The King’s School gives the opportunity for all students to study a range of topics in a mixed ability setting. We offer a varied range of texts; aiming to develop skills of both analytical reading of poetry prose and drama as well as developing skills for writing fiction and non-fiction. In Years 7 and 8 students will have one reading lesson where they may use the library and read their own books, every two weeks.

Students are formally assessed in each half-term. After each assessment, students will be given the opportunity to respond to their performance and progress in relation to their targets. They will then be encouraged to work towards attaining their individual targets and supported where necessary.

Year 7 Write On: In Year 7 every student will have one 'Write On' lesson a week. The focus of this lesson is writing and there is a clear focus on accelerating literacy levels. Topic areas include:

• Travel Writing,
• Writing a formal letter (Spy Application)
• A Persuasive Pitch
• Quest story.

Year 7: As well as Write On, students will also study:

• Poetry
• Shakespeare ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
• Novel Study

Year 8: topic areas include

• War Poetry
• Writing Fiction
• Novel
• Macbeth
• Argument Writing
• 19^th century fiction and non-fiction

Year 9: topic areas include

• Romeo and Juliet
• Novel
• Drama (Blood Brothers)
• Poetry
• Non-fiction writing (Healthy Living)
• Fiction Writing (Gothic)

GCSE English Language and Literature: Exam Board AQA
All students will sit GCSE English Language and English Literature at the end of Year 11. Throughout their two year course they will be assessed with ‘mini-mocks’ in class after topics are completed in order to monitor progress. The course will:

• Develop pupils’ ability to communicate their ideas, knowledge, feelings and points of view orally and in the written form.
• Develop pupils’ ability to understand literary texts.
• Develop pupils’ ability to communicate an informed response and to speak and write effectively and accurately.

What content is covered?

English Language:

Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing

• Section A Reading: one literature fiction text
• Section B Writing: description or narrative writing

Paper 2: Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives

• Section A Reading: one non-fiction text and one literary non-fiction text
• Section B Writing: writing to present a viewpoint

Non-examination assessment: Spoken Language. Students will be awarded a Distinction, Merit or Pass grade. This is based on one spoken piece in which they are assessed for:

• Presenting
• Responding to questions and feedback
• Use of standard English

English Literature:

Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel

• Section A Shakespeare: students will answer one question on their play of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the play and then to write about the play as a whole.
• Section B The 19th-century novel: students will answer one question on their novel of choice. They will be required to write in detail about an extract from the novel and then to write about the novel as a whole.

Paper 2: Modern text, poetry and unseen poetry

• Section A Modern texts: students will answer one essay question from a choice of two on their studied modern prose or drama text.
• Section B Poetry: students will answer one comparative question on one named poem printed on the paper and one other poem from their chosen anthology cluster.
• Section C Unseen poetry: Students will answer one question on one unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

Students can study A Level English Language or English Literature: Exam board AQA

English Language:

Method of Assessment

• Unit 1: Exam (2hrs 30m) (40%)
• Unit 2: Exam (2hrs 30m) (40%)
• Unit 3: NEA (20%)

English Literature:

Method of Assessment

• Unit 1: Exam (3hrs) (40%)
• Unit2: Exam (2hrs 30m) (40%)
• Unit 3: NEA (20%)