English Language intro Letter

3rd Oct 2022

Dear Parents/Guardians

Year 11 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 last year. We are very proud of how hard they worked and delighted at their considerable success and pleasing results. We hope to continue this into the forthcoming new school year.

In lessons, we are now preparing for the English Language GCSE, which will be the focus for Yr 11. There will not be a resit opportunity for GCSE English Literature, due the complex demands of new coursework tasks and an additional written paper (which had been removed last year due to Covid adaptations).

English sets have been reorganised in order to ensure pupils are in the correct groups for the English Language course, following Baseline testing in early July 2022, with catch up sessions almost completed for those who missed them then. 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:

1)

  • Mon 28th & Tues 29th November – Group Discussion Oracy Exams

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 a Group Discussion prepared in advance in English lessons and at home, on a topic set by the exam board. This will be recorded as per the WJEC exam board specifications. There will be no audience for this.

These Oracy exams will contribute towards the final GCSE English Language grade, worth 20% of the grade [10% per task]. It is essential, therefore, that your child prepares thoroughly for these tasks, attends their allocated slot promptly and does their very best.

2) 

GCSE English Language Mock exams x 2 (PPEs):

  • Friday 21st October – P1, 2 & Tutorial: PPE 1 Unit 2 paper
  • Friday 11th November – P1, 2 & Tutorial:  PPE 1 Unit 3 paper

Each of these 2 exams lasts 2 hours and will start at 8:30 am. It is essential that pupils arrive on time for a prompt start.                                                                                                                                                                                               

The pupils’ performances in both the PPEs [mock exams] and the NEA will be used to reorganise sets for January 2023 and provide us with valuable information about what we need to focus on with students in the latter part of 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, NEA tasks and mock exams.

Thank you in anticipation of your support again this year,

Mrs L. M. Taylor

Raising Standards Leader: English & LiteracyLtaylor@cathays.cardiff.sch.uk

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