ASSESMENT AREAS AND OBJECTIVES

The range of reading assessed will include prose, poetry and drama, including:

• a play by Shakespeare
• work from the English literary heritage by at least one major writer
• texts from different cultures and traditions.
• non-fiction texts
• media texts

The range of writing assessed will include writing to:

• explore, imagine, entertain;
• inform, explain, describe;
• argue, persuade, advise;
• analyse, review, comment;

in a variety of forms and genres.

The range of speaking and listening assessed will include:

• explain, describe, narrate;
• explore, analyse, imagine;
• discuss, argue, persuade;

in a variety of formal and informal contexts. Assessment focuses on extended individual contributions, group discussion and interaction, and drama-focussed activities.

Objectives for Speaking and Listening require candidates to:

• communicate clearly and imaginatively, structuring and sustaining their talk and adapting it to different situations, using Standard English appropriately;
• participate in discussion by both speaking and listening, judging the nature and purposes of contributions and the roles of participants;
• adopt roles and communicate with audiences using a range of techniques.

Objectives for Reading require candidates to:

• read, with insight and engagement, making appropriate references to texts and developing and sustaining interpretations of them;
• distinguish between fact and opinion and evaluate how information is presented;
• follow an argument, identifying implications and recognising inconsistencies;
• select material appropriate to their purpose, collate material from different sources, and make cross references;
• understand and evaluate how writers use linguistic, structural and presentational devices to achieve their effects, and comment on ways language varies and changes.

 

Objectives for Writing require candidates to:

• communicate clearly andimaginatively, using and adapting forms for different readers and purposes;
• organise ideas into sentences, paragraphs and whole texts using a variety of linguistic and structural features;
• use a range of sentence structures effectively with accurate punctuation and spelling.

To obtain a Grade C

Candidates match their talk to the demands of different contexts. They use varied vocabulary and organise their talk to communicate clearly, engaging the interest of the listener. In discussion, candidates make significant contributions, varying how and when they participate. They show confident use of standard English in situations which require it.

Candidates show understanding of the ways in which meaning and information are conveyed in a range of literary and non-literary texts. They give personal and critical responses to literary texts, referring to aspects of language, structure and themes in justifying their views. They select and summarise a range of information from different sources.