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Welcome to the English Department

 

Department Staff

Mrs D. Dornan (Head of Department)

Ms E. Hall

Ms D. Magee

Ms D. Burns

Ms L. Campbell

Introduction

Language and Literacy is a compulsory Area of Learning at Key Stage 3. It includes English with Media Education (and Irish with Media Education in Irish-medium settings) and encourages pupils to continue to develop their skills in talking and listening, reading, and writing.

This Area of Learning helps pupils to develop effective communication skills. These enable pupils to express themselves clearly and appropriately, and to understand the messages of others in different contexts. Pupils have opportunities to appreciate and use language for a range of functional and creative purposes. They engage with peers, poetry, prose, drama, non-fiction, media and multimedia to become critical, creative and effective communicators.

Teachers should help pupils to understand the nature of communication in different contexts. This will enable them to create and analyse messages in print and digital forms throughout their lives.

 

GCSE English

CCEA’s GCSE English Language and English Literature builds on the pupils’ experience of English at Key Stage 3.  The specification is compatible with GCSE English Literature specification. Work submitted for the Reading, Writing and Speaking & Listening components may be based on texts studied for assessment in English Literature.

Unit 1: Writing for Purpose and Audience and Reading to Access Non-Fiction and Media Texts 30%

External written examination. Students complete five tasks.

This unit is a 1 hour 45 minute external exam paper

Unit 2: Speaking and Listening 20%

This is a controlled assessment. Teachers mark the tasks and CCEA moderate the results.

Unit 3: Studying Spoken and Written Language 20%

This is a controlled assessment. Teachers mark the tasks and CCEA moderate the results.

Unit 4: Personal or Creative Writing and Reading Literacy and Non-Fiction Texts 30%

External written examination. Students complete four tasks. This unit is a 1 hour 45 minute external exam paper

GCSE English Literature

GCSE English Literature builds on the pupils’ experience of English at Key Stage 3.

The specification is compatible with GCSE English Language specification. Texts studied for assessment in GCSE English Literature can be used as the basis for work submitted for the Reading, Writing and Speaking & Listening components of GCSE English Language. This specification can not be entered alongside GCSE English.

Unit 1   The Study of Prose 30%

Written paper allowing you to show your ability to respond critically and imaginatively to a prose text.

This unit is a 1hour 45 minute written paper.

Students answer 2 questions, one from Section A and the set question in Section B. Section A is a closed book.

 Unit 2   The Study of Drama and Poetry 50%

This unit is a 2 hour written paper.

Students answer 2 questions, one from Section A and one from Section B.

Section A and B are open book.

 Unit 3   The Study of Shakespeare 20%

This unit is a Controlled Assessment.

Students complete one task : an extended writing question based on a theme.

Useful KS3 links

Key Stage 3 Communication
 
 
Key stage 3 Language and Literacy
 
 
 
 

Useful GCSE links

GCSE English Language Specification
 
 
GCSE English Literature