work through SPAG activities with them. (see below)
Get your son or daughter to organise their flashcards and notes around SPAG and the features of each type of non-fiction writing.

How Can I Support My Child’s SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)?

There is an increased emphasis on spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPAG) in the new English GCSEs. It now counts for 20% in English Language.

Read with your child

You do not necessarily need to sit down and have your child read to you, but reading the same book and then discussing what you both thought of it is very useful and lots of fun too.

Encourage your son or daughter to proof‐read every piece of writing they do at home

Get your son or daughter to independently check that they've used capital letters and full stops and identify spelling errors in their work ‐ and then encourage them to correct them.

If you then want to check their work, please don't identify every spelling error. Focus on three of four key words first.

Watch TV and films with subtitles

This is great for if your son or daughter is not always secure with spelling.

They can watch anything ‐ not just 'English'y things

It also works brilliantly for revising texts such as Othello ‐ it will bring the script to life and help them to understand the language.

Word of the day

Pick a 'word of the day' or week, and use the word in conversation as many times as you can that day or week ‐ you could even make a game of it.

Wordthink.com and Dictionary.com and many other websites offer a word of the day and its definition(s). You can also sign up to have a daily vocabulary word delivered to your email inbox from oxforddictionaries.com, or use apps such as Word of the Day on your phone.

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