GCSE ENGLISH

WHAT IS THE COURSE ABOUT?

You will tackle this course from the angle of being in a sixth from college and the materials that you study will be geared towards your age group. You will follow the AQA English (Mature) syllabus.  Although you will be developing the same kinds of skills as on your school English course, we hope the materials we use and some of our approaches will be a little different.

COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT

This is a one-year course specially designed for those of you wishing to improve on your previous grade at GCSE English.  During the year you will develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through a variety of activities and by studying a range of materials, both literary and non-literary, fiction and non-fiction.  You will find that much of the early part of the course will be devoted to producing coursework (see below) and you will certainly not have as much time to do this as you did at school.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

You will present a new coursework folder, which will be finished by the end of January to allow you to concentrate on the skills required to help you succeed in the examination in June. You will also need to undertake oral tasks which will be moderated by your teacher which contribute to your overall grade.

COURSE COMMITMENT

You need to bring to the course a determination to succeed and a commitment to hard work.

COURSE COSTS

There are no additional costs unless you decide to opt for a November resit, when you will be expected to pay the full resit fees. You should only consider retaking English if you were predicted a C but only achieved a D and your previous oral and written coursework was awarded a Grade C.  If you are able to re-sit, your previous coursework marks are automatically carried forward and you will take exam papers set by whichever Board you entered last summer.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

You should have a good general education such as GCSE grades mainly at D/E standard. If you have lower grades or you have not had the opportunity to sit GCSE English before please discuss this at your initial college interview.

PROGRESSION ROUTES

Obtaining a grade C will enable progression to a broad range of AS level courses, the majority of which insist on an English GCSE qualification of at least a grade C. GCSE. English is an important qualification for progression into a wide range of careers and Further and Higher Education courses. The achievement of a Grade C or above is evidence of your ability to communicate orally and in writing with confidence and effectiveness.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you require further information please contact Rob Myers, the Department Manager.