Year 11

Well, this is what all those lessons have been building up to! Anyone in this year needs to be ready to start listening like they’ve never listened before. Throughout the year a variety of work will be covered and it’s all vital. This work consists of the study of the AQA Anthology, a novel, exam preparation and any work that, for whatever reason, has been missed. Pupils often think that once the coursework is finished they can relax. Wrong! Teachers provide a constant stream of advice and information throughout the year; this includes the need to make notes and practise answering exam style questions. If you’re a pupil and you haven’t worked too hard so far, now’s the time to change, it might not be too late. Oh, and don’t stay off school unless you really have to, you can bet that whatever you miss will be on the exam; life’s like that. Sorry, I was starting to rant there--it’s frustrating when all the information is on a plate but somebody won’t swallow it. That was a metaphor by the way…what, you still don’t know what a metaphor is? Then use a dictionary, I keep telling you!

Okay, back to the work. Here is an outline of the work to be covered in Year 11.

AQA Anthology

This is a booklet which is similar in appearance to a magazine with a card cover. Many pupils sigh when they first see the Anthology as there is a lot in it--the good news is that we only need to cover a small proportion of the material inside. The large amount of material is provided so that schools and teachers have a reasonable amount of choice in what they cover. The class teacher will read and discuss the poems with the class so that notes can be made; however, notes cannot be taken into the exam so revision and concentration are very important.

The poetry in the Anthology is covered in three sections and each section features separately in the exam; here’s an example of how it works.

Poems From Other Cultures

As you might imagine, this is a selection of poems from around the world. There is a great deal of variety here and so if you have an open mind there should be at least one or two poems that you really enjoy.

Named Poets
In this section the work of two poets is studied and analysed in relation to various common themes.

Seamus Heaney and Gillian Clarke. Eight to ten poems studied.
Heaney was brought up on a farm in Ireland and his poems tend to focus on his experiences and family.

Clarke’s poetry is mainly to do with relationships although there are often more complex themes beneath the surface.

Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage. Eight to ten poems studied.
Duffy explores many themes in her poetry including relationships, isolation and violence.

Armitage’s poetry explores his relationship with his parents and family. He often does this in very unusual ways.

Pre-1914 Poems. Four to six poems studied.

Yes, you’ve guessed it; the poems in this section were written before 1914. As a result of this some of the language can be quite difficult but everything is explained clearly; as long as you take notice and make notes there won’t be a problem. These poems are used to compare with whichever of the above named poets you have studied.

That’s about it for the anthology for now but in the Exam section you can see where the different poems come up. The only other thing I need to say is that in Year Eleven it is very important to try not to be off school as all the work is exam related and so very important. Obviously, if you are ill then you need to stay at home but it’s not worth missing a poem because you “feel a bit tired”. Our staff are understanding and helpful but there’s no substitute for being in the classroom when the works being done; that’s when the ideas and originality fly around. That was another metaphor; did you spot it?

Exam Text

Each class studies a novel so that they are able to write an essay about it in response to a question in the exam. The texts chosen are appropriate to ability levels and are presented in such a way as to make them accessible and entertaining for the class. Here is a list of the most likely texts to be studied:

To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The Lord of The Flies by William Golding

The text will be read and analysed so that each pupil has the knowledge and skills necessary to write a detailed essay on it in the exam.

The Exams

As well as studying the Anthology and exam text in Year Eleven a lot of time will be spent on developing the necessary skills for each of the three exam papers--together they account for 60% of the final grade. This often becomes a major focus around Easter time and it is vital that pupils don’t “switch off” just because there isn’t one specific area for them to concentrate on. The preparation takes the form of writing in particular styles; responding to an unseen text or texts; comparing and contrasting poems; and essay writing skills.

Just in case you aren’t already aware, English is split into two GCSE exams so you come away with a GCSE in English and a GCSE in English Literature; how about that for value. To get these qualifications you need to sit three separate exams and now I’ll explain what each one is about.

English Paper 1:

One paper: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Two sections.

Section A: Comparing two/three different texts. (Media)

Section B: Writing to Argue, Persuade or Advise.

(Each section carries the same number of marks BUT Section A requires a lot more reading, so you are advised to spend 1 hour on Section A and 45 minutes on Section B.)

English Paper 2:

One paper: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Two sections.

Section A: Response to Poetry From Other Cultures and Traditions.

Section B: Writing to Inform, Explain or Describe.

(Each section carries the same number of marks. You are advised to spend 45 minutes on each section.)

For Literature, your coursework counts for 30% of your final mark, so there's still 70% to aim for. Don’t forget that the skills you learned and used in your coursework are the skills you need to show in the exam.

Literature Paper:

One paper: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Two sections.

Section A: 45 minutes on your set text. (Answer 1 question out of 2)

Section B: 1 hour on your Literature Poetry.

You will have to answer ONE question on the poetry you have studied. This will be either Seamus Heaney, Gillian Clarke and Pre-1914 poems or Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Pre-1914 Poems.

There will be THREE questions set; you have to answer ONE of them.

The way to top grades is by:
a. Thorough revision. You may take your exam text and anthology into the exam but the knowledge should be in your head and that includes short, pertinent quotes. Make sure you stick to the rules about annotation of texts.
b. Thorough planning before you begin to write: brain storm, mind map, paragraph plan, whichever style you prefer, but practise these beforehand.
c. Careful proof reading and correcting before you hand your paper in.