ABOUT THIS COURSE

This NEW AQA English Literature course focuses keenly on the students who are aiming to improve their grade from 4 to 5 in GCSE English Literature. The course will provide teachers with the skills they require to successfully boost students’ answers in the questions on Shakespeare, the 19th-century novel, Modern texts, Poetry and Unseen poetry. The day is fully interactive, with a range of activities, tasks and challenges for throughout the day. Teachers will examine papers and responses to help them maximise the full potential of their students in the summer exams.

---

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Utilise techniques to quickly identify underperformance and implement effective support strategies for success in the 2023 GCSE AQA English Literature Exams
• Increased understanding of how to motivate underachieving AQA English Literature learners and improve exam performance
• How to teach challenging topics and themes
• Develop effective teaching and learning techniques to help lower ability learners to retain knowledge and better understand language features
• Gain first-hand guidance, advice and examples for maximising your grade 4-5 students in AQA GCSE English Literature.

---

PROGRAMME

Transforming students’ answers: Focusing on the writer not the characters or plot

10.00 – 10.30am

• Analysing questions – what does ‘How does..’ mean?
• Know your texts – key characters and themes
• Talking about language and meaning
• What is the right way to talk about context?
• Writing about the writer’s skills/methods not just the text
• Building students’ skills so that they can approach every question with confidence

---

 

Morning Break

10.30 – 10.45am

---

Paper 1: Analysis not description in Shakespeare

10.45 – 11.30pm

• Investigating past papers – what are the focus areas – themes/characters?
• Analysing: Going beyond just reading the extract
• Establishing why a theme/character important- scaffolding techniques to ensure students can tackle the question
• Linking to relevant contexts, and having a valid, relevant, logical opinion

---

Selecting and exploring language in the 19th Century Novel

11.30 – 12.15pm

• Analysing the extract carefully and identifying key quotations
• Linking key quotes to produce a more persuasive answer
• Using quotations effectively to get a grade 5 answer
• Investigating language used in a past paper question
• How much quotation should be used?
• How much focus should there be on the wider novel?
• Looking at a grade 5 answer and sharing good work

---

Analysing Key events in Paper 2 Modern Texts

12.15 – 1.00pm

• Investigating past papers: what are the focus areas – themes/characters?
• Analysing the extract carefully and deciding why the author might focus on a theme/character?
• Quotation versus key moments/events in the text
• How much should students write?
• Having a view and supplying the evidence – a look at a level 5 answer

---

 

Lunch

1.00 – 2.00pm

---

Developing comparative skills for Paper 2 Poetry Anthology

2.00 – 2.30pm

• Tips and techniques for comparing and contrasting
• Knowing the poems – how well do students need to know them?
• Making comparisons – similarities and differences
• Comparing poetic techniques and meanings
• Planning an answer
• Using planning grids to matching authors’ techniques/meanings in poems

---

 

Break

2.30 – 2.45pm

---

Paper 2: Unseen Poetry – giving students the skills to unlock an unseen text

2.45 – 3.15pm

• Reading and understanding the poem/s
• Planning your answer using grids
• How much to write. How many quotations to use
• Developing students’ skills to explore
• Sharing key ideas from Lead Examiner reports

---

Final Top Tips from the Experts

3.15pm – 3.45pm

• Top Ten Examiner Tips for success in English Literature
• Key points: how to improve students final grade
• What you can do after today to boost students exam chances

---

 

Depart

3.45pm

---