IGCSE
CIE
English & English Literature The English Department follows the International GCSE syllabus of Cambridge International Examinations for both English and English Literature. These are two distinct subjects which lead to the award of two GCSE certificates at the end of the course. Both subjects are assessed entirely by written examination; there is no coursework. The two aspects of English are taught simultaneously; there is no separation between the skills, and most are transferable between Language and Literature. For their English Language course, boys will develop narrative and descriptive writing skills, as well as practising directed writing in response to a media text. They will also be examined in writing a summary and analysing language closely. The exam papers usually feature extracts from non-fiction. In English Literature, pupils study four texts (a novel, a play, some poetry and Shakespeare), and take a paper in previously unseen texts. Texts are chosen by the teacher from the syllabus, but the novel could be, for example, Michael Frayn’s Spies, Kate Grenville’s Secret River or Willa Cather’s My Antonia. The drama texts range from 20th century plays such as Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge and J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth or Henry V. Poetry is studied from an anthology, which presents a range of thematically-linked poems by various authors.
Please see
Mr Riggs
for more information
English & English Literature
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