English

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​Our Intent:

The intention for the English curriculum at Okehampton College is to equip our students with a strong command of the written and spoken word and to develop their engagement with a wide-ranging literary heritage through widespread reading for enjoyment.With high levels of literacy being the gateway to success across the board, we aim to support students in becoming lifelong, ‘word rich’ learners who can read, decipher and better navigate the often complex world in which they live. This will mean they can read fluently and make inferences, apply a robust understanding of grammar and linguistic conventions to their own writing suitable for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences, and have the opportunity to access a knowledge-rich, well-structured and systematic curriculum with a determined focus on achieving equity for all at Okehampton College.

KS3 Curriculum Content

Year	Topics
Year 7	Year 7 serves as an introduction to the foundations of English Language and Literature. Our aim is to embed and develop the grammatical knowledge of KS2 through writing units in which students examine and emulate writers’ work. Our rich literary texts build the foundation of our KS3 and KS4 curriculum, introducing students to influential periods of literary history such as Classical Greece, Shakespearean England and the 19th Century.	The Island: non-fiction writing A Christmas Carol: the play  Grammar for Writing: writing fiction  Origins of Literature: Greek and Norse Mythology An Introduction to Shakespeare An Introduction to Poetry: The Romantic Poets
Year 8	In Year 8, we build upon Year 7 by taking a close look at numerous fictional texts and sentence structures, later incorporating Gothic conventions in fictional writing. This year, we explore persuasive speeches and devices to develop clear communication. The foundation knowledge of literary history is developed through understanding allegory and the importance of contexts in Animal Farm and social injustice in The Merchant of Venice. Finally, we introduce students to the theme of conflict and power through our selection of war poetry.​	Grammar for Writing Animal Farm by George Orwell The Gothic The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Persuasive Writing  Poetry of Conflict
Year 9	By Year 9, students will be able to independently examine texts in context. Our literary texts this year build on previous learning: students can use their understanding of 19th Century contexts and the Gothic to enrich their reading of The Woman in Black and non-fiction extracts. Romeo and Juliet will introduce students to the tragic genre and themes of gender, violence and identity which will be applicable beyond KS3. Students will also develop their writing skills by looking at how to shape short stories before continuing their exploration of rhetoric through the principles of ethos, logos and pathos	The Woman in Black by Susan Hill Structure for Writing ‘Power and Conflict’: an introduction to the AQA anthology Rhetoric Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 19th Century Non-Fiction Texts

​KS4 Curriculum Content

At KS4, students work towards achieving two GCSEs: English Language and English Literature. These subjects will be taught separately by two different teachers to help students meet the demands of both GCSEs. We teach the AQA English Language and English Literature syllabus. 

English Language	This specification is 100% examination. English Language consists of two exam papers based on extracts from the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries. Students will need to understand and analyse the content of these extracts before writing their own, extended pieces. There is also an assessed Spoken Language component to their GCSE in which students deliver a 3-5 minute presentation on a topic of their choice.	Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives ​ Spoken Language Endorsement (Awarded: Pass, Merit, Distinction)
English Literature	This specification is 100% examination. English Literature consists of two exam papers including: a 19th Century novel, a modern play, a Shakespeare play and poetry. The English Literature papers are closed book which means the texts will not be allowed in the exam.	Paper 1:  Macbeth by William Shakespeare and  either A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens or The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Paper 2:  An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley AQA ‘Power and Conflict’ anthology Unseen poetry

KS5 Curriculum Content

A LEVEL: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Exam Board: AQA

The A Level qualification in English Language provides students with a deep knowledge of how the English language works and encourages them to engage creatively with areas of topical debate. They will explore language in use in various contexts and will carry out an independent investigation in an area of particular interest to them.

In this two-year course, students will explore all aspects of the English Language both written and spoken. Students will be expected to analyse short texts in order to understand how they are produced and received for a range of purposes and audiences and how the language present is influenced by a variety of contexts.

	Non-Examination Assessment (NEA)	Examination
A Level English Language	Language in Action: ​2 pieces with a total word count of 3,500 Language Investigation Original Writing	Paper 1: Language, the Individual and Society Section A: Textual Variations and Representations Section B: Children’s Language Development Paper 2: Language Diversity and Change Section A: Diversity and Change Section B: Language Discourses

​A LEVEL: ENGLISH LITERATURE

​Exam Board: WJEC Eduqas 
  
The English Literature A-Level exposes students to a range of literary texts throughout history, stretching from Shakespeare and the Renaissance to Carol Ann Duffy and Post-Modernism. Students learn about the ways that Literature reflects contemporary values and societies; how it has changed and developed as the world changes, and even how it can be an important catalyst for change itself.  
 
80% of this qualification is assessed through 3 exams at the end of your A2 year.  The remaining 20% is a non-examination assessment, taking the form of an extended, independent essay comparing two literary texts. 

	Non-Examination Assessment (NEA)	Examination
​A Level English Literature	​One 2500-3500 word assignment based on the reading of two prose texts from different periods: one pre-2000 and one post-2000. For the purpose of this internal assessment, Bronte’s Jane Eyre will be studied.	​Component 1: Poetry Open book Section A – John Keats: Selected Poems Section B – Comparison of Carol Ann Duffy and Philip Larkin Component 2: Drama Closed book Section A – Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ Section B – Comparison of John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire ​Component 3: Unseen Section A – Unseen prose Section B – Unseen poetry