English Language GCSE - Paper 1 Fiction Paper & Paper 2 Non-Fiction Paper - Revision Tools/ Task  

Steps to success: 

• Mr. Bruff on YouTube has a full range of videos, tutorials, and exemplar essays to help and support learners who are aiming to achieve 4 and 5.  
• Mr. Salles on YouTube is aimed at those pupils who are working towards a 7, 8 & 9 with some higher end exemplar material and more in-depth revision. 
• CGP Guides were given out at the beginning of the year and each revision guide has a unique digital code that allows you to access the online resources, these include interactive quizzes which are ideal for recall revision.  
• GCSE Pod has a wide range of videos and quizzes based on the skills needed for Paper 1 and Paper 2. 
• Mock Papers and Past Papers are readily available online, they have also been set on Class Charts and paper copies available from your English teacher. 
• Short, timed, mocks at home are an ideal way to revise the timings of an exam - any work completed at home will be marked by your English teacher in school. 
• Please attend Monday after school revision sessions with Mrs. Stoker in T1. 
• Revision tips at home: Ask others to help, ask a sibling or parent to quiz you on language terminology or figurative language devices and why a writer would choose to use them. Take part in online quizzes, play against someone at home, talk revision helps retain a lot of information. Try and explain some of the more difficult techniques of the paper to someone else to reassure yourself of your own understanding of it. Could you explain the structure to a little sibling? 
• Read a range of fiction and non-fiction daily - this can be a short article in a local newspaper or a page of a book you have at home. Try and identify the language choices and think about why the writer chose them.   
• Many of the resources made by the English department are large, bright, and well structured, the knowledge organizers are colour coded and bold - use these like posters. Place these posters all over the house, on the fridge, on the kitchen table and pinned up on a wall - the more you look at them the better. Do not keep a useful revision document folded in a book, in a bag - get them out. 

To move your current grade of a 3 to an actual grade 4 

• The key barrier in English Language is in learning, and using, the correct terminology when writing about language. Word types (verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns) need to be explicitly identified and written about. 
• Figurative language features like similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification need to be identified and their purpose analysed.  
• When writing in Paper 1 (Narrative or Descriptive) the key way to move into a grade 4 is to ensure you have used a range of the figurative language features identified above, and you have crafted an imaginative and engaging piece of creative writing. 
• When writing in Paper 2 (discursive writing) the key to moving from a 3 to 4 is to ensure you have used persuasive features, hyperbole, repetition, anecdote and facts and figures. Engage the reader with a consistent point of view.  

To move your current grade of a 4 to a 5 in English Language  

• To ensure a 5 in English Language a full range correct terminology needs to be used when writing about the texts. Word types (verbs, adjectives, and nouns) need to be explicitly identified and then the analysis of the impact of these words, how the verb of "stamped" has the connations of force and violence and how that would make a reader feel.  
• Figurative language features like similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification, the five types of imagery, semantic fields, oxymoron, and pathetic fallacy need to be identified and how and why the writer choose to use these techniques and to then analyse how a reader would react to a specific word choice. 
• When writing in Paper 1 (Narrative or Descriptive) the keyway to move into a grade 5 is to ensure you have used a range of sentence types and lengths and have varied these for effect, along with spelling all words correctly. An ambitious vocabulary along with the figurative language features identified above will move you into a 5. The key is to make the work imaginative and engaging.   
• When writing in Paper 2 (discursive writing) the key to moving from a 4 to 5 is to ensure you have used persuasive features, hyperbole, repetition, anecdote and facts and figures. Engage the reader with a consistent point of view. Please plan a piece of persuasive writing that is logical, well-structured, and formal in tone. This will help secure a higher grade. Please ensure to plan a wide range of points and insights to secure your mark. 

To obtain the highest grades in English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 

• Strictly adhere to the timings of the exam. Every question across the two papers has a time limit on it, and not running over the allotted time per questions will allow the correct focus being given to higher weighted questions. 
• Being familiar with the layout, timings, wording, and expectations of the exam papers - see Class Charts, Google, CGP Guides or your teacher for copies of papers. 
• Plan your answers for higher mark questions, the plan will allow you to keep on track and produce a well-structured, broad piece of writing.  
• Correct use of quotations and quote marks - ensure that all words that are taken from the text are in quote marks, make sure they are analysed and do not use a long quote. Higher grades are rewarded to pupils who can anaylise and say a lot about a little - keep the quote short and focused.  
• Know your terminology - apply the terminology correctly, don't shy away from using it through all of your English exams. 
• Wide, impressive vocabulary will be needed in part B of both papers, along with evidence of using a range of sentence lengths and types, spelling, punctuation and grammar is worth a third of marks for this section.  
• Make sure your extended writing pieces in Part B are engaging, well planned, formal, interesting and answer the question that has been asked. 
• Those that read at home often secure the highest grades.