Re: Year 10 - Entry for GCSE English Literature – May 2017
Dear Parents/Carers
As you are aware, your child has been studying for their English Literature exam since the
summer of Year 9. At that time, they spent a half-term reading the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’
and the play ‘Macbeth’. From September, the students have been working through the four,
equally weighted units for the qualification: ‘Macbeth’, ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘An Inspector
Calls’ and the Poetry unit. By the time they reach the Easter holidays, all units will be
completed with students prepared for the external examinations.
During this time, we have been working tirelessly to help support your child - providing them
with the necessary skills required in order to sit the external examinations. Each unit has
consisted of a baseline assessment, along with mid and end of unit examinations; these
have been administered under strict, exam conditions to mimic what will be expected of each
student in the actual exam. The purpose of these assessments is to ensure our students are
sufficiently prepared to achieve their potential in this subject.
Since the beginning of January, we have been in discussion with our Senior Leadership team
along with other county high schools, to decide whether our students should sit the GCSE
Literature examinations, a year early. Having completed two full units, we were able to make
an informed decision about the best course for our students at this time.
We believe that our students would benefit from sitting their GCSE Literature in May 2017,
rather than in 2018.
There are a number of reasons why this decision has been made. Firstly, our students have
recently covered each text, so the novels, plays and poems (along with the different exam
requirements) are fresh in their minds. Being closed book presents a number of issues for
our students, so we feel they are best to sit the exam now rather than retaining this
information for a year and only briefly revisiting each one prior to the exam. To sit it now
means they have the advantage.
Secondly, they have had extensive experience answering exam questions through the way
we structure our courses; they have been exposed to exam questions, exemplar materials,
marking criteria and specific guidance from the exam boards. This has allowed them to be
immersed in the Literature qualification.
Finally, by sitting the Literature examination in May, our students can then focus solely on the
second English qualification, GCSE English Language. They will be able to use the end of
Year 10 along with whole of Year 11 to hone their GCSE Language skills without deviation,
without having to revisit the Literature elements. Year 11 is a difficult, intense year for our
students and we believe that taking some of this pressure off them is crucial.
Although this decision might make you and your child nervous, please be assured that the
exact same amount of time will have been spent on the qualification, even though they are
sitting it a year early.
The GCSE Literature external examination dates are as follows:


Monday 22nd May 2017 – Paper 1 = ‘Macbeth’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’
Friday 26th May 2017 – Paper 2 = ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Conflict Cluster/Unseen
Poetry
We have spoken to the students and explained to them our decision; we are more than
happy to speak to you if you have any concerns or questions. Please do not hesitate to
contact your child’s class teacher, in the first instance, to discuss any aspect of this decision.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Rachel Finch
Head of Communications and Art
Kingstone High School