WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language Component 1 Component

WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language Component 1

Component 1 - Aims of the Session • • • Brief reminder of Reading and Writing assessment objectives To consider the Principal Examiner’s key messages and lessons learnt (June 2019 series) To focus on Reading skills of analysis (AO 2) and evaluation (AO 4) To review a number of candidate responses focusing on Q 04, Q 05 and Q 11 with marking exercises To consider possible approaches to narrative writing and resources available to support teaching and learning

COMPONENT 1 ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES – READING AO 1 AO 2 AO 4 Identify and interpret explicit and implicit information and ideas (assessed in Question 01) 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 (assessed in Questions 02, 03 and 04) Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references (assessed in Question 05) Each Reading question targets ONE assessment objective.

Principal Examiner’s Key Messages: Section A-Reading • • • Read the text and the questions carefully Identify the focus of the question. This summer some candidates focused on Jonathan instead of Frances in Q 02 losing them valuable marks Track the section of text methodically to help structure responses to the questions Don’t go outside the lines indicated in questions 1 -4 Link comments and inferences to textual evidence Avoid unsupported assertions e. g. ‘It is overwhelming as a father to have kids and try to do everything best for them and succeed is difficult’ (part of a candidate’s response to Q 05)

Principal Examiner’s Key Messages: Section A-Reading • • • How a writer achieves effects is a matter of content as well as authorial devices - ‘what’ as well as ‘how’ Maintain a coherent stance when responding to the evaluation question (Q 05) Use of subject terminology should be relevant and support points made Avoid searching for devices as a starting point to questions that assess AO 2 and focus on the text itself Time management- answer all the questions ‘Nothing will come of nothing. ’ Don’t spend too long on the five mark questions at the expense of the 10 mark questions

WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language Assessment in practice: Component 1

Question 04 AO 2 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.

Component 1 Assessment in Practice Question 04 What are Frances’ thoughts and feelings in these lines? How does the writer show her thoughts and feelings? [10 marks] You should write about: Candidates should take note of bullet points where they are given. Question spilt into two parts allowing credit to be given for understanding Frances’ thoughts and feelings and authorial method. • what happens in these lines • the writer's use of language You must refer to the language in the text to support your answer, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate. Any subject terminology used in a response should be relevant and not just ‘feature spotting’ A reminder to the candidates of the importance of selecting appropriate textual evidence to support points

Characteristics of a successful Response • The section of text is tracked carefully • Dialogue and action is considered as well as the effect of the omniscient narrator • There a range of relevant points • Points are supported with appropriate evidence from the text • Analysis of the writer’s techniques is focused and coherent. • Use of subject terminology is relevant and is embedded in the response

Characteristics of a less successful response • Points made do not always focus on the question • Only one of the bullet points is considered • The response drifts outside the specified lines • Devices are ‘spotted’ with little explanation of effect • Little attempt to analyse language • Range is limited for a 10 mark question • Too much‘ copying’ and describing rather than selection and analysis

Question 05 AO 4 Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references.

Component 1 Assessment in Practice Focus of question Question 05 ‘The writer presents Jonathan as a failure as a father and a husband. ’ How far do you agree with this view? You should write about: Indicates AO 4 is being assessed [10 marks] Give own opinions keeping focus of question in mind • your thoughts and feelings about Jonathan and how he is presented in the passage as a whole • how the writer has created these thoughts and feelings You must refer to the text to support your answer. Opinions should be supported with relevant textual evidence.

Component 1 Assessment in Practice Activity • Read the three examples of candidate responses for Q 05 (the evaluation question) • Rank order them • Using the marking scheme provided, discuss on your tables the strengths and weaknesses of each

Characteristics of a successful response • The response considers the whole passage • Clear focus on the statement given • Opinions are always supported with appropriate evidence from the text • The response has a coherent stance • There is evaluation of authorial methods and how these methods have shaped the reader’s opinions, ‘the reader’s perception of the character developed and changed as the story progressed to its conclusion’ (excerpt from Principal Examiner’s Report)

Characteristics of a less successful response • Points made do not focus on the statement • The range of points is limited to a small part of the text • Opinions are not fully supported • Opinions lack clarity of thought • Limited understanding of how the writer shapes the reader’s response to a character

Section B: Creative Prose Writing ‘…it is pleasing to be able to report that there was more quality in the writing, particularly in terms of content. Some pieces were really outstanding. ’ (Component 1 Principal Examiner’s Report 2019)

COMPONENT 1 ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES - WRITING (50% of the overall qualification) AO 5 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. AO 6 Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. (This requirement constitutes 20% of the marks for the specification as a whole. )

