Dear Parents/Guardians, 20th May 2025
Year 10 students have now completed the whole of the GCSE English Literature course. I would like to thank you for your support of both us as a Learning Area and your child during this academic year. We are very proud of how hard they worked and look forward to celebrating their success and results in August. We hope to continue this into the forthcoming new school year.
In lessons, we are now beginning to prepare for the English Language GCSE, which will be the focus for the remainder of Yr 10 and the whole of Yr 11. GCSE English Literature will not be studied at all from now onwards.
English groups will be re-organised ready for Sept 2025, in order to ensure pupils are in the correct groups for the English Language course, following Baseline testing in early June 2025, with catch up sessions completed in the first week in July 2025 for anyone who misses this. The groups will be monitored closely throughout the year to make sure pupils are in the right place for their ability/current working grade/target grade.
As there are no tiers in English Language GCSE, all pupils will sit the same examination, so it is possible for your child to achieve the very highest grades in any of the teaching groups.
There are a couple of important events in the rest of this term for which we would like your particular support:
- Mon 2nd June – P3 & 4 Tutorial: GCSE English Language Mock exam [PPE]
This exam lasts 1 hour 40 mins and will take place during normal English lessons. Pupils do NOT need to revise or learn anything for this exam. It will test their ability to read and understand unfamiliar texts and express their opinions in writing.
- Tues 17st June, Wed 18th June, Fri 20th June, Wed 25th June, Thur 26th June, Fri 27th June & Fri 4th July – Individually Researched Presentation Oracy Exams [NEA]
Pupils will be allocated a slot on one of these days in a small group and will then go to a separate room in order to undertake an Individual Presentation prepared in advance in English lessons and at home, on a topic of pupils’ choice from broad subject areas set by the exam board. This will be recorded as per the WJEC exam board specifications. There will be a small audience of 5-7 other Yr 10 pupils for this, as stated in the WJEC exam specification.
These Oracy exams will contribute towards the final GCSE English Language grade, worth 10% of the grade. It is essential, therefore, that your child prepares thoroughly for these tasks, attends their allocated slot promptly and does their very best.
Please let me know if there is anything which would prevent your child from attending any of the dates above so their slot can be allocated accordingly. While every effort will be made to reschedule your child if they are ill on the day of their slot, I will require a medical note as it is a GCSE exam.
The pupils’ performances in both the mock exam [PPE] and the Oracy exams [NEA] will be used to re-organise groups for September 2025 and provide us with valuable information about what we need to focus on with students in Year 11.
I would like to close by asking you to encourage your child to attend all lessons and do their very best in all classwork, homework, oracy NEA tasks and mock exams. Thank you in anticipation of your support for the end of this year,
Mrs L. M. Taylor
Raising Standards Leader: English & Literacy
Ltaylor@cathays.cardiff.sch.uk
