English Resources
This resource was developed using Traineeship Staff Support Programme
funding. The Traineeship Staff Support Programme is commissioned and
funded by The Education and Training Foundation
English Resources
Introduction
This pack contains a variety of resources created by delegates from training providers to
support the teaching of English qualifications. The group attended two days of training to
explore the requirements of GCSE English from 2015. Prior to the training, delegates
completed questionnaires on their knowledge and confidence in teaching the key assessment
objectives:
Writing Assessment Objectives
- Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and
register for different forms, purposes and audiences
- Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support
coherence and cohesion of texts
- Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and
effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. (This requirement must constitute 20% of the
marks for each specification as a whole.)
Reading Assessment Objectives
- Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas
- Select and synthesise evidence from different texts
- Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and
influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views
- Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across two or more
texts
- Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references
The outcomes of these questionnaires were used to provide bespoke training on key areas of
the English Curriculum. The two days were structured as follows:
Day 1
1) Outline of changes to GCSE English
2) Summary of questionnaire findings
3) Support in relation to findings (focusing on writing).
4) Preparation for group resourcing activity
Day 2
1) Sharing of teaching resources by tutor (focusing on reading)
2) Sharing of resources in groups
3) Revisit questionnaire and feedback
The sessions have resulted in a wide variety of resources aimed at developing appropriate
skills for the new Linear GCSE exams. We hope they prove useful.
Contributors
Below are the names of those people who attended the sessions on 22nd May and 13th June
and who contributed to the resources contained in this pack. ALPHI thank all of them for
their participation and their contribution to the resources that, through their efforts, are now
available to the wider network. Thank you!
Company
Delegate name
Care Learning Centre
Emma Curtis
Care Learning Centre
Natalie Caldwell
Chiltern Training Ltd
Janet Buckett
Chiltern Training Ltd
Michele Turner
Eastleigh College
Debbie Hughes
Eastleigh College
Charlotte Drury
Enham Trust
Mark Leyton
Enham Trust
Salma Sams
Enham Trust
Hannah Griffiths
Enham Trust
David How
HIT Training
Laura Foster
MPCT
Kerry Salter
PETA Limited
Andy Clayton
PETA Limited
Jane Mitchell
SCL
Gareth Pritchard
SCL
Lee Innes
SCL
Tony Linton
TQ Eductation
Eileen Poole
Waverley Training
Barbara Milam
Suggestions for how to use the resources
From 2015, GCSE English will be linear; students will no longer be able to submit
coursework or controlled assessments. Their GCSE grade will be based entirely on two
written exams taken at the end of the course. All texts in these exams will be unseen, so the
delivery of the course needs to be entirely skills based. Speaking and listening will still be
assessed, but it will be reported separately. Although speaking and listening will not count
towards their final GCSE English Language grade, talk remains a fundamental part of
developing skills as a reader and writer.
The exams will each contain a reading and writing section. In the reading sections, students
will come across texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. These texts may be fiction or
non-fiction depending on the exam board. They will be assessed on their ability to:
 Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas
 Select and synthesise evidence from different texts
 Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve
effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their
views
 Compare writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed, across
two or more texts
 Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references
For more specific information, please see the Comparison Grid document available in the
GCSE Outline and Draft Specification Information folder. This document outlines the
DRAFT specifications of the 4 exam boards; information from the draft papers has also been
provided, so you see range of tasks students are likely to come across.
Section B of each exam will involve a writing task. Students will be assessed on their ability
to:
 Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style
and register for different forms, purposes and audiences
 Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support
coherence and cohesion of texts
 Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose
and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
(This requirement must constitute 20% of the marks for each specification as a
whole.)
With these skills in mind, the delegates have designed resources to support different elements
of the curriculum. A number are based on developing skills in English using their particular
vocational area. However, there is nothing to stop you using these resources elsewhere. All
of these resources are found in the GCSE English Resources folder.
The more holistic nature of the course means that it is difficult to separate the resources into
reading and writing folders or into distinct exam components. Resources have been divided
up into the following folders for ease of use:
Folder number and title
1) Creative Writing
Folder content overview / index
Creative writing activities
Fairy tales and book extracts
Writing for an audience
2) Letter Writing
Letter writing 1
Letter writing 2
Letter writing 3
3) Persuasive Writing, Counter
argument and Bias
Persuasive writing – punctuation activities
Persuasive writing and counter arguments
Positive and negative descriptors
4) Sentence Types, Comprehension
and Text Analysis
Comparing sentence structures
Comprehension and text analysis
5) Writing to inform
Activity – writing to inform