Conyers School

How to help your child

revise for their English exams

Key dates

Exam content

Revision tips

Conyers School

Mock Exams

5th-9th December

Exams in English Literature and English

Language

Key dates

Thursday 8th December:

9am English Language

10.45am English Literature

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The importance of the English

mock exams• Allows students to practise revision skills.

• Allows students to get used to exam conditions.

• Gives students and teachers a clear idea of their current performance indicator (the grade they will achieve if they continue working as they are).

• Allows intervention decisions to be made (e.g. CLASS).

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The exams: English LiteratureRemember: Students are studying for two separate GCSEs

This paper will be done

in the mock exams

English Literature – paper 1: 1hr 45mins

Section A: Romeo and Juliet Section B: A Christmas Carol

• Answer question given on paper • Closed book (so no copy in exam)• Extract provided• Refer to extract and play as a whole

Writing analytically about language, structure, form devices used by Shakespeare. Link to contextually relevant issues. Marks for SPaG

• Answer question given on paper • Closed book (so no copy in exam)• Extract provided• Refer to extract and novel as a whole

Writing analytically about language, structure, form devices used by Dickens. Link to contextually relevant issues.

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The exams: English LiteratureRemember: Students are studying for two separate GCSEs

This paper will be not be

done in the mock exams

English Literature – paper 2: 2hrs 15mins

Section A: An Inspector Calls Section B: Anthology Poetry Section C: Unseen Poetry

• Answer one question from choice of two given on paper

• Closed book (so no copy in exam)

Writing analytically about language, structure, form devices used by Priestley. Link to contextually relevant issues. Marks for SPaG

• One question comparing one anthology poem with any other from our selection (named poem only printed)

Writing analytically about language, structure, form devices used by poets. Link to contextually relevant issues.

• One question on an unseen poem

• One question comparing the same unseen poem to another (only 8 marks)

Writing analytically about language, structure, form devices used by poets. Link to contextually relevant issues.

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The exams: English LanguageRemember: Students are studying for two separate GCSEs

This paper will not be

done in the mock exams

English Language – paper 1 (FICTION): 1hr 45mins

Section A: Reading Section B: Writing

Read one fiction text then:

1. A question to list four facts about the text

2. A question to analyse language used3. A question to analyse structural devices

used4. A question to respond to a view on

characters or setting

Answer one question to respond to a picture with descriptive or narrative writing

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The exams: English LanguageRemember: Students are studying for two separate GCSEs

This paper will be done in the mock exams but will be a

shortened version (students are expected to spend less time

on the writing question)

English Language – paper 2 (NON-FICTION): 1hr 45mins

Section A: Reading Section B: Writing

Read one 19th century non-fiction text and one modern non-fiction text and then:

1. Identify true or false statements on one text (probably the modern one)

2. Question to compare the content of both texts3. Question to analyse language of one text (probably the

old text)4. Question to compare the methods and style of both texts

Answer one question to a write a viewpoint (argue and/or persuade) piece

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General Revision Advice• Check they have a revision timetable which builds

in a weekly slot for both Literature and Language

revision.

• Ideally (at minimum) two hours for both literature

and language.

• Ensure your child revises them as separate subjects

– they are separate GCSEs.

• Ensure they have re-read each of the texts (for the

Mocks this means re-reading A Christmas Carol and

Romeo and Juliet).

Conyers SchoolEnglish Language mock exam:

Paper 2Monday 7th December- 2 hours

Reading section

• Students will be assessed on their ability to read for understanding, select appropriate information and compare tests

• This means ‘pulling’ out evidence and being able to explain how language/style has been used for a particular purpose and to appeal to a certain audience

• Reading widely will help them – especially non-fiction texts

Writing section

• Produce a technically accurate piece of writing to a brief e.g. a speech to your peers.

Barriers to top grades – even for our most talented writers…

• Overlooking use of basic punctuation

• Using wrong homophone (their / there / they’re) which can often be remedied by proof-reading

• Running out of ideas- not spending 5 minutes planning at the beginning

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Paper 2 (non-fiction): Revision tipsReading• Q: Read non-fiction texts and practise creating true and false

questions and answering them• Q2: Write a comparison of the content of two non-fiction texts

• Q3: Read non-fiction articles and consider the language

• Q4: Compare the methods and style of two non-fiction texts

Writing: Learn and practise using…• Language and presentation devices

• High level punctuation

• Varied sentence structures

• Paragraphing for effect

• Varied, sophisticated vocabulary

• Writing for different purposes

Conyers SchoolThe Literature mock exam: Romeo and Juliet and

A Christmas Carol• Extract based question (also need to refer to play/novel as whole)

• Students will be assessed on their ability to analyse language, structure and form in relation to a key theme/idea/character in the novel. Students will also needs a good knowledge of the context of the book. In R&J students SPaG skills are also assessed.

Revision tips:

• Re-read texts

• Bullet point a summary of the text

• Produce characterisation maps for each main character with key quotations and relationships to other characters

• Create mind maps for key themes

• Study key extracts

• Practise analysing key quotations

• Practise writing PEA paragraphs

• Practise writing full essays to mock questions

• Learn key quotations

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Useful revision resources

Their purple exercise book

Google drive (English>Resources>Yr11

revision)

BBC Bitesize

Sparknotes

Shmoop

CGP books

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Other ideas

Two minute ‘boosters’Use car journeys, meal time preparation, TV advert time to get them to:Literature• Retell you the story of A Christmas Carol/Romeo and Juliet• Name as many themes as they can think of in A Christmas Carol/Romeo

and Juliet • Summarise characteristics of main characters in A Christmas

Carol/Romeo and Juliet Language- Paper 2• Verbally rally between you as many different types of punctuation as you

both can possibly think of – the one who runs out first loses.

• Pause the TV on a particularly colourful advert and ask them to tell you who its aimed at and how they know, in as much detail as possible.

• Next time they want something ask them to use the most varied and sophisticated vocabulary they can possibly think of… Only ‘grant their wish’ if they’ve really impressed you!

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Additional support

• Please help yourself to the

hand-outs from this session

which contain all the

information covered in this

session on how to support your

child’s revision.