EdExcel GCSE English Language and Literature Exam Information

At GCSE level, how many courses does the subject English cover?

• 1 - GCSE English Language and Literature combined

• 2 - GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature

• 3. 3 - GCSE English Language, GCSE English Literature and GCSE SPAG

• 4. 4 - GCSE English Language, GCSE English Literature, SPAG paper and Shakespeare paper

What questions do you have about your GCSE English courses or assessments?

Match the following

• English Literature Paper 1

• 19th Century Fiction & Poetry (Anthology & Unseen) (A Christmas Carol/Jekyll and Hyde)

• English Language Paper 2

• Unseen 19th century fiction

  & Imaginative Writing

• English Literature Paper 2

• Spelling and Grammar Test

• Not part of the exam

• Shakespeare &

  Post-1914 British Drama or Fiction (Macbeth & An Inspector Calls)

• English Language Paper 1

• 20th & 21st century unseen prose &

  Transactional writing

Which is the only section of the GCSE English Literature exam where you get marks for your spelling, punctuation and grammar?

• Shakespeare (Macbeth/Merchant of Venice etc)

• Post 1914 Fiction/Drama (An Inspector Calls/Animal Farm etc)

• 19th Century Fiction (A Christmas Carol/Jekyll and Hyde)

• Poetry section

How long do you have for GCSE English Literature Paper 1 (unless you receive extra time)?

• 1 hour 45 minutes

• 2 hours and 5 minutes

• 2 hours and 15 minutes

• 127 hours

In which sections of the GCSE English literature exam are there no marks for making references to the social and historical context of the text?

• Shakespeare section A - the extract

• Shakespeare section B - the whole play

• Post 1914 British Novel or Play (e.g. An Inspector Calls)

• 19th Century novel (A Christmas Carol/Jekyll and Hyde)

The acronym SITE can help you to answer English Language Paper 1 Unseen 19th Century Fiction Question 4. What does SITE stand for?

• Similes, Idioms, Transferred Epithet, Epilogue

• Simile, Imagery, Topic Sentence, Explain

• Setting, Ideas, Theme, Events

• Shall I try eggplant?

What aspects of the extract should you avoid discussing the Shakespeare extract question (Part A) and the 19th century novel extract question (Part A) (Christmas Carol/Jekyll and Hyde)?

• Language

• Form

• Structure

• Context

How confident are you that you understand the requirements of GCSE English Language and Literature?

• Very confident

• Quite Confident

• Low confidence

• Unsure

What is the most common reason students do not perform well in their exams?

• Not reading the question carefully

• Not bringing the correct equipment

• Making too many spelling mistakes

• Running out of time