Principal Examiner’s Key Messages Q 11 • Choice of titles worked well and gave candidates opportunities to write from personal experience or to create imaginative fiction • Five/ten minutes spent planning the narrative is time well spent • The narrative should be coherent and cohesive - don’t lose the plot • Description within the narrative helps to develop character, setting etc. … but a pure description will be self limiting as it will lack narrative plot and drive • Structure-importance of paragraphs and openings and endings

Principal Examiner’s Key Messages Q 11 • No novellas - keep the timeline, number of characters and number of ‘events’ manageable • Organising a narrative to meet a fixed conclusion (“Write a story which ends: …) requires thought and planning. Candidates need to have a clear sense of where they are going if they opt for this task • Time should be allocated to check technical accuracy, especially commas, full stops, and speech punctuation • Tenses should be consistent unless there is a valid reason not to do so

COMPONENT 1: SECTION B - WRITING 24 marks are awarded for communication and organisation; 16 marks are awarded for vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation. Choice of titles (candidates choose one): • Write about a time when you broke the rules. • The Wedding. • A memory of primary school. • Write a story which ends: …and that was the worst job of my life. [40 marks]

Component 1 Assessment in Practice Sharing good practice. 1. Look at the additional task specific guidance in your ‘Excerpts from Marking Scheme’ booklet. How could this be used with pupils to help them improve their narrative writing? 2. Look at the suggested approach to teaching narrative writing used by an English department in your Component 1 booklet. On your table, consider other approaches which have worked well in the classroom. 3. Match the openings and endings of the four narratives in your Component 1 booklet. Why might this be a useful activity to do with pupils?

Characteristics of a successful response • The narrative clearly links to one of the specified titles • Whether writing from the imagination or real experience, there is enough detail and development to give the story a feeling of authenticity • The plot has a sense of purpose and direction and engages the reader • Characterisation is developed and sustained • Details and development of plot and character are convincing • Vocabulary choices are relevant and effective • Spelling and punctuation is checked and ‘basics’ are used consistently accurately • Ideas are linked and the response is cohesive and coherent. It ‘makes sense’.

Characteristics of a less successful response • Response isn’t linked to one of the specified titles • The plot is hard to follow and there is a lack of cohesion/coherency • The structure of the narrative is uncertain • There are too many characters with limited development • The ending is abrupt and makes little sense (or feels like the end of a different story) • Basic punctuation such as, full stops, commas and speech punctuation are missing or inaccurate • Tenses are insecure

Component 1 Narrative Writing Possible Approaches Pupils can have issues with ‘fleshing out’ their ideas. Often their narratives can become formulaic and become a list of events, ignoring story conventions. Exercise 1 Introduce the idea of story techniques/ narrative hooks. Take a film/ book/play they will be familiar with and reduce it to a sentence or two. For example: Titanic = A massive ship hits an iceberg and sinks and lots of people die. Romeo and Juliet = two teenagers fall in love and can’t be together so they end up killing themselves! This can then lead to a discussion about what things are missing. What makes a story and gets people interested?

Component 1 – Narrative Writing Exercise 2: Record ideas as a list to use, adapt and refer back to. Possible list of story techniques ( to be adapted according to ability and class discussion) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Structure- a clear idea or purpose to drive the narrative forward Characterisation- primary/main and secondary and their role Consideration of setting and its influence Plot twists- foreshadowing or hinting at a problem or issue Time and sequence- a logical (or not!) progression of events. This may include flashbacks/flashforwards. (Warning-tense control can be difficult) 6. Introduction of the new! This could be a character or event 7. Atmosphere- a sense of conflict or a building of tension 8. The narrative perspective 9. The narrative voice 10. Effective/convincing openings and endings

Component 1 - Narrative Writing Exercise 3 Use the clock as a planning tool to try to develop narrative ideas. Once the pupils have the list, they can then start to plan their own ideas using the clock planning framework. The idea of this is to spend 5 minutes on each section but they could write the story using the headings to guide them. This can be easily adapted according to ability.

TASK: Spend 5 Title chosen. minutes on each Explain why you section to plan have chosen it. your story What happens at the end? Wri te y o ur o pen ing p ara Structure: Main idea a gra ph. e ef. Us Describe the setting Wha e vo here osp ne g hin et Atm om s h t M i re y W y ular cab t xi ch our a ho Perspective: Who is your narrator? iv fect rs? te rac u i w p w! Tim t issu eli ne of ev en es a nd p robl ems tsw ha th ap pe ns ne xt? occu r?

Narrative Writing Resources